my new macbook has 1gb now, need to upgrade and i am trying to decide on getting a single 2gb stick now and upgrading to 4gb later or just sticking with 2gb (1gb X 2).

anyone running 4gb - notice much diff?

i run vmware quite a bit for testing and 1gb is not cutting it.

also where is the best place to buy a 2gb value ram so-dimm for macbook?

beware of warranty void bro.....better send back to who u bought it from and ask them to upgrade....

as i understand it you can't void your warranty on the macbook by changing your own ram - only the warranty of the ram itself. i am confident in changing the ram, been tearing apart computers (and even fixing sometimes) since the early 90's.

I guess it depends on what you are using your MB for. If you multitask heavily between resource consuming programs, then it's best for you to invest straight on 2x2GB.

But if you want to test the water out and go with the cheaper option of 2x1GB, then go ahead as you can always sell the old RAM to upgrade. But get at least 2GB of RAM la, now a days, 1GB is like nothing

And yeah, you won't void the MB's warranty by upgrading your RAM. You can't even void it by upgrading the HD yourself.

I use VMware frequently doing testing with VMware ESX, sometimes with 2-3 sessions at a time. I have 3GB on my MB and any extra memory would definitely help.

I bought my RAM at Thundermatch at LYP which had the cheapest (at that time) 2GB stick of branded memory. Apacer was RM360, Kingston Value RAM were going for around RM420. 1GB sticks are dirt cheap now.

You got 3GB on your MB? That means 1x2GB and 1x1GB right?

I've read from Apple and other sites saying that it is best to not mix and match RAMs. The best is to stick to 2 of the same type. Not really sure though :\ Did your 3GB RAM choice give you any problems before?

true, thundermatch currently selling for rm300 for 2gb. damn cheap, last time i bought for rm400 for one.....

Nope. The RAM is user-changeable and will not VOID any warranty.

I'm using a pre-Santa Rosa Macbook so it won't register the 4GB RAM even if I put 2x2GB in there, it's an Intel chipset limitation. The performance difference is insignificant if you read through some of the Barefeats and OWC benchmarks, having the extra 1GB makes up for any performance hit.

So, no problems so far, even with memory intensive VMware Fusion sessions.

i am using mac book with santa rosa chipset and using 4gb its worth it, but if you mac is pre-santa rosa then you max is only 2gb.

lets be accurate here,
for MacBook only =
Core Duo - max 2 GB
Core2 Duo + Intel GMA 950 = max 3GB
Core2 Duo + Intel x3100 = max 4GB

wah now i only know 2gb ram only cost rm300.. really damn cheap

I've seen some 4gb (2x2gb) macbook ram sets going for just over 100 USD - imagine within a few months prices should come down more over here in m'asia.

funny how something made in singapore is cheaper than in san jose than it is in kl. economies of scale so to speak.


i am leaning towards getting one 2 gb stick for 300 and upping it to 4 later.. i have the 965 chipset macbook so 4gb is supported.

with all the vista notebooks (and prob more once sp1 releases) there should be more demand here for 2gb so-dimms..


as for the mem better to be paired - looks like this is true, but not as important as having more ram. thanks for replies.

dang ! mine can go up till 3 gig only, appreciate the info ... should stick to 2 gig rite? cant afford macbook pro, but if im insist on going 3 gig will that be any problem? i strain quit often my macbook ...any thoughts?

This post has been edited by deu5: Nov 14 2007, 11:32 PM

There won't be any problem since your MB (I assume it's MB) could support 3GB.

the new santa rosa chipset is running the fsb at 800 - does that mean it should have 800 Mhz memory instead of 667 Mhz ?

Hmm..good question. It depends on the memory ratio of the Santa Rosa chipset.

If FSB:memory ratio is high, then it might accept up to 1250 MHz (does it go that high?). But expensive like crap though.

But the chipset should be able to accept 800 MHz. It is possible for a chipset's memory ratio to go below the FSB? Like 5:4 or something?

hey any problem using none apple certified ram....

maybe yes, maybe no, lots of other threads here covering that. look for the value ram thread.

