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.

Similar Messages

Macbook Pro (late 2008) with 8GB ram sporadic freezing / hanging

Hi,
Last year, I was running Lion on my late 2008 MBP with 4GB ram with no problems. Whilst 4GB is the maximum officially supported for my machine, forum posts suggested that some people had no issues running it with 8GB.
I went for the upgrade and everything was fine, with no hanging - 8GB on Lion on my machine seemed to work fine.
When I then upgraded to 10.7.2 I had a separate issue (to do with an old install of PGP) which meant I had to do a fresh install of Lion from scratch and then restore from Time Machine to get it back working. Ever since I did this, I have experienced odd behaviour, notably:-
Machine has a tendency to hang / freeze every now and then for up to 10 secs and sometimes with the spinning wheel and sometimes also requiring a hard reset
Any mounted drives in Finder (dropbox, Truecrypt) sometimes don't come up at all, with the Finder progress wheel spinning in the bottom status bar of the window, and only a "Relaunch Finder" resolves this and allows me to access the mounted drive.
Machine seems a little sluggish despite me keeping on top of maintenance activities for my machine (as I used to for SL and Lion when I first installed)
I was wondering whether there was something whereby Lion would work fine had it been installed whilst the machine had the officially supported 4GB (and then later upgraded to 8GB) as opposed to installed on a machine with 8GB (which only officially supported 4GB) at the time of install. As above, everything was working happily with the 8GB until I had to do a completel refresh from scratch.
Has anyone else had experiences of anything similar and can shed some light? I am considering refreshing and restoring from time machine again with just 4GB in the machine and then putting the extra 4GB back in after the restore, but don't want to do this unless there is any evidence to suggest this will address some/all of the issues I'm experiencing.
Thanks in advance.

Thank you, basilmir. Below are the specs from my Macbook prior to the Snow Leopard and RAM upgrade. To upgrade to ML I needed to first upgrade from Leopard to SL. I expect to do that later today. In the same screen as below, I now see the memory as 8GB. When I run Activity Monitor I am seeing 7.75GB so I am guessing that the video card is using the "missing" 256 meg.
Hardware Overview:
Model Name: MacBook
Model Identifier: MacBook5,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.4 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 3 MB
Memory: 4 GB
Bus Speed: 1.07 GHz
Boot ROM Version: MB51.007D.B03
SMC Version (system): 1.32f8

Macbook Later 2009 -Crucial 8GB RAM upgrade

Hello guys I took some recommendations from the support here at apple and i went out and purchased 8 gb of crucial ram 1066 for my late 2009 macbook....However once and a while i get a stutter usually when clicking close(x) on programs or starting them up for the first time. I am running Mountain Lion, is it normal to have little stutters? Will upgrading the harddrive to an SSD fix the problem. Any help would be great thanks

I don't follow....did you boot into the recovery partition by restarting while holding Command-R to use Disk Utility?
You might also try a Safe Boot, maybe you've got a corrupt system file that a Safe Bot can repair http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1564

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.

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.

HP G70-250CA 8GB RAM upgrade problem

I am trying to upgrade my HP G70-250CA from 6GB of RAM to 8GB, but cannot get it to work.
It is currently running fine with 6GB of RAM, configured as one 4GB and one 2GB stick. I have purchased a second 4GB stick. When I replace the 2GB stick with the second 4GB stick, the system does not boot. All I see at startup is a black screen -- it does not even show the BIOS splash screen.
Either one of the 4GB sticks works fine by itself, I tested them both, and the current configuration of 6GB works fine too. From my reading, this system should be able to support 8GB of RAM.
Any ideas what the problem might be, or further steps I could use to diagnose?

bruce_g wrote:
I am trying to upgrade my HP G70-250CA from 6GB of RAM to 8GB, but cannot get it to work.
It is currently running fine with 6GB of RAM, configured as one 4GB and one 2GB stick. I have purchased a second 4GB stick. When I replace the 2GB stick with the second 4GB stick, the system does not boot. All I see at startup is a black screen -- it does not even show the BIOS splash screen.
Either one of the 4GB sticks works fine by itself, I tested them both, and the current configuration of 6GB works fine too. From my reading, this system should be able to support 8GB of RAM.
Any ideas what the problem might be, or further steps I could use to diagnose?
Hi,
Have you updated the BIOS to the latest one? It might help.
Dv6-7000 /Full HD/Core i5-3360M/GF 650M/Corsair 8GB/Intel 7260AC/Samsung Pro 256GB
Testing - HP 15-p000
HP Touchpad provided by HP
Currently on Debian Wheeze
*Please, help other users with the same issue by marking your solved topics as "Accept as Solution"*

