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One Gig or Two for Macbook?
- Thread starter smythson
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Yo, the Macbook has integrated graphics which means that your graphics processor is going to take ram from your system to use for graphics processing.
So, yo, check this, the more ram you have in a Macbook is not only going to help the overall speed but the smoothness of your graphics as well. It really matters if your planning on using FCP. But ive been told to not even consider Motion, Apature, etc...
If you can afford it get 2 gig, max it out and be happy, yo!
So, yo, check this, the more ram you have in a Macbook is not only going to help the overall speed but the smoothness of your graphics as well. It really matters if your planning on using FCP. But ive been told to not even consider Motion, Apature, etc...
If you can afford it get 2 gig, max it out and be happy, yo!
If you are just running basic applications,
adding 1 GB will give you great extra performance.
If you are running any Pro Applications like Adobe CS2 that are still not Universal Binary, you'll need a total of 2 GB to counteract the RAM needs of Rosetta.
You'll notice in technical specs that Apple equips you with 2X 256MB DIMMS
You only have 2 RAM slots, and half of your RAM feeds each side of the dual core
processor.
When you upgrade to 1 GB, you install a matched pair of 512's
When you upgrade to 2 GB, you install a matched pair of 1GB's
So basically, you hold on to the original 2 X 256MB DIMM, just in case your
machine needs to go to the shop. So they only see it with factory original RAM.
adding 1 GB will give you great extra performance.
If you are running any Pro Applications like Adobe CS2 that are still not Universal Binary, you'll need a total of 2 GB to counteract the RAM needs of Rosetta.
You'll notice in technical specs that Apple equips you with 2X 256MB DIMMS
You only have 2 RAM slots, and half of your RAM feeds each side of the dual core
processor.
When you upgrade to 1 GB, you install a matched pair of 512's
When you upgrade to 2 GB, you install a matched pair of 1GB's
So basically, you hold on to the original 2 X 256MB DIMM, just in case your
machine needs to go to the shop. So they only see it with factory original RAM.
if you swap one of the original 256 sticks for a 1GB stick (1.25GB), it will give you better performance than 2*512, and you can upgrade the other 256 stick to a gig in the future.
That is true, you can add just 1 GB to one side, but it's not ideal.
I know how quickly all this adds up, so I understand the money crunch.
If you can buy a matched pair of 1 GB DIMMs that's still your best solution.
I know how quickly all this adds up, so I understand the money crunch.
If you can buy a matched pair of 1 GB DIMMs that's still your best solution.
hey FFTT (or anyone else), why do you say it's Not ideal to go with the 1gig+256mb combo? Will it mess up my MB?
I was just about to do that to my (sweet) Macbook right now, but stopped myself when i read this thread.
I was just about to do that to my (sweet) Macbook right now, but stopped myself when i read this thread.
It won't hurt anything to run that way, but if you start putting higher demands
on your systen, you might end up with uneven RAM distribution glitches.
I honestly don't know how to explain it properly, but running matched pairs is the way to go on these new dual core motherboards.
on your systen, you might end up with uneven RAM distribution glitches.
I honestly don't know how to explain it properly, but running matched pairs is the way to go on these new dual core motherboards.
ok, i guess ill go w/ the 1gig+256 combo for now, and then in a couple of months, be able to get that second gig.
thanks for the help guys
thanks for the help guys
FFTT said:
I'm sorry but thats rubbish. The MB or MBP will run absolutely fine with a single SO-DIMM. The benchmarks give better stats for 2 * 512mb rather than 1 * 1GB but it's a small percentage increase, and I doubt you would ever notice it in the real world, except for high end stuff......something that the MB was not designed for anyway.
"you might end up with uneven RAM distribution glitches". Please explain further?! I also read once this can lead to subspace anomolies, but thats only if you put the ram in backwards.
Pilotwoo
i didn't know that...FFTT said:
I've had my MacBook running with 1024+256 for nearly 4 months now, and i haven't had a problem yet. (actually, now that i check it, i've had 2002 page outs...
)I was planning on buying another gig stick soon, anyway. It's more cost effective to buy 2 gig sticks months apart than 2 512MB sticks, then 2 1GB sticks.
If i were you i would go for 1 gig .... it's just the thing i'm going to do.. and i have already seen movies of macbooks doing things i want on the standard 2*256.. even playing half life 2 in windows at decent speeds and cod 2 in osx at decent speeds! stock! so yeah just go for the 1 gig it's more bang for the buck as you only see small advantages of the 2gig over the 1gig...
Just my thought
Just my thought
So PilotWoo, are you of the same opinion that you shouldn't mix and match ram (i.e 1gig+256mb combo)? Or would you say that is 'bloody rubbish' as well.
I'll hopefully be getting a MacBook around January time ( long wait) but I'll be buying my RAM separate. From Apple, it's like £70 up to 1Gb, and £350 up to 2Gb.
So I'll be buying my RAM from Crucial. Two 1Gb sticks will cost around £170. So there's a saving of £180 there. If you can afford it buddy, go for the 2Gb.
