Recommendations for RAM upgrade?

Hello everyone,
I'm looking to upgrade my MBP's RAM. (either late 2011 or mid 2012) from a stock 4GB to 16GB. I was thinking of Crucial because I've seen it recommended on thesims3 website, but I'm leaning more towards Kingston's Hyper X memory (probably the Genesis, because the Predator doesn't seem to support Mac...correct me if i'm wrong) because it seems to be a better quality. I'm not really familiar with this type of stuff so any recommendations or suggestions of brands and specs would be greatly appreciated.
A bit of a backstory: my last MBP crashed. By and large the computer could handle mostly everything I needed, it was an almost completely maxed out mid 2010 (2.6 GHz i7, 500 GB storage, 8 GB RAM). Only complaint..kinda that I had was lagging on the sims 3, only because I had a very large amount of saved content and games on the game. In the meantime I had to get another laptop, unfortunately the retailer only had an old MBP model, which wasn't even my 3rd choice, but I was in need of a laptop so I had to get it. Aside from the longer waiting time to open apps, start songs in itunes, etc it's alright...i guess. I don't have internet here so i'm unable to give it a true test as to whether it can withstand my usage. Anyway, I've been playing the sims 3 on this new laptop and it looks ok, but the game settings aren't quite as high as on my old laptop. Not to mention, I've been experiencing lagging, which is quite alarming becuase I hardly have any content saved from the game or on my hard drive at all, I'm talking maybe 30GB of my entire hardrive space used by all programs. So I heard that upgrading the RAM would/could fix the problem. So I'm planning to upgrade to 16GB of RAM. Hopefully this will allow me to improve the graphic settings and reduce lagging.
I guess I should also mention that I'm running all the expansion packs and stuff packs that have been released except one of each...i think that makes a total of 7 expansion packs, and 7 stuff packs along with the base game (which is where I think the majority of those 30 GBs are dedicated to). Below is what I'm working with:
I know it is stock model with 2.3 GHz i7, NVIDA Geoforce GT 650 512 MB, 4 GB RAM 1600 MHz DDR3

It matters a great deal where you purchase your RAM at, because at the factory RAM gets tested and if it's not as perfect it's shipped at a discount to middleman retailers / brick and mortar stores where the users are bargain hunters and/or can afford the extra work trying to make it work and returning it if it doesn't.
In the case of a MacBook Pro, opening the machine should only have to be done once as to avoid taking extra chances losing those tiny screws or causing accidental damage to the machine which won't be covered by AppleCare/warranty.
I recommend Crucial.com as they are the retail branch of Micron who make the memory themselves, thus more inclined to give people who come to them directly the top tier RAM as to avoid tarnishing their reputation.
When you purchase your RAM elsewhere, even if it's Crucial RAM, even if it's a reputable site, there is a issue of risk that the RAM isn't as up to snuff as it can be.
Since it's often more money to drive back to the store or ship the bad RAM back, plus the labor involved opening the machine twice more even, I buy the best quality up front.
So far it's worked fine for me, I haven't had to ship bad RAM back once in 20 something years.
Install/upgrade RAM or storage drive in Mac's

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I would try www.Crucial.com for suggested memory ,you can use their Scanner Tool to let it detect what you have and what you can upgrade/replace with.
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Advice needed for RAM upgrade MBP 2.4G/15.4" C2D

I shall shortly be getting the 2.4 GHz MBP Core 2 Duo with the standard 2GB RAM that I intend on upgrading to 4 GB and was wondering which of the following to choose. It'ld be nice if you could tell me which ones would be a good deal with no performance hit ... and also which one is actually the best of the lot.
I will have to go for 2x2GB ... here are the options -
1. Transcend 2GB @$97.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820208323
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http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145172
3. G.Skill 2x2GB @ 234.99 (i.e. price for each 2 GB is ~ $117)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231135
4. Crucial 2GB @ $ 139.99
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5. Mushkin 2x2GB @ $260 (i.e. 2GB @ $130)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146684
6. Supertalent 2GB @ $119.48
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=T667SB2G_M&show=r#
7. Samsung (Atleast I think it is?) 2GB @ 139.98
http://www.memoryx.net/apple2gbddr2s.html
Opinions would be really welcome...
thanks

