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MacBook Pro 8GB Ram for $67 at OWC...
- Thread starter skiltrip
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After installing the new ram my computer has been crashing and throwing up kernic panic messages a lot. Sending it back Monday.
hmm all sorts of different "top end" brands from them are doing this? Seems pretty odd. My G.Skill worked without any issues what so ever. If you return that OWC RAM I would strongly recommend G.Skill instead. Many people use it and it works fine. Also lot of people use the OWC brand and say it works perfectly too.
i would like to hear from anyone else who might have installed it, what their experience has been so far.
I installed mine. No Problems yet. Maybe the person with kernel panics got a bad stick? To that person, have you tried swapping each one with one of your 2gb chips to see if it's a bad stick?
My feelIng is you got a bad stick, or maybe they need to be re-seated. OWC is a pretty reputable mac upgrade dealer. I hardly think they sell junky ram knowingly. Bad sticks happen. I've had it happen to me in the past with PC ram.
After I first installed this kit a couple of days ago I was getting screen flickering and the computer would freeze.
I took the ram out and switched their positions ( top stick into the bottom slot, etc) and the screen flickering went away. It hasn't been freezing AS MUCH but I am still getting the occasional problem with the computer becoming unresponsive after waking from sleep.
I'd recommend staying away, not worth the trouble.
I took the ram out and switched their positions ( top stick into the bottom slot, etc) and the screen flickering went away. It hasn't been freezing AS MUCH but I am still getting the occasional problem with the computer becoming unresponsive after waking from sleep.
I'd recommend staying away, not worth the trouble.
I tried all the tricks I knew:
PRAM and NVRAM reset
Switching the sticks
Cleaning the pins with alcohol
I even run remember (it toke more than 2 hours)
but nothing... I've got a lot of kernel panic and freezing.
Now I'm trying with a SMC reset, if it doesn't work it's going back on Monday.
I don't really need the 8gb, it was more because of the great deal they were offering. I might save the money for an SSD
PRAM and NVRAM reset
Switching the sticks
Cleaning the pins with alcohol
I even run remember (it toke more than 2 hours)
but nothing... I've got a lot of kernel panic and freezing.
Now I'm trying with a SMC reset, if it doesn't work it's going back on Monday.
I don't really need the 8gb, it was more because of the great deal they were offering. I might save the money for an SSD
hmm all sorts of different "top end" brands from them are doing this? Seems pretty odd. My G.Skill worked without any issues what so ever. If you return that OWC RAM I would strongly recommend G.Skill instead. Many people use it and it works fine. Also lot of people use the OWC brand and say it works perfectly too.
G.Skill is great. I laugh when people tell me they don't want to use g.skill cause it's an "unknown" company (they've been in business since '89) and that they'll spend top dollar on 'mac certified' mushkin or kingston ram lolol. Not that there is anything wrong with those brands, but i've seen so much as some retailers charge an unjustified premium.
Can anyone elaborate on the difference between Wired/Active/Inactive parts of the memory?
Thanks!
I think diglloyd @ macperformanceguide explains it best (check out his site for more tips):
Free
The memory is completely unused.
Wired
The memory is locked down and cannot be shared, or swapped to disk (system software and drivers require Wired memory).
Active
The memory is actively being used by programs and/or the system software.
Inactive
Typically means that the memory has been used to cache disk I/O. This is not a waste, it can greatly speed up some programs, like Photoshop.
Used
Ignore this; its a summary statistic.
Virtual memory size, Page ins, Page outs, Swap used
The Page ins and Page outs are useful: ideally these numbers stay a zero (but its normal for a small amount of paging to occur). If you see the numbers increasing steadily, install more memory; the system is being forced to swap data from real memory onto disk to share the real memory among programs. Check them before and after a time-consuming task: if theyve changed more than a few percent, then you almost certainly will benefit from installing more memory. Ignore VM size.
Starting programs, running commands, etc will increase the memory requirements. The Real Memory column is the one that mattersthats the actual space the program is using in the memory chips.
And to make sure new ram is playing nicely, run an extended hardware test or something like tech tool deluxe for those of you with a current Applecare agreement (not the included 1 yr).
I wanted to add some additional info. I've had the RAM in for about 24 hours. No problems. I just purposely ran a moderately intensive Pro Tools 9 session on loop for about 20-25 minutes with no hiccups. Lots of virtual instruments loading from RAM as well in that session. Then I ran a test using TechTool Deluxe and the RAM passed.
Maybe I just had good luck, or maybe these two folks reporting problems had bad luck. In any case, OWC has very good support. You can even chat online for support and they are very helpful. I'm sure they'd be happy to either give you an exchange or accept a return. Good luck!
