Possible? I only saw one article talking about the Santa Rosa model with 8GB and it had trouble because the system after 4GB decided to use swap instead the rest of hte memory.
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8GB in the current macbook pro
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It's possible to put 8GB in a MacBook Pro, but the chipset limitations will only allow it to use 4GB. It'll still recognize all 8GB though.
You have to read the whole story.... 8 GB failed on further testing
About this Mac will recognize it, but the machine will crash as soon as the OS attempts to access RAM higher than 4096 MB.
I know that article because I've read it, however, he also stated that he's using a Santa Rosa based MacBook Pro, which failed when any programs accessed more than 4GB of ram.
The article also specified:
"[UPDATE for 7/6/2008] The model MacBook Pro I have is the late 2007 machine. It's model MA896LL/A and the exact specification for it are at http://support.apple.com/kb/SP13. Your MacBook Pro will need to be this machine or later to support more than 4GB of memory."
Would the Penryn notebooks be different in terms of chipset to access 8GB of ram?
I'm asking because I have the access to 4GB DDR2-667 SO-DIMM sticks and I kinda need 4+ gb ram for what I do regularly. Furthermore, before anyone suggests get a Mac Pro, I hate sitting in one place. I basically sold ALL my desktops for a portable machine. I'm almost never at my desk, I'm almost always at my kitchen, living room, outside, coffee shop, etc.
It seems the principal issue is virtualization. I wish he would have talked about other things, like photoshop, aperture, final cut, etc.
The testing is only valid for the model of machine tested -- but you're kinda missing the point here -- AFAIK no Core2Duo Macintosh has ever been tested successfully with more than 4 GB RAM.
I'd be happy to test it, if someone else would provide me with the RAM
Sure I'll provide you will RAM, but you have to give me your computer in return.
No, Penryn is just the processor, it still uses the same Santa Rosa chipset, therefore they will only access 4GB of RAM. This is because of the memory controller on the Macs, if you look up the Santa Rosa chipset, you'll find that it can support 8GB, but due to other components it can only address 4GB.
The rule of thumb is this: if Apple doesn't say it can officially support 8GBs of RAM, then it can't support 8GB of RAM.
And out of curiousity, what do you do regularly that uses up 4GB of RAM? Are you sure it's not some other component that's bottlenecking?
Thats what Apple said for my MacBook but I used 3GB when 2GB was the max according to Apple.
Its not a single program, it just makes running 2 virtual machines taking up 3gb of ram (1.5gb each) easier.
Ouch, that does eat RAM. I figured it was virtualization..but yeah, unless you start seeing 8GB RAM in other people's signatures on the forum, it's not possible
Last time I saw 2 x 4GB RAM for sale it was like $900?
Can you provide documentation to support this assertion?
You cannot trust Apple to tell you the truth in this matter; e.g., Core 2 Duo/Calistoga MB, MBP, iMacs and Minis.
It doesn't need documentation, it hasn't worked properly on the Santa Rosa chipset, and since Penryn uses the same chipset, that means it still can't properly use 8GBs. Remember I was replying to someone asking if Penryn would be any different in using 8GB than it's predecessor.
But don't you think they would want to advertise that you can use 8GB in your Mac notebook?
What we know is (1) a Santa Rosa MBP will boot and run with 8 gb of RAM and (2) it has trouble with virtualization. This does not mean that it won't work fine for other apps that don't rely on virtualization. As far as I know, no other information is available on this topic. It is not an issue of Santa Rosa or Penryn, because a Thinkpad based on this platform/processor uses 8 gigs just fine.
They still list the Mini as having a 2 gb RAM limit, when those of us who own it (the C2D models) know it will take 4 gigs of RAM with 3.1 gigs available.
What would that tell us? Or did you mean with one 4Gb chip + 1 of whatever he has already?
6 or 8GB RAM on a Santa Rosa MBP
I have been using 6GB on my 2007 Santa Rosa, Snow Leopard, and it really does help. I came here today, looking to see if 8GB was possible. But this seems to be an old thread. I still wonder. Mainstage, a part of Apple Logic that you can use to be a real synthesizer in live performance, and a host for all your Virtual Instruments with very low latency, works great. But I have loaded it up with so many VI's that now it's starting to suddenly quit, and I think it's memory.So I was hoping I could get a 2nd 4GB stick and try out 8GB, although MacSales (OWC) suggests 6GB. If I try it, I'll post my experiences back here.
I have been using 6GB on my 2007 Santa Rosa, Snow Leopard, and it really does help. I came here today, looking to see if 8GB was possible. But this seems to be an old thread. I still wonder. Mainstage, a part of Apple Logic that you can use to be a real synthesizer in live performance, and a host for all your Virtual Instruments with very low latency, works great. But I have loaded it up with so many VI's that now it's starting to suddenly quit, and I think it's memory.So I was hoping I could get a 2nd 4GB stick and try out 8GB, although MacSales (OWC) suggests 6GB. If I try it, I'll post my experiences back here.