4GB of RAM no recognized by MacBook

Joined
Oct 19, 2009
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Your Mac's Specs
Macbook 4,1 2.1ghz, 4GB, 250GB HD
Hey,
Over the last week I've tried installing 4gb of RAM in a friends MacBook (same specs as mine, MacBook 4,1, 2.1ghz Core 2 Duo, Snow Leopard Installed). I got the shipment, installed the two new sticks, and turned on and nothing happened except the sleep light turned on and the hard drive spun...that was about it. So I decided to take them out and try the two sticks from my Macbook in his, it booted, the apple logo shinned, and system profile showed 4GB of Ram. Tried one stick of mine and one of his and it worked. Then tried the other one of his with mine and it worked...So, assuming something was wrong with the pair, he returned them for a new set. Recieved them in the mail, stuck them in and again same problem.

Does anyone have any idea what might be going on, I'm lost. The sticks he bought were Memory Master - 2-Pack 2GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SoDIMM , identical to the ones in mine. I'm thankful for any ideas.
 
Joined
Aug 3, 2009
Messages
1,562
Reaction score
39
Points
48
Location
The Netherlands
Is the rest of the MB identical to yours as well?
 
OP
B
Joined
Oct 19, 2009
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Your Mac's Specs
Macbook 4,1 2.1ghz, 4GB, 250GB HD
Yes, same model number, bought it around the same time (June 2008)
 
Joined
Feb 10, 2008
Messages
92
Reaction score
0
Points
6
Location
Dallas, but school in Arkansas
Your Mac's Specs
15" MBP 2.2 2GB
Wow... That's a tough one. Hope someone can offer some insight. Good luck with it..
 
Joined
Apr 27, 2009
Messages
10
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
Australia
Your Mac's Specs
iMac 27" , Macbook 13" Unibody 2.4MHz , iPhone 4S
I had tried 3 sets of Corsair 4Gb memory , no good until I purchased a set with Hynix Samsung chipsets. Did you try to run his memory set in your machine ?? Did your memory set run OK in his machine ?
 

pigoo3

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
May 20, 2008
Messages
44,210
Reaction score
1,418
Points
113
Location
U.S.
Your Mac's Specs
2017 15" MBP, 16gig ram, 1TB SSD, OS 10.15
Does anyone have any idea what might be going on, I'm lost. The sticks he bought were Memory Master - 2-Pack 2GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SoDIMM , identical to the ones in mine. I'm thankful for any ideas.

Where is the ram purchased from? Are you guys 100% sure it is ram compatible with the laptop in question?

My favorite place to purchase Macintosh compatible ram is:

OWC

But these guys seem to be a favorite of folks as well:

Crucial

HTH,

- Nick
 
OP
B
Joined
Oct 19, 2009
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Your Mac's Specs
Macbook 4,1 2.1ghz, 4GB, 250GB HD
RAM is something called Memory Master, it was from Bestbuy.com. Didn't try it my machine yet, but I figured the results might be the same. I would blame the budget brand but I got mine from the same spot (hence where he get the idea) I just find it weird they work with other RAM, of the same brand, just not with each other. Does anyone know of a reason why this might happen?
 

CrimsonRequiem


Retired Staff
Joined
Jul 24, 2008
Messages
6,003
Reaction score
125
Points
63
Your Mac's Specs
MBP 2.3 Ghz 4GB RAM 860 GB SSD, iMac 3.4 GHz Intel Core i7 32GB RAM, Fusion Drive 1TB
One of the sticks might be defective. Just return it and move on.
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top