Late 2008 Macbook Pro new battery problems

I bought a new battery off of ebay and when I put the battery in the computer the status bar said the battery was at 54% so I completely drained the battery until it would not power on then plugged it in until it was at 100% and continued to charge it for two more hours. So shouldn't it be calibrated by now? I drained it completely again today and now I'm charging it but the status bar says its at 74% but the system settings says its at 94%. I only get about an hour or two off of it is this normal? Is there anything I cant do to improve the battery life? This is the first mac I have ever owned so explain things like I'm five!

You're missing my point. I know that watching movies is more intensive than web browsing and maybe the problem is to do with VLC.
When I watch a movie through quick time I still have an estimated 6h26m remaining with 65% battery left. In comparison when I watch a movie on VLC it showed around 3h left with the same amount of battery left.
Also, I'm not sure if this is to do with VLC or if it was a coincidence, but my CPU was at around 30% (system) and the temperature doubled.

I have upgraded my MacBook Pro 15 late 2011 to 8Gb RAM, now when I go to about this mac in it more info it doesn't show AMD graphics card as it used to before, it just show Intel HD Graphics 3000 512 MB is that a problem that I need to worry about?

I have upgraded my MacBook Pro 15 late 2011 to 8Gb RAM, now when I go to about this mac in it more info it doesn't show AMD graphics card as it used to before, it just show Intel HD Graphics 3000 512 MB is that a problem that I need to worry about?
and in system report >> hardware >> Graphics/Display >> it shows both grafics card listed.

Some Mac's when the RAM is increased the Intel HD 3000 integrated graphics will bump itself up to the higher video RAM it takes, this seems to be what occured.
It also means the dedicated graphics card will be used less, but only so slightly less.
You obviously still should have both, you can test this by turning off Graphics Switching in Energy Saver, that will use the decicated AMD card all the time.
You can also run Cinebench and compare the scores here
Mac video card performance

What Ram is compatible with the Late 2008 Macbook pro

hi iv had my 15" 2.66GHz intle dual core late 2008 Macbook pro since early 2009 and now i have decided to upgrade from 4GB to 8GB ram cause now its quite cheap now. so iv bought the 2 packs of 8GB DDR 3 1066MHz Corsair for €40 each off ebay 1 for me and one for a friend of mine he has a Macbook pro 13" late 2009 2.5GHz intel dual core and his MBP works with now problems and there was a noticeable FPS upgrade when he played starcraft 2 which he can play on medium settings before was low but anyway so when i finally got a chance to install the x2 4GB sticks they would freeze my Macbook after a few seconds of booting into osx Lion 64bit so at first i thought the ram was f**ked but my friend let me use his 8GB ram that he had working in his MBP and it still froze so right now im back the 4GB so my question is what have i done wrong here is there a certain type of ram i should use or is my machine capable for 8GB ram but it should because its using the same MOBO as the 2009 MBP would i need a kext of kernnel update any help would really appreciated.

Late 2008 Macbook Freezes 5 Minutes into use with newly upgraded Mavericks, works on safe mode; help troubleshooting?