Maybe I just had good luck, or maybe these two folks reporting problems had bad luck. In any case, OWC has very good support. You can even chat online for support and they are very helpful. I'm sure they'd be happy to either give you an exchange or accept a return. Good luck!
I wanted to add some additional info. I've had the RAM in for about 24 hours. No problems. I just purposely ran a moderately intensive Pro Tools 9 session on loop for about 20-25 minutes with no hiccups. Lots of virtual instruments loading from RAM as well in that session. Then I ran a test using TechTool Deluxe and the RAM passed.
Maybe I just had good luck, or maybe these two folks reporting problems had bad luck. In any case, OWC has very good support. You can even chat online for support and they are very helpful. I'm sure they'd be happy to either give you an exchange or accept a return. Good luck!
I use protools too, so you are saying ram held up well with it? Im going into heavy recording sessions starting Jan, this is my main reason for upping to 8gigs
I use protools too, so you are saying ram held up well with it? Im going into heavy recording sessions starting Jan, this is my main reason for upping to 8gigs
Yeah. I've had no trouble with it. Us Pro Tools users know PT is one of the first apps to bitch if any of the hardware isn't acting right. And I've had no issues loading and unloading 1.5GB drum samples pools with Superior Drummer either. I'm running Rember now to test the RAM. TechTool Delixe said it passed it's test.
I tried all the tricks I knew:
PRAM and NVRAM reset
Switching the sticks
Cleaning the pins with alcohol
I even run remember (it toke more than 2 hours)
but nothing... I've got a lot of kernel panic and freezing.
Now I'm trying with a SMC reset, if it doesn't work it's going back on Monday.
I don't really need the 8gb, it was more because of the great deal they were offering. I might save the money for an SSD
You say you ran Rember (I'm assuming by Remember you meant Rember, or maybe Spellcheck did it to ya). Are you saying the Rember test passed, yet you're still having problems, or that your RAM failed the Rember test too?
My Rember test just finished, and the RAM passed all tests.
So Rember says it passed. TechTool Deluxe says it passed. And I've had no problem with RAM-heavy Pro Tools sessions either.
I highly suggest anyone having trouble to just contact OWC and get a replacement, or if you just don't want the hassle get yourselves a refund.
But mine is working well.
So Rember says it passed. TechTool Deluxe says it passed. And I've had no problem with RAM-heavy Pro Tools sessions either.
I highly suggest anyone having trouble to just contact OWC and get a replacement, or if you just don't want the hassle get yourselves a refund.
But mine is working well.
Another update from the OP. In general I haven't seen any trouble during actual usage. But today I've had a few odd things happen. One unexplained hang on shutdown. One unexplained hang on booting. And then finally one full system crash when waking the computer up after having been using Superior Drummer before hand (pretty ram intensive). After reading some of your reports and seeing my own little bit of sketchiness, mines going back too. Shame, the price was pretty good.
G.Skill guys and gals, I am telling you i works like a charm. No issues what so ever with mine in the 3-4 months I have owned it.
We get it! Lol. Actually I've been using G.Skill ram in the PCs I've built for years. Never had an issue either. So I'm with ya.
I think most of us didn't necessarily need RAM, but it just seemed worth it at the price.
G.Skill is great. I laugh when people tell me they don't want to use g.skill cause it's an "unknown" company (they've been in business since '89) and that they'll spend top dollar on 'mac certified' mushkin or kingston ram lolol. Not that there is anything wrong with those brands, but i've seen so much as some retailers charge an unjustified premium.
I agree, G. SKill ram is pretty much the leading supplier for desktop memory for a couple of years now. Though mushkin, corsair and kingston are all good memory companies. You can't beat the price/performance ratio of gskills!
Can any of you who have swapped out your RAM tell me what brand the 2 x 2GB chips were that Apple shipped with your MacBook pro? Was it Samsung?
Yup. Samsung.
Another update from the OP. In general I haven't seen any trouble during actual usage. But today I've had a few odd things happen. One unexplained hang on shutdown. One unexplained hang on booting. And then finally one full system crash when waking the computer up after having been using Superior Drummer before hand (pretty ram intensive). After reading some of your reports and seeing my own little bit of sketchiness, mines going back too. Shame, the price was pretty good.
ughhhhhhhhhhhhh so maybe i should just return it, i will be extremely annoyed if i see flaws happening to my mac after i install
ughhhhhhhhhhhhh so maybe i should just return it, i will be extremely annoyed if i see flaws happening to my mac after i install
Maybe. Unfortuneately, I wS the only one originally reporting no problems, and I ended up getting problems as well. Though everyones seem to be different. Bottom line is the last thing anyone wants to do is troubleshoot brand new components. It's a hassle nobody should have to spend any time on.
Can any of you who have swapped out your RAM tell me what brand the 2 x 2GB chips were that Apple shipped with your MacBook pro? Was it Samsung?
mine was hynix
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