I'm using RAM from OWC, no problem here.

To make sure your RAM is in proper order, run the memtest application for OS X. It will take forever to complete though.

verced
how much is the RAM from OWC?
i'm thinking of getting 2x1gb
where can i get those?

I ordered 2 x 2GB from them.

If you're in KL, you can just get your RAM from LowYat or DigitalMall. They should be going for 80 - 90 per stick.

still unsure on 800mhz ram.

This post has been edited by llamasonic: Nov 17 2007, 05:13 PM

i remember the macbooks does not support 2 x 2GB of memory... max is only 3GB even with 2 x 2GB plugged in... and recent macbook's come with only 1 stick of 1GB only i think... which is good cos you don't need to throw both 512s out the window...

i knew about this on the MacBook Pros... not sure bout the MacBooks though...

give it a check on mactracker and see... i might be wrong...


they can blame you though... last time there used to be warranty void stickers on ram covers on PC notebooks...mac however does not have those... but then they can definitely blame it on you if anything goes wrong...

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Added on November 17, 2007, 10:33 pmone more thing... value ram is cheap... but if it might sometimes cause kernel panic... very very rare... but sometimes it happens... you can opt to get those Kingston Apple Certified Rams..it is considered third party memory but apple certified if i am not wrong... it costs like RM50 or RM60 extra... but peace of mind is what you get...MacPro users don't even get a chance to consider value rams...

Kingston - Manufacturer Apple

i don't think you would like to rip a mac hard drive out... it is like 20++ screws just to get to the hard drive... not like a PC with only 4 or 1 screw to unscrew the cover covering the hard drive...he only thing easy to DIY on the MacBook is the RAM...


generally it is no good to mix and match rams of different brands and specs... but intel has a technology that allows the use of rams from different manufacturer... however the macbook runs on dual DDRs... so if you have both the same memory there might be some slight increment in performance figures...


This post has been edited by butthead: Nov 17 2007, 10:33 PM

the late 2007 macbooks can address up to 4gb in mem

hehe... maybe i was wrong... i remember i saw it during the 2.33GHz MacBook Pros....

Only the newer version which is using Santa Rosa Platform. Then, it can support more than 4Gb ram.

butthead: The new Santa Rosa chipset recognises 4GB of RAM memory

And no, you don't need to remove 20+ screws before reaching the HD for MBs. Just take out the L-bracket and voila! The HD flap is there for you to pull (sauce that opens in Acrobat Reader)

llamasonic: Refer to my post #17 on page 1 for your answer about the 800 FSB:MHz ratio

if u have the luxury to upgrade your RAM, please do so.
and upgrade it to the max is always the better way.
(although i only occupy 1.5Gb at the moment )
i did the upgrade myself thanks to the user friendly design.

is memtest a download or already on the mac?

It's a download. http://www.memtestosx.org/

It's a paid software, but since it's open source and all, you can find it if you hunt hard enough. If you're still lost, you know who to look for.

memtest is not a good choice for testing memory problems on macs... i do not know if there is any configurations to it... but the test passes severely fast...not like the pc counterpart...

even diag tools like techtool pro is not very good at detecting memory errors...the best is still the Apple Service media's catered for each model range... they sometimes catch problems that are undetected by this third party tools...

is that on the OS install dvd?

nope...if you do buy applecare... i think it still comes with a techtool lite version meant for the specific model you buy...

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Added on November 19, 2007, 1:39 pmooooppsss... i stand corrected ...i usually try not to take apart my company's mac portables until they are totally out of warranty... old powerbook's used to take a lot of screws to get to a lot of stuff in the unit...


anyways... DIYers might be interested in this site... provides a lot more insights to the inner workings of the Macs than the Mac site you posted... the apple.com only provide information on replacements that can be done easily by users...

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/


anyone who wishes to attempt at taking apart their mac portables should have a look at the screw guide first (it is available for some models)... there is quite some different type of screws and you don't want to get it wrong in terms of screws or the order...





This post has been edited by butthead: Nov 19 2007, 01:39 PM