16GB RAM for Mid 2012 13" MBP

Whereas Apple states I may install up to 8GB in my laptop, Crucial website offers 16GB kit for this model. Are there any downsides to upgrading to 16GB?

As long as you use memory from a reputable source, you should be OK.

I just ordered a 15" and I already have the 16GB kit from OWC that I plan to install in it when it arrives.

HickoryC said:

Are there any downsides to upgrading to 16GB?

Click to expand...

Just more $$$...which really isn't all that bad!

- Nick

8gb should be sufficient, if you want to run the mbp at blazing speed upgrade HD to ssd.

ycl1688 said:

f you want to run the mbp at blazing speed upgrade HD to ssd.

Click to expand...

Meh.....I did this, don't see much difference.

anynamewilldo said:

Meh.....I did this, don't see much difference.

Click to expand...

did you do clean install osx on ssd?

ycl1688 said:

did you do clean install osx on ssd?

Click to expand...

No, but my install is fairly clean, having been built up fairly recently. I'm waiting for my new machine with Mtn Lion to arrive (Mon or Tues) before going through the clean install process again. Maybe I'll see a difference then, but I'm kind of doubting it.

FWIW, my most recent "clean install" process: 8 March 2012.
Baseline Info
Started with OS X "Lion" base install with developer tools (admin, no password).
Adjust certain preferences and options from the admin account.
Install Server Admin Tools
Install iLife 2009 (Apple)
Install iWork 2009 (Apple)
Use Software Update as necessary to apply all available patches and updates, until none available (about 2.25GB!!).
Add directory /dbrivers and the driver for PostgreSQL

Built/Installed UNIX-based software:
See "UNIX_Stack_Build" document for complete details.

Installed Development Tools:
DBVisualizer (database access tool)
Wavemaker (web application environment)
Netbeans IDE (complete version), with JUnit

Installed Drivers & Utilities:
GPG Tools (encryption tools)
HP Design Jet Plotter Driver
X-Assist (user interface tool)
Super Duper! (hard drive clone utility)
Perian (sound/movie file "can opener")
CyberDuck (FTP application)
Coconut Battery (laptop battery diagnostic)
Carbon Copy Cloner (hard drive clone utility)
Flash Player (web graphics/movie utility)
Flip4Mac (web graphics/movie utility)
Onyx (system file cleanup utility)
The Unarchiver (file archive utility)

Installed Productivity Applications:
Open Project (MS-project alternative)
Open Office (MS Office alternative)
Libre Office (MS Office alternative)
Inkscape (Adobe Illustrator alternative)
Firefox (Apple Safari alternative)
VLC (sound file application)
Text Wrangler (programmer's text editor - free)
Skype (voip)
MS Office 2011
Adobe Creative Suite 5
Omnigraffle Pro
BB Edit
Sound Studio

Installed Windows-Related Things:
VirtualBox w/extension pack (Windows hosting solution)
Microsoft Remote Desktop Client (RDC)

Additional Tasks
Established a local database connection in DB Visualizer - verified it works.

Using configure, make, make install:
zlib v.1.2.6
libiconv 1.14
libpng 1.5.9
libjpeg 8d
freetype 2.4.8
bzip2 1.0.6
pcre 8.3.0
BERKELEY DB (5.3.14) [../dist/configure -prefix=/usr/local/berkeley_db -enable-cxx --enable-java]

Using simple directory copy
Image Magick 6.7.5 (pre-compiled binary, simply copies into directory)
Tomcat 7.0.26 (simply copies into directory). Set up tomcat-users.xml and deleted unnecessary files.

Using built packages with installers
PostgreSQL 9.1.3 from Enterprise DB (Download PostgreSQL | EnterpriseDB)
/usr/local/pg913
port 6543
PostgreSQL will automatically launch at restart

More Customized Builds
APACHE (2.4.1)
./configure --enable-most --enable-auth-dbm --enable-cern-meta --enable-dav --enable-dav-fs --enable-dav-lock --enable-expires --enable-headers --enable-info --enable-mime-magic --enable-isapi --enable-proxy --enable-proxy-ajp --enable-proxy-balancer --enable-proxy-connect --enable-proxy-ftp --enable-proxy-http --enable-rewrite --enable-so --enable-speling --enable-ssl --enable-unique-id --enable-usertrack --enable-vhost-alias

PHP (5.4.0)
./configure --prefix=/usr/local/php540 --with-apxs2=/usr/local/apache2/bin/apxs --with-pgsql=/usr/local/postgres --without-iconv --with-zlib-dir=/usr/local --with-zlib --with-freetype-dir=/usr/local --with-ldap=/usr --with-iodbc=/usr --with-curl=/usr --with-openssl --with-gd --enable-cli --enable-exif --enable-ftp --enable-mbstring --enable-mbregex --enable-sockets --enable-wddx --enable-zip

After "make install", I edited the Apache httpd.conf file to AddType for .php files and confirmed that phpinfo(); performs as expected. I did NOT test database connections with PHP, but I have no reason to expect it will not work.

one single carbon copy clone will do to get the internal HD to external SSD, then switch the drives and
install the osx to the ssd, this should be it.

pigoo3 said:

Just more $$$...which really isn't all that bad!

- Nick

Click to expand...

Thanks. Read somewhere that a partition using Boot Camp gobbles up memory, but 8GB may be enough. I now have 4GB. An 8GB kit from Crucial is a lot less than a 16.

I notice a huge difference running Windows under VirtualBox with 8GB compared with 4GB.

Pretty much decided to go with 8GB and partition.