Geil 4 gig kit $215 (after rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820144066
i have this kit in my SR MBP and its great, same memory spec as required and runs awesome. Did a Rember test on it and passed.
it even fit with the "heat spreaders/short protectors"

Dual G5 1.8GHz manuals for RAM Upgrade

I somehow lost track of the manuals for my mid 2004 dual 1.8GHz G5. If they ever came in printed form. Don't these manuals get installed by default somewhere on the harddrive? I didn't find it in the manuals section here.
I need it because I want to install aditional RAM. I ordered 2 x 1GB DDR SDRAM PC3200/PC400, do they fit? So far there are 4 x 256MB installed and system profiler shows 4 free slots. They have to be installed in pairs on this machine, is that correct? How do I know wich are the corresponding slots?
Many thanks
Nils
dual G5 1.8GHz

No, it does not indicate 333mhz. It refers to the chip clock speed, not the bus speed.
Errr...? I'm puzzled. My half-knowledge means I'm only aware of a RAM DIMMs "having" some MHz number. Whether that is "chip clock speed" or "bus speed" I don't know. I'm aware that the computer has a bus speed (900 MHz in the case of this particular Power Mac) wich may or may not be directly related to the MHz number my DIMMs need to have. Whatever - I need DIMMs that "are" either 333 or 400 MHz, no?
The important thing is to check the serial label inside your case. Either 333 or 400 >will be noted.
What serial label exactly do you mean?
I opened the case and saw a "400" somewhere on the labels of the installed DIMMs.
Please compare the order number of your Mac to the tech specs documents.
Is this it?
I don't have the original bill of the Computer, not here at least. Ain't the model number of the computer noted nowhere on the Computer itself? Anyway, both 1.8GHz models referred to on the pages you linked are noted to have 400MHz DIMMs. I think I have the pre-June 2004 G5, since that is the only dual 1.8GHz G5 with 8 DIMM slots (and there's 8, I saw them)
Thanks so far!

Best Configuration For RAM Upgrade?

Hi, I purchased an additional 4GB (2x2GB) of RAM to go into my Mac Pro. I was wondering which Riser should I add the two sticks to, in the remaining 2 on Riser A, or the first two on Riser B? Also if I put them on Riser A, should I move the two sticks of 512 to slots 3/4 an put the 2GB sticks in 1/2?

Put them in the back two slots on Riser B (below the two installed in Riser A.)

Do I need a RAM upgrade

Hi- I've got a PB 1.67GHZ (aluminum) with 1GB RAM (2 512MB chips).
I tend to leave lots of apps open (around 10) for my workflow. I'm always having to jump between apps. None of them are particularly taxing though I do play one game that takes over the system (so I shut down other apps for that). My system definitely gets slower with lots of apps open.
Currently, my Activity Monitor shows page in/out as 307943/213848. I'm thinking that second number is not good and I ought to get some more RAM.
In addition to recommending a RAM upgrade, should I go for just an upgrade to 1.5GB or go for 2GB?

Currently, my Activity Monitor shows page in/out as
307943/213848. I'm thinking that second number is
not good and I ought to get some more RAM.
Your system is memory deprived. The general guideline is that page outs should be 10% or less of page ins. Yours are currently about 69%, meaning for every 10 page ins, your system is paging out roughly 7 pages. A page out is where the system has to move something out of memory to disk to make room for something else, and that impacts performance.
You can upgrade to 1.5gb by installing a 1gb RAM strip, and monitor your page ins/outs and performance/feel. For what you run, that may do it for you. However, if you don't see much improvement, then going to 2gb is available to you.
Recommend Crucial, Kingston (not their valueram line), or Samsung memory, which has proven reliable in our PB's. Crucial can be found at their website http://www.crucial.com , Kingston at http://www.kingston.com , and Samsung is available from a number of companies, of which OWC at http://www.macsales.com is one source.

