macbook(5,1) Aluminum RAM 3 beeps

[ztb]

I've had my macbook aluminum since 2009. Somewhere in 2010, I upgraded to 4Gb of RAM (crucial). Since then, I have a really weird problem. Sometimes, when I put my laptop to sleep or reboot it, it will do the "your memory isn't seated properly", 3 beeps. When this happens I can just hold the power button down and it reboots perfectly fine. There is a 30% likelihood that whenever I reboot/awake my MB, it will 3beep me. I've learned to live with it.

Has anyone seen this before? I've reseated the memory several times. it's more of an annoyance that anything, just curious. Could it be that the memory is bad?

 

[GGJstudios]

Has anyone seen this before? I've reseated the memory several times. it's more of an annoyance that anything, just curious. Could it be that the memory is bad?

Yes, it could. If it's properly seated and you're still getting the beeps, your RAM is likely defective or damaged.

 

[ztb]

Thanks! Looking at prices, I can pick up two 4 gig sticks for ~$40. OWC seems to think I can run 8 gigs too!

 

[GGJstudios]

Thanks! Looking at prices, I can pick up two 4 gig sticks for ~$40. OWC seems to think I can run 8 gigs too!

It does support 8GB. You can find specs on all Apple products, including maximum RAM:

• By visiting EveryMac.com: Actual Maximum RAM
• By selecting your model on the Crucial Memory Advisor™ Tool to find RAM information
• By using Mactracker
• By entering your serial number here to find specs for your model.
  (Be aware that some models can use more RAM than Apple shows. Check EveryMac to verify actual usable RAM.)

 

[imageWIS]

Thanks! Looking at prices, I can pick up two 4 gig sticks for ~$40. OWC seems to think I can run 8 gigs too!

It does support 8 GB as long as you have the latest firmware... if not, you are going to have problems.

 

[ztb]

I'm at 8GB! So far no beeps!

 

[ztb]

Update: After Several weeks, no more beeps! I find myself using this laptop more than my 15" MBP!