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NobleMatt · Feb 12, 2009, 01:37 PM

Ok im on the verge of ordering a MBP and im going to order the base model 15" and one way or another upgrade the ram on it.

Now i have a few options that i can see, and would like your honest opinions on what you think is best/easiest:

Option 1: Upgrade the ram on the order from 2x1GB at 1066MHz to 2x2GB at 1066MHZ costing me an extra £83 (getting student discount)

Option 2: Buy the base model and upgrade the ram to the same speck as the apple store upgrade (2x2GB at 1066MHz) costing me £95 from ebay but i then have 2x1GB Sticks at 1066MHz which i can sell on, but after looking on ebay, i cant see these selling for much

Option 3: Buy the base model and upgrade the ram to 2x2GB at 800MHz costing me around £50 form ebay

I suppose my question is really, is the difference between 800MHz and 1066MHz really worth £50?

Matt

mduell · Feb 12, 2009, 03:38 PM

Yes, because 800Mhz probably won't work.

2x1GB will probably be hard to sell since most computers ship with at least 1GB modules and 2GB modules are so cheap.

NobleMatt · Feb 12, 2009, 03:49 PM

why wouldnt it?

AKcrab · Feb 13, 2009, 03:13 AM

It won't. I've tried it.

Spheric Harlot · Feb 13, 2009, 04:46 AM

If your machine still works, count yourself extremely lucky.

By other accounts, using 800MHz DDR2 in a DDR3 slot will tend to fry things up.

Simon · Feb 13, 2009, 05:51 AM

Originally Posted by crazyreaper

why wouldnt it?

The 800 MHz RAM is DDR2 SO-DIMM with 200 pins while the 1066 MHz RAM is DDR3 SO-DIMM with 204 pins. Apart from the different number of pins there's a notch placed at different locations. You're being physically prevented from putting the wrong type of RAM into your MBP.

If you try and force the wrong DIMM in there you will destroy your MLB.

You won't be selling the 1 GB DIMMs (no demand) and the Apple markup is low. Add to that that some people have had trouble getting third-party DIMMs (probably low quality crap from places like Ebay) to work in the unibodies. Get the upgrade from Apple.

NobleMatt · Feb 13, 2009, 10:44 AM

cool, ordering any min now then, decided it was worth it tbh, never really knew that 800 ment DDR2 and 1066 ment DDR 3, thanks anyway

mduell · Feb 13, 2009, 07:59 PM

Originally Posted by crazyreaper

cool, ordering any min now then, decided it was worth it tbh, never really knew that 800 ment DDR2 and 1066 ment DDR 3, thanks anyway

It doesn't; JEDEC has defined the standard for 800Mhz DDR3 and Intel has validated 800Mhz DDR3 chips with their chipsets. I'm not sure why the other posters decided that you must have been talking about trying to use a different standard when all you mentioned was a lower speed.

But the firmware on the MB/P requires 1066Mhz AFAIK.

NobleMatt · Feb 14, 2009, 04:03 PM

ok thanks for the clarification mduell, so you can get 800 MHz DDR3 sticks then?

mduell · Feb 15, 2009, 12:04 AM

Likely (Intel got ahold of them), but why? As AKcrab said, they don't work, which doesn't surprise me given Apple's record (not supporting lower memory speeds in any Intel Mac).

NobleMatt · Feb 15, 2009, 07:07 AM

my white imac C2D is listed as 667 MHz DDR2 so if i wanted to upgrade that, would any speed work as long as its DDR2?

Simon · 11:03 AM

Originally Posted by crazyreaper

my white imac C2D is listed as 667 MHz DDR2 so if i wanted to upgrade that, would any speed work as long as its DDR2?

It has to be 667 MHz or 800 MHz DDR2. And actually to play it safe you want to stick with 667 MHz. A while ago some people (including some on this board) couldn't get 800 MHz DDR2 SO-DIMMs to work in their Macs.

What you want is 200 pin, DDR2, PC2-5300, 667 MHz SO-DIMMs. They're incredibly cheap right now. In the US you can get 4GB Kingston shipped for $40.

jogi · Feb 16, 2009, 12:24 AM

Originally Posted by Simon

It has to be 667 MHz or 800 MHz DDR2. And actually to play it safe you want to stick with 667 MHz. A while ago some people (including some on this board) couldn't get 800 MHz DDR2 SO-DIMMs to work in their Macs.

What you want is 200 pin, DDR2, PC2-5300, 667 MHz SO-DIMMs. They're incredibly cheap right now. In the US you can get 4GB Kingston shipped for $40.

I agree, having upgraded my C2B MBP ram a couple of years back with 667MHz modules from Crucial and have never faced any problems.

NobleMatt · Feb 16, 2009, 06:13 PM

right, thanks for that, gonna pick some of them up for about £40 i think when my bank balance has recovered from the £1300 bashing its just taken from the MBP

You'd think if you were paying £1300 for a laptop they you'd have it in your hands in under 2 weeks! sigh

Simon · Feb 17, 2009, 03:47 AM

Originally Posted by crazyreaper

You'd think if you were paying £1300 for a laptop they you'd have it in your hands in under 2 weeks! sigh

Really? We just ordered a BTO 15" here and although it said ships within two work days it only took them one. Shipping (regular, nothing fancy) from China then took three days.

NobleMatt · Feb 17, 2009, 07:10 AM

bloody hell, they quoted me 3 day shipping for the BTO (im guessing means Built to Order, so customised) and next day shipping for a listed model, and then 2 weeks for delivery! so i ordered last Friday the 13th and have been told delivery will be on the 26th or 27th, it does say it could be delivered before in all fairness, would be a nice surprise if it comes this week

but i think i remember the imac taking 2 weeks too

Simon · Feb 17, 2009, 09:20 AM

They always quote a lot of days for shipping. In my own experience it's usually a lot faster except right after a product launch and just before Xmas. I wouldn't expect you have to actually wait two weeks. As I said, in the case of the MBP we ordered last week, it took them only three days to ship it.

NobleMatt · Feb 18, 2009, 08:49 AM

it was ordered last friday, shipped yesterday, and it looks like its set to arrive on 21 Feb 2009 according to the track your order section now