What are ALL THE POSSIBLE ways of pairing Ram in Quad Mac Pro 2010!?

[NicoCollu]

Hello,

I keep reading of the preferred way of doing ram match ups and I understand that trio's is the most optimal but I want to know something else entirely...

The numbers I will post now are random for this post.

Can I do 3x2gb and 1x8gb?
Will it even work? If so, will the performance drop? How much?

I know you can do 2x2gb and 2x4gb for example, how much does performance drop from doing a trio?

Is it possible to do a 2x2gb and 1x8gb and leave 1 slot open?

These are questions I simply can't find anywhere although I find lots of, "The best way to..." posts.

Let me know if you have the answers!

I'm sure it could benefit a lot of people!

/ Nico Collu

 

[IowaLynn]

First think to answer: where do you want to go or get to?
Is cost a deciding factor?
What use do you expect to do?

3x8GB is often the "sweet spot" for some configurations, so if you cannot, then doing 1x8GB might make sense.

What you have now matters.
I would not buy 4GB DIMMs unless you will NEVER need more than 16GB or would be unable to buy 8GB DIMMs.

High density in the lower number slots, and match slot 3&4 when possible.

The memory slot utility should come up and tell you when wrongly configured (but still bootable).

Also, How to install memory tech support article.
http://www.apple.com/support/macpro

 

[NicoCollu]

First think to answer: where do you want to go or get to?
Is cost a deciding factor?
What use do you expect to do?

3x8GB is often the "sweet spot" for some configurations, so if you cannot, then doing 1x8GB might make sense.

What you have now matters.
I would not buy 4GB DIMMs unless you will NEVER need more than 16GB or would be unable to buy 8GB DIMMs.

High density in the lower number slots, and match slot 3&4 when possible.

The memory slot utility should come up and tell you when wrongly configured (but still bootable).

Also, How to install memory tech support article.
http://www.apple.com/support/macpro

It's not necessary to know the goal I want to achieve.

My necessity is to know what is possible.

Can you do 2xwhatever_gb and 1xwhatever_gb or will it not work?
Same goes with 3xwhatever_gb and 1xwhatever_gb?

Thanks for your answer though.

 

[xcodeSyn]

Can I do 3x2gb and 1x8gb?
Will it even work? If so, will the performance drop? How much?

I know you can do 2x2gb and 2x4gb for example, how much does performance drop from doing a trio?

Is it possible to do a 2x2gb and 1x8gb and leave 1 slot open?

These are questions I simply can't find anywhere although I find lots of, "The best way to..." posts.

Let me know if you have the answers!

If you really want to find out the answers of your "random" questions, you should read the "Memory Configuration" section on Page 22 of "2010 Mac Pro Technician Guide" which you can find by doing a Google search, and use your basic reasoning ability to arrive your own conclusion.

Single-Processor Configuration

A quad-core or 6-core Mac Pro (Mid 2010) has one processor and four memory slots. You can install 1 GB, 2 GB, or 4 GB DIMMs for a total of up to 16 GB of memory.You can install different size DIMMs in Mac Pro (Mid 2010). However, for best performance, Apple recommends you install equal-size DIMMs (all 1 GB, all 2 GB, or all 4 GB) filling the slots in the order listed in this table. Note that you cannot place a DIMM in slot 4, without first placing a DIMM in slot 3.

Added: Back then 8GB memory modules weren't available yet, that's why they weren't mentioned.

 

[NicoCollu]

If you really want to find out the answers of your "random" questions, you should read the "Memory Configuration" section on Page 22 of "2010 Mac Pro Technician Guide" which you can find by doing a Google search, and use your basic reasoning ability to arrive your own conclusion.



Added: Back then 8GB memory modules weren't available yet, that's why they weren't mentioned.

Great stuff and thank you.
I found the .pdf and read it too!

Basically I can do what I want and it should work, that's great for me to know.

I will try searching to find tests including different situations.

In the end I think I will bend to peer pressure and get 2x8gb.