8GB Ram Upgrade

Hi,
This is my first post and I am aware of similar posts all over the internet but due to the lack of recent posts for RAM upgrades, I would like to create this placeholder for all the people who are looking into upgrading their RAM on their recent MacBook Pros.
So after reading a bunch of posts online about RAM upgrades, the questions boil down to:
1. Is the performance of RAM different for different makes?
2. Does the power consumption and heat generation differ from make to make?
3. How does the apple care warranty get affected if non-apple certified RAM is used?
Various Vendors:
1. Hynix (Claimed as the ones that ship from apple) -- $340
http://macramdirect.com/macbook.html
2. RamJet (Claims to be good on the battery/heat) -- $290
http://www.ramjet.com/ItemDescription.asp?Item=MBAL8G
3. Hyper Velocity (Claims to be apple certified) -- $280
http://macramdirect.com/macbook.html
4. OWC (Read a lot of great reviews) -- $230
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer%20Technology/8566DDR3S8GP/
5. Crucial / Corsair / G Skill RAMs from newegg.com -- $265 / $220 / $200
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007609%2060000617 8%20600000401%20600000445&IsNodeId=1&name=DDR3%201066%20%28PC3%208500%29
It is hard for me to accept that all these chips would perform exactly the same way since there is always a cost to quality ratio. Although the cost is also based on a lot of other factors, the quality of products used should be the major factor of all of them.
Keeping in mind that I have the 3 yr. apple protection, I hesitate to upgrade to anything else other than the hynix chips but if it doesn't make a difference, shouldn't I go with G Skill since it is the cheapest one on the list and still has a lifetime warranty?
Thanks for all the help.

Welcome to Apple Discussions.
So after reading a bunch of posts online about RAM upgrades, the questions boil down to:
1. Is the performance of RAM different for different makes?
No, as long as the RAM meets the specifications it's fine.
2. Does the power consumption and heat generation differ from make to make?
No change in power consumption or heat by adding additional RAM.
3. How does the apple care warranty get affected if non-apple certified RAM is used?
Replacing RAM and internal HD's on current MBP's does not affect AppleCare in any way UNLESS you do damage to the computer installing it. However if you follow the instructions in the manual it's difficult to damage your machine.
Various Vendors:
1. Hynix (Claimed as the ones that ship from apple) -- $340
http://macramdirect.com/macbook.html
2. RamJet (Claims to be good on the battery/heat) -- $290
http://www.ramjet.com/ItemDescription.asp?Item=MBAL8G
3. Hyper Velocity (Claims to be apple certified) -- $280
http://macramdirect.com/macbook.html
4. OWC (Read a lot of great reviews) -- $230
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer%20Technology/8566DDR3S8GP/
5. Crucial / Corsair / G Skill RAMs from newegg.com -- $265 / $220 / $200
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007609%2060000617 8%20600000401%20600000445&IsNodeId=1&name=DDR3%201066%20%28PC3%208500%29
My recommendation is to use OWC's products. They provide high quality pre and post sales support and you can even watch an online video that shows how to install the RAM. They also specialize in Apple products and I think you will find most people on this forum agree that OWC stands behind their products.
Regards,
Roger

Lenovo G40 ~ 70 ram upgrade problem

I bought a lenovo G40 ~ 70 laptop and I wanted to upgrade my ram.It contains 4gb ram and I wanted to upgrade it to 8gb .What type of ram card should I buy and after the upgrade will my computer have problems? thank you.

Hi Ayato,
Welcome to the Forums
As per the query we understood that you are looking for RAM upgrade for your Lenovo G40-70 laptop.
As per the specification of this model , the maximum memory supported by this model is upto 16GB DDR3L 1600Mhz.Hence I would suggest you to look into DDR3L RAM as the RAM slots in the laptop will only support the same. And "L" in DDR3L refers to low voltage.
Click here for the model specification.
Hope this helps. Do post back if the issue persists.
Best regards,
Ashwin. S

Not Sure on RAM Upgrade Configs

Hello
just bought my wife a G5 2.3GHz Dual
it comes with 513MB DDR2 SDRAM and is expandable to 16GB
i want to upgrade her RAM
machine still in box (for christmas), not sure of the configs / slots for RAM upgrade. does anyone know so i can plan how to go to RAM distributor amd make purchase?
further, she will be using it for graphic design, large files open in photoshop, quark, freehand, suitcase, etc. so im not sure how much RAM to buy.
thanks
wayne

I rely on Crucial for quality, good price (there are lower prices out there) and their support.
How much RAM? Photoshop just adores RAM. You can't have "too much" almost. 8GB or look for www.ramjet.com for a low price on 2GB (4GB kit) or OWC ( www.macsales.com ) as well.
From Crucial web page www.crucial.com/mac
DDR2 PC2-4200 • CL=4 • UNBUFFERED • NON-ECC • DDR2-533 • 1.8V • 128Meg x 64
DDR2 PC2-5300 • CL=5 • UNBUFFERED • NON-ECC • DDR2-667 • 1.8V • 128Meg x 64
Sale price in effect makes 2GB kit (2 x 1GB) $197.
Crucial Quad or dual-core G5

Which 8GB RAM upgrade chips for 2011 Macbook Pro?

