Macbook 5,1 with snow leapord 4Gb, 6Gb, 8Gb?

[xnifx]

PNY is poo

Just tried a PNY DDR3 PC3-8500 4GB (2x2GB) Memory Kit in my Late 2008 2.0 MacBook 5,1. Don't waste your time. I wish I had found this thread long before my purchase. Hurls a kernal panic if it stays above 2GBs of active memory for 10 mins or so. PNY is a no go for this machine. AVOID!

 

[blackburn]

Your ram is likely bad, you should *always* check ram with memtest or similar. But I've had some ram sticks test good independently and bad in pairs so ymmv

 

[Paquis]

I loaded the OWC 4Gb chip into my MacBook 5.1 yesterday. Found two 1Gb chips in there and removed them replacing with the 4Gb chip. Machine started up no problem and recognized the extra memory immediately. I have been running 24 hours on it now with no problems but performance is noticeably better than it was prior to the upgrade.

 

[Carcadons]

It seems I'm the only who doesn't get it to work.

Four months ago I bought a 8Gb kit from Corsair, 1333Mhz, cl 9.
It never worked, so I'm just using 2 + 4 Gb without problems.

If i try to put on 8Gb, I run in Kernel Panic 5 min after the login.
I tried everything:

- resetting the PRAM
- restarting in safe-boot mode
- restarting in 64 Kernel mode
- memtest in non graphic mode (the ram passed all the tests)
- trying with just one slot at time

What can i try more?
I don't think Corsair is a bad brand....

Greetings

 

[shadowfax]

Even with a good brand of RAM, you can get bad sticks. Have you tried using each stick individually? If you KP with 1 or the other at only 4GB that's a pretty clear indication that the stick is faulty.

 

[Carcadons]

I tried with each stick individually and everything works like a charme.

I forgot to mention the last 3/4 times i tried with 8Gb I didn't got KP, but after a couple of min the mouse/trackpad is gone crazy, the spinning wait cursor appeared and then i had to use the power button.

"About This Mac" recognize 8Gb at 1333Mhz (strange, I knew the max was 1066)

I still try to understand what the problem is.

 

[shadowfax]

Sorry, I didn't see that in your original post you mentioned individually testing them.

Which MacBook do you have?

 

[Carcadons]

It's a MacBook Alumium 2.0 Ghz Late 2008 with SnowLeopard ofc

 

[fabianv]

I purchased 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333Mhz, everything seemed perfect, 8GB was detected, things felt faster etc.

Until I started gaming... I purchased Portal 2 and started noticing crashes on startup, first I thought it was a game bug but then I started testing other games like Trine and it still kept crashing.

I removed 1 module and it took twice as long to crash (not sure what that means) I swapped the 2 modules and the same thing.

After going back to the stock ram I got with the laptop 2x1GB ram everything worked fine.

At this point it seems to be a problem with the Corsair brand, will try another brand :/

 

[kiranmk2]

I think it may be an incompatibility with 1333 MHz ram. The fact that it reports it's running at 1333 MHz as opposed to maxing out at 1067 MHz means the CPU/bus may be being overclocked and therefore unstable. Another theory is that 1333 MHz ram has a lower latency (CL9) compared to 1067 MHz ram (CL8).

I haven't seen any conclusive reports that 1333 MHz works in the 2008 unibody models - which is odd as the chipset obviously supports ram this speed. I would have thought an EFI update would add compatibility as happened for 8 GB support, but apparently not.

 

[dp81]

I purchased 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333Mhz, everything seemed perfect, 8GB was detected, things felt faster etc.

Until I started gaming... I purchased Portal 2 and started noticing crashes on startup, first I thought it was a game bug but then I started testing other games like Trine and it still kept crashing.

I removed 1 module and it took twice as long to crash (not sure what that means) I swapped the 2 modules and the same thing.

After going back to the stock ram I got with the laptop 2x1GB ram everything worked fine.

