RAM Question

[SayCheese]

Hi all,

I have a 2.33Ghz 15.4" MBP with the standard 2Gb of Ram.
I have gone to crucial.com/uk and they say that I can accommodate an extra 1Gb of Ram but that it'll have to be a 2Gb stick, so i'd end up with 1x 1Gb and 1x 2Gb giving the total 3Gb.

Crucial are recommending that I buy matched pairs from them so that the 1Gb and the 2Gb are both the same make. Is this really necessary? Can't I just buy the single 2Gb, install it and then be sorted? Will it really make a difference if I don't have both the same make. It sounds to me like Crucial are trying to make a bit more cash. However I want to check before taking the plunge.

Thanks all for your help.

 

[Cliff3]

Is this really necessary?

No. I have the same machine, and I've been using it for nearly 3 years with a 1GB stick of Apple memory and a 2GB stick of Crucial memory with no troubles (other than 3GB being somewhat less than what I need for the applications I use, that is).

 

[harperjones99]

Hi all,

I have a 2.33Ghz 15.4" MBP with the standard 2Gb of Ram.
I have gone to crucial.com/uk and they say that I can accommodate an extra 1Gb of Ram but that it'll have to be a 2Gb stick, so i'd end up with 1x 1Gb and 1x 2Gb giving the total 3Gb.

Crucial are recommending that I buy matched pairs from them so that the 1Gb and the 2Gb are both the same make. Is this really necessary? Can't I just buy the single 2Gb, install it and then be sorted? Will it really make a difference if I don't have both the same make. It sounds to me like Crucial are trying to make a bit more cash. However I want to check before taking the plunge.

Thanks all for your help.

It is said that for 'best' performance you should get matching pairs (not just brand but lot etc) but in reality as you just heard lots of people do just fine with mix and match.

 

[m85476585]

Your MBP will do asymmetric dual channel memory, which means you lose very little performance with unmatched memory modules, a few percent at most, and it will not be noticeable in real-world applications.

In the days before just about all chipsets did asymmetric dual channel, having unmatched modules would put the memory in single channel mode, cutting the theoretical speed in half. A bunch of the RAM in my desktop computer just died, and on the single remaining good stick it is really slow, even though it isn't running out of RAM, and XP should be fine with 1gb.

 

[SayCheese]

Great, thanks all for the advice.

I will go ahead and purchase safe in the knowledge that it'll work ok.