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    Newbie question: 1600 Mhz ram in MacBook Pro 2011

    Discussion in 'Apple and Mac OS X' started by Addonex, Jul 14, 2011.

  1. Addonex

    Addonex Newbie

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    I was wondering, and never found a clear answer from googling, what kind of 1600 Mhz ram can the MacBook Pro take? Also does it matter 13"/15"/17"? From what I heard it can take it, but there are restrictions, can anyone give me a clear answer :confused:
     
    Addonex, Jul 14, 2011
    #1
  2. shima

    shima Notebook Consultant

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    The 2011 MBP's can take 1600Mhz RAM as long as it is CAS9 timing or lower - anything higher than that can lead to kernel panics. I had tried 1866Mhz RAM (CAS11) which caused kernel panics. I switched to Kingston HyperX 1600Mhz RAM with CAS9 timing, and have had no issues.
     
    shima, Jul 14, 2011
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  3. cisp360

    cisp360 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Hi, do you mean CAS Latency?
     
    cisp360, Jul 14, 2011
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  4. Addonex

    Addonex Newbie

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    Addonex, Jul 14, 2011
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  5. Karamazovmm

    Karamazovmm Overthinking? Always!

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    Karamazovmm, Jul 15, 2011
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  6. GP-SE

    GP-SE Notebook Consultant

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    GP-SE, Jul 15, 2011
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  7. MKang25

    MKang25 NBR Prisoner

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    I installed the Gskill ram to no issues runs smoothly and is really quite cheap for 8 GBs. Also seems to be quite reliable based upon all the reviews it has.
     
    MKang25, Jul 15, 2011
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  8. shima

    shima Notebook Consultant

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    shima, Jul 15, 2011
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  9. Karamazovmm

    Karamazovmm Overthinking? Always!

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    Karamazovmm, Jul 15, 2011
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  10. sgogeta4

    sgogeta4 Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    If you already have 8GB, you won't notice any benefit with a faster memory since you have a discrete GPU. Any memory with lifetime warranty and speed will suffice though, since most name brands come from the same few sources, so don't pay more for "performance" memory.
     
    sgogeta4, Jul 15, 2011
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  11. shriek11

    shriek11 Notebook Deity

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    What is the difference between the native 1333 in MBPs to the 1600 model? I guess it means that memory will be accessed faster but by how much?

    I have a kit in the mail to upgrade it my 4gb to 8gb in my MBP and I saw this thread and kicked myself for not getting 1600 kit. But then I think maybe not really as 8gb from 4gb would itself make a difference. You can only upgrade memory that much before it is not worth it anymore and I know I am not going to upgrade the HDD as cost / benefit is not worth it IMO.
     
    shriek11, Jul 16, 2011
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  12. sgogeta4

    sgogeta4 Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    It's purely marketing. You won't notice any real life benefit since memory bandwidth in a computer with a discrete GPU is never the bottleneck. 4GB to 8GB will be a difference for some, but going from 1333 to 1600 will only be noticeable in benchmarks and integrated graphics gaming. Actually, HDD upgrades are typically the best cost/benefit ratio as they are often the bottleneck and getting any faster drive will have real life gains, most noteably when going from HDD to SSD.
     
    sgogeta4, Jul 16, 2011
    #12