Hi, I want to upgrade the RAM on my MacBook Pro Mid 2012. Would it be possible just to buy a 4GB stick and take out a 2GB stick in it's place? This would leave me with 6GB RAM and would mean having uneven amounts of RAM. The reason I need extra RAM is for gaming, so is it possible/worth it to get an additional 4GB of RAM and have uneven amounts of RAM installed, while still seeing a performance increase? Thanks in advance!
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Having uneven RAM sticks, Macbook Pro Mid 2012?
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Yup, but there are big benefits to using matched pairs - namely you see a quite a considerable jump in performance as the logic board can't run in dual channel mode on the unmatched portion of memory.
How do you know it is a RAM issue with your gaming? Have you been monitoring memory pressure? With most modern games the bottlenecks for performance are typically graphics based rather than processor or memory based.
How do you know it is a RAM issue with your gaming? Have you been monitoring memory pressure? With most modern games the bottlenecks for performance are typically graphics based rather than processor or memory based.
I assumed this because when I contacted Apple, they said the best way to increase performance in gaming would be to upgrade RAM, since you can't upgrade the internal graphics card. And, I see now that there would be no point in having uneven RAM, where is a legit place to get cheap RAM for my Mac? I have tried crucial.com but it is strenous to check out as a Canadian.
I would check out either:
newegg.ca
memoryexpress.com
They both offer crucial ram, among other brands. Newegg is based in the US, but it's Canadian site offers prices in Canada and you won't get saddled with custom fees when it arrives as you pay GST at checkout. MemoryExpress is based in Canada - if you live near one of their locations you may even be able to pick it up on site.
You'll lose dual channel ability. What that translates to in the real world is about a 10-15% memory speed decrease.
Is it noticeable in daily use? No.
More RAM will not benefit you much if at all in gaming. Whoever told you this is full of crap.