At this point it seems to be a problem with the Corsair brand, will try another brand :/

I have the same problem with my 5,1 late 2008 running 4gb Ram at 1333 Mhz. Everything works fine, however, when starting a game the machine KPs. An AHT test has also found an error in the memory. I am going to take my chances and swap it out for two 4gig modules of 1066Mhz.

A question - in order to run the 8 Gigs of Ram on a 5,1 (or any machine for that matter) does one have to use the 64-bit edition of the Snow Leopard?

 

[biohead]

Very happy with this now

I bought just the bog standard generic no-name brand RAM off eBay (£54 for 8Gb). Ran through memtest for a few days and not one fault back yet. Who needs the big named brands

 

[hekokimushi]

Very happy with this now

I bought just the bog standard generic no-name brand RAM off eBay (£54 for 8Gb). Ran through memtest for a few days and not one fault back yet. Who needs the big named brands

Hi Biohead.

i am very interested with your setup.
i assume you must be running 64bit since u have 8Gb.

What RAMs do u have that works for 5,1 please?
cheers

h

 

[McGiord]

The late 2008 MBP (5,1) does support 8GB of RAM, you have to have the right firmware and run it in 64 bit.

I bought my kit from OWC:
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/Apple_MacBook_MacBook_Pro/Upgrade/DDR3

*NOTE: these models require the most current EFI version as well as Mac OS X v10.6.6. Please visit this link for more information
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1237

Mine works fine, here is a capture from About this Mac (System Profiler):

Hardware Overview:

Model Name: MacBook Pro
Model Identifier: MacBookPro5,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.8 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 6 MB
Memory: 8 GB
Bus Speed: 1.07 GHz
Boot ROM Version: MBP51.007E.B05
SMC Version (system): 1.33f8

 

[hekokimushi]

The late 2008 MBP (5,1) does support 8GB of RAM, you have to have the right firmware and run it in 64 bit.

I bought my kit from OWC:
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/Apple_MacBook_MacBook_Pro/Upgrade/DDR3

*NOTE: these models require the most current EFI version as well as Mac OS X v10.6.6. Please visit this link for more information
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1237

Mine works fine, here is a capture from About this Mac (System Profiler):

Hardware Overview:

Model Name: MacBook Pro
Model Identifier: MacBookPro5,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.8 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 6 MB
Memory: 8 GB
Bus Speed: 1.07 GHz
Boot ROM Version: MBP51.007E.B05
SMC Version (system): 1.33f8

thanks McGiord

as seen in the apple firmware page:
MacBook (13-inch, Early 2009) MacBook5,2 MB52.0088.B05 (EFI 1.4) 1.38f5 (SMC 1.3)
MacBook (13-inch, Aluminum, Late 2008) MacBook5,1 MB51.007D.003 (EFI 1.3) 1.32f8 (SMC 1.2)
Hardware Overview:

Model Name: MacBook
Model Identifier: MacBook5,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.4 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 3 MB
Memory: 4 GB
Bus Speed: 1.07 GHz
Boot ROM Version: MB51.007D.B03
SMC Version (system): 1.32f8
Serial Number (system):
Hardware UUID:
Sudden Motion Sensor:
State: Enabled


i have the 5,1 and have the D.03 boot ROM and 1.32f8 firmware. noticed u have the 5,2 boot rom and firmware. is that the trick to get 8Gb fully functioning? i am running 64bit SL
cheers

 

[madamocta]

Sorry if this isn't the right thread to ask but I have a ram question. I want to upgrade my 5.1 macbook and I found 2x2gb crosair ddr3 1600mhz ram, so is crosair a good brand and will it work in my laptop? Also is there anything I should pay attention when buying ram?

 

[paulnptld]

Finally! 8GB: It worked on my 5,1 - 32bit Snow Leopard.

I'm happy to report that my 8GB install was completed two days ago. I'm running Snow Leopard, 32 bit. I think some of the issues people were facing were related to the speed of the RAM they were buying. Here's what I bought from Amazon: Kingston Apple 8GB Kit (2x4GB Modules) 1066MHz DDR3 SODIMM iMac and Macbook Memory (KTA-MB1066K2/8G)

I've run Parallels, opened a bunch of apps in Windows and OSX at the same time, and ran it down to 1GB of free space with no crashes or issues.

One weird behavior I did notice is that if I go below 4GB of available RAM, Photoshop CS won't open. The error leads me to believe that Photoshop looked at available RAM on install, and doesn't refresh on each load. Other than that, zero issues.

For $89 (amazing to think of how cheap 8GB has gotten) it's well worth it.

For those of you that are curious:


Hardware Overview:

Model Name: MacBook Pro
Model Identifier: MacBookPro5,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.53 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 6 MB
Memory: 8 GB
Bus Speed: 1.07 GHz
Boot ROM Version: MBP51.007E.B05
SMC Version (system): 1.33f8
Serial Number (system): W884324H1GA
Hardware UUID:
Sudden Motion Sensor:
State: Enabled

 

[McGiord]

thanks McGiord

as seen in the apple firmware page:
MacBook (13-inch, Early 2009) MacBook5,2 MB52.0088.B05 (EFI 1.4) 1.38f5 (SMC 1.3)
MacBook (13-inch, Aluminum, Late 2008) MacBook5,1 MB51.007D.003 (EFI 1.3) 1.32f8 (SMC 1.2)
Hardware Overview:

Model Name: MacBook
Model Identifier: MacBook5,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.4 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 3 MB
Memory: 4 GB
Bus Speed: 1.07 GHz
Boot ROM Version: MB51.007D.B03
SMC Version (system): 1.32f8
Serial Number (system):
Hardware UUID:
Sudden Motion Sensor:
State: Enabled


i have the 5,1 and have the D.03 boot ROM and 1.32f8 firmware. noticed u have the 5,2 boot rom and firmware. is that the trick to get 8Gb fully functioning? i am running 64bit SL
cheers

No, actually my MBP is late 2008 15", so it is using the right latest firmware for a late 2008 15" MBP:

 

[McGiord]

Model Name: MacBook
Model Identifier: MacBook5,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.4 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 3 MB
Memory: 4 GB
Bus Speed: 1.07 GHz
Boot ROM Version: MB51.007D.B03
SMC Version (system): 1.32f8
Serial Number (system):
Hardware UUID:
Sudden Motion Sensor:
State: Enabled


i have the 5,1 and have the D.03 boot ROM and 1.32f8 firmware. noticed u have the 5,2 boot rom and firmware. is that the trick to get 8Gb fully functioning? i am running 64bit SL
cheers

In your case you have a MacBook 5,1 (not a MacBook Pro), so you have to use another reference table:
http://support.apple.com/kb/DL974

Browse in OWC (macsales.com) website and you will see where this info is coming form.

 

[fekimoki]

post - deleted

 

[hekokimushi]

right. so... i have the latest firmware. and boot rom. on my Macbook UB-Aluminum. not the pro. will 8G work on mine?? im well confused.

i went to the locals today, and asked for Apple Macbook Compatible RAM, they gave me a kingston KVR1066 instead of a KTAMB1066K2/8G as i was expecting. and two shops insisted they will work. i insist not to buy kingston KVR as i haven't seen solid proof that they work.

came home opened up my 4G that were installed. they were the hynix HMT125S6AFP8CG7.

may i please ask exactly, which model number of 4G x2 Ram works precicesly please? i am very unsure. also please see the pda beneath for the 5,1 memory compatible list for the 9400M

http://www.nvidia.com/docs/IO/60555/Memory_Compatibility_List_DA-04576-001_v01.pdf
What will definately pass the MEMTest that runs in Single User Mode? as the one listed that seemed work is not listed in the above PDF, perhaps the pdf is just not up to date. Any Video Freeze or problems with the 8Gb on the MacBook5,1 on Nvidia 9400M chipset? cheers.

glanced thru all the posts, summarised below:

KTA-MB1066K2/8G #86 Worked

2x4GB Crucial 204-Pin SODIMM DDR3 PC3-8500 CL7 kit #103 Worked
2x4GB Crucial 204-PIN DDR3 PC3-8500 CT51264BC1067 #107 Worked