Hi, I have a late 2008 Macbook - I upgraded it from Leopard to Snow Leopard a year ago and things ran relatively smoothly. A friend suggested I try Mavericks after I have been getting a few error messages with snow leopard and was forced to hard restart. I upgraded to Mavericks last night - the installation went smoothly, however Macbook has since begun freezing every time I am using it for more than 5 minutes. I checked some other discussion forums and I wasn't having the same problems as others - Chrome is updated; I don't use Apple Mail; don't have a lot of third party software (I think). I downloaded EtreCheck and ran on both safe mode and normal mode - things seemed relatively normal except I hadn't backed up my time machine (woops). I saw that Sophos was running a lot on start up - I don't use it so I uninstalled it using the developers instructions (Library/Sophos/Uninstall_Sophos) and than trashed the Launch Daemons that were com.sophos...
So far nothing has solved my problem. My macbook will start in both modes - but only functions in safe mode. It will run smoothly in normal mode for 5 minutes or so - and I am honestly not sure what triggers the freeze. I copied numerous log files to see if someone could help identify the problem (they run through 2 hard shut downs and finally a restart in safe mode) as well as the safe mode EtreCheck report. I can get a non-safe mode EtreCheck if that will be helpful, just let me know.
Anyone have any advice on what my problem is? Thanks!
Link to Log: https://www.dropbox.com/s/5ux2r8i972orf37/Macbook%20Mavericks%20Fail.log
EtreCheck (Safe Mode)
Hardware Information:
          MacBook (13-inch, Aluminum, Late 2008)
          MacBook - model: MacBook5,1
          1 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU: 2 cores
          4 GB RAM
Video Information:
          NVIDIA GeForce 9400M - VRAM: 256 MB
Audio Plug-ins:
          BluetoothAudioPlugIn: Version: 1.0
          AirPlay: Version: 1.9
          AppleAVBAudio: Version: 2.0.0
          iSightAudio: Version: 7.7.3
System Software:
          OS X 10.9 (13A603) - Uptime: 0 days 0:21:47
Disk Information:
          TOSHIBA MK2553GSX disk0 : (250.06 GB)
                    EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB
                    Macintosh HD (disk0s2) /: 249.2 GB (131.24 GB free)
                    Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted>: 650 MB
          OPTIARC DVD RW AD-5960S
USB Information:
          Apple Inc. Built-in iSight
          Apple, Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad
          Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver
          Apple Inc. BRCM2046 Hub
                    Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
FireWire Information:
Thunderbolt Information:
Kernel Extensions:
Problem System Launch Daemons:
          [failed] com.apple.ucupdate.plist
Problem System Launch Agents:
Launch Daemons:
Launch Agents:
          [not loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist
          [not loaded] com.hp.messagecenter.launcher.plist
          [not loaded] com.sophos.uiserver.plist
User Launch Agents:
          [not loaded] com.divx.agent.postinstall.plist
          [not loaded] com.facebook.videochat.robertdow.plist
          [not loaded] com.spotify.webhelper.plist
User Login Items:
          None
3rd Party Preference Panes:
          Flash Player
          Growl
          Native Instruments USB Audio
          Perian
Internet Plug-ins:
          Default Browser.plugin
          DirectorShockwave.plugin
          Flash Player.plugin
          FlashPlayer-10.6.plugin
          googletalkbrowserplugin.plugin
          iPhotoPhotocast.plugin
          JavaAppletPlugin.plugin
          npgtpo3dautoplugin.plugin
          o1dbrowserplugin.plugin
          OfficeLiveBrowserPlugin.plugin
          QuickTime Plugin.plugin
          Silverlight.plugin
User Internet Plug-ins:
          CitrixOnlineWebDeploymentPlugin.plugin
          Move-Media-Player.plugin
Bad Fonts:
          None
Time Machine:
          Skip System Files: NO
          Auto backup: NO
          Time Machine not configured!
Top Processes by CPU:
              31%          Google Chrome
               4%          mds
               2%          WindowServer
               1%          mdworker
               1%          EtreCheck
               0%          hidd
               0%          fontd
               0%          imagent
Top Processes by Memory:
          156 MB             Google Chrome
          139 MB             com.apple.IconServicesAgent
          106 MB             Google Chrome Helper
          90 MB              Finder
          82 MB              Console
          74 MB              com.apple.quicklook.satellite
          53 MB              SystemUIServer
          49 MB              CalendarAgent
          49 MB              com.apple.ShareKitHelper
          49 MB              Dock
Virtual Memory Statistics:
          1011 MB            Free RAM
          1.71 GB            Active RAM
          733 MB             Inactive RAM
          348 MB             Wired RAM
          414 MB             Page-ins
          0 B                Page-outs