I purchased my 2011 MBP with 4GBs of RAM because it seemed to me that I could eventually upgrade to 8GB for under $100. It's time to start shopping for the upgrade and I need your advice. These modules from Corsair, for example, seem to be ideal:
Corsair 8 GB DDR3 Laptop Memory Kit CMSO8GX3M2A1333C9
There are also several other options from Crucial, Kingston, and G.Skill, all in the $80-$90 range. I have the following question:
1. Which brand do you recommend?
2. Are there any compatibility issues with the brands I have mentioned?
3. Is it true that upgrading the RAM yourself doesn't void AppleCare warranty?
IMO, Corsair and Crucial make terrific RAM. I have used them in my Win PCs for years and have had no issues.
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I am getting these sticks
KINGSTON HYPERX 8GB (2X4GB) DDR3 1600 NON-ECC CL9 SODIMM (KHX1600C9S3K2/8G)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104253
for my MB Pro 2011 15".
Read good stuff about them. They run at 1600 MHz, which OSX should recognize, and i7 will support it too.
This Corsair ram would work too, though it's only 1333 MHz.
http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-DDR3-Laptop-Memory-CMSO8GX3M2A1333C9/dp/B002YUF8ZG /ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
If you buy the Kingston, be sure to NOT buy the XMP model - (model number ends with 8GX) buy the model that ends wth 8G. XMP is an Intel Memory Profile thing, that you'll need access to BIOS to utilize. (you can't on your mac )
Kingston should be the fastest though, with lowest CAS latency (in short, faster memory access times)
Enjoy

Hard Drive and RAM upgrades for latest 15" MBP

I'm minutes from ordering a new MBP. Only concerns are whether I get hte Apple upgrades or shop around.
I like this Hard Drive...
http://www.compu2000.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=6433
And this RAM upgrade...
http://www.a-power.com/product-10937-311-4
If these are equivalent to the apple options I can save hundreds and get a 320 GB drive, which will make a great portable.
So, does my plan hold water?

You're on your own for support when you do your own upgrades like this, but generally speaking, it works fine.
Note that HDD is less risky than RAM. With RAM you run the risk of unstable behavior that is tougher to diagnose. That said, a quality RAM upgrade and some initial testing with any of many available tools is as good as a factory build.
HDD upgrades are less risky, and I've upgraded (well, replaced after HDD death) ones in my MBPs many many times. I crunch my hard drives more than normal and have to generally replace them about every year. Some of the MBPs don't make this easy, and prepare to get all sorts of cozy with little 0 and 1 sized Phillips screwdrivers and some T6 as well, but it is doable (just not quite for the truly faint of heart).
Again, you're on your own for support once you do this, so weigh that in your decision.

Which O/S upgrade is recommended for a MAC Book Pro17 with Intel Core Duo 2.16 GHz

Which O/S upgrade is recommended for a MAC Book Pro17 with Intel Core Duo 2.16 GHz
I am using os x 10.4.11.
Do I need to upgrade to 10.5.xx? Will this platform suport 10.6.xx? If 10.6 will work do I need to install 10.5 first?
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Hi. Your computer can be upgraded to either Leopard 10.5 or Snow Leopard 10.6. 10.6 will be much easier to find and will be less expensive. Leopard is not required prior to upgrading to Snow Leopard.
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RAM Upgrade for Late 2009 Mac Mini -- anyone tried 16gb?

