Help buying RAM for my mid-2009 Macbook Pro?

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MacBook Pro (Mid-2009) 2.26 GHZ, 8GB RAM, 500 GB HDD
Alright, I've decided after months of editing video and rendering 3D animations that I wanna upgrade my RAM. I have a mid-2009 Macbook Pro, and while it's pretty fast, I wanna be faster. I currently have 2 gb of RAM (1 and 1) and no available card slots. I've found a 4 gb RAM "kit" online which is within my price range (I would totally go for the 8 gb kit if I had the extra $10 right now). I'm looking for DDR3, 1066 mhz RAM, and I'm pretty sure my Macbook Pro can hold up to 8 gb of that type. So I have a few questions...

  • Is buying a 'used' kit from Amazon's Warehouse a bad idea? It's Amazon themselves, so it seems like it should be fair...
  • Is going from 2gb to 4gb going to make a giant difference? Will I notice things loading faster? If it's not that much better, should I wait and try to spring or an 8gb kit?
  • Mind you, this is my first time replacing the RAM in my Macbook Pro...I'm kind of nervous. Is there anything I should do to my Macbook Pro BEFORE I open it up and put this in?
 
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I have the same MacBook Pro model and want to upgrade my Ram too. Have just looked on Apple and it'll cost $400 (£320) to get 8Gb ram that I'll fit myself or I can buy the same amount of ram from Crucial UK (am in the UK) for £35. Does Crucial have a good reputation for components? Is there any good reason for Apple charging almost ten times as much for the same components?

I've never fiddled with the hardware of my computers before so am keen to ensure that I don't wreak it. I don't want to waste money on Apple-branded parts when generic will do, but don't want to be a Scrooge if it's gonna damage my MBP or the parts will burn out in a year or two.

Any advice about the best way to do this much appreciated.
 
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I have used crucial for many needs. I don't know their company standards now. Back in the day it was computer matched with benchmarks. Pretty good stuff.

You used to have to watch out for ram that was slightly cheaper than brand stuff. Companies would reassemble boards with miss matched chips and rebrand them. They would check out when installed on your computer but would never run at top speeds, error correction, etc.

The only reason Apple charges what they do on ram is for profit. It is not anything special or different than properly manufactured ram chips.
 
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No one? My topic was hijacked. -.-
 
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Alright, I've decided after months of editing video and rendering 3D animations that I wanna upgrade my RAM. I have a mid-2009 Macbook Pro, and while it's pretty fast, I wanna be faster. I currently have 2 gb of RAM (1 and 1) and no available card slots. I've found a 4 gb RAM "kit" online which is within my price range (I would totally go for the 8 gb kit if I had the extra $10 right now). I'm looking for DDR3, 1066 mhz RAM, and I'm pretty sure my Macbook Pro can hold up to 8 gb of that type. So I have a few questions...

  • Is buying a 'used' kit from Amazon's Warehouse a bad idea? It's Amazon themselves, so it seems like it should be fair...
  • Is going from 2gb to 4gb going to make a giant difference? Will I notice things loading faster? If it's not that much better, should I wait and try to spring or an 8gb kit?
  • Mind you, this is my first time replacing the RAM in my Macbook Pro...I'm kind of nervous. Is there anything I should do to my Macbook Pro BEFORE I open it up and put this in?


I personally wouldn't buy used RAM, but that's just me. I'd get it from OWC or crucial.com or even New Egg.com. Do you have the uni-body MBPS or is it the aluminum? What is the build number?

There is nothing special you need to do. Just don't have it plugged in obviously, and maybe ground yourself if possible. And yes, it will definitely make a noticeable difference!


Doug
 
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MacBook Pro (Mid-2009) 2.26 GHZ, 8GB RAM, 500 GB HDD
I have the 13" Mid-2009 Aluminium Macbook Pro with Snow Leopard. This one: MacBook Pro "Core 2 Duo" 2.26 13" (SD/FW) Specs (Mid-2009 13", MB990LL/A, MacBookPro5,5, A1278, 2326*) @ EveryMac.com

I bought the RAM this morning, though honestly I received the $20 giftcard for doing surveys online so it was essentially free anyway. I'm assuming Amazon Warehouse won't sell me damaged RAM. I'm just concerned that if I put it in wrong, or if Amazon did indeed sell me a damaged stick, my Macbook Pro will be rendered unusable. Glad it will make a difference though, thank you for your reply!
 

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