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Do I have free RAM-slots in my MacBook?

R

Ramius

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 2, 2008
492
197
I´ve just started using my Macbook unibody from 2008 alot more than I used to.

I see now that lagging occurs more often than before, because I run alot of programs. So Im thinking of buying more RAM. But just a little bit more.

I could open my machine and look, but I thought it would be easier to ask first. Are there free slots in the MAcbook?

Do I have to change the ones that are already there, out with some new, or can I buy more RAM and put them in some available slots there?

So what kind of Ram does the machine use anyway? I see OSX tells me its DDR3 and 1067 mhz. But there are more to RAM naming than this. Usually I need to know something like "PC" and a bunch of numbers right?
 
alust2013

alust2013

macrumors 601
Feb 6, 2010
4,779
2
On the fence
You won't have open slots, you'll simply have to replace the RAM you already have. I would get 4GB from OWC or newegg.com. It's PC3-8500 200-pin 1067MHz DDR3 SODIMM memory, and you'll want a 2x2GB kit

Edit, I lied, it's 204-pin
 
C

cubeeggs

macrumors member
Dec 1, 2009
68
0
It’s extremely unlikely that you’ll have any free RAM slots unless someone’s stolen some of your memory because there are only two slots and they both come preloaded, but you can check by choosing “About This Mac” in the Apple menu, clicking “More info…” and choosing “Memory” on the left.
 
R

Ramius

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 2, 2008
492
197
It´s got two gigs.

So theres only two slots in the Macbook unibody? Also known as Macbook Pro.

That sucks. It kind of makes me not wanting to upgrade, cause I will be throwing away perfectly good ram.
 
R

Ramius

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 2, 2008
492
197
For upgrading, does any kind of DDR3 work? Or does it have to be 1067mhz?
Cause some of these chips looks very very large.
 
U

unixperience

macrumors regular
Jul 21, 2010
235
5
from other threads I've read you can get any speed ram that is greater than or equal to 1066, if it's faster it just gets scaled down, some have said the faster ones also run a tad warmer

just FYI you can open system profiler then click on the tab under hardware>memory
it tells you what you have in there currently (All mac laptops only have 2 slots)

alust2013 gave the best info the macbook is pc3-8500 that will get you ddr3 at the proper speed, you should also note, that it's just a naming convention, for instance if you said mom or used her actual name, its the same person pc3-8500 is the same as ddr3 1066 one other thing to note is the speed (not always listed) but its typically CL7 or CL9 I believe you want CL7 its a bit faster than CL9 (someone please correct me if im wrong)

if you have an ALUMINUM unibody, theres a few reports of getting 8gb of ram in there, but it's a hit or miss kind of thing, some brands work some don't
I don't know if you are opposed to ebay, but I got 4gb of ram from someones MBP (they upgraded to 8gb) for only 40 bucks. it was that HYNIX brand that apple uses, so no compatibility issues
 
Blondie :)

Blondie :)

macrumors 6502a
May 12, 2010
698
3
Prescott, AZ
unixperience said:
from other threads I've read you can get any speed ram that is greater than or equal to 1066, if it's faster it just gets scaled down, some have said the faster ones also run a tad warmer

just FYI you can open system profiler then click on the tab under hardware>memory
it tells you what you have in there currently (All mac laptops only have 2 slots)

alust2013 gave the best info the macbook is pc3-8500 that will get you ddr3 at the proper speed, you should also note, that it's just a naming convention, for instance if you said mom or used her actual name, its the same person pc3-8500 is the same as ddr3 1066 one other thing to note is the speed (not always listed) but its typically CL7 or CL9 I believe you want CL7 its a bit faster than CL9 (someone please correct me if im wrong)

if you have an ALUMINUM unibody, theres a few reports of getting 8gb of ram in there, but it's a hit or miss kind of thing, some brands work some don't
I don't know if you are opposed to ebay, but I got 4gb of ram from someones MBP (they upgraded to 8gb) for only 40 bucks. it was that HYNIX brand that apple uses, so no compatibility issues
Click to expand...

There was a post on here not too long ago of a guy who managed to get 8 gigs in his polycarbonate body. He had to change some other things, but it worked :p
 
C

Covart

Guest
Aug 15, 2010
150
0
Europe
unixperience said:
from other threads I've read you can get any speed ram that is greater than or equal to 1066, if it's faster it just gets scaled down, some have said the faster ones also run a tad warmer
Click to expand...

This is not exactly correct and can confuse. You can use one chip that is rated faster, as long as the other chip is the correct speed. Using 2 chips rated faster than 1067 will not work in conjunction. The Mac will just sit at the grey screen with the Apple logo and spin forever. I do not recommend using chips rated with faster bus speeds.
For the OP, buy 2x2GB PC3-8500. G-Skill, Mushkin are good brands.
 
K

KingNush

macrumors newbie
Jul 25, 2010
14
0
US NC
Go to crucial.com have a download a system check and it will tell you alot about your mac (including free slots in your macbook)
 
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