RAM Upgrade for 2007 MBP

[S.B.G]

I have a MBP circa 2007 when they first started putting the Intel processors in them. It has 2GB of RAM in it now and I have OS/X Snow Leopard on it.

Will this model support a higher capacity of RAM than 2GB?

 

[Hellhammer]

Looks like it's the Santa Rosa MBP which means it supports up to 6GB of RAM (4GB+2GB).

 

[S.B.G]

Looks like it's the Santa Rosa MBP which means it supports up to 6GB of RAM (4GB+2GB).

That sounds great. How do I confirm if I have the "Santa Rosa" model? Then do you have a brand of RAM you recommend?

 

[Hellhammer]

That sounds great. How do I confirm if I have the "Santa Rosa" model? Then do you have a brand of RAM you recommend?

If it is 2.4GHz, then it is because there was no 2.4GHz MBP before Santa Rosa. Just to make sure, go to  -> About this Mac -> More Info. There is should say MacBook Pro and under it should say MacBook Pro 3,1. If it's 3,1 or newer/bigger, then it does support 6GB.

OWC is a good place to buy, it's 100% compatible.

 

[S.B.G]

If it is 2.4GHz, then it is because there was no 2.4GHz MBP before Santa Rosa. Just to make sure, go to  -> About this Mac -> More Info. There is should say MacBook Pro and under it should say MacBook Pro 3,1. If it's 3,1 or newer/bigger, then it does support 6GB.

OWC is a good place to buy, it's 100% compatible.

Groovy, thanks! I'll check the spec when I get home to my MBP.

 

[S.B.G]

Looks like I forgot the speed of my MBP processor when I originally posted this.

Hardware Overview:

Model Name: MacBook Pro
Model Identifier: MacBookPro2,2
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.33 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 4 MB
Memory: 2 GB
Bus Speed: 667 MHz
Boot ROM Version: MBP22.00A5.B07
SMC Version (system): 1.12f5
Serial Number (system): W870537CW0H
Hardware UUID: 00000000-0000-1000-8000-0017F2CEF2D2
Sudden Motion Sensor:
State: Enabled

So I must assume that because this is a model 2,2 that the RAM is probably already maxed out for what it can handle. Am I right?

 

[charlieroberts]

time to upgrade?

Sorry mate but it is maxed out.



EDIT: Also, people like to obscure their Serial Numbers in their posts, not quite sure why but maybe it would be wise to do the same? Just trying to save you from possible trouble, , although I would appreciate it if someone pointed out why people do this.

 

[paintballswimgu]

Sorry mate but it is maxed out.



EDIT: Also, people like to obscure their Serial Numbers in their posts, not quite sure why but maybe it would be wise to do the same? Just trying to save you from possible trouble, , although I would appreciate it if someone pointed out why people do this.

Thats a pre-santa rosa macbook. It was built week 5 of 2007, SR didn't come out until June.

Also, people don't typically show their serial number because someone could report them stolen, is the logic, i assume.

 

[Hellhammer]

So I must assume that because this is a model 2,2 that the RAM is probably already maxed out for what it can handle. Am I right?

It can take up to 4GB but only 3GB would be recognized. You could buy one 2GB module to make it 3GB, that's 50% more RAM and will definitely help

 

[zero85ZEN]

It can take up to 4GB but only 3GB would be recognized. You could buy one 2GB module to make it 3GB, that's 50% more RAM and will definitely help

This works. I'm running two matching 2GB modules on mine. It only sees 3GB but you do get a slight speed benefit from running matching DIMMS.

 

[S.B.G]

It seems odd to me to have a computer only recognize 3 GB of RAM and not 2 or 4. Why the odd amount?

I'll likely get 4 GB and let it run recognizing 3 GB.

 

[Hellhammer]

It seems odd to me to have a computer only recognize 3 GB of RAM and not 2 or 4. Why the odd amount?

I'll likely get 4 GB and let it run recognizing 3 GB.

