macbook freezes 6 gig ram

[Rick51]

Hi

I have MacBook
MC240LL/A
Model
A1181 (EMC 2330)
Family Mid-2009
ID MacBook5,2
Yosemite os

I upgraded my memory to 6 gb. The problem is the system graphics gets pixelated ( lack of better description) and then the machine freezes. I can still move the mouse around but not much else. Sometimes it will unfreeze for a bit. It seems to act ok with 4gb of ram

The original memory was Hynix 2rx16 pc2 6400S-666-12
The new is pc2-6400s ddr2-800 256mx64
I am not familiar with all the memory terms etc so I don't know if something here would stand out to you folks as a problem.

If not would you have any suggestions on how to fix this problem? Please be kind as I am not Mac literate as I am trying to fix my daughter in laws machine. So please be simple with your explanations.

 

[Sanpete]

It's almost certainly the new RAM. You should be able to return it and get a replacement if it was recently purchased from a reputable source. (You're using one stick of 4 GB and one of 2, right?)

 

[Rick51]

It's almost certainly the new RAM. You should be able to return it and get a replacement if it was recently purchased from a reputable source. (You're using one stick of 4 GB and one of 2, right?)

Yes, and returning it shouldn't be a problem. I knew it was ram related, however I didn't know if it was defective ram or the machine didn't like 6 gb of ram or there was something that needed tweaked. The specs call for 4 max, but it seems lots of people successfully run 6

According to the apple thing,(top left corner) the ram is recognized and claims the ram is good I might add this clean install of the os

Thanks for responding

 

[MarvinHC]

There is a good software that checks the RAM in detail called 'REMBER'
If this comes back without issues the problem is somewhere else.

 

[Rick51]

thanks for the suggestion. I did d/l 'rember' and ran the test for 3 loops finding nothing wrong

As a update I did try to run just that suspect 2 gig stick and it runs fine. It appears the two stick don't play well together or the machine just wont run 6 gig installed If I run the 4 gig stick and 1 gig of my old sticks, it works albeit slower.

I did email the company ( not sure if I was allowed to mention the company name) were I purchased it from and they graciously are sending me a new 2 gig stick. They also stated the original 1 gig stick and the 2 gig stick are the same speed so not sure why the slow down.

I will update as soon and the new stick arrives. Any other suggestions appreciated

 

[MarvinHC]

thanks for the suggestion. I did d/l 'rember' and ran the test for 3 loops finding nothing wrong

As a update I did try to run just that suspect 2 gig stick and it runs fine. It appears the two stick don't play well together or the machine just wont run 6 gig installed If I run the 4 gig stick and 1 gig of my old sticks, it works albeit slower.

I did email the company ( not sure if I was allowed to mention the company name) were I purchased it from and they graciously are sending me a new 2 gig stick. They also stated the original 1 gig stick and the 2 gig stick are the same speed so not sure why the slow down.

I will update as soon and the new stick arrives. Any other suggestions appreciated

Unmatched pairs are never ideal. You can (if you have to) work with different brands but try to have the same speed and size. Have you considered getting a second 4GB stick - they are not that expensive these days?

Some reading you might find interesting:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/302479-30-matched-pair