RAM upgrade for Macbook

I was wondering what to look for in a RAM upgrade for my macbook? i already read powerpack's guide but unfortunately most of it went over my head ,even after rerereading it. i have a black 2.4 ghz, 250gb hd, 2 gb ram macbook and i want to install 2 more gb so its the same as if i would have bought a 4 gb ram macbook($180+) for less than half the price. So i was wondering what brands and what info im looking for? ive seen the videos they seem easy enough or i can just go to circuitcity and theyll do it for $30. i also have been searching newegg.com and they seem to have greta deals. thanks for the advice!

 

You want to look for something like: 4GB (2 x 2GB) 200-Pin DDR2 SO-DIMM DDR2 667.
Have a look at this one.

The 200-Pin SO-DIMM is the difference between desktop and notebook RAM (desktop RAM is 240-pin I believe).

Installing it is easy, I wouldn't waste any money for someone else to do it.

 

Anything that is DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) will work in the macbook.

I would go with

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231135

or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231154

The 2nd one is $10 more because it has a lower CAS Latency, which means it's just a tiny bit faster (probably not noticable, but I'm pretty OCD and would go with the faster one lol)

Installation is pretty simple, you should just do it yourself, you will learn a thing or two.

 

Anything on this page should work fine just get 2. The GSkill at the bottom has a CL4 vs CL5 of the rest. Link. Brand does not matter get lifetime warranty. You don't need to buy as kit if it costs more not worth it.

 

alrite thanks for the help. but can you help clarify some of the lingo for me? 200-Pin DDR2 SO-DIMM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300)? Or just other lingo commonly associated with ram.

 

DDR2 SODIMM PC 5300 says it all. It is not the only way to say it but it has all the info. DDR2 says the type, SmallOutlineDualIn-lineMemoryModule (SO says 200pin, PC5300 says peak transfer is 5336MB/s (PC5300) tells you 667Mhz because 667X8bits (per transfer)=5336. Simple huh? If you say 667Mhz you don't need to mention PC5300, if you say 200pin you don't need to say SODIMM. If you say PC4200 or PC5300 you don't have to say DDR2 because only DDR2 is at that speed. PC6400 can be DDR2 or DDR3 so you must define.

 

Here's a brief summary of what the lingo means. Have a look at wikipedia for more information.

SO-DIMM stands for Small Outline Dual In-line Memory Module. They are smaller than DIMM memory and therefor used in smaller electronics like notebooks (whereas DIMM memory is used in desktop computers).
200-pin and 240-pin goes with SO-DIMM and DIMM, respectively. (As in 200-pin RAM is SO-DIMM (for notebooks) and 240-pin is DIMM (for desktop)).

DDR2 is Double- Data- Rate Two. It's the RAM technology used today.

The 667 (PC2 5300) is the memory speed (in MHz). the 5300 comes from 667X8bits = 5336 per transfer. Which you will see rounded to either 5300 or 5400.

 

okay got it. the only thing is i was looking at the rams you recommended cmerits and dont i want 2x1gb rather than 2x2gb since the macbook comes with 2gb already? or is there just two slots so i have to take out the 2x1gbs already in there and put in 2x2gbs?

 

Yeah that should work fine and give you a good performance increase.
You should notice it, depending it on what you use your computer for you might see a huge increase.

 

I thought there were some stringent requirements on timings and stuff for Macs and RAM. Like they won't POST if it doesn't perfectly match spec.

 

no ive heard they pretty much work fine as long as you check prior on the compatibility. the only thing is i was looking at the rams you recommended cmerits and dont i want 2x1gb rather than 2x2gb since the macbook comes with 2gb already? or is there just two slots so i have to take out the 2x1gbs already in there and put in 2x2gbs?

 

It more than likely comes with 2x1GB sticks already. So you will need to remove the two current 1GB sticks and replace them with two 2GB sticks.
If you're lucky you might just have one 2GB stick, so you'd just need to buy an additional 2GB stick, though I doubt it.
You might want to check what your computer has before buying the RAM. I'm not familiar with macs so I don't know.

Here's a website that contains some information on RAM upgrades for the RAM, might be worth a look: Understanding Intel Mac RAM

fgari36, can your mac even support the full 4GB or will it only see about 3.3GB?

 

i havent bought it yet i get it in a week, it says "1GB (two 512MB SO-DIMMs) or 2GB (two 1GB SO-DIMMs) of 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM; two SO-DIMM slots support up to 4GB" so i have to buy 2x2gb ram.

 

i also wanted to know if it would negatively affect my comp at all if the second i got home from purchasing my macbook that i switched the 4gb in for the 2gbs then turned on my comp for the first time?

 

As long as the RAM is good and the system is solid, the thing should fire up fine.

 

Nope, that won't matter. The computer will recognize the new RAM on startup and work with it. No negative effects on it at all.
You do want to check the RAM to make sure it's not damaged. There's a topic about this called Testing your RAM with Memtest86+. Like everything else for PCs I doubt it will work on Macs. That's okay, a did a quick search and found the following information on this site:

But thankfully the website also suggests other programs to test your RAM on a Mac. So check them out:
Memtest
Rember
(I'd recommend using Memtest)

 

alright is there anyother way to do this tho because memtest cost $, but i guess remember could work, thanks.

 

Yeah but it's only 1.39$. I wouldn'y worry too much about it.
You can use Remember if you really don't want to ditch out the 1.39$. Remember has a few cons though:

But it's up to you. Or there might be other programs out there if you search for them.

 

alright your right $1.39 is nothing when buying a $1600 comp and $85 ram sticks. im just trying to hold onto my last few pennies lol. ill download it now. thanks fro all the help guys i appreciate it!

 

$85 ram sticks? I think you need to shop around.

I picked up two 2gb sticks of Muskin ram for my Mackbook (one specifically rated for a Mac, the other not), for $45 each.

 

I think he meant $85 for both.

 

i meant for both. i have one last question, i have a ipod which bought 2 years ago but its in great shape so im going to sell the 16gb ipod touch. i was going to buy a $85 2x2gb ram upgrade instead of going with apple's $180 for the same upgrade. how do these two compare? since i have the extra coin is it worth just going with the apple ram upgrade? i dont want to use the extra $ to go to a macbook pro because i honestly just dont like it. if i were to go with doing it myself it would save money but be more work and i would have 2x1gb ram sticks sitting useless. heres the two stats:
upgrade from apple: 4GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM - 2x2GB
upgrade from myself: ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...E16820231154): G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 200-Pin DDR2 SO-DIMM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300)

 

No, the apple ram isn't any better.

 

No it is not worth going to Apple for the upgrade. It's a complete waste of money for nothing. You're saving yourself 95$ if you do it yourself and it's really not that much work.
RAM is possibly the easiest and quickest thing to upgrade in a computer. The hardest part is honestly opening up the computer (and it's not hard).
It's honestly not that much work, 10 minutes of your time to save 95$. That's like getting paid 9.50$/minute of work, not bad at all!
There is no real difference between the RAM apple would put in your notebook and the one you're going to buy. Both are 4GB, same speed, might be different brand but that doesn't matter at all.

You can also try to sell the 2x1GB RAM you have left over, make a little more money out of it.

 

okay scratch that lol, you guys are completely right....once again.