General Macbook Questions (RAM upgrade, refurbished...etc)

I'm strongly considering getting a black macbook (aka I really want one, but am in the process of saving up some money), but I had a few questions that I can't seem to find the answers to.
1. Refurbished macbooks. If I were to buy a refurbished macbook, is the system "reset" (sorry, cant think of a more appropriate word) or anything? How do I explain this better...although the macbook has been used, when I open it up for the first time, will I get the set-up screen and such? Or will it be already-functioning? Essentially, am I getting a "new" macbook with used parts, or a used macbook?
2. If I buy the refurbished black macbook on the Apple Canada website, will I be able to upgrade the 1GB of RAM to 2GB? If so, can Apple install it for me? Can I have it done at an Apple store location? And how much would that cost?
3. Are there refurbished macbooks on sale at Apple locations (i.e. if anyone's from toronto, at the Eaton Centre or Yorkdale)? If so, are they the same as the ones on the Apple website, or are they different?
4. How noticable is the difference between 1GB and 2GB RAM? Because I would want my macbook to be fast and function properly, but - considering my current desktop is 256MB of RAM - I'm not sure if I need it. I'll mostly be using internet/msn/microsoft office/occasionally photoshop.
Sorry for the long post, and thanks for any help in advance!
Message was edited by: iMorgan
Message was edited by: iMorgan

"Refurbished macbooks. If I were to buy a refurbished macbook, is the system "reset" (sorry, cant think of a more appropriate word) or anything? How do I explain this better...although the macbook has been used, when I open it up for the first time, will I get the set-up screen and such? Or will it be already-functioning? Essentially, am I getting a "new" macbook with used parts, or a used macbook?"
You're getting a "new" MacBook with warranty that's been reset/refurbished under close scrutiny.
"If I buy the refurbished black macbook on the Apple Canada website, will I be able to upgrade the 1GB of RAM to 2GB? If so, can Apple install it for me? Can I have it done at an Apple store location? And how much would that cost?"
This is something that you can do yourself: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303721 and probably save money.
"Are there refurbished macbooks on sale at Apple locations (i.e. if anyone's from toronto, at the Eaton Centre or Yorkdale)? If so, are they the same as the ones on the Apple website, or are they different?"
As far as I know, Apple only has refurbished items available online.
"How noticable is the difference between 1GB and 2GB RAM? Because I would want my macbook to be fast and function properly, but - considering my current desktop is 256MB of RAM - I'm not sure if I need it. I'll mostly be using internet/msn/microsoft office/occasionally photoshop."
You will notice a considerable change from 256MB and you probably will be fine with 1GB. If your needs change or if you feel that you need more RAM, increase it to 2GB at that time.
I have a refurbised WhiteBook that I increased from 512MB Ram and a 60GB HD to 2GB RAM and a 160GB HD. I love it!

Similar Messages

Early 2008 MacBook Pro RAM upgrade limited to 3GB??

My brother in law has an early 2008 MBP, 2.4GHz, I'm pretty much sure we are talking about the one described in this Apple tech specs:
http://support.apple.com/kb/SP4
Now, it says that it supports up to 4GB of 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM. He bought 2x2GB Kingston memory modules , but the shop sold him the 800Mhz ones. Still they do fit and if only one is present together with the old 1GB 667MHz one it works fine reporting a total of 3GB. With the 2x2GB together the MBP doesn't even start.
My understanding was that such a MBP could support up to 8GB of RAM with the new 4GB memory modules (well probably with SL at 64 bits, which works). Personally I have an early 2007 MacBook and I know there is a 3GB limit due to the GMA 950 (video chip) reserving higher addresses.
Is there a similar situation for the MBP? I thought the memory speed being higher shouldn't matter (and it works indeed with one 800MHz module). Or is that MBP really limited to 3GB maximum? Any idea?
Message was edited by: Michelasso

yes, he will bring everything here today. I think he didn't buy the KTA MB800 anyway (made for Apple by kingston). Just generic. They are too cheap. But I have to check. Reading around I've found out that only the Penryn MBP should have the problem with faster RAM. Here is a good guide:
http://forums.macnn.com/69/mac-notebooks/358184/a-guide-to-macbook-ram-upgrades/
Well, he's still on time to give the RAM back and get the refund. Thanks for your help anyway.

