How to switch out memory on a MacBook Pro & Did I buy the right one?

Okay, so I bought this* 2GB memory stick from Newegg.com (upgrading to 2GB, NOT 3...I fly a lot for college and weight is a consideration) and it's coming in three days.

* mushkin 2GB DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Memory for Apple Notebook
Item #: N82E16820146684
Product page: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146684

Question is, firstly did I buy the right one? I own a macbook pro C2D 2.16GHz (can't find the model number-but the late 2006-early 2007 edition, I think right before Santa Rosa).

And the page said that there aren't any heat spreaders that come with the memory stick, what the hell does that mean? Can I place the heat spreader that presumably exists on my 1GB existing memory stick (667MHz, DDR2 SDRAM apparently PC2 5300) and put it on there? Is that even a necessary component? I'm just asking because I don't want my laptop like blowing up in the middle of the night, or worse, on a plane. And is there anything that I should really be careful to do and not to do so that the computer's in one piece after the upgrade? And how much more/less power is the bigger memory stick going to suck up? I get about 3 to 3 and a half hours of battery life with the screen at a lower setting.

And I obviously know absolutely nothing about computers other than that they're an incredible convenience, so I'd appreciate any help.

 

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Qozs6KZoarA

To Do: Touch that metal plate in the battery bay before touching the RAM as to discharge your static electricity.

 

i'm pretty darn sure a stick of 1 gb ram doesn't have a weight difference than a 2gb stick. No weight saving for u just by ram, only less performance

 

Well, yeah, going from the 1G->2G single stick has no weight difference, but going from 1G->3G (2/1) with two sticks has a difference. When I looked on Cnet it was as much as 1.2 pounds, which I highly doubt but whatever.

 

wowza...that would be some hefty RAM!

They must have screwed up their measurements then because there's NO way that 2 sticks of RAM is 1.2 lbs heavier than 1! Honestly, the weight of the RAM is negligible. Once you get the 2GB stick, just hold it in your hand and you'll realize the CNET guy posting that was nutters!

Sounds like you got the right stuff though. From what you posted of specs (DDR2, 667 (PC2-5300)), that should all work right. And if it says it's for Apple notebooks, that's always a plus. I don't know as much of the terminology as I'd like but I believe Apple's notebooks use SO-DIMMs, which may be slightly different from PC laptop RAM..?

but you can generally gather from the reviews on the side of that product page that it works nicely

I do suggest you get a small screwdriver though as it can be a serious PAIN to get the screws off to replace the RAM. The first MBP i had i scratched the bottom a bit because one screw was too tight and the screwdriver bit i had was too big, so it was constantly slipping and scratching followed by curses from me. (thankfully, it had other problems so I brought that one back and got a new one anyways!). Also, do make sure that it is in all the way. You've got to push it in a slight bit harder than you might think is right, but as long as you're getting the angle right, it should be easy breezey.

Enjoy your RAM!

 

No notebook memory comes with heat spreaders. Heat spreaders are metal plates typically used on desktop memory to act as heat sinks. They typically do more harm then good and manufacturers like to use them to hide which memory chips they are putting on their ram sticks.

 

So I just got the memory stick from UPS (yay) and put it in my baby. Memory swap went without a hitch (except for when I put it in the bottom slot and apparently the bottom slot can't take 2GB memory, because it wouldn't start up when I put it in the bottom slot). Booted up my computer, so far, everything seems to be much faster with 1GB and less hard drive whiny noise. I guess the real test will come when I have Firefox, NeoOffice, Adobe Reader, iTunes, GIMP, and Mail open at the same time. Let's throw Safari and GarageBand in there while we're at it

Oh by the way, the guy on CNet must be on crack if he thought the 1GB sticks weigh 1lbs. From what I feel it must weigh less than 4 ounces. I'm keeping the old stick in case I want to go to a third GB of memory. Now what I'd like to see in the next macbook pro is an owner-changeable hard drive, much like the regular macbook.

So should I expect more or less battery life from now on? I'm getting 2h 32 minutes (estimated) at 85% battery left. Battery's at 99% health according to iStat. I should probably get the thing calibrated

Speaking of which it handled Dashboard without crashing so that's proof enough for me that I needed more memory.

 

Hmm, 2GB should work in the bottom one since it can take up to 4GB of RAM...

 

I have one of the 2.16GHz ones....you know, pre-santa rosa. I think the maximum Apple offered for memory back then was 3GB. But then I don't like to think much about that since I got it working (by putting it in the "upper"/outer slot). By the way, significantly less hard drive whine.