RAM Upgrade for Late 2008 MBP

Hey guys,

I am using a Late 2008 MBP (Unibody) 2.4GHz, Intel Core 2 Duo 2GB ram, currently running 10.5.8 but have bought 10.6 disc and intend on upgrading to 10.8.
I have been advised to up my RAM before upgrading the OS.

What % difference will there be in application speed by installing 8GB of RAM vs. just 4GB?
Can I install one 4GB chip next one of my 1GB chips?
Can someone please tell me if this RAM would be ok for my MBP model & if indeed it looks good. Does RAM quality vary greatly, online?:

http://goo.gl/fYdTF

many thanks,
Josh

Ps, do single 4GB chips exist, sold separately?!

I would go for the full 8 gig kit. Depending on what programs you use it will give any memory hogs much more breathing room than a mere 2 gig

8 Gb are better than 4 Gb, it will keep you from disk thrashing (because of the swap file).

louishen said:

I would go for the full 8 gig kit. Depending on what programs you use it will give any memory hogs much more breathing room than a mere 2 gig

Click to expand...

Edredr said:

8 Gb are better than 4 Gb, it will keep you from disk thrashing (because of the swap file).

Click to expand...

Thanks guys,

Can anyone tell me if the 8GB RAM link I attached to Amazon, is any good? Is it easy to dodgy ram on the web?

JoshJ said:

Thanks guys,

Can anyone tell me if the 8GB RAM link I attached to Amazon, is any good? Is it easy to dodgy ram on the web?

Click to expand...

That ram looks like the correct stuff.

Have you tried Crucial.com for your ram upgrade?:

www.crucial.com

They're supposed to ship from a UK based warehouse...so you should be able to get decent prices, decent shipping costs, and a decent shipping time.

Crucial simply specializes much more in this sort of thing than someone posting on Amazon. Possibly better (customer service, return policy, lifetime warranty).

- Nick

I don't recommend posting shortened URLs in our forums as most savvy users are going to be reluctant to click on it not knowing where it will lead to.

However, as far as purchasing memory goes... we recommend buying memory from either Other World Computing or Crucial. Since Amazon sponsors a number of third party resellers, you will have to depend on their integrity.

chscag said:

However, as far as purchasing memory goes... we recommend buying memory from either Other World Computing or Crucial. Since Amazon sponsors a number of third party resellers, you will have to depend on their integrity.

Click to expand...

We're definitely "on the same page" here!

- Nick

pigoo3 said:

That ram looks like the correct stuff.

Have you tried Crucial.com for your ram upgrade?:

RAM Memory Upgrade: Dell, Mac, Apple, HP, Compaq. USB drives, SSD at Crucial.com

They're supposed to ship from a UK based warehouse...so you should be able to get decent prices, decent shipping costs, and a decent shipping time.

Crucial simply specializes much more in this sort of thing than someone posting on Amazon. Possibly better (customer service, return policy, lifetime warranty).

- Nick

Click to expand...

Thanks a lot Nick - wish I had ordered from them in the 1st place. 1 months has past and my 8GB kit has still not been delivered to my UK address! Has anyone else from the UK ever order from OWC - any ETA's??!!

When I buy items off eBay.com it usually takes 2 - 4 weeks for delivery from the USA to the UK when posted via USPS. If you are out when a delivery is attempted they will card you, as Royal Mail collect the VAT and charge another £8.00 as a collection fee. It's best to avoid buying out of the EC unless the item costs less than £16.00 or there is no other reputable source. Crucial pricing is good and shipping free in the UK.

Purchase memory exclusively from OWC. If you want speedy seven day delivery service it is necessary to pay the maximum air freight cost. The economy rate takes about 6 weeks or so. That is the time scale to Australia.