Upgraded RAM in Mid 2012 Macbook Pro but it's constantly restarting?

[ForeverMacLife]

Hello MacRumors,

Last week I brought my Mid 2012 13" Macbook Pro to NCIX to upgrade the RAM and install a new SSD. I upgraded to a 16gb 1600 MHz Corsair memory kit that was specifically for Apple products. The SSD that was installed was the Samsung 850 EVO 250GB.

The next day my laptop was super fast BUT my Macbook would randomly restart multiple times in one day, and once rebooted, a grey screen would pop up saying "Your computer restarted because of a problem. Press a key or wait a few seconds to continue starting up". This was extremely frustrating because I could be writing a paper and the computer would randomly restart all the time.

I looked online and many suggested they had similar problems with their RAM that caused the issue. Im bringing my Macbook back to NCIX later today to swap out the RAM and SSD for a new one in case they were just a bad batch.

Have any of you had similar issues? Do you think it's because i installed a 16gb RAM instead of the apple recommended 8gb? Or is this a corsair issue? Do you have any recommended RAM brands? OR do you think this is an hardware installing issue?

Any suggestions or tips would be greatly appreciated. Cheers.

 

[Sanpete]

I suppose you have the non-retina model, which is known to accept 16 GB. If it recognizes all 16, it's OK to have 16. Sounds like bad RAM, which isn't that unusual from third party suppliers. Get it replaced as planned and it will probably be fine.

 

[treekram]

I have the same 2012 MBP purchased in late 2015 and it works fine with 16GB (from Crucial). Your problem could be (presuming no software has been installed/changed):
1) Improper/bad RAM
2) Improper installation of either the RAM or SSD
3) HD cable - cables from earlier 2012 MBP's have been known to have problems and people have been able to get it replaced by Apple. In some cases, the cable will work fine with an HD but not a SSD or perhaps handling the cable (it's a thin cable) has caused problems.
4) SSD (least likely)

Based on what kind of problems people have reported with the bad HD cable, it's more likely some RAM issue.

 

[ForeverMacLife]

Thank you for your input! When I brought my MacBook to the Apple Store after to have my os reinstalled I upgraded to OS X sierra from previously having OS X Yosemite. Do you think that could have had an effect?

I have the same 2012 MBP purchased in late 2015 and it works fine with 16GB (from Crucial). Your problem could be (presuming no software has been installed/changed):
1) Improper/bad RAM
2) Improper installation of either the RAM or SSD
3) HD cable - cables from earlier 2012 MBP's have been known to have problems and people have been able to get it replaced by Apple. In some cases, the cable will work fine with an HD but not a SSD or perhaps handling the cable (it's a thin cable) has caused problems.
4) SSD (least likely)

Based on what kind of problems people have reported with the bad HD cable, it's more likely some RAM issue.

 

[Sanpete]

Thank you for your input! When I brought my MacBook to the Apple Store after to have my os reinstalled I upgraded to OS X sierra from previously having OS X Yosemite. Do you think that could have had an effect?

Could have, but the RAM still seems the most likely thing. You'll know when you get it replaced.

 

[happyslayer]

I did the same thing with a 2011 Pro. The first RAM didn't work--lots of rebooting/freezes/Kernel Panics, etc. Though it seemed to work fine in a Windows laptop. I went to Frys Electronics and purchased some different branded RAM - think it was Patriot - and that has worked fine since. I did this about 8 months ago. Definitely replace the RAM. Good Luck!

 

[treekram]

It's very possible that the OS upgrade is causing the issue. Not Sierra necessarily, but software that you have that no longer works well with Sierra. You mentioned that the restart happens with the word-processing/text-editor software. Check to make sure the version you have is compatible with Sierra. You can also try going into Safe Mode and see how that works.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201262

 

[MH01]

Try.

1. Put the old ram back in, does the problem, go away?
2. With the new ram, put in one stick at the time, to see if it's just one module that has issues.

Sounds like a simple case of the ram not being compatible or one faulty module. I always recommend crucial ram, never had an issue

 

[raheelkhan]

I had very similar issues as you're describing when I upgraded the hard drive and RAM in my mid-2012 MacBook Pro. It eventually got so bad that when upgrading the OS, it failed and I was unable to restore or recover anything. I couldn't even go back to the old OS.

Anyhow, I took it to the Apple Store. Told them about the issues I was experiencing, particularly after the upgrade. They mentioned there was some sort of recall or free replacement on the cable that connects the hard drive to the rest of the computer because they were known to go bad on this particular MacBook model. So after they replaced that they were able to get me up and running on Sierra and I have not had any problems since. This was several months ago.

They didn't make a fuss about the fact I had replaced parts. So maybe it's worth a shot to have the Apple Store check it out.

 

[ZapNZs]

I agree that it is more likely a RAM problem. The Apple Hardware Test and a 3rd party App like Rember will test the RAM. However, if you call Corsiar and describe the problem, I imagine they would send you out a replacement promptly. My own experience is more with Crucial RAM, but Corsiar has a good reputation.

It is also possible there was an issue with the installation of the OS, or an issue with the SSD. I think this is less likely. It is even possible this is a hardware issue NOT related to the RAM or SSD, but I think this is even less likely.

Here is the hardware test: (it tests for a wide range of issues)
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201257

Just out of curiosity...

• What voltage is written on the sticker attached to the RAM?
• Further, you noted that they installed the RAM...did you verify that both DIMMs were securely clicked into place? On your model, it is possible to insert them partially and be under the impression the DIMMs were fully inserted when they were not.
• Finally, did you verify the SSD SATA cable was also securely in place?