MBP: RAM upgrade question

[lhan16]

Hello,

I just got a new macbook pro and am looking to upgrade the ram from 4 to 8GB. The current speed for the memory provided by Apple I believe is DDR3 1333 (PC3 10660). I'm wondering if, when upgrading, I need to stick with that same speed or if I can upgrade to a speed such as DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) when i purchase my new 8GB modules. I can't find anything online that specifies the max speed supported. Can anyone tell me what the max memory speed is?

many thanks in advance!

lhan

 

[simsaladimbamba]

You can use faster speed RAM, but you will probably not use the RAM at that speed, even if Mac OS X registers them at the modules' correct speeds.

Upgrading RAM in MacBooks and MacBook Pros​

I have 1333 MHz RAM in my 2009 MBP which only supports 1066 MHz RAM, but Mac OS X registers it as 1333 MHz RAM.

 

[lhan16]

thanks!

 

[theSeb]

Hello,

I just got a new macbook pro and am looking to upgrade the ram from 4 to 8GB. The current speed for the memory provided by Apple I believe is DDR3 1333 (PC3 10660). I'm wondering if, when upgrading, I need to stick with that same speed or if I can upgrade to a speed such as DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) when i purchase my new 8GB modules. I can't find anything online that specifies the max speed supported. Can anyone tell me what the max memory speed is?

many thanks in advance!

lhan

You can use DDR3 1600 modules in your 2011 MBP and they do indeed run at the faster speed. Just make sure you get RAM that has the correct CAS latency (9-9-9-24 if memory serves me correctly).

I've done testing with Kingston HyperX 1600. The difference is basically not noticeable in real world use. You can see it when you benchmark the memory with apps like geekbench. The integrated Intel HD3000 is also a little bit faster by about 1 fps in OpenGL tests, since it uses shared memory with the RAM.

The difference in price is not worth it, in my opinion.