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Upgrading Ram.......again!

H

hefty

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 11, 2009
12
0
OK, so by now everyone pretty much, more than likely, has had it with questions about upgrading the ram in MacBooks......and to be honest I understand and I'm sorry I have to ask this question..........but....

Here's my specs:
Model Name: MacBook
Model Identifier: MacBook4,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.1 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 3 MB
Memory: 2.5 GB
Bus Speed: 800 MHz
Boot ROM Version: MB41.00C1.B00
SMC Version (system): 1.31f1

I can not get above 2.5gb of memory....
I've tried every possible combination to increase it, but it always fails.
2g+2g = fail
2g+1g = fail
512m + 1g = good
512m + 2g = good

Doesn't matter which slot, mix and match ... same results.

Does it have anything to do with my L2 Cache? What I have noticed on other posts is most of the L2's are much higher than mine....

Any help appreciated!
Thanks, HEFTY
 
for this macbook which i have as well its going to have to be ddr2 sodimm 667mhz ram i easily have 4gb of Kingston ramm go to your local frys and have them model search compatible ramm for your year and model.

also what version of the OSX are you running?
 
OS version 10.6.8
Stick Speed 667mhz

Any other questions?

Thanks!
 
hefty said:
OS version 10.6.8
Stick Speed 667mhz

Any other questions?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Your 2G and 1G sticks are NOT 667MHz - they are faster (PC5400 or PC6400) or badly manufactured PC5300

MacBook 3,1 and 4,1 will not start unless there is at least one PC5300 chip in one of the slots - they will not start with anything faster in both slots.

Your 2G and 1G work with the original 512MB ram in the other slot because you have at least one PC5300 ram in the machine (the 512MB which is presumably the original ram that was fitted in the machine) - the 2 x 2GB or 2 x 1Gb don't work because neither the 1GB nor the 2GB chips are true PC5300.

The labels on the 2GB and 1GB may say 667MHz but they demonstrably are not !!
 
logana said:
Your 2G and 1G sticks are NOT 667MHz - they are faster (PC5400 or PC6400) or badly manufactured PC5300 [...] The labels on the 2GB and 1GB may say 667MHz but they demonstrably are not !!
Click to expand...

That may be the solution, but it's not the only possible solution. I grant that the evidence points to your conclusion, though.

OP, your max RAM is 6 GB (2 GB + 4 GB). I have the 3,1 MacBook and currently have 6 GB in mine, so something is wrong with some of your RAM sticks.
 
session101 said:
make sure you have Apple OE RAM sticks, not just pc laptop memory, and that includes ebay sticks of RAM
Click to expand...

Why? I use "PC RAM" in my Macs all the time and I never have a problem. There's nothing special about "Apple RAM" other than some of it's labeled upside down so it reads right side up when looking at the RAM slots.

I literally swapped the RAM from my PC laptop when I got my PowerBook G4 (both use the same RAM) and it's running fine to this day.
 
iThinkergoiMac said:
Why? I use "PC RAM" in my Macs all the time and I never have a problem. There's nothing special about "Apple RAM" other than some of it's labeled upside down so it reads right side up when looking at the RAM slots.

I literally swapped the RAM from my PC laptop when I got my PowerBook G4 (both use the same RAM) and it's running fine to this day.
Click to expand...

you are only running 2gigs of ram... he is only able to run 2.5 gigs of ram, you aren't helping the issue, im just eliminating factors... and why would they sell apple specific ram anyways? ......to eliminate that problem!
 
session101 said:
you are only running 2gigs of ram... he is only able to run 2.5 gigs of ram
Click to expand...

So? What's your point? My point is that "Mac RAM" vs "PC RAM" isn't a real issue, and I used a real-world example to illustrate that point. The example isn't suddenly invalid simply because we're dealing with greater amounts of RAM.

you aren't helping the issue
Click to expand...

I'm helping the issue plenty by eliminating misinformation like you're trying to spread.

im just eliminating factors
Click to expand...

No, you're creating factors where none exist.

and why would they sell apple specific ram anyways? ......to eliminate that problem!
Click to expand...

They sell Apple specific RAM to make more money because Apple users are used to paying higher prices for hardware anyway. That's the biggest reason. RAM is RAM. Quality is an issue, but it's as much as issue for PCs as for Macs. Macs don't require some kind of higher quality RAM than PCs do, though they are sometime less flexible about exactly what kind of RAM they will take (see logana's theory, it's most likely correct). Buy the correct RAM, and it doesn't matter if it's "made for Mac" or not.

OP, get high-quality RAM (Crucial is always a good bet, OWC sells great RAM, though pricey, as well) and you'll be all set.
 
Only Use Recommended RAM by Mac

you should check recommended and supported Ram by your Mac book, never experiment with hardware else you will mess your expensive Mac
 
hey guys, i want to upgrade to 8gb these days.

a co-worker did the same with 2x1333 4gb so-dimm for my macbook pro 13" from sep. 09!

but does anyone know if it makes sence to buy the more expensive ram's with cl7 oder is cl9 good enoght?

cheers,
whity
 
AlexRobinson said:
you should check recommended and supported Ram by your Mac book, never experiment with hardware else you will mess your expensive Mac
Click to expand...

Again, why? You seem to be implying that "non-Mac RAM" will actually damage a Mac. Unless it's so incredibly poorly manufactured that it has internal shorts, you can damage a Mac with "non-Mac RAM". RAM that bad would damage any computer.

Both you a session101 argue that "non-Mac RAM" is detrimental to your Mac, but have yet to offer any reason or evidence to support this claim, other than "why else would they make it?" which is poor evidence. I have offered evidence that supports my claim.

Though, upon a second reading, it looks like you're simply saying buy the correct RAM for the Mac, but not necessarily RAM made by Apple (which of course is actually the exact same RAM made for PCs that use the same sticks, it's just branded by Apple) or other Mac-specific outlets. Can you clarify?

whiteangel777 said:
a co-worker did the same with 2x1333 4gb so-dimm for my macbook pro 13" from sep. 09!

but does anyone know if it makes sence to buy the more expensive ram's with cl7 oder is cl9 good enoght?
Click to expand...

Your Mac takes 204-pin PC3-8500 (1066 MHz) DDR3 SO-DIMM RAM. You can use 1333 MHz RAM but there is absolutely no benefit whatsoever as the internal bus speed of the RAM slots is still 1066 MHz. Get what fits your Mac, you can't increase the RAM speed.
 
Looks like you're referring to latency there. For the most part, it won't matter. There's a few certain applications where latency is important, but if you're doing web browsing, email, games, photoshop, etc it doesn't make a difference.
 
thanks@iThinkergoiMac.

i also thought that maybe the mainboard could have problems to work with special cl-timings. as long as the so-dimm's or the mainboard are compatible to that timeings i don't care.
on the other hand, it would be great to have the better performing ram installed. so i think i'll go for the cl7!

cheers.
 
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