Matched pairs of ram in Macbooks: any advantage?

Winston · Post by **Winston** » Thu Feb 07, 2008 6:12 pm

Or is it a myth that matched ram is better (besides the size increase)?

The macbook pro I have only handles 3gb. Though I've heard 3.0 and 3.2, not sure which. So of course it makes sense to upgrade only one of my 1gb sticks to a 2gb stick.

But I've that it's better to have two sticks of the same size. Ie. having 2 2gb sticks is better than one 2gb stick and one 1gb stick, even though it's still only using 3gb. I'm not sure if I believe it or if it's hype from apple to buy more ram.

Any thoughts?

kaffein · Post by **kaffein** » Thu Feb 07, 2008 7:44 pm

I'm not sure if any macbooks support dual channel mode, but if you have a matched dual channel pair of memory in a PC you gain around a 15-20% increase in ram performance.

In a mac you should use ram that is mac compatible because they are very picky machines, and it's also best to use the exact same so-dimm to make sure there are no conflicts.

bathyscaaf · Post by **bathyscaaf** » Thu Feb 07, 2008 8:04 pm

I don't remember the specifics, but you can google it to find out. Yes, it makes a difference.

BTW, do not buy Apple RAM. Try http://www.mushkin.com. The prices are much, much better and their RAM is very high quality. Cheaper and better than Apple.

Kingston RAM is even cheaper but is reliable.
-glenn

bgc · Post by **bgc** » Thu Feb 07, 2008 8:10 pm

Sorry, can't remember the exact article, but I seem to remember reading that this is more advantageous with the Macbooks(probably Mac Mini and iMac that use the chipset) and the shared video. Something about accessing RAM in dual channel mode increased performance on the integrated chipset, but didn't offer the same performance gains when on a chipset with dedicated video and RAM.

http://lowendmac.com/musings/07/0525.html
http://guides.macrumors.com/Matched_RAM_on_Intel_Macs

check it out...

udp · Post by **udp** » Thu Feb 07, 2008 8:18 pm

You'll gain the same 15-20% boost with a match pair in your MacBook Pro. It's hard to know if having 3GB of Ram unmatched is better than 2gigs matched. I don't know, but it seems that unless you're doing some scientific program, there would be a point where matched pairs are a greater advantage than more Ram. Perhaps someone else has a more definitive answer.

hacktheplanet · Post by **hacktheplanet** » Thu Feb 07, 2008 8:21 pm

Apple (and lots of computer blogs) say that it's better to install matched pairs for some reason. You must have the 2006 MBP, as your limit is 3gb. A pair of 2gb chips will physically fit into the machine, but your computer will only recognize 3gb. There are also a few websites about this. Speed dorks will used a matched pair of RAM to squeeze out that extra performance, but I personally think the difference would be negligible. On the other hand, if you ever decide to upgrade, you'll already have the RAM for your next MBP...

If I were you, I'd go ahead with 3gb and spend the $60 I saved on beer. I've heard that it's better to install the larger chip in slot 0, because the computer has more initial RAM to work with and will less frequently have to transfer more stuff to the next chip. Make sure your RAM has identical specs though (the speed, timing, etc.). I would even go so far as to attempt to get the same manufacturer and the same chipset, but that's probably just my OCD inner nerd coming out.

I get all my computer stuff from http://www.newegg.com. Their prices fluctuate a lot (usually for the better) and their customer service and shipping times are awesome.