16 GB Memory in a MBP 5,1?

[darwinian]

Hello,

My understanding is that 16 GB of memory is not possible in the MBP 5,1 (Late 2008). Why is that? Thanks in advance.

 

[gobigorange]

The chipset doesn't allow for it. i.e. It's Intel's design prevents it, not Apple's. The only MacBook Pros that allow for it are the ones with Thunderbolt (Feb. 2011 and newer).

 

[snaky69]

The chipset doesn't allow for it. i.e. It's Intel's design prevents it, not Apple's. The only MacBook Pros that allow for it are the ones with Thunderbolt (Feb. 2011 and newer).

What he said.

It is purely a hardware limitation, the computer might boot with 16GB installed, but the hardware will not allow it to use the extra RAM.