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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Mac Desktops > MacPro 1,1 ram suggestions

MacPro 1,1 ram suggestions
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Andy8
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Nov 2, 2009, 06:04 AM
 
Gentlemen - I have inherited a MacPro 1,1 very stock setup, Dual 2.66GHz, 3GB DDR2 FB ram (2 x 512mb & 2 x 1GB sticks).

I am wondering what is sort/how much of ram is worthwhile to upgrade this, and does it have to come in matched pairs?

It seems to all work quite fine with 3GB. I am not doing anything more than the basics, no video or complex photo editing.
     
angelmb
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Nov 2, 2009, 06:48 AM
 
from Mactracker app:

Maximum RAM: 32 GB (Actual) 16 GB (Apple)

Type of RAM Slots:
8 - 240-pin PC2-5300 (667MHz) DDR2 ECC fully-buffered DIMM (FB-DIMM) (matched pairs)

     
Andy8  (op)
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Nov 2, 2009, 06:52 AM
 
Originally Posted by angelmb View Post
Type of RAM Slots:
8 - 240-pin PC2-5300 (667MHz) DDR2 ECC fully-buffered DIMM (FB-DIMM) (matched pairs)
Just not sure whether to upgrade from the stock 3GB to say 4GB, 6GB or 8GB.
     
EndlessMac
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Nov 2, 2009, 04:13 PM
 
Originally Posted by Andy8 View Post
Just not sure whether to upgrade from the stock 3GB to say 4GB, 6GB or 8GB.
If you want to get a quick general ideal if you need more RAM then open up Activity Monitor and go to the System Memory tab at the end of the day when you have used your computer like you normally would on a daily basis. See if you have any page outs. If it is at zero then it's a good chance that you are not maximizing your current 3gb of RAM.
     
cgc
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Nov 2, 2009, 09:02 PM
 
If you do need to upgrade, I'd avoid upgrading from 3GB to 4GB.
     
Andy8  (op)
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Nov 2, 2009, 09:06 PM
 
Originally Posted by cgc View Post
If you do need to upgrade, I'd avoid upgrading from 3GB to 4GB.
So 6GB or 8GB - in pairs of 1GB or 2Gb sticks? The Mac Pro seems to have a lot of slots to fill.
     
cgc
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Nov 3, 2009, 09:27 PM
 
There's a lot of threads on here about optimal MacPro memory configuration but this site has some good information on the subject.
     
Andy8  (op)
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Nov 3, 2009, 09:34 PM
 
Originally Posted by cgc View Post
There's a lot of threads on here about optimal MacPro memory configuration but this site has some good information on the subject.
Great link, thank you
     
Andy8  (op)
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Nov 4, 2009, 10:02 AM
 
I don't suppose I can mix ram (667MHz) DDR2 ECC & (1066MHz) DDR3 ECC together?
     
ddiokno
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Nov 11, 2009, 09:43 AM
 
This is a good comparison of different ram configurations at Other World Computing... OtherWorldComputing.com
     
Andy8  (op)
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Nov 23, 2009, 03:50 AM
 
Can I just use 1066MHz DDR3 ECC ram instead of the 667MHz DDR2 ECC, as the 1066 DDR3 is way cheaper to add too.
     
P
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Nov 23, 2009, 09:34 AM
 
Originally Posted by Andy8 View Post
Can I just use 1066MHz DDR3 ECC ram instead of the 667MHz DDR2 ECC, as the 1066 DDR3 is way cheaper to add too.
No. You need DDR2 FB-DIMM with ECC. DDR3 will not work, DDR2 with plain ol' DIMMs will not work. Yes, this is expensive - this is one of the problems with FB-DIMM.
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
Andy8  (op)
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Nov 25, 2009, 07:04 AM
 
Originally Posted by P View Post
No. You need DDR2 FB-DIMM with ECC. DDR3 will not work, DDR2 with plain ol' DIMMs will not work. Yes, this is expensive - this is one of the problems with FB-DIMM.
So it seems I am better to replace the slower 667mhz with 800mhz DDR2 FB-DIMMs with ECC, as the 800Mhz stuff appears to be a tad cheaper than the 677Mhz dimms are now.
( Last edited by Andy8; Nov 25, 2009 at 07:10 AM. )
     
P
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Nov 25, 2009, 09:53 AM
 
I think you can mix 800 and 667 DDR2 FB-DIMMs, unless there is something strange going on for FB-DIMMs. What you can't do is use DDR3 or a plain ol' non-FB DIMM.
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
   
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