Okay I just bought a 13" MB pro and i'm going to be using it primarily for photography. Editing photos in photoshop CS5 and Lightroom 4. At any given time i'll probably have the browser open, itunes, and photoshop or lightroom. I just bought the model with 4gb. How much should I buy now though. Should I really get 16gb? Or just buy one 8gb and have 8x2 so 10gb of ram? Or an 8gb and a 4gb? I appreciate everyone's help here! Thank you.
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RAM 8gb, 12gb, or 16gb?
- Thread starter ChevyHD
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8GB is most likely more than you'll need for what you describe. It's highly unlikely that you'd need 16GB.
Most likely you have 2x 2GB sticks in it right now. Ideally you'd want a pair of identical sticks in there, but in practice, the difference in speed isn't noticeable if you put in 2 sticks of various amounts.
I'd recommend getting an 8GB stick and replace one of the 2GB ones (for 10GB total), because you can always add another 8GB stick later down the line when you want 16
There are only 2 slots, so you'll remove the 1GBx2 sticks and replace them with the 4GBx2 sticks to achieve the 8GB. There is a slight performance benefit to using matched pairs.
- Apple does not manufacture RAM and charges more than you would pay with other reputable RAM providers.
- Some great sources for Mac-compatible RAM are OWC, Crucial and newegg.com.
- Installation of user-installable parts such as RAM does not void the Apple Warranty or the AppleCare Protection Plan, unless you damage something in the process.
- MR Guide to Buying RAM
- MR Guide to Understanding Intel Mac RAM
- MR Guide to Matched RAM on Intel Macs
- MacBook Pro: How to remove or install memory
- MacBook: How to remove or install memory
- iMac: How to remove or install memory
- Mac mini: How to remove or install memory
- By visiting EveryMac.com: Actual Maximum RAM
- By selecting your model on the Crucial Memory Advisor Tool to find RAM information
- By using Mactracker
- By entering your serial number here to find specs for your model.
(Be aware that some models can use more RAM than Apple shows. Check EveryMac to verify actual usable RAM.)
If you want to get 16 at some point, getting an 8GB stick now would likely save you some time and money
Ah didn't notice the bold one. Just read it. Seems that for my needs having every second counts when dealing with large volumes of photos in photoshop and other editing programs. Looks like i'll be going with the matched pair of 4gb ram. Thanks for the help!
I'm in a similar situation, I was just wondering what do you mean by different performance when using two different sticks. I'm thinking about replacing one of my 2Gb sticks with an OWC 8Gb stick
I have 2x 4GB modules into my White MB. It runs Apache, Mysql, PHP; Vista Ultimate in a virtual machine; Crossover Mac, Netbeans, browsers, OpenOffice, Gimp (X11). The most memory hungry apps are the browsers (Chrome and Firefox). At a very high load, it usually leaves 1GB/900MB free.
But bear in mind that I'm running Snow Leopard with a 32bit kernel. 64bit apps are supported through PAE (physical address extension by Intel). 32bit apps tend to consume less memory.
Lion + 64bit kernel tend to eat more memory, so 8GB wouldn't be so comfortable as it is on my configuration.
But bear in mind that I'm running Snow Leopard with a 32bit kernel. 64bit apps are supported through PAE (physical address extension by Intel). 32bit apps tend to consume less memory.
Lion + 64bit kernel tend to eat more memory, so 8GB wouldn't be so comfortable as it is on my configuration.
Read the bolded link "MR Guide to Matched RAM on Intel Macs" in my earlier post for an explanation.
what Crucial will work with the new Ivybridge MBP13
don't mean to hijack the thread but i was looking at some crucial ram on amazon that worked on the 11 MBP but after running the crucial analyzer it gave me a totally different model number of crucial ram I am looking to upgrade from 4 to 8....i have an amazon gift card so would prefer to buy it there but i don't see anything from crucial with that model number should i be looking for a certain spec or will the ram from the late 11 MBP work on the new Ivy bridge model?!?!?! anyone know also will the same crucial SSD work I am hoping as well?
thank you for the help I read the article about matched RAM that was posted and now I too think the 2 4 GB sticks is the way to go for me too.
thanks in advance,
W
don't mean to hijack the thread but i was looking at some crucial ram on amazon that worked on the 11 MBP but after running the crucial analyzer it gave me a totally different model number of crucial ram I am looking to upgrade from 4 to 8....i have an amazon gift card so would prefer to buy it there but i don't see anything from crucial with that model number should i be looking for a certain spec or will the ram from the late 11 MBP work on the new Ivy bridge model?!?!?! anyone know also will the same crucial SSD work I am hoping as well?
thank you for the help I read the article about matched RAM that was posted and now I too think the 2 4 GB sticks is the way to go for me too.
thanks in advance,
W
I have, in the past, bought crucial ram on Amazon where the part number didn't match (though the specs matched). I made my decision based on the multiple customer reviews where other people confirmed it worked on said computer.
Ivy Bridge 2012 MB Pro 13.3 RAM
thanks, I emailed Crucial and they gave me some information. But being as it is 3 days post launch I don't see any reviews of the previous RAM working on an Ivy Bridge 13...and The RAM Crucial recommended is different ski numbers than the stuff on amazon etc. I guess I will wait until some reviews are in or until Amazon posts the new Crucial RAM.
thanks again and I hope the OP has found something as well I think like him I will stick with matching Ram after reading the wiki in MacRumors...anybody else purchased any RAM that is a different brand or not listed that works...I would love to know about it....Corsair?!?!? some people say it is not as good has anyone used and like corsair better than kingston etc..
thanks again guys
thanks, I emailed Crucial and they gave me some information. But being as it is 3 days post launch I don't see any reviews of the previous RAM working on an Ivy Bridge 13...and The RAM Crucial recommended is different ski numbers than the stuff on amazon etc. I guess I will wait until some reviews are in or until Amazon posts the new Crucial RAM.
thanks again and I hope the OP has found something as well I think like him I will stick with matching Ram after reading the wiki in MacRumors...anybody else purchased any RAM that is a different brand or not listed that works...I would love to know about it....Corsair?!?!? some people say it is not as good has anyone used and like corsair better than kingston etc..
thanks again guys
anyone see the article about SSD not working in new Ivy Bridge?
I saw that in the MAC forum I will post the link here when I find it. I think maybe it is just an opinion I haven't seen anything else substantiating the claim that the benefit of a 6gb/s SSD will not function as efficiently except for that article but it has me a bit concerned. It looks like the new RAM is 1600mhz I think instead of the 1300MHZ Ram in the '11 MBP 13 but would still love to some reviews are ideas so I can upgrade my RAM from 4 to 8 pronto still nothing on Amazon from Corsair or Crucial that I have found yet.
I saw that in the MAC forum I will post the link here when I find it. I think maybe it is just an opinion I haven't seen anything else substantiating the claim that the benefit of a 6gb/s SSD will not function as efficiently except for that article but it has me a bit concerned. It looks like the new RAM is 1600mhz I think instead of the 1300MHZ Ram in the '11 MBP 13 but would still love to some reviews are ideas so I can upgrade my RAM from 4 to 8 pronto still nothing on Amazon from Corsair or Crucial that I have found yet.