Hi Carolyn,
Went through step 1 - macbook froze. Went through the second internet plugins trashing - and it froze. It's almost as if it begins processing super slow at some point and then the cursor goes beach ball and eventually I can't do anything. I did another EtraCheck run when I had it started in normal after I erased the internet plugins and I also have the log files that start exactly when it froze up again. See Below:
EtraCheck
Hardware Information:
            MacBook (13-inch, Aluminum, Late 2008)
            MacBook - model: MacBook5,1
            1 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU: 2 cores
            4 GB RAM
Video Information:
            NVIDIA GeForce 9400M - VRAM: 256 MB
Audio Plug-ins:
            BluetoothAudioPlugIn: Version: 1.0
            AirPlay: Version: 1.9
            AppleAVBAudio: Version: 2.0.0
            iSightAudio: Version: 7.7.3
System Software:
            OS X 10.9 (13A603) - Uptime: 0 days 0:3:6
Disk Information:
            TOSHIBA MK2553GSX disk0 : (250.06 GB)
                        EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB
                        Macintosh HD (disk0s2) /: 249.2 GB (131.05 GB free)
                        Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted>: 650 MB
            OPTIARC DVD RW AD-5960S
USB Information:
            Apple Inc. Built-in iSight
            Apple, Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad
            Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver
            Apple Inc. BRCM2046 Hub
                        Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
FireWire Information:
Thunderbolt Information:
Kernel Extensions:
            com.sophos.nke.swi            (9.0.53)
Problem System Launch Daemons:
Problem System Launch Agents:
Launch Daemons:
Launch Agents:
            [loaded]            com.google.keystone.agent.plist
            [loaded]            com.hp.messagecenter.launcher.plist
User Launch Agents:
            [loaded]            com.divx.agent.postinstall.plist
            [loaded]            com.facebook.videochat.robertdow.plist
            [loaded]            com.spotify.webhelper.plist
User Login Items:
            None
3rd Party Preference Panes:
            Flash Player
            Growl
            Native Instruments USB Audio
            Perian
Internet Plug-ins:
            DirectorShockwave.plugin
            Flash Player.plugin
            FlashPlayer-10.6.plugin
            iPhotoPhotocast.plugin
            JavaAppletPlugin.plugin
            OfficeLiveBrowserPlugin.plugin
            QuickTime Plugin.plugin
            Silverlight.plugin
User Internet Plug-ins:
            CitrixOnlineWebDeploymentPlugin.plugin
            Move-Media-Player.plugin
Bad Fonts:
            None
Time Machine:
            Skip System Files: NO
            Auto backup: NO
            Time Machine not configured!
Top Processes by CPU:
4%            WindowServer
2%            hidd
1%            EtreCheck
0%            mds_stores
0%            fontd
0%            configd
0%            SystemUIServer
0%            System Events
0%            imagent
Top Processes by Memory:
            119 MB               com.apple.IconServicesAgent
            78 MB                Finder
            53 MB                SystemUIServer
            49 MB                CalendarAgent
            49 MB                com.apple.ShareKitHelper
            45 MB                com.apple.dock.extra
            45 MB                soagent
            45 MB                EtreCheck
            41 MB                NotificationCenter
            41 MB                WindowServer
Virtual Memory Statistics:
            1.78 GB              Free RAM
            1.34 GB              Active RAM
            288 MB               Inactive RAM
            363 MB               Wired RAM
            196 MB               Page-ins
            0 B                  Page-outs
Log Files:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/hbutqg9cxx3vmy5/Most%20Recent%20Mavericks%20Fail.log
Any other advice?

Macbook Pro 17" 2.66(Early 2009 model) 8gb ram upgrade

Hi,
I want to upgrade my early 2009 unibody macbook peo 17" 2.66 to 8gb ram.The problem is in my country they sell hi-level and team brands (2x4gb).The specs of this brands are almost same with apple compatible rams except pin number.I searched on the net and i saw that my machine has 204 pin ram,hi-level and team have 200 pin.My question is this deifference between the pin number may be a problem?
Thanks.

