MBP 16GB memory upgrade

[262Runnr]

I'm getting a refurb 2012 13" MBP 2.9 i7 and looking to upgrade the memory.
Should I be looking for something with a low CAS latency?
I was looking at Newegg and found this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231531

 

[yusukeaoki]

This works fine.

 

[Orlandoech]

I'm getting a refurb 2012 13" MBP 2.9 i7 and looking to upgrade the memory.
Should I be looking for something with a low CAS latency?
I was looking at Newegg and found this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231531

The lowest CL will always help, but its not crucial. The ram you listed will work fine. However I recommend going with 1600MHz ram and not 1333MHz ram as it ships from the factory with 1600MHz, why upgrade the capacity and downgrade the speed?

Here are a few I recommend;

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820144593
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233265
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104317
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/Apple_MacBook_MacBook_Pro/Upgrade/DDR3_1600MHz_SDRAM

 

[thekev]

The lowest CL will always help, but its not crucial. The ram you listed will work fine. However I recommend going with 1600MHz ram and not 1333MHz ram as it ships from the factory with 1600MHz, why upgrade the capacity and downgrade the speed?

Here are a few I recommend;

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820144593
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233265
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104317
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/Apple_MacBook_MacBook_Pro/Upgrade/DDR3_1600MHz_SDRAM

Why not Crucial? It costs less and is a subsidiary of micron? They also test their stuff on Macs and guarantee compatibility. It's around $100 for 16GB for the 2012 through their memory finder.

 

[Orlandoech]

Why not Crucial? It costs less and is a subsidiary of micron? They also test their stuff on Macs and guarantee compatibility. It's around $100 for 16GB for the 2012 through their memory finder.

Crucial is good too.

 

[jmxp69]

I just noticed how cheap 16GB got too and thought about buying upgrades for my MBP and Mini Server. Checked page outs and both are under 1MB after long uptime's, so...I'll save the cash for something else--for now.

 

[Ledgem]

Anandtech has an interesting article examining what the "best" DDR3 memory to get for a Sandy Bridge system is. The conclusion is that memory clocked at 1600 MHz is the "sweet spot" for price and performance, slightly outperforming memory at 1333 Mhz. With regard to timings (CAS latency), memory at a higher clockrate with slower timings still outperforms memory with a lower clockrate and faster timings.

The difference in cost between 1333 Mhz and 1600 Mhz is around $7 at the moment, if you're buying from Newegg. Here's the G.Skill RAM, 16 GB, CAS latency 10, 1600 MHz (out of stock as of the time of this posting)

If you're in a hurry to buy, there's also GeIL 16 GB CAS 10 1600 MHz (currently in stock and at the same price as the G.Skill as of this posting). No reviews on it, but I've had fine experiences with them in the past - it's probably what I'll be going for.

One more note. The 2012 Macbook Pros are shipping with RAM at 1600 MHz. The 2011 (both Early and Late) shipped with 1333 MHz RAM. I read some threads on here indicating that the 2011 systems can make use of the 1600 MHz RAM at 1600 MHz, but the RAM's voltage must be 1.5v (which is standard, but some offerings are at 1.35v).