Which RAM?

[Balaamsdonkey]

I'm fairly ignorant on my hardware specs. Which of these two sets of RAM should I get for my Mid-2010 MacBook Pro i7?

Corsair 8 GB DDR3 Laptop Memory Kit CMSO8GX3M2A1333C9

or

Corsair Apple 8 GB Dual Channel Kit DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) 204-Pin DDR3 Laptop SO-DIMM Memory CMSA8GX3M2A1066C7

I almost pulled the trigger on the first set on Amazon, but canceled it after I saw the second set in the "some people looked at" section. I thought it wise to come here and ask if the "DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) 204-Pin" part would make much if any difference. I heard that with more RAM it increases the integrated RAM. Would it do so to the point where it would negate the need for the NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M, or will the computer switch to the dedicated Video RAM?



Is "1066" the MHz? The shipped RAM is 1067MHz (2x 2GB sticks).

Thanks in advance everyone!

 

[mgartner0622]

First off, the 1067 is your bus speed, or the speed that information travels around your computer (such as in and out of the memory.) You want to match the memory bus speed with the computer's bus speed, which is 1067MHz in this case. Second, the 330M Nvidia card you have has dedicated memory, which means it will ALWAYS use the dedicated memory first. However, if you run out, it will start borrowing some of the main RAM. Adding more ram would of course increase the amount that the graphics card could pull from the main RAM. Also, don't forget that in power saving mode, your computer runs on Intel HD Graphics, which uses completely integrated memory, taking all that it uses from the main ram. This might also help the intel graphics a bit, but probably not that noticeably, the Nvidia card is much faster and the system switches to it if it detects any increase in activity that requires more powerful graphics. (Edit- This might be what you were talking about when you said more ram might negate the need for the 330. If it is, I hope this answers your question.)
Anyways, seeing from what I can find on amazon, both of those memory kits work, one just is guaranteed to be compatible with Macs. Personally, i've found that kits like that are identical to the PC ones, they just say mac compatible and are more expensive.
Hope this helps!

 

[Balaamsdonkey]

What is the "(PC3 8500) 204-Pin" referring to? It sounds fancy.

 

[mgartner0622]

What is the "(PC3 8500) 204-Pin" referring to? It sounds fancy.

That's just the type. The Pin count is exactly that. Memory has little metal (usualy gold plated for good conductivity) pins, different types have different pin counts. Since this is a laptop/notebook computer, it has smaller memory than a desktop and would have less pins (in most cases)
The 8500 is kind of like a model identifier. If you just go onto amazon, and search for PC3 8500, that's the type of ram you need. Different computers have different ram slots (sizes, placement of the pins, and little notches in the plastic) to make sure the right RAM is used in the computer. If it doesn't fit, that means it's the wrong type. If you look on Apple's website, they should say you can upgrade your ram with something along the lines of the PC3 8500. This just tells you what you need, as the brand is not important,(At least there, but Crucial is a good brand) and all PC3 8500 memory should have 204 pins.

 

[Balaamsdonkey]

Ok, if they are pretty much the same and there is no real upside to the more expensive RAM I'll get the 59.99 set from Amazon (even though they are out now).


Thanks again! I don't know what I would do without this website to fill the vast voids of ignorance I possess.