mbp late 2011 max out ram, 32gb

[uMBP17"]

I found this:

Crucial 32GB (2 x 16GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3L 1600 (PC3L 12800) Laptop Memory Model CT2KIT204864BF160B - Newegg.com

Buy Crucial 32GB (2 x 16GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3L 1600 (PC3L 12800) Laptop Memory Model CT2KIT204864BF160B with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!

www.newegg.com

2x16GB ram modules that would fit in my map late 2011.

Question is, if it would work?

In accordance with Intels data sheet it is supported by the CPU:

Intel® Core™ i7-2860QM Processor (8M Cache, up to 3.60 GHz) - Product Specifications | Intel

Intel® Core™ i7-2860QM Processor (8M Cache, up to 3.60 GHz) quick reference with specifications, features, and technologies.

www.intel.com

I know I know, apple claim 8GB is supported, but many of us have 16GB installed without any issues!
I even have 2133MHz CL11, and it works!

Like my Mac Pro 5.1, has 96GB officially supported, but with OCLP it can be tweaked to support up to 256GB!

I was hoping also my map late 2011 could be tweaked to support 32GB of ram, hopefully someone knows, or have tried at least..

The linked ram is CL11 and 1600MHz, so no issues there. Question is what could cap it at 16GB? If at all.. which is my hope!

Have a good evening folks, and thanks in advance!

 

[theMarble]

The cap is 16GB. Mobile Sandy Bridge doesn't have any support for 16GB modules. IIRC 16GB SODIMMs weren't working at all until Ivy Bridge and not without bugs until Haswell/Crystalwell. By that point no MacBook had upgradable memory.

The ThinkPad W520 is a Sandy Bridge laptop that has 4 SODIMM slots, allowing 32GB of RAM.

The best 2011 MBP would be this:
- 2860QM
- 16GB DDR3 (1333MHz is the official max, apparently 1600/1866/2133 work in some cases)
- Dual 1+TB SSDs
- 802.11ac / BT 4.0
- ExpressCard to PCIe x8 or x16 adapter, have a modern GPU like the RX 6600 XT plugged in.
- Monterey or Ventura with OCLP.

Obviously make sure to disable the 6770M.

 

[uMBP17"]

Oh no.. bad news then! :/

And you are completely, 100% sure of this?

I don't know how, but how come the Mac Pro 5.1 can support up to 256GB with some tweaking? It's quite a jump up from 96GB in macOS natively, or 128 in Windows. Are we confident that same is not possible on the map late 2011?

OT, but how did you get snow leopard to install on your 8,1? I tried on the 8,3. But not possible, and I have the original USB..

 

[theMarble]

And you are completely, 100% sure of this?

Wouldn't be saying it otherwise

I don't know how, but how come the Mac Pro 5.1 can support up to 256GB with some tweaking? It's quite a jump up from 96GB in macOS natively, or 128 in Windows. Are we confident that same is not possible on the map late 2011?

The Mac Pro was limited to 128GB simply because 32GB DIMMs didn't exist in 2010. However the Westmere CPUs were designed with larger DIMMs in mind, for example the X5690's max is 288GB (not sure how). OpenCore allows the use of these larger DIMMs. The 8GB per module limitation is simply put the physical maximum that the chip can take, no one thought of future large SODIMM sizes it seems. Not at least till 2012/2013.

OT, but how did you get snow leopard to install on your 8,1? I tried on the 8,3. But not possible, and I have the original USB..

You have to use a 10.6.6 or 10.6.7 recovery image.

The reason normal Snow Leopard discs and images (10.6.5 and lower) don't work is that Sandy Bridge had not been released yet, so Apple had no drivers for it. This changed when the Early 2011 MBPs and the 2011 iMacs came out and shipped with 10.6.6/10.6.7. In the box, recovery discs with these versions were supplied. They have since been uploaded to Internet Archive. Search for "MacBook Pro Install DVD", one of the highest viewed discs is a 10.6.7 recovery disc. That is how I got SL on my 8,1/2011 13".