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I have 2010 MacBook Pro and want to upgrade to 8GB RAM

Yes, you have two slots.
There's sticks already installed in all slots.
You have to remove the existing RAM, and install new sticks in its place.
 
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jbachandouris said:
If you have the mid 2010 MBP, as I do, you need PC-8500 DDR3 memory 204-pin. The speed is 1067MHz speed. That is the only memory that will work. Trust me.

Below is an example from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-PC3-8...98824676&sr=8-2&keywords=pc-8500+ddr3+1066mhz
Click to expand...

Hey,

I'm running 1600MHz Corsair Vengeance SO-DIMMs in my 15" mid-2010 MBP without any issues. Of course, I would recommend the 1066MHz DIMMs to the OP (I nabbed mine from my brother because it didn't work in his MBP).

However, should unavailability prevail, higher speed memory (1333MHz or 1600MHz) will work just fine; it'll automatically underclock to 1066MHz.

Best of luck!
Raptor

EDIT: http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Channel-204-Pin-SO-DIMM-CMSA8GX3M2A1066C7/dp/B00505EZYW/

This should be just fine.
 
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galaksy said:
What's a 320m? Is the 16gb ram worth it for the processor?
Click to expand...
RAM isn't going to do anything for the processor. There are plenty of threads that detail how to determine if RAM is a bottleneck with your system and usage.
 
takeshi74 said:
RAM isn't going to do anything for the processor. There are plenty of threads that detail how to determine if RAM is a bottleneck with your system and usage.
Click to expand...

Is there anything in OP posts that asked for opinions on if he needed memory or not? No.

OP wants to know what memory to buy. That's all.
 
galaksy said:
What's a 320m? Is the 16gb ram worth it for the processor?
Click to expand...

takeshi74 said:
RAM isn't going to do anything for the processor. There are plenty of threads that detail how to determine if RAM is a bottleneck with your system and usage.
Click to expand...

jbachandouris said:
Is there anything in OP posts that asked for opinions on if he needed memory or not? No.

OP wants to know what memory to buy. That's all.
Click to expand...

I think you missed where the OP asked exactly the question takeshi74 answered.
 
I'm guessing the processor the 2010 MBP is pretty old by now and was wondering if it can catch up to 16GB of RAM.

In other words, for older processors is it not worth getting 16GB rather than just 8GB because it wouldn't be able to handle any more than 8GB worth of workload?

Or would you be able to have a lot more applications running on 16GB in spite of the older processors?
 
galaksy said:
I'm guessing the processor the 2010 MBP is pretty old by now and was wondering if it can catch up to 16GB of RAM.
Click to expand...
If your Macbook Pro has a nVidia 320M GPU, it sounds like it has the same specs as the Unibody White Macbook 2010 which supports up to 16GB (not officially, but with a lot of successful reports at this forum).

In other words, for older processors is it not worth getting 16GB rather than just 8GB because it wouldn't be able to handle any more than 8GB worth of workload?

Or would you be able to have a lot more applications running on 16GB in spite of the older processors?
Click to expand...

Well, I think having a lot of RAM is justifiable in the following applications:

- Virtual machines: if you want running 2 or more virtual machines in the same computer, it's good giving 2GB of RAM for each one. With only 8GB, this leaves less memory available to the main OS (host) applications.

- Processing big input data: if you're dealing with video editing, a lot of raw pictures or running heavy algorithms over 1GB+ of input data, it's good having a lot of RAM since your data will be ready for processing without needing swaping to disk/ssd. In other words, in this particular use case, your computer will "look faster" than it really is in relation to a faster cpu with less RAM.

In short: virtual machines and big input data. If all you want is opening a lot of tabs and watching videos, you'll be fine with 8GB.
 
Thank you. How does the 2010 processor compare to more modern processors like A8 (the in on my HP laptop), i3, i5, i7?

----------

So would buying 1600Mhz be better because if you take it out in the future to put it in a better computer, the lower speed ones might not work?
 
galaksy said:
Thank you. How does the 2010 processor compare to more modern processors like A8 (the in on my HP laptop), i3, i5, i7?
Click to expand...

You've never specified which 2010 model you have. If it's the 13-inch, those used older Core2 Duo processors, which are several generations old and outclassed by most modern processors.

The 15- and 17-inch versions had first-generation Core i5 and i7 processors, which while still old, will outperform your AMD A8, but obviously not the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th generation Intel processors that Apple used in their 2011, 2012, and 2013 MacBook lines, respectively.

So would buying 1600Mhz be better because if you take it out in the future to put it in a better computer, the lower speed ones might not work?
Click to expand...

In theory, buying faster spec memory would simply cause the computer to automatically downclock it to whatever speed the chipset supported. With Macs of that vintage, there's no guarantee it will work. Some have had success as evidenced above, others have not. 2011 and 2012 models have much greater memory compatibility. You can try it, just buy the RAM from a place where you know you can return it if it doesn't work.
 
galaksy said:
Thank you. How does the 2010 processor compare to more modern processors like A8 (the in on my HP laptop), i3, i5, i7?

----------

So would buying 1600Mhz be better because if you take it out in the future to put it in a better computer, the lower speed ones might not work?
Click to expand...

There's no absolute answer, but Geekbench is a common benchmark for Macs. A i7 late-2013 rMBP has a score of 3200 (single core) and 12000 (multi-core).

A 2010 MBP, Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz, has a score of 1400 (single core) and 2400 (multi-core). In theory, 2 cores from your Mac provides worse performance than a single core from a modern MBP. In practice this is not really true. It depends on the application and if you have a SSD or a lot of RAM installed. I feel my rMBP is not too much faster than my late-2009 Macbook with a SSD and 8GB of RAM in everyday tasks like browsing and text editing.
 
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galaksy said:
I have the early 2010 15''.
Click to expand...

I have the same. As mentioned above, you can buy the 1600MHz memory so that you can use it for future laptops (though it's quite unlikely that you would). I would advise you to buy the 1066MHz memory unless the 1600MHz memory is more easily available and/or cheaper.

16GB memory will work just fine. However, get 16GB only if you need 16GB. I have 8GB of RAM and do some considerably rough work (at least one VM + Lightroom processing + multiple tabs on Chrome) and usually max out at 7GB. So, depending on your use and your future need, choose between 8GB and 16GB.

Best of luck!
Raptor
 
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