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greenville

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 29, 2011
21
0
There have been many discussions about whether or not the 2011 MBP's can use 16 GB's of RAM. MacSales says yes, Apple says 8 GB tops. Has anybody actually tried 16 GB in their machine and knows if it actually works or not. People are saying that as soon as the 8 GB chips come down in price, they would like to try but until we know that in actual use by regular users, it actually works, I would be reluctant to buy it even though when working with large Photoshop file it might be useful. Anyone actually put in the OWC 16 kit?
 
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I'd like to know this as well.
 
yes, 16 GB of ram works. we have users who have it installed now.

Yes, your Mac can support it. It will cost you several hundred dollars however, so you have to decide whether it's worth the cost.

but YES it will work. 8GB x 2 chips are what you'll need.
 
one poster on here said ONLY the 2.2/2.3 15/17 models can use 16GB of RAM

if he is correct, that leaves out the 13" models and base model 15"

However, I'm still not sure if that is correct. Anybody running 16GB in the 13" or base model 15"?
 
one poster on here said ONLY the 2.2/2.3 15/17 models can use 16GB of RAM

if he is correct, that leaves out the 13" models and base model 15"

However, I'm still not sure if that is correct. Anybody running 16GB in the 13" or base model 15"?

That's what I remember too. According to Intel, the 2720QM and 2820QM support up to 16GB, while the 2630QM only support up to 8GB.
 
Intel's data sheet certainly implies that the 2410 and 2630 can support 16 GB also. Whether the Ark sheets or the data sheet is more accurate, I can't say.

IIRC there are at least a few folks here who have installed and are running 16 GB in 13" MBPs.
 
only the 2011 models will support the 16GB (2x8GB chips). The OWC page shows it to be supported on all 2011 Sandy Bridge MacBook Pro models, the 13", 15" and 17"

It is only compatible with the 2011 models, NOT compatible with any of the 2010 models.

The price has come down considerably to $879.99, it used to be priced at $1499. This is quite a deal, if you ask me. But it's pricey, considering the 8GB upgrade is only $71.99!!!
 
Will the 2012/2013 models be able to support 20/24GB of RAM?

Perahps, but at this point, a desktop would be more powerful and cheaper to build for the same amount of power. I can't see anyone needing this much power on the go.
 
Will the 2012/2013 models be able to support 20/24GB of RAM?

I agree with the previous poster. There's only 2 slots too, so you'll need at least one 16 GB stick.

But I highly doubt this, there will be no support over 16 GB for a while from Apple in portables. While it may be possible in several years, like 4+ years, it's most likely not going to be desirable or practical because of the price. If you look at the price of 8 GB sticks, imagine the price of ONE 16 GB stick. It's not going to be worth it until 8 GB sticks become the norm (4 GB sticks are just now barely starting to become the norm). So you have a while.

Why would you want this anyways? 16 GB is crazy already. 900 bucks for RAM? I could do 1000 more useful things for 900 dollars (not to mention buy a completely new laptop with a couple hundred more). Though, do expect this to drop considerably in the coming years. :D
 
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The price has come down considerably to $879.99, it used to be priced at $1499. This is quite a deal, if you ask me. But it's pricey, considering the 8GB upgrade is only $71.99!!!

I'm getting the 8GB chipsets then!

I don't think any of my activities would need $900 of ram right now!

Can't wait to get back to the US and buy them there!

Maybe I'll be coupling that with a good SSD too! Who knows! :D
 
Will the 2012/2013 models be able to support 20/24GB of RAM?
Doubtful for '12. Possible for '13. It's really not a matter of what Apple supports, it's what Intel supports. 16 GB is the max for the current generation of mobile Core i7 chips. Just last year the max was 8 GB. Plus, a 16 GB DIMM would be too expensive for just about anyone to justify purchasing. 8GB DIMMs are still too much, in my opinion. Until recently you could buy a new Mac instead of spending $1,400 on 16 GB of RAM.
 
one poster on here said ONLY the 2.2/2.3 15/17 models can use 16GB of RAM

if he is correct, that leaves out the 13" models and base model 15"

However, I'm still not sure if that is correct. Anybody running 16GB in the 13" or base model 15"?

Yes, this would be correct.
The same goes for 1600Mhz RAM as well.

Unless someone can prove me otherwise, the 13" and base 15" should recognize the 16GB RAM but will only be able to use 8GB of it.
As for people arguing about the old ARK data, the site said 8GB which meant 8GB per RAM slot. Now it lists the total RAM capacity, since surprisingly there are 4-slot laptops out there...O.O

If anyone wants to prove it, then go to Activity Monitor's System Memory tab and take a screenshot. :)
 
Perahps, but at this point, a desktop would be more powerful and cheaper to build for the same amount of power. I can't see anyone needing this much power on the go.

a scholar like me who studies motion picture special effects :) but I'm also on 8gb. 16gb would be awesome but currently too expensive. even though most of my programs will use all of it while working. most of the time only have 12MB left.
 
What about i5?

For the quad core i5 which is not set on MBP series yes.
But the i5 dual core for MBP 13in (aka i5-2410M) no.
They only support 8GB max.

So does the dual core i7 I think.
The 13in dual core i7 (aka i7-2620M) only supports up to 8GB

Only the quad core types can hold up to 16GB such as the i7 quad on 15 and 17in models (aka i7-2620QM, i7-2720QM, and i7-2820QM).

edit:
QM stands for "quad mobile". Its a quad core mobile processor for laptops.
M just stands for mobile. Which is a dual core processor for laptops.
 
For the quad core i5 which is not set on MBP series yes.
But the i5 dual core for MBP 13in (aka i5-2410M) no.
They only support 8GB max.

So does the dual core i7 I think.
The 13in dual core i7 (aka i7-2620M) only supports up to 8GB

Only the quad core types can hold up to 16GB such as the i7 quad on 15 and 17in models (aka i7-2620QM, i7-2720QM, and i7-2820QM).

edit:
QM stands for "quad mobile". Its a quad core mobile processor for laptops.
M just stands for mobile. Which is a dual core processor for laptops.


Thanx for the clear up :D you think the next mbp 13inch will be quad or is that physically not possible?
 
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