Macbook Pro

Is it true that RAM for the Macbook pro is no different than standard PC memory? I always thought that there was something 'special' about Macbook pro memory since upgrading is so expensive. It was only today that someone at a local Mac store (not Apple) told me and I was shocked!

How expensive would it be to buy 2GB in a single stick? I need two of these to upgrade my MBP to 4 GB.

thanks!

Go to Crucial.com or Newegg or Other World Computing and enter your Macs specs into the pulldown menu there or click on the Memory Tab and you will be redirected to RAM compatible with your MBP.

If you want to upgrade RAM after you purchase your Mac from Apple it costs an arm and a leg so go with the above vendors who most people here use.

It is standard "notebook" memory, not desktop memory.
You'll be looking for 200 pin SO-DIMM's, not the 240 pin SDRAM desktops use. And also DDR2 667.

i don't know what the windows notebooks use but macbooks/macbook pros use DDR2 667 crucial in my experience is the best ram provider but shop around and see for yourself.

good luck

jordan

Crucial has been suggested to me by three different Genius bar employees so far, and it is priced about in the center of your options.....

Spawn__Dooley;509226 said:

Go to Crucial.com or Newegg or Other World Computing and enter your Macs specs into the pulldown menu there or click on the Memory Tab and you will be redirected to RAM compatible with your MBP.

If you want to upgrade RAM after you purchase your Mac from Apple it costs an arm and a leg so go with the above vendors who most people here use.

Click to expand...

Do all Macbook pros (17") have 4 slots for memory (I am getting one used with 2GB... can i be sure i can throw two more in there?)

And what do you mean it costs an arm and a leg? It's only $65

The Macbook Pro 15" has two slots. I just picked up 4 GB (2 GB X 2) for $189.00 @ Fry's.

It costs an arm an a leg if you bought this at an Apple store.

Spawn__Dooley;509226 said:

Go to Crucial.com or Newegg or Other World Computing and enter your Macs specs into the pulldown menu there or click on the Memory Tab and you will be redirected to RAM compatible with your MBP.

If you want to upgrade RAM after you purchase your Mac from Apple it costs an arm and a leg so go with the above vendors who most people here use.

Click to expand...

mapexvenus said:

The Macbook Pro 15" has two slots. I just picked up 4 GB (2 GB X 2) for $189.00 @ Fry's.

It costs an arm an a leg if you bought this at an Apple store.

Click to expand...

Is it true that some models of macbook/pro do not support 4gb

horkmaster said:

Is it true that some models of macbook/pro do not support 4gb

Click to expand...

i think the older ones dont...anything with a core 2 duo will though i think...dont quote me on it but i think...i think the core duos are the ones that support like 3 gb or something....

^^
I believe only the latest Core 2 Duo models (aka Santa Rosa) will support 4GB, while the previous generation of Core 2 Duo supported 3.

Core Duo, maxes out at 2GB on MBPs (I checked on Crucial's website)...

J

I have the Santa Rosa and upgraded to 4 GB of Patriot memory yesterday. Since then my laptop has 'crashed' once (message popped up asking me to power of and restart my laptop). I was told that this happens with 3rd party memory, however, the original memory is also third-party (Samsung). Any ideas on whether the crash was a one off thing, or should I return the memory and buy Crucial?

does the ram have to be 667 cant you upgrade it too 800 or something because this would cause a massive speed increase more than a little processor upgrade.

ALL ram is "3rd party". It's no different than laptops themselves or many other products to one extent or another-even cars. There's only so many manufacturers out there that make parts... Apple buys off-the-shelf RAM manufactured by companies like Samsung and Micron; the MacBook and MacBook Pro themselves aren't even built by Apple... One is built by ASUS, the other one is built by another manufacturer. Even cars... Say the mass airflow meter on your Volkswagen goes out. It's not a VW Mass airflow meter. Bosch (yes, the same company that makes high end kitchen appliances) makes airflow meters for VW; along with Mercedes, BMW, Audi, and many, many other companies.

The only reason 3rd party RAM would cause issues where Apple-branded RAM won't is if the 3rd party RAM is defective. Of course, that can happen with Apple RAM as well.

patch5674 said:

does the ram have to be 667 cant you upgrade it too 800 or something because this would cause a massive speed increase more than a little processor upgrade.

Click to expand...

No, not really.

Apple just overcharges you by leaps and bounds for any ram upgrade/purchase.

so u can get faster ram than 667 but it wouldnt make a difference?

shane82388 said:

so u can get faster ram than 667 but it wouldnt make a difference?

Click to expand...

if it works at all it won't make a difference probably because the bus is made to run at a certain speed and won't run faster than that.