Upgrade - What kind of RAM can we install ?

Hi everybody,

i've recently bought a macbook, and want to add 1go of Ram 667Mhz to speed it up.
I went to the store today, but i didn't buy the memory because the seller made me doubt about the installation.
He said that the ram bought may not work on the macbook because of the brand or the frequency.

But it doesn't matter does it ? i wanna buy a ram from the brand elpida because it's the cheapest, but is there any difference if buy this brand or corsair or another brand ?

 

You are better off sticking to either Kingston, Crucial or Corsair brand memory, IMHO.

 

There is a bit of difference between the brand you have mentioned, and other ones such as Corsair and Kingston. These are reputuble and very good manufacturers of RAM and will almost certainly work in most computers. Other, cheaper brands may not work, because of compatibility differences. Hope this helps.

 

A lot of MB and MBP users have been using G.Skill with great results.

I would avoid crucial as I've had 2/3 of the sticks of ram I've bought from them go bad.

 

ok, so i won't buy the "elpida" ram, i don't even know this brand, i was a little scared to buy this brand.

I have the choice between, Corsair, Kingston, Transcend and G.Skill. Which one do you advise ?
For me, Corsair is very famous for their Ram
kingston and transcend for their media card
and i don't know a thing about g.skill - hollownail talked about it

should i stick with corsair ?

 

Corsair, Kingston and G.Skill are all very good brands. Doesn't really matter which one you go with, they should all be compatible, and work okay. If you must make a decision, then go with the lowest priced.

 

i think i will either buy corsair or g.skill.
i don't really know which one but the price is the same
but G.skill looks better, on their site is written :
"Model Name : F2-5300PHU1-1GBMB (1GB x 1) / Apple MacBook and MacBook Pro Compliant"

so it may work very well as hollownail said
what do you think ? do you know which ram's brand apple is using ? (my macbook is turned on, i can no check it right now... lol)

 

Apple uses Hynix Ram. I dunno...
A friend of mine swears buy Apples direct ram. I laugh at him... Cause he's spending 2x as much by getting it from apple.

check newegg, tons of customer reviews on g. skill ram.

 

Does anyone know what is different about the Apple specifications for RAM? I thought all RAM is supposed to conform to JEDEC specifications and SODIMMs usually just stick to that since there isn't as much an incentive to provide say overclocked mobile memory with low timings. Maybe, Apple's looking for lower operating currents? Can has anyone look in their MBP to find the exact model number of RAM that Apple uses. I know that Hynix offers special low power DDR2 SODIMMs so it's possible that Apple is using those rather than regular memory. The difference is probably very small, but it'd be nice to have.

It's slightly off topic, but what's Apple's policy regarding warranty repairs after third-party upgrades. Like if we were to say put in a 2nd SODIMM on our own should we take it back out before giving it to Apple (ie. are they likely to disappear it?). What about something like an upgraded HDD that is harder to take out beforel servicing?

 

You cannot do a self upgrade of a HDD in a MBP. It will void the warranty (and i'ts a ***** to get at).
You would want to take the ram out before you send it. I'm sure you would hate them to return it with the amount you originally received the notebook with. That would be of course, if they replaced the logic board. They may not notice the additional ram.
The 512 stick thats in the MBP is the hynix 2rx16 pc-5300s-555-12
hymp564s64bp6-y5 ab 0635

 

BTW, looking at Hynix's site... it looks like their modules are used and sold to OEM's mainly. I wonder if their stuff is sold to other companies and rebranded.

 

So we can't self-upgrade the HDD. That's good to know. I suppose the RAM is the only thing we're allowed to upgrade then without voiding the warranty?

That Hynix is just the regular model. I guess Apple spec is just that it's been tested on Mac rather than a special higher standard.

I was thinking about the possibility of trying to hunt down some special low power SODIMMs and trading in the existing module, but then it might not be worth it if it ever needs to be serviced and since I wouldn't have the original module to put back.

EDIT: I think Hynix makes their own DDR2 chips which are put together by other manufacturers and Hynix also makes their own modules for OEMs. It's interesting that the current levels for Hynix memory even their low power model seem higher than other manufacturers. Samsung low power memory seems very efficient, but personally I prefer Qimonda (formerly Infineon) whose regular memory is similar to Samsung's low power modules.

 

I would go G. Skill for the OP. Corsair can be hit or miss Apples from what I hear. Many users hear have had good success with G. Skill. I use Mushkin which has also worked great.

 

"we" being?
The Macbook has user-installable/replaceable hard drive and ram modules.
The Macbook Pro has user-installable/replaceable ram modules.

So basically, yes, depending on which you have, those are the only things you can fiddle with on the inside of the computer without voiding the warranty.

 

so what is the kind of ram it needs (not brand name) # of pins, speed, ddr (in matched pairs?) etc. i did a google search and the mbp core 2 duo is not in any of the memory configurators that i tried

 

You need DDR2-667 (PC-5300) SDRAM in 200-pin SODIMM packaging, the same type as what most PC notebooks come with.

As for brands, the brand of the chips is just as important as the memory module brand. Brands like Hynix, Elpida, Samsung, Winbond etc. refer to the DRAM chip brands - Corsair, Kingston or whatever memory module brand you use will likely use those types of chips. Crucial is different as they're Micron's direct seller.