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MacBook Pro Memory Upgrade

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  MacBook Pro Memory Upgrade csampson@inetworld.net (Charles H. Sampson) - 2015-06-11 09:33 -0700
    Re: MacBook Pro Memory Upgrade billy@MIX.COM - 2015-06-11 17:53 +0000
      Re: MacBook Pro Memory Upgrade Warren Oates <warren.oates@gmail.com> - 2015-06-11 15:59 -0400
    Re: MacBook Pro Memory Upgrade dempson@actrix.gen.nz (David Empson) - 2015-06-12 13:15 +1200
      Re: MacBook Pro Memory Upgrade Warren Oates <warren.oates@gmail.com> - 2015-06-12 08:32 -0400
    Re: MacBook Pro Memory Upgrade Alan Browne <alan.browne@freelunchvideotron.ca> - 2015-06-12 08:46 -0400
    Re: MacBook Pro Memory Upgrade nmassello@yahoo.com (Neill Massello) - 2015-06-12 19:34 -0600

#76499 — MacBook Pro Memory Upgrade

I clearly need to upgrade the memory on my MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 model),
which is only 4MB. I need a little hand-holding.

I thought the maximum memory was 8MB. From all the on-line information
it appears to be 16MB. If this is true, should I go for 16MB or is 8MB
adequate? (My expertise is software, not hardware. For all I know, 16MB
has downsides that 8MB doesn't.)

The various memories come with all sorts of specifications, most of
which are gibberish to me. (See above note on software/hardware). Is
there anything I should look for or avoid?

There a rather significant price differences, at least percentagewise,
depending on the source. Are there any suppliers that I should avoid?

Thanks in advance.

Charlie
-- 
Nobody in this country got rich on his own.  You built a factory--good.
But you moved your goods on roads we all paid for.  You hired workers we
all paid to educate. So keep a big hunk of the money from your factory.
But take a hunk and pay it forward.  Elizabeth Warren (paraphrased)

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#76503

Charles H. Sampson <csampson@inetworld.net> writes:

> I clearly need to upgrade the memory on my MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 model),
> which is only 4MB. I need a little hand-holding.
> 
> I thought the maximum memory was 8MB. From all the on-line information
> it appears to be 16MB.

It is 16GB.

> If this is true, should I go for 16MB or is 8MB adequate?

Go for 16GB.  There is a difference, for sure.  OS 10.9 does
not swap in either case, but you will see zippier performance
with 16GB.  I have not looked into why, coz i'm too lazy to
stick the 8GB back in.

I would expect OS 10.10 to be the same, but have not tried it.

One good source of memory is here -

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/1600DDR3S16P/

> There a rather significant price differences, at least percentagewise,
> depending on the source. Are there any suppliers that I should avoid?

I've been using the OWC memory (above) for more than a year,
and just ordered more.  I haven't looked at prices elsewhere.
I tend to buy from companies I like, and that treat me well.

Billy Y..
-- 
        sub     #'9+1   ,r0             ; convert ascii byte
	add     #9.+1   ,r0             ; to an integer
	bcc     20$                     ; not a number

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#76508

In article <mlchv8$83h$2@reader2.panix.com>, billy@MIX.COM wrote:

> I've been using the OWC memory (above) for more than a year,
> and just ordered more.  I haven't looked at prices elsewhere.
> I tend to buy from companies I like, and that treat me well.

I've bought stuff from OWC and have absolutely nothing bad to say, but 
I've only bought stuff that isn't available from a Canadian source.

I just (this very week) bought a Corsair version that "kit" (2x8) for my 
late-2012 iMac (takes the same memory); I got it from Newegg.ca for 
quite a bit less than that (and no Customs Bullshit).  Corsair have a 
good rep, and the RAM works just fine. It pays to shop around.

