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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Mac Notebooks > Upgrading RAM on MacBook

Upgrading RAM on MacBook
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callefoss
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Sep 13, 2006, 12:28 PM
 
Hi, I plan to upgrade the ram on my 512Mb MB. I just wanted to check if somebody has installed memory purchased from crucial and if it is working fine.

Second question is if I can buy 1G module and put it next to the 256Mb module already existing in the MB. No need to install in pairs here!?

Thanks
PowerMac G5 Dual 2.0GHz, 1.5GB RAM & MacBook 1.83, 1.25GB RAM
OS X 10.5.2
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shifuimam
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Sep 13, 2006, 06:01 PM
 
RAM is RAM. Crucial is a very respected manufacturer of RAM - go to their site and use their tool to determine what kind of RAM is most suitable for a MacBook.

You don't need to install in pairs - these machines don't run dual-channel, AFAIK. Apple's site says nothing about dual-channel, so I'm going to vote that you don't need matching pairs of RAM.

Crucial can be pretty expensive - if you want to save some money, shop around a bit. Kingston, Mushkin, and Corsair all make excellent RAM, and they all provide lifetime warranties with their products. Check out Newegg, Buy.com, Outpost, and ZipZoomFly for some decent prices on memory.
     
mduell
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Sep 13, 2006, 06:40 PM
 
1G+256M works, but 512M+512M is a better idea unless you're just waiting a few months to save the money for another gig.
With the CPU and GPU both using the main memory, the difference in bandwidth has a greater effect on the MB compared to other machines.
     
shifuimam
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Sep 14, 2006, 08:27 AM
 
Originally Posted by mduell
1G+256M works, but 512M+512M is a better idea unless you're just waiting a few months to save the money for another gig.
With the CPU and GPU both using the main memory, the difference in bandwidth has a greater effect on the MB compared to other machines.
I don't know that it's *that* big of a deal. I have a laptop for work that has the RAM shared between the CPU and the GPU, without an equal pair of sticks. It really does work just fine. The only situation I am aware of where matching pairs is necessary is with a dual-channel board.
     
callefoss  (op)
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Sep 14, 2006, 01:36 PM
 
Thanks a lot for your input. My goal is obviously to install 2gb but for now 1.25 will have to do until Christmas.
PowerMac G5 Dual 2.0GHz, 1.5GB RAM & MacBook 1.83, 1.25GB RAM
OS X 10.5.2
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mduell
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Sep 14, 2006, 06:11 PM
 
Originally Posted by shifuimam
I don't know that it's *that* big of a deal. I have a laptop for work that has the RAM shared between the CPU and the GPU, without an equal pair of sticks. It really does work just fine. The only situation I am aware of where matching pairs is necessary is with a dual-channel board.
OSX probably uses the GPU for a lot more "everyday" stuff than the OS on your work laptop.
The Intel Macs are all dual-channel boards (except for the Mac Pro, which is quad channel).
     
b11051973
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Sep 15, 2006, 03:43 PM
 
Actually, doing it in pairs is important on computers that have the GPU built into the motherboard like the MacBook and Mac mini. Computers with dedicated memory like all other Macs do not need the main memory installed in pairs. You don't have to install in pairs on your MacBook, but your GPU performance will be much better if you do.

I have two 1 GB sticks from Crucial and they work great.
     
polpo
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Sep 15, 2006, 08:25 PM
 
The MacBook is indeed dual channel (CPU-Z states as such in Boot Camp on mine). Dual channel makes very little difference for non-graphics operations on the MacBook, but for graphics it certainly helps. (Source: [MacBook] The Mother of all Benchmarks - Mac Forums)
     
CanadaRAM
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Sep 16, 2006, 04:39 PM
 
From the benchmark article: "Recommendation: Dual-channel, in day-to-day use, provides little tangible or visible benefit. If you can easily and affordably configure your system with two matched pairs, do so, but don’t expect any large gains." XBench showed improvement of around 10% in synthetic benchmarks, but XBench is notoroiusly unreliable in predicting real world performance.

More RAM trumps matched RAM. Go with the largest memory configuration you can afford. If you go 2 x 512, you'll just end up removing them later to install 1 Gb modules. Do 1 Gb + 256 Mb now, and add another 1 Gb when you can.

THanks
Trevor
CanadaRAM.com
     
   
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