MacBook 2Ghz, 512RAM - Time to Upgrade!

[XP Defector]

I need to keep an eye on my expenditure, so I'm going for the 1Gb option rather than the 2Gb. I was just wondering if I could use a 1Gb card with a the supplied 256Mb which was shipped by Apple with the MacBook?

 

[Comawhite]

I need to keep an eye on my expenditure, so I'm going for the 1Gb option rather than the 2Gb. I was just wondering if I could use a 1Gb card with a the supplied 256Mb which was shipped by Apple with the MacBook?

The answer is:

It is possible, but it will not give the best results!

 

[XP Defector]

How about just removing the 2 x 256 and inserting a single 1 GIG stick?

 

[acoustics940]

Yea you can no big deal it will work fine

 

[WillMak]

yes 1.25 GB will perform just fine.

 

[XP Defector]

Thanks guys!

EDIT, just ordered a 1Gb - will the difference be drastic?

 

[jasylonian]

when i was buying RAM, i was told that the core duo chips function best when the chips are paired up. for example, 2x256, 2x512, etc. of course, i could just be silly.

 

[phungy]

when i was buying RAM, i was told that the core duo chips function best when the chips are paired up. for example, 2x256, 2x512, etc. of course, i could just be silly.

You're right, it is recommended to have matching pairs but a few run unmatched MB of RAM and seems like it works fine.

 

[XP Defector]

Yeah, hopefully it is only a temporary fix untill I can install another 1Gb stick. Then I'll be flying

Anyone running 1.25Gb RAM care to comment on performance?

 

[dynetk]

1.25GB should work fine. Only thing is you're running in single channel. If you have a matched pair you have dual channel meaning 2x the memory bandwidth. Remember that with the Macbook the graphics chip shares your memory bandwidth with your CPU. A single memory stick or two that do not match will only run in single channel. Since you already bought it you should run at 1.25GB. I doubt you'll notice a decrease in performance since the increase in memory from 512MB to 1.25GB should more than make up for it. Single channel memory is still much faster than a hard drive.

 

[XP Defector]

1.25GB should work fine. Only thing is you're running in single channel. If you have a matched pair you have dual channel meaning 2x the memory bandwidth. Remember that with the Macbook the graphics chip shares your memory bandwidth with your CPU. A single memory stick or two that do not match will only run in single channel. Since you already bought it you should run at 1.25GB. I doubt you'll notice a decrease in performance since the increase in memory from 512MB to 1.25GB should more than make up for it. Single channel memory is still much faster than a hard drive.

Thanks for the response. I never realised matched pairs made that much difference - I assume I should upgrade the 256Mb to a 1Gb card as soon as is possible?

 

[Teh Don Ditty]

Thanks for the response. I never realised matched pairs made that much difference - I assume I should upgrade the 256Mb to a 1Gb card as soon as is possible?

If you're going for matching pairs it should be like this:

2x256MB - 512MB (which you have now)
2x512MB - 1GB
2x1GB - 2GB (Maxed)

I don't know what you spending limit is, but I picked up 2x1GB sticks from Newegg for around $250 shipped. I know OWC sells memory but I don't know if it's any cheaper or not. Hope that helps.

300th Post.

 

[gollum]

I just picked up 2 x 1gb sticks of G.Skill for $142 from Newegg for 2 GHZ MB, it is coming down !!! Big difference in performance from the 2 x 512 mb that came with it.

 

[taylorwilsdon]

For the love of god, the matched sticks have no effect. OSX DOES NOT UTILIZE DUAL CHANNEL RAM. You have to buy a PC to enjoy that

You people need to stop talking out of your ass. You don't take a performance hit going from 1gb to 1.25gb just because the sticks aren't matched.

 

[phungy]

For the love of god, the matched sticks have no effect. OSX DOES NOT UTILIZE DUAL CHANNEL RAM. You have to buy a PC to enjoy that

You people need to stop talking out of your ass. You don't take a performance hit going from 1gb to 1.25gb just because the sticks aren't matched.

Apparently you didn't read anything that was posted after your comment on this thread.

Anyways, you should be the one who needs to stop talking like you know it all.