Early 2011 13" i5 MacBook Pro - RAM Upgrade

I am thinking of upgrading my MacBook pro 4GB to 8GB I don't think I really need the extra RAM right at this point however I would like to just go ahead and do it to get it out of the way since next year I will be using the machine primarily for Adobe Photoshop CS5 and from what I hear that program is a memory hog? Also will be doing mild photo/video editing. I know a lot of people have done there RAM upgrades via crucial and I actually used them before to upgrade my old 2010 MBP, however when I went to there site today to order it says there are no compatible matches for my machine. Can anyone guide me in the right direction for a 8GB ram upgrade for my 13" i5 MBP. Thanks CJ

The actual capacity for the memory slots are 16GB.
If you decide to continue photo editing and video editing, i would recommend 16GB. Unfortunately it is quite a bit more expensive
If you do purchase 8GB, make sure that it is this type: 2x4GB - 204-pin PC-10600 (1333 MHz) DDR3 SO-DIM
I believe Crucial offer a warranty for their memory, so if there are any problems, contact them and they should resolve any issues!

Macbook Pro RAM Upgrade Questions

I'm looking at getting a 13" Pro, 2.8Ghz, 750GB Hardrive and 4GB RAM. I'm just doing my research in regards to upgrading RAM and I have a few quick questions.
What is the Largest amount of RAM that a Pro will support?
What type do I need?
Is it easy to do?
Thanks in advance!

Pozzi93 wrote:
Forgive me if I am wrong but isn't that a Hardrive not RAM?
Yep. It sure is. Got confused as to what you were asking for . Crucial and OWC (macsales.com) are excellent vendors for RAM. The newest MacBook Pros can hold up to 16gb of RAM (2 slots with one 8gb module in each). 16gb is overkill for the average user. 8gb of ram is very affordable now at about $50 USD.

Macbook 2007 ram upgrade

Hi,
Searching this site.. its hard to find a basic answer for i think a simple question. which is NOT in the user manual.
I have a late 2007 macbook (black, intel duo 2 core, 2,1) which comes with 1 GB RAM.
I would like to upgrade to 2 or 4GB. i understand the 2 slots need to be match or upgraded with same ram. i.e. 2x1GB or 2x2GB.
I need to know which RAM to buy, as there are many varieties and asking a sales person might nit always give the correct answer.
What model no of RAM do i need.? RAM speed and RAM capacity?
is it simple?
Thanks and cheers,
Jerry

ejerry wrote:
What model no of RAM do i need.? RAM speed and RAM capacity?
is it simple?
You mac requires the following type of ram:
200-pin PC2-5300 (667MHz) DDR2 SO-DIMM. You can install 4gb and slightly over 3gb will be addressed. Look for ram with a good warranty. Do not purchase ram from a retail store. You are better off getting it from an online vendor such as Crucial.com or macsales.com.

MacBook 4Gb RAM Upgrade, OS only sees 2.7Gb?

Hi,
I upgraded my macbook 2GHz aluminium today from 2Gb to 4Gb. I am running Windows Vista32.
I understand the limits of 32 bit addressable space, and the fact that video cards / chipsets etc will take away from the amout of memory that the OS can address, but losing 1.3Gb is excessive. Where has it all gone?
For comparison, I run other machines here (PC's) with Vista32 that have no problem seeing 3.3Gb of RAM, despite having much more video RAM, more PCI expansion cards etc to address from the 4Gb pool.
Any ideas?

JoeyR wrote:
Vista 32 bit will only see about 3.3GB to start with. Take away 256MB of shared RAM for your video card... and you're down to 2.7GB. That's it. You're not losing 1.3GB... you're not actually losing anything.
How does 3.3 - .256 = 2.7?
The amount of RAM that the OS can see is determined in the BIOS. So (minus the 256Mb for the video card) what is the BIOS allocating the other 1.05Gb to and can this be changed? IE, video card aperture can be changed in BIOS, can this be changed in EFI? There should be no reason to reserve this amount of address space on a relatively low spec machine.
+The PCI memory addresses starting down from 4 GB are used for things like the BIOS, IO cards, networking, PCI hubs, bus bridges, PCI-Express, and video/graphics cards. The BIOS takes up about 512 KB starting from the very top address. Then each of the other items mentioned are allocated address ranges below the BIOS range. The largest block of addresses is allocated for today’s high performance graphics cards which need addresses for at least the amount of memory on the graphics card. The net result is that a high performance x86-based computer may allocate 512 MB to more for the PCI memory address range before any RAM (physical user memory) addresses are allocated.+
http://h20331.www2.hp.com/Hpsub/downloads/RAM%20Allocation%20w-WinXP_HP%20MWP%20 x64%2003Nov05.doc

