So does my MBP support 8 GB ram?

I have the very first unibody Macbook Pro 2.53 ghz, version 5,1 with bootrom
MBP51.007E.B05.

I've searched online about this issue and it seems that it is officially limited to 4GB, but unofficially it can support 6 GB.

I haven't been able to find any information on whether a recent firmware update has solved the issue, however.

Does anyone know if 8 GB will now work?

 

See this discussion in the Apple Discussion Forums

 

I have read that discussion but I'm just wondering if there have been any recent developments that may enable 8 gb usage. That discussion was from 2009.

Seems to me that 8 GB wont work though. Too bad so sad. I guess 6 will do.

 

If there haven't been developments its because there are none. If you require more ram then it would be recommended to upgrade to a machine that will handle more ram.

 

I doubt that Apple would update the firmware on an older machine to support more RAM (that would be bad for business for them). Considering that even the 2011 models only support 8GB RAM, when there are laptops out there that will do 12GB and 16GB, I'd say it's a limitation that was imposed by Apple and probably won't change. Having said that, I too wish they would raise the limit on the amount of RAM supported.

 

some will do 24 and 32 as well, mostly gaming units and workstations

 

I would recommend downloading MacTracker which is a great application!

With your particular model it will only expand up to 6.0GB worth of RAM. So if you put in 8gb it will only recognize 6gb, even if apple says 4.

As for firmware updates, never gonna happen from apple I am afraid.

 

Actually, much of it has to do with the processor. There was another similar discussion. The RAM limitations we are seeing in the current MacBook Pros all come from the Intel processors. The 2.3GHz Core i7 2820QM can only address 8GB of DDR3 RAM. That is a limitation of the actual processor (maybe chipset, I am not sure on the technicalities) that was either set in place by Intel or has to do with the design. I have heard some stories (just today) of manufacturers using slower DDR3 RAM so that the processor can use more than 8GB but those were just stories, nothing concrete.

Either way, there doesn't appear to be anything Apple could have done to increase the amount of RAM the hardware would actually work with. The new Sandy Bridge notebooks processors (except the Core i7 Extrme, I haven't read the specs on that) can only work with 8GB of RAM.

 

+1 kornchild2002
Interesting...wasn't aware that the mobile i7's were limited by the Sandy Bridge arch. Good to know!

 

< DROOL >

< / DROOL >

 

Alienware M17x Laptop Details | Dell

Running the same processor, and you can buy it with 16gb of RAM. Plus from reports they are saying it will hand 24gb of ram.

 

very intetesting I have a NON SB based laptop runing 32GB and there are forum members with SB based clevos with 16

 

Yeah I will be interested when MacTracker updates to see what can be put in. But its definitely not the processor thats holding it back

 

The information I recieved was from Intel's official website. Now, it did not specify if it was the actual processor or the chipset but, since I was looking at the processor page, I am guessing it is that. So how could others have more RAM yet Intel specifically stating a maximum amount the processor could handle? Then again, as I said, they could be using slower RAM so that the processor could access more. Intel's site states that the max RAM capacity is all dependent on the type of RAM being used.

I am not doubting you, I am just trying to figure out how people/companies can use more RAM when Intel's literature specifically states an 8GB limit.

 

yeah the 1333mhz can do more, but the 1600mhz can do half of what 1333 can which is what apple provides

 

See this article (text pasted below) quoted @ 9to5mac.com last week, which discusses 8GB capabilities on early aluminum MB/MBPs. The option for 8GB is apparently confirmed, but was not otherwise advertised by Apple.

That means if you want to add 8GB of RAM, and you have one of the affected models, you can upgrade your computer to 8GB of RAM.

* MacBook 13.3″ 2.0GHz and 2.4GHz
* MacBook Pro 15″ 2.4GHz (All)
* MacBook Pro 15″ 2.53GHz model w/ExpressCard Slot (Late 2008)
* MacBook Pro 15″ 2.8GHz model w/ExpressCard Slot (Late 2008)

Here’s how: check the Boot ROM Version in your System Profiler.

* MacBook Pros with a Model ID of MacBookPro5,1 should have a Boot ROM Version of MBP51.007E.B05.
* MacBooks with a Model ID of MacBook5,1 should have a Boot ROM version of MB51.007D.B03
* Machines with other Model IDs are not affected and don’t need an update.

If your Boot ROM version does not match the numbers above, download the appropriate firmware updater for your model machine and install according to the instructions:

* For MacBook Pros (MacBookPro5,1)
MacBook Pro EFI Firmware Update 1.8
* For MacBooks (MacBook5,1)
MacBook EFI Firmware Update 1.4

This is a pretty incredible find, we’re not so sure why it wasn’t made public earlier. Oh and here’s 8GB of RAM for $90 which may help out a few of you this morning.

 

I have a late 2008 Macbook Pro 15" with a 2.53ghz Core 2 Duo ... geforce 9400/9600 combo, and it runs just fine when I put 8gb in the machine. This was the first unibody model... so I'm not sure what model your using really.

i never ran it very long with 8gb, but it reported back 8gb... I was just testing some memory and put it in there, no idea it couldn't support 8gb officially. It never acted like there was an issue.

 

Theres a difference from running it and utilizing it.

If you goto the apple and "About this Mac" and "More information" it will say that you have it installed at 8gb.

However when you go into Activity monitor, it will only be running 6GBs.

 

I heard that when you started using more than 6GB's, the Macbook would start acting buggy and freeze up?

 

Ok I installed 8GB of memory into my 5.1 MBP 2.53 from late 2008 (the first revision). I have Snow Leopard running.

I downloaded memtest and it has been running for half an hour now and in my activity monitor it says 7.98GB are being used. Everything is working as I write this...Safari, itunes, word, everything seems to be normal.

Is this a good sign that all 8Gb are working properly?

How long should I keep this memtest running?

I have heard people say that once you exceed 6GB, the computer will crash but, right now everything is being used and it seems to be working fine...

Am I missing something?

If there are any other tests you guys would recommend let me know.

 

16GB in the 2011's confirmed.

http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost.php?p=12130609&postcount=6

 

LOL... thats not a confirmation. The machine can always recognize the sticks that you put in, but that doesn't mean it will utilize that RAM. The only place you can see if it will run is in the Activity monitor, not in "about this mac". That only tells you what the hardware has in it.

 

alright, I'll ask for a new screenshot.

 

Excellent! Just make sure its from the "Activity Monitor" Application.

 

good enough?

 

Nice thank you for the update!

 

seems like cause for a new thread. I think I'll make one. this information can be lost in this thread.