2011 MBP RAM slots not working after upgrade...

[LionTail]

Hi all,

I recently purchased a used 2011 MacBook Pro, and excitedly installed a new solid state hard drive. Worked great! And then a coupe 8gb sticks arrived from Amazon, and I popped them in according to the official apple instructions, and... 3 beeps and no startup. So I switched back to my old 2gb sticks, and had the same issue. Uh-oh...

I took it into the Apple store nearby, and was told that the RAM slots aren't working and that because it was likely caused by me, it would cost $600 to replace the logic board (the slots aren't replaceable, I guess).

So I went home, and gave the slots another look. There was a small piece of metal jammed between two pins of the upper slot, and one of those pins was bent down. I tried to pick the piece of metal out with a needle, and got part of it out, but the pin is still depressed and there's some discoloration behind the pins.

I can't seem to upload a picture directly to the post, so you can check it out here:

http://i.imgur.com/7A59awb.jpg

What do you think happened, and what do you suggest I do?

Thanks for the help!

 

[pigoo3]

What do you think happened, and what do you suggest I do?

If the computer as working ok before the ram upgrade…and not working after the ram upgrade…then I would say either:

- something was damaged by the previous owner
- something got damaged during the ram upgrade

Could be a bent pin. Straightening the pin would be one thing to try…but sometimes the pins are very thin & delicate…and it might snap off.

One other thing that could be done. Only insert one stick of ram into the good ram slot…and see if the computer will operate (assuming the piece of metal/bent pin in the damaged slot isn't bridging the gap & touching a second pin).

Unless this piece of metal or bent pin can be rectified…the computer will either be unusable or only able to use one ram slot.

Good luck,

- Nick

p.s. I would advise taking a very hard/close look at this piece of metal/bent pin to make sure things are being evaluated properly. If you need magnification (reading glasses or a magnifying glass)…use it…so you can see things clearly & properly.

 

[LionTail]

Thanks for the response, Nick!

The computer was working great before the ram switch, that's right. And I did try 1 module in each slot, and got the same response.

I'm going to get in there with a magnifying glass and see what I can see. And probably take it to a local non-apple tech and see what they think.

Henry