new MacPro on the way: setup questions...

A & B - fire that bad boy up and make sure everything works before you begin configuring it.

RAM - they must be installed in pairs, as in slots 1&2 or 3&4 in each riser, filling up slots 1&2 first in .riser A (top riser), then 1&2 in riser B (lower riser). When these are filled, fill 3&4 in riser A, followed by 3&4 in riser B So, you would want it to look like this:

Riser A
2GB, 2GB, empty, empty

Riser B
1GB, 1GB, empty, empty


*my RAM endorsement goes for OWC. that's what i have. however, I have the 2006 mac pro.

 

the above post is correct

and just to add to the RAM issue...

in the mac pro, you want matching pairs of sticks (e.g. as stated above)
then, having the identical setups on each riser helps
and thirdly, having ALL of the slots full (e.g. 8x1GB sticks) will increase data transfer rate through the ram from ~6.5GB/s -> ~7.5GB/s

 

but it will add to the latency. however, the degree to which it adds latency is said to be so small to be undetectable in real world usage.

 

1. Boot it up and make sure everything is working alright (fans spinning, hard drives humming, and RAM not greyscreening). Then simply power down and lock in your new drive.

2. Same answer as #1. No sense in installing new RAM before you know if the Apple stuff works (then again, Apple's memory has like 0.0001% failure rate).

3. I know in my Mac Pro (3GB RAM) I have her like this:

• Riser A: 512MB, 1GB
• Riser B: 512MB, 1GB

... so it's exactly mirrored. I haven't looked into the "latency" factor, but as long as OS X reads it as 3GB, and XP reads it as 3GB, we're good to go. I'm not too concerned about latency, as it's probably unnoticeable like you mentioned.

4. I would stick with OWC. Their RAM seems to be the best. However, I purchased the 2GB from NewEgg and have had no problems. In fact, it seems to run a bit cooler than the stuff she shipped with, so I'm not complaining.

 

I notice from your sig that you have a 2006-2007 Mac Pro, and from the OWC videos it notes that the memory configuration is different in the Early 2008 MP the OP will be getting and is as the OP in his example "b".

To the OP-- the correct configuration will also be in your owner's manual when it arrives, and if you would like to check it out before yours arrives it can be seen in the OWC memory installation video for the 2008 MP (memory and hard drive installation on the same video) here.

 

to pwn247

just wondering why you have your RAM setup as it is. from everything i've read, it's better to swap one of the 512MB with one of the 1GB.

- genghis

 

OWC my nig