Powerbook G4 memory question

[greenwrangler]

Hello everyone,

I have a PowerBook G4 that has 512mb of RAM. It has a single stick of that ram and the other slot is free. So, I wanted to upgrade this by adding another 256mb stick that I took out from my wife's new MacBook C2D (Upgrded hers by replacing one 256m stick with a 1gb stick). I am not entirely sure whether those RAM sticks are compatible with my older PB model. So, I wanted to check here before opening my PB and experimenting and if that is safe? Any inputs?

Thanks.

 

[swiftaw]

I always use these guys to check out memory compatibility
http://otherworldcomputing.com/

 

[WildCowboy]

The MacBook RAM won't work in the PowerBook...two very different types of RAM.

As swiftaw said, check the memory wizard at OWC (or DMS) to see what you need to use in your machine.

 

[greenwrangler]

Thanks for the quick responses, switaw and WildCowboy.

When you say different types of RAM, how different does it mean? I think MB C2D is a DDR2 and the PB one is a DDR. I think they might be pin compatible though. So, the question becomes, are DDR and DDR2 so different that it wont even work (and could it damage something if I tried?) or is it simply a matter of the DDR2 stick running at a reduced speed (which I can live with instead of wasting the 256mb stick as right now).

Thanks again.

 

[WildCowboy]

No, they are not pin-compatible.

Edit: Found the below comparison image on this page...

 

[CanadaRAM]

Tare DDR and DDR2 so different that it wont even work

Yes

(and could it damage something if I tried?)

Depends on how hard you tried to shove it into the socket

or is it simply a matter of the DDR2 stick running at a reduced speed (which I can live with instead of wasting the 256mb stick as right now).

Nope. That li'l extra "2" is pretty significant, kinda like the difference between H2O (water) and H2O2 (peroxide) - you don;t want to mix them up.

 

[greenwrangler]

No, they are not pin-compatible.

Got it! Thanks for the image as well... Wow... those pins are soooo close.. its easy to think they are exactly same.

Yes


Depends on how hard you tried to shove it into the socket


Nope. That li'l extra "2" is pretty significant, kinda like the difference between H2O (water) and H2O2 (peroxide) - you don;t want to mix them up.

Thanks CanadaRAM. I wont even try.