KVR1333D3S9/4G 4GB PC3-10600 CL9 204-Pin SODIMM #148
8Gb kit from Corsair, 1333Mhz, cl 9. #154 NOT worked
unamed #159 Not worked
unbranded 2x4G #162 Worked

OWC 2x4G on MBP #164 Worked
KTA-MB1066K2/8G on MBP #167 Worked

 

[hekokimushi]

i ordered me Rams, two of them.
from a chinese site. about 55bucks each.

they seem to be a good deal.
Proper Apple certified part:

Hynix HTM351S6AFR8C-G7 4GB 1066MHz PC3 8500S

will report after testing. but no reason to believe they won't work unless they are fake. as that is an apple certified memory. fingers crossed

also read from apple dicussion forum, a dude has successfully put the 1333MHz part in MB5,1 and reports correctly only on MB5,1
Hynix HTM351S6AFR8C-H9 4GB 1333MHz PC3 10600S

https://discussions.apple.com/message/15284635#15284635

but since there is no operational enhancement, the H9 are a few bucks cheaper, but i ordered the G7 just in case his macbook was in the good side of the Standard deviation and mine on the bad side.

 

[dp81]

All problems solved, running smooth

Recently replaced the erronneous 1333 Mhz modules with the correct 1066 ones, 4x4 GB. Running in 64bit.
MB 5,1 Late 2008

 

[dp81]

I purchased 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333Mhz, everything seemed perfect, 8GB was detected, things felt faster etc.

Until I started gaming... I purchased Portal 2 and started noticing crashes on startup, first I thought it was a game bug but then I started testing other games like Trine and it still kept crashing.

I removed 1 module and it took twice as long to crash (not sure what that means) I swapped the 2 modules and the same thing.

After going back to the stock ram I got with the laptop 2x1GB ram everything worked fine.

At this point it seems to be a problem with the Corsair brand, will try another brand :/

I can confirm, MacBooks are incompatible with 1333 DDR3 Ram. I did the same thing as you and had the same results - every game crashed in a KP. You need to find 1066Mhz modules. After replacing 1333 with 1066, games are back to normal. You can safely install 8GB.

 

[hekokimushi]

Hynix HTM351S6AFR8C-G7 (1067MHz as displayed as shown by others screen) works happily in mine... and boots very happily and passed Memtest4.21 as expected as it is an official apple RAM

OSX 10.6.7 on 64bit

Memtest 4.21 first run results
=========
Memtest version 4.21 (64-bit)
Copyright © 2004 Charles Cazabon
Copyright © 2004-2007 Tony Scaminaci (Macintosh port)
Licensed under the GNU General Public License version 2 only

Mac OS X 10.6.7 (10J869) running in single user mode
Memory Page Size: 4096
System has 2 Intel processor(s) with SSE
Requested memory : 7557MB (7924609024 bytes)
Available memory : 7557MB (7924609024 bytes)
NOTE: Memory request is too large, reducing to acceptable value…
Allocated memory: 7345MB (7702719936 bytes) at local address 0x0000000101000000
Attempting memory lock… locked successfully
Partitioning memory into 2 comparison buffers…
Buffer A: 3672MB (3851359968 bytes) starts at local address 0x0000000101000000
Buffer B: 3672MB (3851359968 bytes) starts at local address 0x00000001e68f16e0

Running 2 test sequences… (CTRL-C to quit)

Test sequence 1 of 2:

Running tests on full 7345MB region…
Stuck Address : ok
Linear PRN : ok
Running comparison tests using 3672MB buffers…
Random Value : ok
Compare XOR : ok
Compare SUB : ok
Compare MUL : ok
Compare DIV : ok
Compare OR : ok
Compare AND : ok
Sequential Increment : ok
Solid Bits : ok
Block Sequential : ok
Checkerboard : ok
Bit Spread : ok
Bit Flip : ok
Walking Ones : ok
Walking Zeros : ok