Can MacBook be upgraded with normal RAM?

Is it possible to upgrade the MacBook with a third-party notebook RAM like Kingston?

Are there any issues with third-party RAM when mixed with the Apple RAM?

How hard is it to upgrade the RAM?

 

You absolutely can use a third-party supplier.

There is no such thing as "apple" RAM--they contract out to some manufacturer or another.

It's not hard to upgrade memory in general, but I don't know where the bay is on the MacBook. You just take apart the notebook enough to get at the SO-DIMM slots-remove/add more memory (making sure it is seated properly) and then reassemble the computer.


It's almost always cheaper to upgrade aftermarket.

 

Take out the battery, unscrew an "L" shaped bracket, pop the old out, pop the new in, screw back in the bracket, pop in the battery and voila.

 

Yes you can

 

Actually there is 'Apple' Ram.

Apple has a set of qualitifications that ram manufacturers have to 'meet' in order for Apple to use it. Obvisually they don't label it 'Apple' Ram, but if the ram manufacturer does meet the high quality specs that Apple demands, they receive rights from Apple to say its 'Apple' ram. Apple states they will support the ram if the user upgrades to it, but if they do I believe they need to notify Apple of it. Not only that, Apple will have a contract with that manufacturer to use their ram in their products.

 

I don't believe Apple RAM is any higher "quality" than regular RAM. In fact, people have reported that their MBP comes with Hynix memory and looking at the memory specs, Hynix memory is fairly average and consumes more power than say regular Samsung or Qimonda memory. From what memory manufacturers have told me, the only difference with "Apple" memory is that the SPD is programmed to match the timings that Apple uses for their models. However, that really isn't a huge benefit since SODIMM timings are pretty much standardized in the industry due to thermal constaints and the relatively closed platform compared to a desktop. And having slightly different default SPD timings shouldn't prevent memory from working in different systems since unlike desktops, most labtop manufacturers, presumably including Apple, ignore SPD timings anyways and just force their own. Again, any variation in timings are slight and should be within JEDEC spec so anyway SODIMM should work.