Is RAM from a 2011 MacBook Pro compatible with Mid 2012 MacBook Pro?

[memo90061]

I feel stupid right now! haha. I can't believe I didn't check everything before buying, and I'll be traveling out of the U.S. in one week! I have a MacBook Pro Mid 2012 with 4gb of RAM. I searched on eBay for RAM, and bought the cheapest Crucial RAM. It's PC3-10600 DDR3 1333 MHz type RAM, and I just noticed the one for mine says it uses PC3-12800 DDR3 1600 MHz type RAM. Will the RAM I bought work with my MacBook Pro without any problems or will it have problems? If it will work where do I buy the screws for to replace the RAM? I don't have a screw driver to open the MacBook Pro.

Thank you!

 

[CaffeinatedNoms]

Yes, it will work.

However, it'll be slightly warmer. Your MacBook Pro, like mine (2011 model) came with 1333MHz RAM which is a little slower, and runs cooler, than 1600MHz RAM which is the fastest your chipset can handle.

Honestly, I can't tell the difference anymore.

To replace the RAM, you will need a Philips-00 size screwdriver for the case screws (the RAM itself is just clipped in). Be careful, three of the screws are longer than the rest, and you will need to remember where they came from.

EDIT - I got the model numbers backwards. Yes it will work, but it will be slower, but also cooler, for same reasons as above.

 

[alphaod]

The RAM will run slower, but odds are you won't be able to notice the difference. You're more likely to experience faster speeds due to the RAM increase than the loss in speed due to a slower clock.

And I have no idea what the other guy is talking about with regard to running hotter.

 

[CaffeinatedNoms]

And I have no idea what the other guy is talking about with regard to running hotter.

For the 2011 and 2012 macbooks, Apple deliberately used 1333MHz RAM on chipsets that would normally use 1600MHz RAM in order to minimise how much heat was given off by the memory, and not require additional heat shielding. The slower clock runs cooler.

 

[memo90061]

Thank you very much for the replies. I really appreciate it.

 

[TechZeke]

For the 2011 and 2012 macbooks, Apple deliberately used 1333MHz RAM on chipsets that would normally use 1600MHz RAM in order to minimise how much heat was given off by the memory, and not require additional heat shielding. The slower clock runs cooler.

What? All 2012 Macs come with 1600Mhz RAM stock. I've never heard of RAM heating up a notebook. Even if the heat was noticeable over the CPU and GPU heat, an extra 267 MHz wouldn't much of a difference anyway.

 

[snaky69]

For the 2011 and 2012 macbooks, Apple deliberately used 1333MHz RAM on chipsets that would normally use 1600MHz RAM in order to minimise how much heat was given off by the memory, and not require additional heat shielding. The slower clock runs cooler.

No.

My 2012 15'' came with 1600MHz RAM.