Macbook Retina RAM upgrade/repair?

I know the Retina Macbook Ram cannot be upgraded by the user but does that mean apple cannot upgrade/repair it later on as a service option?
If so, does anyone know how much that would cost - without applecare protection?

Obviously, Apple has repair procedures in place for these machines, exactly what? Apple has not stated, so your guess is as good as anyone's. As to repair out of warranty...iFixit estimates close to US $500 just to replace the battery, right now. If you purchase one of these machines, you're best advised to purchase AppleCare, that is unless you're rich & cost means nothing to you.

MacBook 07 ram upgrade

I am using a 4s and have upgraded to iOS 6.1 my I tunes need to be upgraded to sync but it won't upgrade because my MacBook 2007 is running 10.5.8. Which is the latest I can upgrade to unless I upgrade my ram. I can't afford a new computer at the moment so would like to upgrade. It is in the shop to change the hard drive. Can I change the ram myself and with what. Thx

You can put two 2gb RAM sticks in your model 2,1 but it can only use 3,3gb. This is a hardware limitation and cannot be changed.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3_GB_barrier
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3_GB_barrier
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook_pro/faq/macbook-pro-core-2-duo-3-g b-memory-limitation-details.html
OWC tests have found that there is a slight speed increase with having two 2gb sticks in rather than one 1gb and one 2gb. Your model is in the gray lines at the bottom of the graph. http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/Memory_Benchmark/Apple_MacBook/
These are good online stores for Mac compatible RAM
OWC http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/MacBook/DDR2/ - They offer Mac tested RAM at very good prices.
Crucial Memory http://www.crucial.com/ - good place to buy RAM from all over the world. They also have an excellent memory selector that allows you to choose memory based on your computer's model
Data Memory Systems http://www.datamemorysystems.com/apple-memory.asp - another good, cheap place to buying RAM if you live in the U.S.
Here are instructions on replacing RAM in a MacBook with a removable battery. http://homeoffice.consumerelectronicsnet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=44404
If you don’t have the tools to open up the MacBook OWC has a set for $5.
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/TOOLKITMHD/

Macbook Question - OS upgrade

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Upgrading to Snow Leopard
You must purchase Snow Leopard through the Apple Store: Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard - Apple Store (U.S.). The price is $19.99 plus tax. You will be sent physical media by mail after placing your order.
After you install Snow Leopard you will have to download and install the Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1 to update Snow Leopard to 10.6.8 and give you access to the App Store. Access to the App Store enables you to download Mountain Lion if your computer meets the requirements.
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Mavericks, Early 2008 Macbook Pro, RAM Upgrade

Hello,
I just upgraded to Mavericks on my early 2008 Macbook Pro. I originally had Snow Leopard on it and it seemed much faster before Mavericks. I currently have 2GB of ram on this machine... would upgrading to 4 GB be that much helpful? Would my machine only recognize 3 GB? And last but not least, if it would only recognize 3 GB would it be ok to install 1 GB in the first slot and 2 GB in the second? I have heard machines perform better if they have the same about of RAM in each slot.
Or should I just revert back to snow leopard??
Thank you for you time!
Matthew

matthewthemacgeek wrote:
I thought early 2008 Macbook Pros could only recognize 3gb total for ram? Is that not true?
That's an earlier model. I have the same model (early 2008) and have 4GB recognized. MacTracker says it can handle 6GB.