The OP should googlie for:

CMSA16GX3M2A1600C11 

see what comes up. That's for the Corsair product.
-- 
Where's the Vangelis music?
Pris' tongue is sticking out in in the wide shot after Batty has kissed her.
They have put back more tits into the Zhora dressing  room scene.
  -- notes for Blade Runner

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#76513

Charles H. Sampson <csampson@inetworld.net> wrote:

> I clearly need to upgrade the memory on my MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 model),
> which is only 4MB. I need a little hand-holding.
> 
> I thought the maximum memory was 8MB. From all the on-line information
> it appears to be 16MB.

The actual limit is 16 GB for both the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro
(Mid 2012). 

Apple's official specification for your model says the limit is 8 GB.
Many other Mac models have a similar discrepancy between Apple's
specification and actual limits which are found by third parties.

One of the reasons for this discrepancy is that Apple only reports the
maximum capacity they have tested for the model. This is usually because
higher capacity memory modules were not available at the time the model
was tested (before its release), and Apple doesn't want to claim they
support something they couldn't test. Apple usually doesn't update their
specifications after the model is released.

I've often upgraded Macs beyond the maximum specified by Apple (up to
the third party discovered limit). No problems yet.

The same memory type was also used in the Late 2012 iMac. The 21.5-inch
iMac has two memory slots and Apple's documented limit for that model is
16 GB, implying that they were able to test 8 GB memory modules of that
type a few months after your MacBook Pro was introduced.

Since those iMacs use the same processor generation, chipset and memory
type as the Mid 2012 MacBook Pro, it is reasonable to assume that there
is no problem using 8 GB modules in the Mid 2012 MacBook Pro.

> If this is true, should I go for 16MB or is 8MB adequate? (My expertise is
> software, not hardware. For all I know, 16MB has downsides that 8MB
> doesn't.)

The possible downsides I can think of for 16 GB: slightly higher power
consumption and heat production, and an extra 8 GB of disk space needed
to hold the sleep image for when the computer hibernates.

If you buy memory from a source which has tested it in a Mac, you should
be pretty confident it will work fine.

My general rules of thumb when upgrading memory:

1. If the computer has multiple memory slots and there is a performance
benefit from matching pairs, then upgrade pairs of modules, not single
modules.

2. When a set of memory modules is upgraded, get the maximum capacity as
long as it isn't unreasonably expensive.

Rule 1 applies to your coputer, so you should be buying a pair of
matched modules, not looking for a weird combination like a single 4 GB
or 8 GB module to give you a total of 6 GB or 10 GB.

Since there are only two slots, I would recommend 16 GB. (For a four
slot iMac, I might recommend 16 GB in one pair of slots, leaving the
other pair with whatever they already have.)

The main performance gain is to increase memory above the sweet spot
where for most of your usage the computer doesn't need to swap memory to
disk or do much memory compression.

Beyond that, additional memory will still improve performance, but to a
lesser extent: it gets used as a cache by the operating system. This
will improve speed in situations such as re-launching a previously quit
application.

Whether 8 GB is enough to reach that sweet spot will depend on your
usage pattern: the applications you run (particularly the set of
applications running at the same time), and the amount of memory they
need to work with given your usage of them.

Without trying, it is difficult to determine whether 8 GB would be
enough to reach the sweet spot. If you buy 8 GB and discover it is not
actually enough, you usually can't return the memory just because you
changed your mind, and you'd probably lose money by on-selling it.

We might be able to make an educated guess with more information about
your usage pattern.

> The various memories come with all sorts of specifications, most of
> which are gibberish to me. (See above note on software/hardware). Is
> there anything I should look for or avoid?

You must use the correct type and speed: PC3-12800 SO-DIMM, also known
as DDR3-1600 SO-DIMM. (In some cases you can use faster memory within
the same general type, such as DDR3 SO-DIMM, but I've been bitten at
least once by compatibility problems with systems expecting slower
memory, so I try to avoid that.)

There are extra features in some memory, such as ECC or registered
memory. These should be avoided as in some cases they will be
incompatible.