Just a stupid question.. I've got a Mac Mini server (late 2009) that came with 4Gb of RAM.. The machine has never been speedy by any means and after finally getting some time to look into why, I think I know mostly why.. I've got the machine setup handling DNS, email (with Amavis, spam handling,etc), both MySQL and Postgres databases, Apache+WebDAV+iCAL and of course handling 2-3 user accounts being logged in at all times (using iTunes, Safari, etc). if I pull up Activity Monitor or use the "MemoryStick" utility, I see that my RAM usage is typically (almost always) at about 96% used with 7 swap files running.. I've never seen it below about 95% used. I know that this machine is capable of being outfitted with 8Gb of RAM (although Apple does not necessarily endorse that config). So, this leads to my next question -- has anyone taken some 8Gb RAM modules such as these : http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/1333DDR3S32S/ and tried plopping two of them in to see if they're recognized as 8Gb modules and used or not? I also have a brand-new 15" MBP (2011 model) that seems to occasionally suffer from the same fate -- it's also got 4GB of RAM and last night for quite a while it was at the 90% utilization level for RAM as well while importing some videos in iMovie '11..
I'll have to admit that I'm wondering whether 8Gb is going to be enough RAM for my purposes on the mini.. I suspect I'm probably asking it to do too much -- all of this used to be done on an older model HP Proliant server (quad CPU, hot-swap drives, redundant power supplies,etc) -- but it cost about $40+ per month in power alone..
Anyone?

Thx.. I've actually upgraded to a new 2011 Mac Mini which can still take those same 8Gb ram sticks.. Interestingly enough the new Mac Mini server still comes with a measly 4gb of RAM which just doesn't cut it with OSX Lion -- I'm constantly at 1% free RAM when I've got Mail.app running.. Ugg.. Hopefully once I put 12Gb or 16Gb in, it'll hum along..

Cost/benefit of RAM upgrade for iMac G5 2 GHz from 1.5 to 2.0 GB

Equipment: iMac 20" 2.0 GHz, 250 GB HD, originally 500 MB RAM upgraded to 1.5 GB: (1) 500 MB and (1) 1 GB DDR SDRAM, PC3200U-30330.
Not understanding the subtleties of memory upgrades, I bought this off the shelf with 500 MB RAM. When the processor board was replaced, I added a 1 GB RAM and can't say I noticed any change in performance. It does reduce the need for page outs.
After this, I read something about needing to have the DIMMs matched for there to be a performance gain. Or maybe this related to 64 bit operation? I read elsewhere in the Discussions that 64 bit operation would actually consume more memory and reduce performance.
If I upgraded to 2.0 GB, would there be any improvement in performance? In general or only in certain situations?
If I upgrade RAM, I'll have (2) useless 500 MB DIMMs. Is there any value in these? Where is the best place to sell them or do they have value as trade-ins?
Or is the best use of the money to put towards an Intel Mac that can support 10.6+ ?(...or a share or two of Apple stock.)
Please convey your wisdom. Thanks.
P.S. I know the stock is the best use of my money, so just consider the hardware options.

I happened to find this answer while looking for something else.
iMac G5 and iMac G5 (Ambient Light Sensor): Benefit of using matching memory modules (RAM) http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2708
Condensed version:
Applies only to original iMac G5 and iMac G5 (Ambient Light Sensor).
*If it has matching DIMMS it operates with a 128-bit data path, otherwise it uses a 64-bit data path.* A 128-bit data path allows greater throughput than a 64-bit data path. This allows faster manipulation of large files. With a 128-bit bus, you would see better performance when you have multiple applications open at the same time. Also, some enhanced gaming performance.
According to this, I was getting better performance before I added the 1 GB of RAM, except that degraded performance due to stuffing RAM to the gills has to be weighed against that. Seems like trading up to a full 2 GB would have some unquantified benefits. The only ways to find out are to find another iMac to compare with or to put in the RAM and see what happens.

Where can I find a 16gb or 32 gb ram upgrade for my 13" Mid-2012 Macbook Pro?

I bought a 8gb ram upgrade for my macbook pro and it isnt getting the job done (I'm trying to run Protools 10).
Where can I find a 16gb or 32 gb upgrade that is compatible with my macbook?
I'm currently running:
Macbook Pro
13" Mid-2012
2.5 GHz Intel Core i5

Crucial RAM for the 2012 MBP is around $129 at NewEgg and Amazon for 16GB.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148609

Recommendations for RAM upgrade?

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