RAM Upgrade - Compatibility

Ubermensch · Sep 1, 2009

I have a black Macbook that I bought in July of 2007. It came with 1 GB RAM (667 MHz DDR 2 SDRAM) and a 2.16 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor. I am currently running OS X Tiger 10.4.11. I plan to upgrade to OS X Snow Leopard very soon, in addition to adding more RAM, but I have a few questions before I do.

Should I install OS X Snow Leopard before or after I upgrade my RAM?

What is the maximum amount of RAM that my computer and operating system will support in I upgrade to Snow Leopard? What about Tiger? I have heard that 4 GB is the maximum, but only 3.3 GB will be recognized on Leopard, but I haven't heard anything about Snow Leopard. Will Snow Leopard recognize more on the mid-summer 2007 black Macbooks? I am interested in upgrading to 6 or 8 GB RAM (2 x 3 GB, 2 x 4 GB) if my slots will support it. If not, 2 or 4 GB (2 x 1 GB, 2 x 2 GB) would still be a good upgrade.

Currently, my RAM is DDR 2. Will my computer be able to support DDR 3 RAM?

How many pins do my RAM sticks need to be compatible (200, 204, 240, etc.)?

Here are the technical specifications for my computer as per Apple:
MacBook (Mid 2007) - Technical Specifications

Mine is on the very right: black Macbook (MB063LL/A).

Thank you for your help!

pigoo3 · Sep 1, 2009

Ubermensch said:
I have a black Macbook that I bought in July of 2007. It came with 1 GB RAM (667 MHz DDR 2 SDRAM) and a 2.16 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor. I am currently running OS X Tiger 10.4.11. I plan to upgrade to OS X Snow Leopard very soon, in addition to adding more RAM, but I have a few questions before I do.

Should I install OS X Snow Leopard before or after I upgrade my RAM?

What is the maximum amount of RAM that my computer and operating system will support in I upgrade to Snow Leopard? What about Tiger? I have heard that 4 GB is the maximum, but only 3.3 GB will be recognized on Leopard, but I haven't heard anything about Snow Leopard. Will Snow Leopard recognize more on the mid-summer 2007 black Macbooks? I am interested in upgrading to 6 or 8 GB RAM (2 x 3 GB, 2 x 4 GB) if my slots will support it. If not, 2 or 4 GB (2 x 1 GB, 2 x 2 GB) would still be a good upgrade.

Currently, my RAM is DDR 2. Will my computer be able to support DDR 3 RAM?

How many pins do my RAM sticks need to be compatible (200, 204, 240, etc.)?

Here are the technical specifications for my computer as per Apple:
MacBook (Mid 2007) - Technical Specifications

Mine is on the very right: black Macbook (MB063LL/A).

Thank you for your help!

If I got your specs correct this should be your MacBook:

Apple MacBook "Core 2 Duo" 2.16 13" (Black) Specs (Mid-2007 - MB063LL/A) @ EveryMac.com

This link should answer most of your questions. It says your computer can be upgraded to 4 gig of ram...but only 3 gig is usable.

Hope this helps,

- Nick

Ubermensch · Sep 1, 2009

pigoo3 said:
If I got your specs correct this should be your MacBook:

Apple MacBook "Core 2 Duo" 2.16 13" (Black) Specs (Mid-2007 - MB063LL/A) @ EveryMac.com

This link should answer most of your questions. It says your computer can be upgraded to 4 gig of ram...but only 3 gig is usable.

Hope this helps,

- Nick

Thanks! That answers my question about the maximum amount of RAM I should install: 3-4 GB (1 x 1 GB, 1 x 2 GB; 2 x 2 GB).

Does anyone know the answer to my other questions:

Will my computer be able to support DDR 3 RAM if what is currently installed is DDR 2?

How many pins do my RAM sticks need to be compatible (200, 204, 240, etc.)?

What speed can the RAM slots handle:
DDR2 667 (PC2 5300)
DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500)
DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600)
DDR3 1333 (PC3 10660)
DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666)

Where exactly does CAS latency fit into all of this?

Should I install Snow Leopard first or upgrade my RAM?

I apologize for the numerous questions. Thanks again for everyone's help!

Sur3Mac · Sep 1, 2009

If you're computer supports DDR2, you cannot install DDR3.

hope this helps

pigoo3 · Sep 1, 2009

Ubermensch said:
Thanks! That answers my question about the maximum amount of RAM I should install: 3-4 GB (1 x 1 GB, 1 x 2 GB; 2 x 2 GB).

Does anyone know the answer to my other questions:

Will my computer be able to support DDR 3 RAM if what is currently installed is DDR 2?

How many pins do my RAM sticks need to be compatible (200, 204, 240, etc.)?

Where exactly does CAS latency fit into all of this?

Should I install Snow Leopard first or upgrade my RAM?

I apologize for the numerous questions. Thanks again for everyone's help!

Your computer only has two ram slots...so to get 4 gig of ram you need 2 x 2 gig sticks.

This is probably the memory you want:

4.0GB Kit (2.0GB+2.0GB) PC2-5300 DDR2 667... (53IM2DDR4GBK) at OWC

You can upgrade your ram before or after you upgrade to Snow Leopard...it doesn't matter.

Hope this helps,

- Nick

wmprice1240 · Sep 1, 2009

You can always go to

Crucial Memory Upgrades for Macs - Apple Memory

and use the Mac memory upgrade advisor. This will give you the specs for exactly what you need, as well as provide a basic FAQ about your machine and common memory questions. You don't have to actually buy the memory from Crucial, you can just use the configuration as a starting point.

dmccloud · Sep 1, 2009

DDR3 has both a different pin layout and different voltage requirements than DDR2, so they are not compatible. It honestly won't matter if you upgrade your RAM before or after installing Snow Leopard, so I'd go with the options that works best for you.

Ubermensch · Sep 1, 2009

Thank you to everyone who responded. I figured it out, and ended up ordering this:

Newegg.com - G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 200-Pin DDR2 SO-DIMM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Dual Channel Kit Laptop Memory Model F2-5300CL4D-4GBSQ - Laptop Memory

Hopefully, it will work.

RAM Upgrade - Compatibility

Ubermensch

pigoo3

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Ubermensch

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wmprice1240

dmccloud

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