MacBook won't boot with new RAM.

[don't do it]

I recently purchased some new RAM and just opened it. It's never been used up to this point. I followed all instructions to put the new RAM in, but when attempting to start my computer it gave me a blank, black screen and the sleep light was on. This was with both new chips in my computer. I am currently running my computer on one 2 gig chip and a stock 512 mb chip. This works fine, and so does any other combination of the chips besides both 2 gigs. Is there any way to fix this problem?

note: my macbook is late 2008 and on 10.6.4 (max RAM is 4 gigs)

 

[JNB]

I recently purchased some new RAM and just opened it. It's never been used up to this point. I followed all instructions to put the new RAM in, but when attempting to start my computer it gave me a blank, black screen and the sleep light was on. This was with both new chips in my computer. I am currently running my computer on one 2 gig chip and a stock 512 mb chip. This works fine, and so does any other combination of the chips besides both 2 gigs. Is there any way to fix this problem?

note: my macbook is late 2008 and on 10.6.4 (max RAM is 4 gigs)

Try booting with one new chip at a time. Return the one that it won't boot with. Sometimes RAM is just bad.

BTW, bumping a thread is disallowed here, and doing it after only nine minutes is, well, expecting an awful lot from the community.

 

[logana]

The link is to PC5300 memory which is fine - are you sure that it does not have PC6400 on the ram label....

Your MacBook will start up fine with a mixture of PC5300 and PC6400 in it (like the 2.5GB configuration) but will not start up with 2 x PC6400 ram chips in it.

Later MacBooks will work fine (nVidea models) and earlier MacBooks will too.

 

[don't do it]

Sorry JNB my mom was getting a bit ticked about not being able to use the computer.

The package says PC2-5300

 

[logana]

Sorry JNB my mom was getting a bit ticked about not being able to use the computer.

The package says PC2-5300

In that case follow the advice above and try booting with one 2GB chip in the MacBook and the other slot empty....

I bet it won't start up with either of the 2GB chips in - but tell us what happens

 

[don't do it]

You are correct, neither chip functioned on its own.

 

[logana]

You are correct, neither chip functioned on its own.

The new chips are not PC5300 but PC6400 or PC5400. They are 800MHz chips and not 667MHz. THey will work if there is another chip in the MacBook which is a 667MHz - the original 512MB PC5300......

Return the ram because it is not PC5300 standard. If the chips label says PC5300 then it is wrong....

 

[don't do it]

Are you sure of this? Because that doesn't seem to make sense to me. How would you deduce or assume that?

BANK 0/DIMM0:

Size: 2 GB
Type: DDR2 SDRAM
Speed: 667 MHz

 

[logana]

Are you sure of this? Because that doesn't seem to make sense to me. How would you deduce or assume that?

The Santa Rosa/Penryn (late 2007 and 2008) MacBooks will not start up with PC6400 ram in them unless there is a PC5300 chip in the other slot.

Technically it gets its timing (667MHz) from the slower chip (the PC5300 one) and runs fine at 667MHz speed rather than the 800MHz speed it wants to run at.

Without another chip in to slow it down the MacBook rejects the ram (too fast 800MHz) and won't boot.

The various combinations you have tried confirm that both 2GB chips will work fine as long as there is a PC5300 chip in the MacBook. Once you put both in then it will not boot and just one of the 2GB chips on its own will not boot either...

 

[don't do it]

Just got off the phone with PNY, they said that the cause of my problem is that there is something on the stock chip that they do not have on their chips that the MacBook is looking for. Therefore it runs with one stock chip because it finds the (whatever it is) and boots. I don't know whether this is actually correct or logana is correct. The tech support said to return it as well so it's going back and I guess I'm getting some Apple RAM. (yay for spending 20$ more on the same thing)

 

[wordoflife]

Why don't you try crucial? I find their ram to work very well.

 

[logana]

Just got off the phone with PNY, they said that the cause of my problem is that there is something on the stock chip that they do not have on their chips that the MacBook is looking for. Therefore it runs with one stock chip because it finds the (whatever it is) and boots. I don't know whether this is actually correct or logana is correct. The tech support said to return it as well so it's going back and I guess I'm getting some Apple RAM. (yay for spending 20$ more on the same thing)

I think that we are both right - PNY chips appear not to run at the 667MHz speed (must be faster).....

I will second Crucial or OWC if you are in the USA.

 

[psxguru]

I went through a similar thing with my 2.4Ghz black Macbook.

Went through several sets from crucial but the 2x2Gb just wouldn't boot. The individual sticks would work together with one of the original 1Gb sticks to give 3Gb. The memory was supposed to be compatible but it was clearly not.

 

[don't do it]

Thanks for the tip. I'll go have a look.

Thanks again to the people of MacRumors

 

[don't do it]

This is the RAM I pulled up from Crucial on Amazon. Just curious to know if it works.

 

[drjaymez]

That looks correct to me.

 

[logana]

This is the RAM I pulled up from Crucial on Amazon. Just curious to know if it works.

Should be fine - there is a review from someone saying it works fine in a late-2007 MacBook.