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4GB ram In My MacBook? Possible?

iParis

iParis

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Jul 29, 2008
3,671
31
New Mexico
So I have this MacBook currently with 2GB ram. I was reading EveryMac's page on it and it claims I can upgrade it to 4GB ram but it would only be able to "utilize" 3GB. So is that stating I would only have 3GB if I installed 2x2? If so, wouldn't it be a better idea to do a 2x1 pair and save money if it's going to read as 3GB either way?

Thanks, ^_^

EDIT: Here is the correct link. I accidentally first posted the link to the first Santa Rosa model, mine is the one right before that.
Mid-2007 MacBook
 
iParis said:
Crap. I accidentally posted the wrong link.

http://www.everymac.com/systems/app...-core-2-duo-2.16-white-13-mid-2007-specs.html

It's from right before the Santa Rose introduction.
Click to expand...

"Apple officially supports 2 GB of RAM, but third-parties have been "unofficially" able to upgrade it to 3 GB or 4 GB of RAM (it can hold 4 GB but cannot fully utilize the memory beyond 3 GB)"

What it means is that you can install 4GB of Ram and unlike some computers it still will start up, but it won't make use of it all. So yes you can install 4, but it would be like installing 3.

3GB is plenty enough if you aren't going to be doing any 3D Rendering!
 
Thread reopened. :D
Anyone else have any other real input?

Would I notice a performance difference with 3GB ram as oppose to 2GB?
What brands/resellers do you suggest?
 
iParis said:
Thread reopened. :D
Anyone else have any other real input?

Would I notice a performance difference with 3GB ram as oppose to 2GB?
What brands/resellers do you suggest?
Click to expand...

Yes, you'd likely notice a performance difference, especially if you frequently have multiple apps open or work with large documents.

You'll find answers to this and many other commonly asked questions under the Guides tab at the top of this page:
 
Kingston, OWC, & Crucial are probably the top three recommended for reliability, price, and consistency. I've bought from all three and never had a lick of problem.

I did the same with my mid-2007 BlackBook with nary an issue. BTW, you'll actually end up with ~3.3GB usable; the MB will see and report all 4GB though, so don't think you got a "special" edition. ;)
 
JNB said:
Kingston, OWC, & Crucial are probably the top three recommended for reliability, price, and consistency. I've bought from all three and never had a lick of problem.

I did the same with my mid-2007 BlackBook with nary an issue. BTW, you'll actually end up with ~3.3GB usable; the MB will see and report all 4GB though, so don't think you got a "special" edition. ;)
Click to expand...

AH! So I was wrong either way. That if I get 2x1 and 1x1 I will have 3GB, but if I have 2x2 I will have 3.3GB? I wonder if that would be worth paying for 2x2.
 
iParis said:
AH! So I was wrong either way. That if I get 2x1 and 1x1 I will have 3GB, but if I have 2x2 I will have 3.3GB? I wonder if that would be worth paying for 2x2.
Click to expand...
I highly recommend reading the links I posted, especially the first two, which point to the Guides and contains:
Dual Channel: many Apple machines use dual channel memory. In a few cases, this means that memory must be installed in matched pairs. Your computer's manual would say so if that's true. For the majority of cases, unpaired chips will work fine, but matched pairs will result in a slight speed increase (on the order of a few percent).
Click to expand...
 
GGJstudios said:
I highly recommend reading the links I posted, especially the first two, which point to the Guides and contains:
Click to expand...
From what I have gathered, Intel's dual-channel system will operate for any memory that exists in both slots as long as the timings are the same. So if you have one 1GB and one 2GB, the first 2GB (one GB from each stick) will operate in dual-channel mode.
 
flopticalcube said:
From what I have gathered, Intel's dual-channel system will operate for any memory that exists in both slots as long as the timings are the same. So if you have one 1GB and one 2GB, the first 2GB (one GB from each stick) will operate in dual-channel mode.
Click to expand...
As the part I quoted said, "In a few cases..." It really depends on which RAM is installed, but your statement is true for most cases.

For more information: Matched RAM on Intel Macs
 
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