It's because of memory overlap

The MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo presumably uses Intel's 945PM chipset, which can physically handle 4 GB of DDR2 RAM. However, a number of items must be stored in physical RAM space, and when RAM reaches 4 GB, there is some overlap.
In other words, in a 3 GB RAM configuration, there is no overlap with the memory ranges required for certain system functions. Between 3 GB and 4 GB, however, system memory attempts to occupy space that is already assigned to these functions. For instance, the PCI Express RAM allocation occurs at somewhere around 3.5 GB of RAM and requires 256 MB of RAM. Thus, the virtual space between 3.5 GB of RAM and 3.75 GB of RAM is occupied by PCI Express data. So in a system with 3 GB of RAM, nothing is being wasted because the memory space required by PCI Express is still between 3.5 and 3.75 GB, and the installed system RAM does not violate this space.
The net result is that at least 3 GB of RAM should be fully accessible, while when 4 GB of RAM installed, ~700 MB of of the RAM is overlapping critical system functions, making it non-addressable by the system.

http://www.everymac.com/systems/app...ore-2-duo-3-gb-memory-limitation-details.html

 

[S.B.G]

It's because of memory overlap



http://www.everymac.com/systems/app...ore-2-duo-3-gb-memory-limitation-details.html

OK, that makes sense.

So I'll get this RAM instead of what you had recommended earlier when I wasn't sure exactly which MBP I had.

Thats a pre-santa rosa macbook. It was built week 5 of 2007, SR didn't come out until June.

Also, people don't typically show their serial number because someone could report them stolen, is the logic, i assume.

Yeah, I got mine in February of 2007.

I'm not concerned about posting my serial number and I did consider it before I posted. I don't believe there is anything someone could do with it that could affect me in any way. Unless they hacked Apple's database and got my name. That I think isn't likely to happen [Apple getting hacked] though.

 

[Hellhammer]

So I'll get this RAM instead of what you had recommended earlier when I wasn't sure exactly which MBP I had.

Yeah, that RAM will work. This will work too if you want to save few dollars.

 

[WardC]

You can install up to 3GB in the Early MacBook Pro models (2.16GHz, 2.33GHz). You have to install the 2GB module in the bottom slot (I believe) and the 1GB module in the top slot, but you can install two 2GB modules also, however the machine will only address 3GB of RAM. The Santa Rosa models will actually address up to 6GB of RAM, although Apple only cited them as having capacity for 4GB. Current MacBook Pro models can take up to 8GB, as you know.

 

[S.B.G]

OK, I'm confused now, but seemingly happy!

So I ordered the 4GB (2x2) of OWC RAM that Hellhammer recommended (thank you) expecting to only utilize 3GB out of the 4GB, but after I booted up the system is recognizing 4GB! This confuses me a little as everyone has said that it won't see 4GB because of the age and model of MBP this is. So far it's running great and I can see a noticeable difference in speed. Applications such as Gimp which I used to crop the images loaded a lot faster than before, just as I would expect when upgrading from 2GB of RAM to more. Here are the screen shots, please tell me what you think.

 

[S.B.G]

OK... I found it

So I checked the Activity Monitor and there it shows the 3GB system memory. It's really weird that the System Information shows 4GB and the Activity Monitor shows 3GB. Why the discrepancy? Obviously some part of the computer recognizes the 4GB but why not all of it?

 

[Biscotti]

I bought a 2GB module for my MBP to add to the 1GB module for a total of 3GB's. I don't think you will really see much of a difference in real world speeds between that and matching 2GB dimm's. It's funny how 3GB's used to be "so much RAM", but now I'm constantly using 2GB+ easily.

 

[S.B.G]

. It's funny how 3GB's used to be "so much RAM", but now I'm constantly using 2GB+ easily.

I remember way back when, when I had upgraded my PC to 384MB of RAM. it was nearly unheard of to have that much at the time. I lived on the bleeding edge of technology in the 90's and spent A LOT of money on the latest stuff. With that 384MB of RAM I thought I was on top of the world, had the fastest most powerful PC around.

What's really funny is how fast technology outpaces everything else.

 

[Hellhammer]

4GB is recognized but only 3GB can be utilized. I think I linked this to you earlier but just in case I didn't, take a look at it.

 

[S.B.G]

Oh yes, that's right. I did read that before, but I forgot; I apologize. Too bad I can't swap out the chipset!

But with the extra 1GB of RAM utilization, I do notice the difference so it is helpful nonetheless.