Which of these RAM upgrades should I buy for a Mac Pro 1,1?

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Hello,
My Mac Pro 1,1 runs excruciatingly slow but my situation is obvious.
I upgraded the RAM a year or two after this computer's purchase (somewhere after 2006 to 3GB), but have been too lazy to go further with it. Nowadays, I am using files much larger, RAW photo editing software, and 1TB+ hard drives, and the 3GB is simply not cutting it! I decided I will upgrade my current 3GB of RAM to 11GB of RAM, and install a quad core processor instead of the stock "duo core".

But about the RAM, I first considered buying two sticks of 4GB RAM at $134.99 from Macsales.com:
2 x 4.0GB Matched Set PC5300 DDR2 ECC 667MHz 240 Pin
OWC OWC53FB4MPK08GB 8.0GB Mac Pro Memory Matched... in stock at OWC

But to me, this sounds kind of expensive considering I can get the same amount of RAM, (split up into 4 x 2GB sticks, as opposed to 2 x 4GB sticks) listed here on Amazon, for $54.28 (+2 year warrantee for $4.74) $59.02
8GB (4X2GB) APPLE MAC PRO MEMORY ECC FULLY BUFFERED DDR2 667 PC2-5300 FB DIMM NEMIX RAM
Amazon.com: 8GB (4X2GB) APPLE MAC PRO MEMORY ECC FULLY BUFFERED DDR2 667 PC2-5300 FB DIMM NEMIX RAM: Computers & Accessories

Here are my questions are before throwing down big coins on what could have been severe savings on RAM:

1) What do I need to know when choosing modules of different sizes? For example, is installing two 4GB modules on one set of risers exactly the same thing as installing four 2GB modules on two sets of risers?

2) If RAM for sale does not say "matched set" in the description, should I be concerned? I am unsure about "matched set" when seeing a description of RAM for sale because I thought that only referred to processors.

3) Looking at my current RAM configuration (see below), would it have been smarter to install the larger RAM sticks in the first Risers? (where the 512 MB sticks are) And, when installing my upgrade, should I remove the original 512MB RAM in Riser A (DIMM 1) & and replace them with the 2GB RAM? What should I do if the Mac Pro 1,1 rejects the 2GB or 4GB in the first risers?


THANK YOU FOR ANY ADVICE:$



My computer

Model Name: Mac Pro
Model Identifier: MacPro1,1
Processor Name: Dual-Core Intel Xeon
Processor Speed: 2.66 GHz
Number Of Processors: 2
Total Number Of Cores: 4
L2 Cache (per processor): 4 MB
Memory: 3 GB (yeah, i know)
Bus Speed: 1.33 GHz
Boot ROM Version: MP11.005C.B08
SMC Version (system): 1.7f10


My current RAM configuration is as follows:

DIMM Riser A/ DIMM 1…….. 512 MB
DIMM Riser A/ DIMM 2…….. 512 MB
DIMM Riser B/ DIMM 1…….. Empty
DIMM Riser B/ DIMM 2…….. Empty
DIMM Riser A/ DIMM 3…….. 1GB
DIMM Riser A/ DIMM 4…….. 1GB
DIMM Riser B/ DIMM 3…….. Empty
DIMM Riser B/ DIMM 4…….. Empty
 
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A
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Get the Amazon ram. If for some reason it has a problem…return it.:)

For the other ram questions...see this:

How to Upgrade Mac Pro Memory (MacPro1,1/MacPro2,1) @ EveryMac.com

- Nick

Yes, I was looking at that page before. Great website, it is.
Aside from cost and brand name preference, does it matter if anyone uses larger or smaller RAM sticks? Isn't it supposed to be more effective if you buy the biggest ones possible and stick them on the first two risers?
 

pigoo3

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Isn't it supposed to be more effective if you buy the biggest ones possible and stick them on the first two risers?

I think as long as someone is following the proper ram installation procedure (proper order with the slots & riser cards)…I don't think that it matters.

- Nick
 
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As long as you remember matched pairs. Have read the 512MB are not worth installing because of the small amount of memory and the increased heat. In my Mac Pro 2.1 days thebiggest bang for your buck is an Solid State Drive (SSD) in Bay One with the operating system on that.
 
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2009 Mac Pro 4,1, 2 x 2.66 GHz Quad-Core, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD startup, 1TB HDD alt startup, 6 & 4TB BU
Hi. I have virtually the same machine you have that I purchased in mid 2006. My original configuration was 4 GB in two stacks of 2. (Yeah I know). In April of 2011, I purchased an additional 16 GB of ram as two of

Crucial Technology CT2CP51272AP667 8 GB (4 GBx2) Apple Specific DDR2
PC2-5300 CL=5 Fully Buffered ECC DDR2-667 1.8V 128Meg x 72 Memory Kit

which I installed alongside my previous 4 GB for a total of 20. I needed this so I could run my virtual Windows 7 machine inside OS X. I know Apple specs say max of 8 GB or something and Apple won't talk with you if you tell them you have 20, but it works fine and has since the installation 3-1/2 years ago. It is always recognized, shows in the "About," tests out fine in diagnostics, etc.

The only thing I can figure is that Apple set 8 GB as a paper limit to provide themselves with a no-cost upgrade path. At any rate, I suggest to go ahead an think 32 GB would probably be the limit.

Hope this helps.
 
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And before jumping. Check out Amazon price .. maybe the $55 applies for 2GB and 4 x 2 is a lot more than OWC.
 
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Yes. I paid $258 for an 8-Gig stack or a total of over $500 for the full 16. But that was more than 3 years ago.
 
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Don't forget to check new egg also.. They have a section of mac certified ram.

Now I prefer OWC. This is because while others claim its mac certified, OWC test theirs on each model rigorously before saying it will work.
That said, RAM is RAM. Does not matter if its labeled PC or Mac its all the same stuff and is notoriously un predictable. The cheaper the ram the more unpredictable it can be.
Now Apple mostly uses Samsung RAM in their systems, at least recently. But if you mix RAM types or just even brands. You can be in for roller coaster ride.

Here is a checklist.
#1. Make sure the Voltage on all chips match.
#2. Make sure the Timing and CL matches.
#3. Make sure your RAMs speed matches or exceeds the specified speed requirement.

Now I will explain why..
#1, if the voltages don't match on all the chips, the system will may be adjustable between 1.3 and 1.5 volts, its only to regulate the entire stack, not per chip. So they all must match. Improper voltage can lead to chips overheating. And of course.. Crash/burn up the system..

#2, if the CL and Timing doesn't match, this is a sure way to get kernel panics. This is because the RAM needs to march in order, you get a stick or two not marching in sync and the system will crash.

#3, your system board can lower the speed of the RAM. So if the max speed is 1333Mhz, and your RAM is 1600, don't worry as most of the time the system will just lower it down to 1333 and you will not know the difference. But keep in mind if you have 1333Mhz RAM in your system and you throw in a 1000Mhz chip to add more memory. All of your current RAM sticks will be lowered to 1000Mhz. Which can actually hurt performance more then helping.

Lastly. For some odd reasons, some brands don't like to be mixed with other brands. Sometimes they work fine, but more often then not this is the largest pain in the rear for computer shops when users want to upgrade RAM in their system. I have bought lot of used RAM due to this.

Hope this helps..
 

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