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Memory "for Mac" vs Standard Laptop Memory

johnnnw

johnnnw

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Feb 7, 2013
1,214
21
Sorry if this is asked a lot. I can't really find what I'm looking for so hoping an answer.

Do I need to buy "Memory for Mac" when on Newegg? Is there anything different about it?

I have a 2012 13in Macbook Pro i5. Will any laptop memory work that has all the right pins and all that sort of stuff?

Also..(sorry) do I need to buy PC12800, or will PC10666 be okay? Is there a noticeable difference?

Thanks everyone
 
johnnnw said:
Thats really only scanning Memory it has for Mac though. I'm wondering if I can browse the whole laptop memory of newegg and as long as the specs match, can I use it even if it's not "mac memory"?

Also, does the PC12800 VS 10666 matter?
Click to expand...

Yes...As long as it meets the requirements...There is not really any such thing as "Mac" RAM...just what Apple install...You will be fine..The scanner is worth running to give you the exact specs required though.
 
johnnnw said:
Do I need to buy "Memory for Mac" when on Newegg? Is there anything different about it?
Click to expand...
Not aside from the price. It's usually more expensive, presumably just because the manufacturer can charge it and people will buy it.

I have a 2012 13in Macbook Pro i5. Will any laptop memory work that has all the right pins and all that sort of stuff?
Click to expand...
Yes.

I don't think there's any harm in using the Crucial thing, but the way I've done it was from the "About this Mac" pane. The pane tells you your memory clock rate and DDR type. When shopping for RAM just make sure that you match those two, and that you get laptop RAM (as opposed to desktop). In some cases you can deviate from those figures - for example, the late 2011 MBP's came with RAM that had a clock rate of 1333 MHz, but can accept RAM with a clock rate of 1600 MHz. Read others' experiences before trying something like that, though.
 
Yeah just pick a reputable name and get the correct specs. I when i upgraded to 16GB the Corsair apple ram was on sale and cheaper then the regular sticks. Obviously at that point it was a no brainer, that's the only reason why I picked up "Mac Memory".
 
johnnnw said:
Sorry if this is asked a lot. I can't really find what I'm looking for so hoping an answer.

Do I need to buy "Memory for Mac" when on Newegg? Is there anything different about it?

I have a 2012 13in Macbook Pro i5. Will any laptop memory work that has all the right pins and all that sort of stuff?

Also..(sorry) do I need to buy PC12800, or will PC10666 be okay? Is there a noticeable difference?

Thanks everyone
Click to expand...

Memory for mac and regular memory are the same things, except one has a different packaging with a sticker on it worth $10-$20 more than the packaging for the regular one.
 
Ledgem said:
Not aside from the price. It's usually more expensive, presumably just because the manufacturer can charge it and people will buy it.


Yes.

I don't think there's any harm in using the Crucial thing, but the way I've done it was from the "About this Mac" pane. The pane tells you your memory clock rate and DDR type. When shopping for RAM just make sure that you match those two, and that you get laptop RAM (as opposed to desktop). In some cases you can deviate from those figures - for example, the late 2011 MBP's came with RAM that had a clock rate of 1333 MHz, but can accept RAM with a clock rate of 1600 MHz. Read others' experiences before trying something like that, though.
Click to expand...

You need a bit more info - CAS latency should be within Apple's specs as well.
That said, I've always used name brand non-Apple memory just fine - generally Crucial / Patriot.
 
So PC12800 vs PC10666? Much difference?

I like the prices of the 10666 better, but if its going to hurt performance I'll go PC12800
 
johnnnw said:
So PC12800 vs PC10666? Much difference?

I like the prices of the 10666 better, but if its going to hurt performance I'll go PC12800
Click to expand...
Use whatever speed your Mac came with. If you buy faster memory, it'll probably work, but there are cases where it won't work. If it works, it shouldn't hurt performance.

If you buy slower memory, there's a good chance it won't work at all and it will definitely hurt performance.
 
jlc1978 said:
You need a bit more info - CAS latency should be within Apple's specs as well.
Click to expand...
There's not much variation among CAS latencies. I've upgraded six or seven Macbooks/Macbook Pros at this point and always went for the fastest or middle-ground CAS and never had an issue. Could be luck, but then I've never heard of anyone having issues over CAS latencies, either. It's a non-issue in my opinion. RAM type (DDR3 vs. DDR2 vs. DDR and so on) and clock rate are really the only things you need to worry about. If you have a story of a system not working because of the CAS timings, I'd be very interested to know, though!

The 2012 systems added a bit of complexity with their use of DDR3L over DDR3. I believe the consensus was that they can accept both, but again, that's about the RAM type.
 
there is no such thing as "Mac" memory and regular memory.

it's marketing scheme to put "for mac" sticker on the package so that you'll pay more.

just make sure it meets the requirement of what your system is looking for. such as ddr2 or ddr3, #mhz, and 204 (laptop) 240 (desktop) pin
 
brop52 said:
Don't overpay like your friend here.

Do yourself a favor and join Newegg's email list. Wait until it is discounted and buy the RAM for less than half that price. I paid $44.99 for this G. Skill set.
Click to expand...

44.99 for gskill 16GB PC12800?! That's an amazing deal. Okay, I'll do that thanks for the advice!
 
The vengeance and G.skill sets are very popular, but me personally I went with Kingston's LoVo to take advantage of the DDR3L. Excellent pair and had 0 errors after installing and running test on them.
 
Ledgem said:
There's not much variation among CAS latencies. I've upgraded six or seven Macbooks/Macbook Pros at this point and always went for the fastest or middle-ground CAS and never had an issue. Could be luck, but then I've never heard of anyone having issues over CAS latencies, either. It's a non-issue in my opinion. RAM type (DDR3 vs. DDR2 vs. DDR and so on) and clock rate are really the only things you need to worry about. If you have a story of a system not working because of the CAS timings, I'd be very interested to know, though!
Click to expand...

I've used the same approach with no issues as well; including when I have used faster RAM than the spec called for. If I remember correctly, Apple generally uses the lowest speed but it would not hurt to double check prior to buying RAM. I think most RAM problems come from buying off-brand or mixing modules. Of course, Apple is ending the days of non-Apple RAM as they move to slimmer designs with non-replacable RAM.

MAcRumors has some comments here:

http://guides.macrumors.com/Buying_RAM#CAS_Latency_requirements
 
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