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izzy0242mr

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jul 24, 2009
637
426
I've read a lot of posts about people warning against using mixed vendors and mixed RAM sizes, but none of those people have said they tried it themselves. On the other hand, I have seen a number of posts from people who have tried using mixed RAM vendors and sizes and they say it works fine.

Can anyone tell me objectively which of these two options would be best for upgrading my Early 2011 MacBook Pro 13":

(A) 10 GB RAM - this single 8 GB module + one of the stock 2 GB modules

(B) 8 GB Corsair RAM - this is clocked at 1333 MHz and 1.5 volts

(C) 8 GB Crucial RAM - this is clocked at 1600 MHz and 1.35/1.5 volts (not sure what the / indicates)

Regarding options B and C, which would be better: Corsair RAM that is clocked to what the Mac is default set to (1333 MHz) but has higher voltage, or Crucial RAM that is overclocked (and from what I've read, it'll auto-downclock to 1333) but has possibly lower voltage. There's only a $2 difference between the two.

Thanks!
 
Last edited:

velocityg4

macrumors 604
Dec 19, 2004
7,329
4,717
Georgia
If you don't have a matched pair you don't get the performance benefit of dual channel memory. Which can be significant on tasks that really depend on RAM speed. Though they are few.

Other than that Macs can be finicky about RAM that isn't spec. I'd only get RAM that is guaranteed to work in your model. You can use the configuration tool at Crucial.com or any number of vendors.
 
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