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macstatic

macrumors 68010
Original poster
Oct 21, 2005
2,000
162
Norway
I'm considering upgrading my 1.67 GHz Powerbook G4 from 1.5 GB to its maximum of 2 GB (hoping this will boost its performance a little), but I'm uncertain about which memory module to buy.

I just popped up my Powerbook to see what's inside:
one slot contains a 512 MB module (a Samsung M470T6554CZ3-CD5 which came with the machine) while the other slot contains a Kingston 1 GB module marked KTA-PB533/1G which I added myself.
I assume I need to get another 1 GB module to replace the 512 MB module for a total of 2 GB.

I've read that you need to match memory modules, but I'm uncertain if this means getting the exact same brand/model, or if it just means that I need to pair the amount of memory (which I haven't done with my current setup, thought it seems to have worked fine all along), or I literally need to get identical modules?

I looked up Kingston's memory search tool to see what to get for my machine which resulted in a KVR533D2S4/1G, but it's almost twice as expensive as the KTA-PB533/1G.
It seems that the former is "system specific" for my Powerbook while the latter is "generic". Does it make any difference?

Can I get another Kingston KTA-PB533/1G (which means I definitely have a matching pair), should I get the more expensive KVR533D2S4/1G for better performance (but no matching pair), or am I screwed either way because I should have bought the KVR533D2S4/1G in the first place, so what I really need to do now is buy two KVR533D2S4/1G modules making it a "system specific matching pair" and throw away my (seemingly) perfectly working 1 GB (and 512 MB) modules?

I'm also considering upgrading a recent (2008) 2.4 GHz iMac's memory from 1 GB to 4 GB, and wondering about the same thing there.
 

techkingston08

macrumors newbie
Dec 17, 2008
7
0
Kingston Memory

The KTA-PB533/1G is the system specific part. It is guaranteed to be compatible with your Powerbook. The ValueRam product is Kingston's industry standard (generic) product line.

Good luck!!!
 

techkingston08

macrumors newbie
Dec 17, 2008
7
0
Kingston Memory

The KTA-PB533/1G is the system specific part. It is guaranteed to be compatible with your Powerbook. The ValueRam product is Kingston's industry standard (generic) product line.

Good luck!!!
 
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