Memory modules vary in depth, and Apple's documentation for your model
specifies maximum dimensions.

The easiest solution is to buy the memory from a supplier who
specifically sells it as Mac-compatible memory, such as Crucial or Other
World Computing. 

OWC has a nice selector on their web site through which you specify your
Mac model, that you want a memory upgrade, and then it only shows you
the memory options for that model. See http://www.macsales.com.

I've been buying memory from OWC for at least seven years. Since I'm not
in North America, I generally use them as a second source for memory, if
they are cheaper than a local supplier, or I need something I can't get
locally, or if I'm ordering something else from them at the same time.

As far as memory brands go, I've used advertised Mac memory kits from
Crucial, Corsair and Kingston, and a wider range of generic memory.

> There a rather significant price differences, at least percentagewise,
> depending on the source. Are there any suppliers that I should avoid?
> 
> Thanks in advance.
> 
> Charlie


-- 
David Empson
dempson@actrix.gen.nz

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#76524

In article <1m5wfe9.1rzloyo1oaz0kmN%dempson@actrix.gen.nz>,
 dempson@actrix.gen.nz (David Empson) wrote:

> The easiest solution is to buy the memory from a supplier who
> specifically sells it as Mac-compatible memory, such as Crucial or Other
> World Computing. 

Crucial I see have a very good price on the 2x8 "kit" (at least, shipped 
within the US).

<http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/compatible-upgrade-for//imac-%2827-inch%2C
-late-2013%29>
-- 
Where's the Vangelis music?
Pris' tongue is sticking out in in the wide shot after Batty has kissed her.
They have put back more tits into the Zhora dressing  room scene.
  -- notes for Blade Runner

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#76525

On 2015-06-11 12:33, Charles H. Sampson wrote:
> I clearly need to upgrade the memory on my MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 model),
> which is only 4MB. I need a little hand-holding.
>
> I thought the maximum memory was 8MB. From all the on-line information
> it appears to be 16MB. If this is true, should I go for 16MB or is 8MB
> adequate? (My expertise is software, not hardware. For all I know, 16MB
> has downsides that 8MB doesn't.)
>
> The various memories come with all sorts of specifications, most of
> which are gibberish to me. (See above note on software/hardware). Is
> there anything I should look for or avoid?
>
> There a rather significant price differences, at least percentagewise,
> depending on the source. Are there any suppliers that I should avoid?
>
> Thanks in advance.

Apple spec: 8

Real world: 16 GB

A reliable source, at least in North America, is Crucial.

2 - 204-pin PC3-12800 (1600 MHz) DDR3 SO-DIMM

You'll need 2 x 8 GB.

That will make your machine as zippy as possible for the rest of its 
long life ahead.

Yes, this depends on your use.  8 GB is very likely sufficient for most 
people, but if you do anything needing lots of RAM, it's probably a good 
thing to go for 16 once and for all and be done with it.  It will make 
swapping a rarity and improve the speed of the machine.  Increases the 
resale value as well (or the handmedown value).

Another "zippiness" move would be to replace the spinning mass disk for 
SSD (if not already so).

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#76537

Charles H. Sampson <csampson@inetworld.net> wrote:

> Are there any suppliers that I should avoid?

I used to get all my RAM from Crucial, but I have since switched to OWC.
Two Crucial DIMMs, one in a PowerMac G5 and the other in a Mac Pro, went
bad on me after a couple of years of use. The bad DIMM in the G5 was the
first time I'd had a RAM failure -- ever. With the second failure, my
confidence in Crucial was severely damaged, so I decided to look
elsewhere. 

Sealing the deal was that OWC has a better warranty replacement policy.
Crucial required that the entire three-stick kit be returned before
replacement. This would have left me without the use of the computer for
a while, so I ordered an upgrade kit from OWC and limped along on the
two good DIMMs until the OWC shipment arrived. And it doesn't hurt that
OWC's prices are a little lower. 

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