Mac Pro memory

[macmaniac01]

can anyone tell me if the new mac pro's are able to use/run normal DDR2 RAM chips? Do I have use only FB-DIMM chips?

I realise the FB means "Fully Buffered" and allows for read and write simultaneously to RAM. But i wounder if more RAM (DDR2) is better than less(FB-DIMM).

The price difference is huge at my local computer store and i wonder if upgarding (if possible) to more DDR2 RAM chips instead of FB-DIMM is faster?

 

[MacFanBoyIIe]

It would REALLY behoove you to use the type of RAM that Apple certifies. You can get it on OWC.

 

[yeroen]

can anyone tell me if the new mac pro's are able to use/run normal DDR2 RAM chips? Do I have use only FB-DIMM chips?

I realise the FB means "Fully Buffered" and allows for read and write simultaneously to RAM. But i wounder if more RAM (DDR2) is better than less(FB-DIMM).

The price difference is huge at my local computer store and i wonder if upgarding (if possible) to more DDR2 RAM chips instead of FB-DIMM is faster?

No, FB-DIMM's and standard DDR-2 modules require completely different wiring on the motherboard.

In a standard DDR setup, wires run in parallel from each DDR module to the memory controller. FB-DIMM's contain DDR chips on the memory module, but access to/from the memory controller is mediated by the AMB chip through a serial interface. One of the rationales for this is that as you add more and more memory to the system, designing a parallel bus wiring layout becomes a much more difficult and expensive task.

Intel has a good picture of this here (scroll down to the improving board layouts sub-section):
http://www.intel.com/technology/magazine/computing/Fully-buffered-DIMM-0305.htm

 

[MacFanBoyIIe]

No, FB-DIMM's and standard DDR-2 modules require completely different wiring on the motherboard.

In a standard DDR setup, wires run in parallel from each DDR module to the memory controller. FB-DIMM's contain DDR chips on the memory module, but access to/from the memory controller is mediated by the AMB chip through a serial interface. One of the rationales for this is that as you add more and more memory to the system, designing a parallel bus wiring layout becomes a much more difficult and expensive task.

Intel has a good picture of this here (scroll down to the improving board layouts sub-section):
http://www.intel.com/technology/magazine/computing/Fully-buffered-DIMM-0305.htm

And then there's the whole heat sink thing.... Just get the certified RAM from OWC. Lifetime replacement. You won't regret it.

 

[CanadaRAM]

Sigh - Welcome to MacRumors,

First step is to Search for answers before posting a new thread, (we covered this question as recently as yesterday) or look in the Guides section of the site (under the Guides tab at the top of this window)

Hardware: Understanding Intel Mac RAM

The answer to this and many other common questions can be found in the Guides.