Late 2008 Macbook 8gb Ram Upgrade Problem

I've read thousands of posts about how to identify if my Macbook aluminium unibody late 2008 can run with 8 gb of ram. I decided to buy two 4gb Ddr3 1066 Mhz from Corsair by reading the post from OWC (http://blog.macsales.com/9102-secret-firmware-lets-late-08-macbooks-use-8gb) As soon as i booted the system with 8gb it crashed and it was impossible to get it work. My Macbooks Model ID is Macbook 5.1 and has a Boot ROM version MB51.007D.B03, running on Mountain Lion OS X 10.8.1 (12B19). I tried to leave one the old ram in one slot (1gb) and the new one in the other slot (4gb) and it worked perfectly with 5gb Ram discarting the problem that the new Ram could have failures. Im really confused and i hope to get some help to get this working.

Test using only one of the new RAM modules (no other RAM). Then test with the other new module. This will tell you which (if any) of them is defective. Contact the seller. OWC is very good about replacing RAM that is proven defective.
Best of luck.

Macbook questions?

I am new to this forum and thinking of purchasing a Macbook. I have basically decided that between the current array of problems there is a good macbook every once in awhile. My question comes on how to purchase it.
From what I have read if you purchase your macbook online and use the BTO option than this voids any chance of returning your macbook for a replacement or refund. Which honestly doesn't make sense to me but if obviously how apple chooses to do it. My configuration I would like is the 2ghz white with 2gb of ram and an 80-100 gig hard drive and applecare. But with all the problems of the current Macbooks I defanitly want the ability to return my macbook. So my question is if I were to purchase my macbook stock with the regular 2ghz options and then purchased the ram seperate would this void my ability to return the model if a defect is found? I would also like to know the difficulty of replacing the ram. I have never done anything like this before and have read things of any static bracelets and insane safety proceders taken. I am not sure if you can upgrade the hard drive in aftermarket form? The macbook fits what I need perfectly its the the perfect size and offers the best performance of what I am looking for. I would realy hate for it to be spoiled by my inability to return a defective product. Thanks, Josh

Thankyou for your reply. I have decided to not customize my Macbook because that voids my ability to get an exchange, and with the array of problems I need that to be able to return a faulty or defective product. So I think I will probably purchase from the apple store in person so If returns are needed(sure hope not!) than I can just return to the apple store rather than shipping my computer back to apple. This is unless there is a major price difference between ordering from apple online or buying in person. Now I Have few general macbook questions.
1. The macbook is a notebook not a laptop. Understood. But If I occasionally was sitting at the couch and set it on my lap to surf the net (most likely using Firefox or Safari) for no more than an hour would this become widely uncomfortable? I will mostely use it on a flat hard top surface, but I would like to very occasionally place it on my lap for brief periods of time to do small tasks such as surfing the net or word (not the microsoft program but OS's counterpart). Is this possible with the macbook?
2. Graphics. I do not intend to be playing any 3D intensive games or games alone for that matter. But if I were to watch a dvd in the highest screen resolution does the dvd or screen picture lag and get hung up at times? Other than this is the only thing I would do to push the graphics card would be VERY VERY minor video and photo editing? Is the macbook cabable of handing this after being upgraded to 2gig ram?
Once again this forum has prooved EXTREMELY helpfull thank you all for your replys. Josh

Upgrades to Late 2011 MacBook Pro (RAM, etc.)

I have a new, late 2011 MacBook Pro, and I was wondering about certain upgrades...namely, RAM and graphics.
To start off, here are the specs:
2.5 GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7
4 GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM
750 GB Serial ATA @ 7200 rpm
AMD Radeon HD 6770M
Intel HD Graphics 3000
I run some pretty resource-intensive programs like Photoshop, Logic Pro, and Final Cut Pro X. Programs like iTunes, Chrome, and Transmission are almost always running too.
I also do some gaming like Starcraft 2, which as some of you may now, is very demanding at high settings (when I do run SC 2 though, or other games, I shut down all other applications).
You may be thinking that if high-end performance is my main concern, a Mac Pro would be more appropriate. And I agree. But this new computer however, is a CRU. It's a long story, but Apple basically gave it to me (early xmas gift, I guess!), so I'm trying to see what I can get out of it.
I know that the 2011 MBP's are capable running 16GB of RAM, and OWC offers this upgrade for a reasonable price. Now, this upgrade doesn't void warranty, correct (my cursory research shows that it does not) ? Secondly, do you think this upgrade is worth it? I know that in Logic Pro, for example, DSP plug-ins and such can eat up RAM, so I certainly wouldn't mind more resources at my disposal in that regard.
As far as gaming is concerned, my understanding is that RAM upgrades will not help much, but then again, it certainly won't make it worse (By the way, do RAM upgrades increase virtual memory?). I believe that gaming performance is very often bottlenecked with the graphics card(s). Can those be upgraded on a MacBook Pro?
Thanks