While there is no harm in mis-matching the RAM sticks, I personally always prefer to keep them matched. While the performance increase is hardly noticable, two matched sticks work in perfect harmony with the dual-core processor
( long wait) but I'll be buying my RAM separate. From Apple, it's like £70 up to 1Gb, and £350 up to 2Gb.So I'll be buying my RAM from Crucial. Two 1Gb sticks will cost around £170. So there's a saving of £180 there. If you can afford it buddy, go for the 2Gb.
While there is no harm in mis-matching the RAM sticks, I personally always prefer to keep them matched. While the performance increase is hardly noticable, two matched sticks work in perfect harmony with the dual-core processor
If you're likely to run Parallels to run Windows/Linux etc, your MacBook would do very very well with 2GB. If you can afford it, get 2GB, you'll appreciate it when you have a lot of apps open at once
Is this ram ok for a Macbook? This one is 5400 as opposed to the stock 5300 on the Macbook. Seems like a good deal so I ordered it.
http://shop3.outpost.com/product/4807530?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG
Edit: My bad this seems to be desktop ram not notebook ram!
http://shop3.outpost.com/product/4807530?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG
Edit: My bad this seems to be desktop ram not notebook ram!
You can probably run 1.25 GB from now till doomsday without really hurting anything, but because of the MacBook's shared GPU memory Apple recommends
matched DIMMS.
I would only buy 3rd party RAM from suppliers who clearly guarantee Apple compatibility.
You can find cheaper generic DIMMS, but you have to be very careful to match exact specs.
A few people have had good luck finding special deals on Crucial (Micron) DIMMS at NewEgg, but NewEgg does not guarantee Apple Compatibilty.
If you decide to return your purchase, you'll end up paying shipping and restocking fees.
matched DIMMS.
I would only buy 3rd party RAM from suppliers who clearly guarantee Apple compatibility.
You can find cheaper generic DIMMS, but you have to be very careful to match exact specs.
A few people have had good luck finding special deals on Crucial (Micron) DIMMS at NewEgg, but NewEgg does not guarantee Apple Compatibilty.
If you decide to return your purchase, you'll end up paying shipping and restocking fees.
I see that crucial only charges $290 for 2 1GB sticks of RAM for Macbook. Is there a downside to just going that route?
-Matt
-Matt
Yes, you can get it cheaper somewhere else, such as Newegg. In fact, you can get 2 x 1GB of Crucial from them for around $238.MattDell said:
Just checked DMS.
http://www.datamem.com/memory_select_frame.asp_Q_C_E_1362-MacBook_2.0
$125.00 per 1 GB stick, so $250.00 for a (2 X 1GB) kit.
They sell econo ram for $20.00 less. why bother?
NewEgg is listing Crucial ( Micron ) 1 GB DIMMS for $119.99 each
plus $4.99 shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145048
http://www.datamem.com/memory_select_frame.asp_Q_C_E_1362-MacBook_2.0
$125.00 per 1 GB stick, so $250.00 for a (2 X 1GB) kit.
They sell econo ram for $20.00 less. why bother?
NewEgg is listing Crucial ( Micron ) 1 GB DIMMS for $119.99 each
plus $4.99 shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145048
At that kind of pricing I will just go with the online store upgrades. I noticed that Apple has the decency to cut the prices to more REASONABLE levels. They still aren't cheap, but they are decent now... at least when compared to US$125 per gig.
You might want to re-read Apple's RAM upgrade descriptions.
When you buy a system with a default 1 GB RAM and you pay Apple's price for a
2 GB upgrade, they are only selling you an extra 1 GB for a TOTAL of 2 GB.
The two suppliers I mentioned above are pretty close averaging around $125.00 per single GB DIMM.
AT EDUCATION PRICING
Apple charges $90.00 to ADD 512MB for a total of 1 GB
Or........ $450.00 to ADD 1.5 GB for a total of 2 GB
So I'd have to say that a 2 GB kit @ $250.00 (2 X 1) GB is a pretty good deal
for MacBook compatible RAM.
When you buy a system with a default 1 GB RAM and you pay Apple's price for a
2 GB upgrade, they are only selling you an extra 1 GB for a TOTAL of 2 GB.
The two suppliers I mentioned above are pretty close averaging around $125.00 per single GB DIMM.
AT EDUCATION PRICING
Apple charges $90.00 to ADD 512MB for a total of 1 GB
Or........ $450.00 to ADD 1.5 GB for a total of 2 GB
So I'd have to say that a 2 GB kit @ $250.00 (2 X 1) GB is a pretty good deal
for MacBook compatible RAM.
I see all these threads but here's another question:
Can I go ahead and buy two one-gig ram chips at seperate times or will that muck up the system? Like buy one now and one in three months, I heard they need to be the same in the Kit.
huh?
Can I go ahead and buy two one-gig ram chips at seperate times or will that muck up the system? Like buy one now and one in three months, I heard they need to be the same in the Kit.
huh?
Yes, you can use a single stick, but you won't get as good of performance as if you were running two sticks. Having two identical sticks allows the memory to run in dual-channel, which increases performance.smythson said: