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Why no more than 4GB of ram in the laptops now that they're 64 bit?
- Thread starter marklight
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Because most notebooks only have 2 RAM slots.
4GB RAM sticks are insanely expensive right now, if they're even available at all (for notebooks).
4GB RAM sticks are insanely expensive right now, if they're even available at all (for notebooks).
Two factors: The chipset in the MacBook cannot handle more than 4 GB (not sure if the limit is 4 GB, but the limit is definitely 2 chips, and you can't find any fitting chips larger than 2GB), and space - there is only space for two relatively small SODIMM chips. The Mac Pro has space for eight chips.
The difference is between the limits of how much memory is theoretically addressable in a 64-bit address space vs. the physical limitations of the actual chipset. In this case Apple is using the Santa Rosa chipset which has an inherent 8 GB physical limit for the iMac/Macbook/Macbook Pro lines. As other's have said, until someone ramps up production on 4 GB 200 pin SO-DIMMs that will fit into the tiny space available, you'll have to settle for two 2 GB SO-DIMMs (for a max. of 4 GB).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/64-bit:
"Most 64-bit consumer PCs on the market today have an artificial limit on the amount of memory they can recognize, because physical constraints make it highly unlikely that one will need support for the full 16.8 million terabyte capacity. Apple's Mac Pro, for example, can be physically configured with up to 32 gigabytes of memory, and as such there is no need for support beyond that amount.[1]"
^^
There's the answer to 8GB of Ram Q.
Just curious -- is anyone exceeding 4GB regularly on their MacBook? (I could maybe see MacBook Pro. Still, OSX ain't MS Vista). I haven't even gone past 3GB yet with multiple apps open and video processing.
I have 4gb installed and most of the time I have a good 1-2gb free, even with a ton of apps open while I'm working. I used to hit limits every so often on my last laptop that had 2gb installed but I haven't come close with 4.