we are not allowed to speculate much if any in this forum
Actually, the Terms of Use really only prohibits the following with respect to speculation:
Speculations or rumors about unannounced products.
Discussions of Apple policies or procedures or speculation on Apple decisions.
At some point, folks just started saying that "speculation" in general is not permitted, but they actually have only a fairly narrow area that they don't want us to discuss.

Black Macbook 2.0 GHz Core Duo Ram upgrade question

Kay guys, I can't find the answer to this anywhere.
I have a Black Macbook Intel Core Duo 2.0GHz. It has 1.0 GB of RAM from the factory.
According to wikipedia, OWC, and other sources, this was never an option from the factory! Which has me very confused. So my question is, can I upgrade this Macbook to 4 GB of RAM, utilizing 3 GB, or is the max 2 GB?
And if you could provide supporting evidence that'd be great. I want the mystery solved.
Please help! Thanks.
Message was edited by: ORTOX06

All the Core Duo MacBook models only take 2gig max.
http://www.everymac.com/systems/by_capability/mac-specs-by-machine-model-machine -id.html
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook/faq/macbook-how-to-upgrade-ram.htm l

Issues with sleep/wake feature after 16GB RAM upgrade in my MacBook Pro. Any thoughts?

Just installed a 16GB RAM upgrade in my MacBook Pro and now it doesn't wake up on it's own when I open the lid. I have to press the power button. It works fine with a smaller RAM upgrade.
I've tried putting in just one of the 8GB modules and the sleep/wake feature works as normal so there isn't a problem with the RAM modules that I've bought (Crucial.com). I've also put in a combination of Apple's original RAM and the new ones to make 10GB (8GB + 2GB), and the sleep/wake feature works on that too. Put both 8GB modules back in and the MacBook doesn't wake up when I open the lid, I have to press the power button to wake it up. The MacBook itself works fine, super fast and the memory is recognised on 'About This Mac', the sleep/wake issue is the only problem I'm having with the 16GB RAM.
Any thoughts on this? Has anybody else had this sleep/wake issue like this when upgrading RAM?

I upgraded my early 2011 MBP to 16 gigs with Crucial. My machine would not sleep properly, because when I tried to wake it, it would wake from its hibernate image file. This is the issue I've seen here in this list.
I tried all the suggestions I saw on these groups. Nothing helped. I contacted Crucial, who suggested that if their RAM was defective, they'd replace it per their warranty process. I needed some proof it was their RAM causing the problem.
I put the original 8 gigs RAM back in the machine (2 4 gig sticks), and it behaved normally. I then put one stick of Crucial RAM in, all by itself. The machine behaved normally. I put the other stick of Crucial RAM back in, and took the first one out. The machine would not properly sleep and wake from sleep. This proved that one stick was causing the problem, and the other was not.
Defective RAM!
I then requested and received an RMA from Crucial to send the defective RAM back. They paid shipping. I got new sticks of RAM about a week later. These new sticks of RAM work properly. No sleep issues.
I'm surprised and disappointed to say that this is not the first time I've received defective RAM from Crucial. I've purchased from them for years, and had GREAT service and received high quality products. The past couple years my experience has been different.
I'm still pretty steamed about this, as I spent a great deal of time trying to diagnose the problem and fix it. I don't really have that kind of time to waste. My expectation was that their RAM was high quality, and unlikely to be at fault.
Perhaps this is just a bad batch of RAM. I get that. I can forgive them once. But this has happened twice in the past three years. I'll look elsewhere for my next memory purchase.
Keep in mind that their customer ratings are generally very high. My experience is probably isolated.

General Macbook Questions (RAM upgrade, refurbished...etc)

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