I asked them but the answer was not satisfying.In Turkey peoaple like me(apple addicts) have major problems when we want to buy an apple product or apple related products.The reason is there is no Apple Turkey still.So we dont have the option to find the products which people can buy easily and much cheaper in Europe and Usa.
My nearest Apple Reseller told me that they can import the rams but the price will be nearly twice...For example in Istanbul we pay 2000$ for a 999$ macbook in USA.it is not fair but this is the situation.Our hope(Apple fans in Turkey) is to see Apple Turkey in the future.
Thanks

Upgrading my Late 2008 MacBook Pro running 10.5.8 to Yosemite

I just received a Late 2008 Macbook from a friend that he factory reset. I'm currently running 10.5.8 (very sluggishly) and would like to upgrade to Yosemite. I know I need to buy 10.6.8 before I can make the upgrade, but will my current hardware even be able to support the new software? I don't want to buy anything if I'm going to be running software too powerful for my mac.
Product name: Late 2008 Macbook
Processor Speed: 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory: 2 GB 1067 MHz DDR3

It should.
Check that your computer is compatible with Mountain Lion/Mavericks/Yosemite.
To check the model number hold down the option/alt key, go to the Apple menu and select System Information.
iMac (Mid 2007 or newer) model number 7,1 or higher
Your Mac needs:
OS X v10.6.8 or OS X Lion already installed
2 GB or more of memory (More is better - 4 GB minimum seems to be the consensus)
8 GB or more of available space
Check to make sure your applications are compatible. PowerPC applications are no longer supported after 10.6.
Application Compatibility
Applications Compatibility (2)
Do a backup before installing.
The 2 places I’ve seen recommended most to buy reliable RAM are below. I have purchased RAM several times from Other World Computing and have always been very satisfied with the product and service. They have on-line instructions on how to replace the RAM. OWC has also tested RAM above what Apple states is the maximum. I now have 6GB installed on a machine supposedly limited to 4 GB and noticed an improvement (2008 iMac).
Crucial
Other World Computing
One option is to create a new partition (~30- 50 GB), install the new OS, and ‘test drive’ it. If you like/don’t like it it, you can then remove the partition. Do a backup before you do anything. By doing this, if you don’t like it you won’t have to go though the revert process.

I have a late 2008 Macbook Pro, I am trying to run MW3 but it will not work without crashing a few minuets into the game. The general specs on my computer are a dual processor 2.53 ghz. 4 gb ram and a NVIDIA geforce 9400 (9600 is the alternate card)

I have a late 2008 Macbook Pro, I am trying to run MW3 but it will not work without crashing a few minuets into the game. The general specs on my computer are a dual processor 2.53 ghz. 4 gb ram and a NVIDIA geforce 9400 (9600 is the alternate card).
Things to note:
I have been unable to update firmware on this computer for about a year now. Im not sure why.
I am running a bootleg copy of Windows XP on this computer, I would not like to spend $149 to get Windows 7 if possible.
any thoughts on the matter would be greatly appreciated, thank you.

Why don't you take your 'old' MBP into your local Apple Store and have them check out everything that's wrong with it - and I mean everything? Then, when you get an estimate about how much it would cost to get the machine completely repaired, ask about the Apple flat-rate repair pricing?
It's worth a shot - and with what you may save, you can put in the bank for a new MBP.
Clinton

How much ram can I add to my late 2008 MacBook Pro? I run Mavericks and just got a new inexpensive hard drive. RAM is not very expensive so Thought I would bump it up from the current 2MB of 1067 Mhz DDr3

How much ram can I add to my late 2008 MacBook Pro? I run Mavericks and just got a new inexpensive hard drive. RAM is not very expensive so Thought I would bump it up from the current 2MB of 1067 Mhz DDr3

Maximum Memory
8.0 GB (Actual) 4.0 GB (Apple)
Memory Slots
2 - 204-pin PC3-8500 (1066 MHz) DDR3 SO-DIMM

I have a late 2008 macbook running good now at 2012 when will i need to upgrade recently upgrade to 4g memory and 2ghrz

i have a late 2008 macbook running good now at 2012 when will i need to upgrade recently upgrade to 4g memory and 2ghrz

Nobody can tell you when you'll need to upgrade, as it depends on the software you're running, the operating system that software requires, and the state of your hardware. You've added memory, which you needed to do with Mountain Lion, and you could replace the hard drive with an SSD for better disk performance.

Late 2008 Macbook 8gb Ram Upgrade Problem

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