Stop making excuses. The firmware fix would apply to ALL of the machines since they use the same damn videocards, chipsets, processor cores. The chipset Apple uses SUPPORTS 8gigs of RAM! The only REASON the 2.4 and 2.53 doesn't support 8gigs is because Apple disabled it.
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So I guess its official....8GB in newer MacBook Pro 15's
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Stop making excuses. The firmware fix would apply to ALL of the machines since they use the same damn videocards, chipsets, processor cores. The chipset Apple uses SUPPORTS 8gigs of RAM! The only REASON the 2.4 and 2.53 doesn't support 8gigs is because Apple disabled it.
Exactly. The chipset is what controls the ram, all apple has to do is a firmware update to the chipset and it will work.
NO. The chipset firmware ALREADY supports 8gigs. Apple's INTERNAL firmware (EFI firmware) disables 8gigs by slowing the machine down. It has NOTHING to do with the shared memory because that's handle by the CHIPSET which perfectly supports 8gigs if it wasn't for Apple's EFI disabling it.
Right, but you do understand that software (including firmware) is written by human beings, right? And these human beings (like myself) tend to write to specs. And those specs used to be 4GB max RAM.
The whole dual video card scheme is unusual and probably involved some custom code written specifically for the MBP. So that new code may not have been tested with 8GB until the 17s were being tested. Is that so difficult to understand? That type of thing happens all the time in development work.
And how do you know that Apple isn't going to drop a firmware update in the next couple of weeks?
You have no idea what you are talking about. For the last time, the chipset SUPPORTS 8gigs, the firmware of the chipset is written NOT BY apple. It supports 8gigs. Apple's EFI firmware (which acts like the BIOS) IS WHAT disables the 8gigs from working properly. Apple doesn't have to do anything for 8gigs to work. THEY INSTEAD PURPOSELY WROTE CODE TO DISABLE THE 8gigs in the EFI MODULE.
What about the video cards? You keep talking about the Intel chipset, but what about the video cards?
Ok, well, if you've convinced yourself that you need to stew (and shout) about this, then I suppose no amount of reason is doing to dissuade you.
If you do have an earlier UMBP and in fact you do actually need 8GB to do your work then I hope for your sake there is an update coming.
You uneducated fool. Video cards communicate using the chipset. Do you know what a chipset is? First, the chipset isn't made/written by Apple. It's a NVIDIA chipset. The firmware is written by NVidia. The chipset supports 8gigs of RAM. The chipset has integrated and dedicated video which works fine with 8gigs. Shared memory works fine. NVidia manages all this. It's Apple's EFI that causes problems PURPOSELY.
Has anyone recently tested the Late 2008 Unibody MBP with 8GB of RAM. I know it was tested at the time of lunch and there were 'issues'.
Is there anybody out there who has the capability to try this for us?
A maintenance/support company or memory vendor perhaps?
Is there anybody out there who has the capability to try this for us?
A maintenance/support company or memory vendor perhaps?
I can't see why it wouldn't work. FWIW, the 8GB in mine is not from Apple, it's from Crucial.
I haven't been on much lately, so I might have missed this, but does anybody have a conclusive answer whether or not the 2.4 GHz late 2008 MacBook Pro supports 8 GB RAM (like, has anyone tried it?)?
Since when does PR department work with Engineering groups ?. And remember Steve is not around these days. It may just be the case of one "by-the-book" engineering manager obeying an old order from his Jobness and since there was no other changes will RETAIN that restriction!. Yeah, we 2.4 and 2.53 MBP owners are certainly pissed.
Only if and when one company can come up with a better machine. As in iPhone, I have jumped to Pre!!!.
Middle finger Ok.... Got the 8GB set from OWC for $719. Installed this in my 2.66. Here are the xbench results
4GB
8GB
Doesn't seem to affect the scores much. The memory test is slightly faster but the overall score went down a tad. Probably not statistically different. I need to run more tests to see how much of a real world difference this upgrade made.
4GB
8GB
Doesn't seem to affect the scores much. The memory test is slightly faster but the overall score went down a tad. Probably not statistically different. I need to run more tests to see how much of a real world difference this upgrade made.
Apple must have modified it's firmware through an update MONTHS before the 2.6 and 2.9 was released to ALLOW the 2.6 and 2.9 to have 8gig RAM configurations while still leaving the 2.4 and 2.5 configurations disabled. It's typical Apple.
Apple didn't have to modify anything or modify firmware to allow the 2.6 and 2.9 GHz procs to recognise 8 GB. They just had to NOT modify the 2.6 GHz MBP to prevent 8 GB from being recognised. Besides, since the 17" MBP also uses the 2.6 GHz processor in its default configuration, and it's officially stated to recognise 8 GB of RAM, this saves Apple some work. They don't need to have 2 different versions of the same CPU + logic board combo, and can stick them into either the 15" or 17" MBP without worry.
Unfortunately I don't think he actually understood.
Unfortunately I don't think he actually understood.
whatever the case is i would really like to know for a fact if the 2.53ghz model can support 8gb, because otherwise i will sell mine and buy the 2.66 or 2.93 model for the ram, but if the 2.53 can support it also then there is no point really. but i do a lot of website making and video editing, using dreamweaver and finalcut studio. so i would love the 8gb.
Doesn't appear to be.
Well, the real world advantage comes if you run multiple VMs for example and you're not swapping a ton. That's pretty noticeable.
And like I said, I'm using the MBP today to do work I would normally have had to use my MP in the office for. That's actually very useful.
when was the last time anyone tried 8GB of ram in a late 2008 unibody mac, 2.5 or 2.8GHz processor?
there were issues (as there were with 8GB in the previous versions of MBPs) with OS and more than 6GB of ram.
If what I've read above is that Apple in thier infinite wisdom (sic) built something into the machine to fk it over 'coz it had too much memory then I'm sorry Im selling my MBP and wont touch another one of thier products. I dont actually believe any organisation is that stupid tho' its one thing not too implement a feature, its totally different to actually go out of your way to cripple something, that is a selling point. You might not advertise it but it can still work; Im a techie I have never believed anything anyone from marketing has ever said, coz the dont know squat, and generally care even less. Thier (marketing) wisdom as wide and deep as a grain of sand.
We have had a number of updates to OSX since Oct 08. When was the last time someone actually tried 8GB of RAM in a Late 08 Unibody MBP? What were the issues -the same as before, some fixed?
there were issues (as there were with 8GB in the previous versions of MBPs) with OS and more than 6GB of ram.
If what I've read above is that Apple in thier infinite wisdom (sic) built something into the machine to fk it over 'coz it had too much memory then I'm sorry Im selling my MBP and wont touch another one of thier products. I dont actually believe any organisation is that stupid tho' its one thing not too implement a feature, its totally different to actually go out of your way to cripple something, that is a selling point. You might not advertise it but it can still work; Im a techie I have never believed anything anyone from marketing has ever said, coz the dont know squat, and generally care even less. Thier (marketing) wisdom as wide and deep as a grain of sand.
We have had a number of updates to OSX since Oct 08. When was the last time someone actually tried 8GB of RAM in a Late 08 Unibody MBP? What were the issues -the same as before, some fixed?
Yes and no.
Can't find a proof whether 8gb will work in 2.53 MBP or not.
"Older" real life tests proof that it will not work.
Apple Store does offer only 4gb for 2.4 MBP and does not mentioned the 2.53 at all.
On the other hand, this site claims that it will work:
http://www.appleinsider.com/article..._memory_upgrade_kits_for_15_macbook_pros.html
So... you are 100% sure it will work or not?