Single 8GB ram instead of 2x 4GB ram in macbook pro Mid 2010!

[Mojix]

i have a macbook pro 15", bought mid 2010, with 2x 4gb ram "PC3-8500 1066 1067 MHz SODIMM"
after testing, i realized that top ram slot has gone bad.
can i use single 8GB ram instead of 4GB ram?

My MacBook Pro detail is
Intro. April 13, 2010 Disc. February 24, 2011
Order MC373LL/A* Model A1286 (EMC 2353*)
Family Mid-2010 15" ID MacBookPro6,2

 

[Euroamerican]

The 13 inch MBPs from that year can use 8-gb sticks, but apparently not the 15 inch models.

 

[darkmatter343]

can i use single 8GB ram instead of 4GB ram?

I'm assuming you have at some point, but check to see if there is a firmware update for your Macbook that maybe resolves running 8gb sticks. Out of curiosity, have you tried other known good ram sticks in the defective slot just to verify it is bad? You can also *very carefully*, make the tip of a cotton q-tip into a flat shape, drown it in Isopropyl Alcohol, and try to wipe the defective ram slot pins, again... being very careful as those pins are fragile. Good luck.

 

[jwastrel]

Hey all,

FYI, I tested this. TL;DR? It won't work.

So, I have a 2010 Macbook Pro 6,2 15", A1286. Its the bottom RAM slot on mine that's gone bad, so I ordered 1 stick of Timetec 8GB DDR3 PC3-8500 1067MHz /1066MHz, thinking that it would work being at the 8GB limit for that model.

I installed the single 8GB stick, and the Mac booted up. About this Mac showed 8GB of RAM in one slot. So far so good....

Then... the crashes started. The machine would only stay up for less than 5 minutes before restarting. Crash report was showing a CPU panic. Restarted it, and it crashed again. Tried reseating the ram, still crashed after a few minutes of operation.

I thought maybe the RAM was bad, so I tried it in a 2010 Macbook Pro 7,1 13", A1278. (core2 duo). This time, the system was stable, so I've left that 8GB stick that machine. Now running with only 4GB in the 15", and 12GB in the 13".

The 15" Macbook pro is still faster, even with only 4GB. I think the core 2 duo is just a bit more sluggish than an i7.

So, a 4GB stick is the max size for a 15" 2010 Macbook Pro, as per the OWC & Everymac sites

OWC MaxRAM Memory Certification - Max out your Mac RAM

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Actual Maximum RAM of All MacBook Pro Models - Macs By Capability: EveryMac.com

The actual maximum RAM for each Apple MacBook Pro with complete specs a click away. Includes memory info, motherboard RAM, RAM slots, identifiers and more.

everymac.com

Next step is to try to figure out how to get that bottom slot working again...