See below:

What are you on about?
http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/MacBookPro_17inch_TechOverview.pdf
"For a performance improvement when working with large files, two easy-access slots allow you to upgrade your MacBook Pro with up to 2GB of memory. And if both slots are loaded with an equal amount of RAM, you can take advantage of the system’s dual-channel memory architecture for an additional performance boost. With a dualchannel memory interface, both banks of SDRAM can be addressed at the same time, achieving memory throughput of up to 10.7 GBps."

 

[taylorwilsdon]

Apparently you didn't read anything that was posted after your comment on this thread.

Anyways, you should be the one who needs to stop talking like you know it all.

See below:

Wow, quoting off the Apple manual - way to go. The motherboard architecture utilizes 128bit memory bandwidth, which is at a higher throughput then 64bit (aka single channel). However, OSX does not see any benefit from the 128bit throughput due to the manner in which it was originally programmed (when G4's were using ddr 133)

You don't know what you're talking about and think you're a genius for quoting Apple's website. Why don't you see if you actually know what you're talking about before trying to act like a big boy.

 

[iW00t]

Apparently you didn't read anything that was posted after your comment on this thread.

Anyways, you should be the one who needs to stop talking like you know it all.

See below:

And CanadaRAM is authoritative

Not saying that he isn't, but some of his posts about guaranteed Mac compatibility and other similar posts, well, to put it in a non offensive manner lets just put it this way. He sells ram for Macs, he is putting his money where his mouth is.

Dual channel configuration is not significant. At worse it is like 5%. Barely significant. And no that is not a figure I am pulling out my ass, you can go to Anandtech or tons of PC performance benchmarking sites and see how systems perform with dual channel and without.

Sometimes they don't even make a difference.

 

[acoustics940]

Remember your computer knows that you are using a stick of offbrand ram and a stick of apple ram it can read the labels!!! That means it will blow into smithereens!!!!!!!

 

[phungy]

You are a tool. Seriously, quoting off the Apple manual - way to go. The motherboard architecture utilizes 128bit memory bandwidth, which is at a higher throughput then 64bit (aka single channel). However, OSX does not see any benefit from the 128bit throughput due to the manner in which it was originally programmed (when G4's were using ddr 133)

You have no idea what the **** you're talking about and think you're a genius for quoting Apple's website. Why don't you see if you actually know what you're talking about before trying to act like a big boy.

Dual channel DOES have an effect but not significant to notice any gains in performance. You stated no effect. I said it was recommended, not required.

I don't need to stoop down to your level with the name calling

EDIT:
Barefeats

BareFeats tested a Mac mini 1.66 Core Duo (which has the same motherboard and GPU as the MacBook) using matched and unmatched pairs of memory. (2 x 1GB vs 1GB + stock 256MB).

Summary:

"The Intel mini seemed only slightly affected by unmatched memory pairs until we ran Quake 3. In that test, matching memory was 51% faster. We recommend matching memory of either two 512MB modules or two 1GB modules. Just booting up the mini and doing nothing else consumes 270MB, so two 256MB modules just doesn't cut it."

So unless you plan to play 3D-intensive games, unmatched memory will have a negligible effect on everyday tasks.

Also from Macworld

Why does Apple only sell MacBooks with RAM in pairs that use up both RAM slots? The MacBook Pro ships with one RAM module instead of two.
Like the other Intel-based Macs, the MacBook uses dual-channel memory. Although you can put RAM in just one slot, when installed in matched pairs, the RAM can achieve its maximum throughput. According to Apple, you probably wouldn’t notice much of a difference on the MacBook Pro, which has a discrete graphics card. But on the MacBook, which shares up to 80MB of its main memory with the onboard graphics system, the extra speed you pick up by interleaving two separate RAM modules is vital.

So again, there is a difference but not noticeable for everyday use. Though you may not see a difference in your MBP, MB owners may notice a difference if they play 3-D intensive games due to the GPU.

 

[netdog]

2x1GB=Sweetness

 

[kimnkk]

I just ordered 2GB from Fry's and i will do some benchmarks (as well as test it extensively in real world usage) on my Macbook between 1.5GB and 2GB dual channel.

I'm hoping not to notice any difference, because then i can use 1.5GB and have 1.5GB in my Dell 9300 as well.