Mac laptops forum: Can I put more RAM than the stated maximum?

Thanks

by AssafSoudry - 5/20/12 2:13 AM

In Reply to: Hardware limitation by DOSpower

Great. Thanks for your answers folks.

A couple more question please:
If a mistake is made and I put in more RAM than it can take, then is there any risk to my machine or data?
How will I know if it worked? Eg if i put in 3G and it runs fine then does that mean all 3G has been 'accepted' and working, or could it be that even though i put in 3G only 1G or 2G were 'accepted'. Will System Profiler show it?
Ps. I fully intend to upgrade the OS, infact that's the reason for buying the RAM.
Thanks again

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by Jimmy Greystone - 5/20/12 6:28 AM

In Reply to: Thanks by AssafSoudry

No. For the most part, the system will either boot and use the RAM or it won't, there's no real in between. You might get the system to beep at you three times and the SIL will flash in sequence with the tones, which is the error tone for bad RAM. However, all of this will take place pre-POST, so the HDD hasn't really been more than powered up to test whether or not it's there, so no risk to the data on it.

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Great

by AssafSoudry - 5/20/12 7:25 AM

In Reply to: No by Jimmy Greystone

Great.
Thanks everyone for your help

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Answer Best answer as chosen by user AssafSoudry

Doesn't the results of the scan

by mrmacfixit - 5/16/12 4:41 AM

In Reply to: Can I put more RAM than the stated maximum? by AssafSoudry

tend to indicate that your machine does not support more?

"Each memory slot can hold DDR2 PC2-5300 with a maximum of 1GB per slot.*
*Not to exceed manufacturer supported memory."

P

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Answer Best answer as chosen by user AssafSoudry

Sometimes

by Jimmy Greystone - 5/16/12 6:39 AM

In Reply to: Can I put more RAM than the stated maximum? by AssafSoudry

Sometimes, but it's kind of a case by case basis. I had a 17" first gen MBP, and after I tried putting in more than like 2GB of RAM, it wouldn't even POST. However, I have seen other models where people have put like say 8GB into the Aluminum MacBook and it worked fine.

If it were me, I wouldn't risk the money. If you have the RAM sitting around, or someone is willing to give it to you, then you have nothing to lose. But what happens if you buy more RAM, put it in, and it doesn't work? So, do not spend more than you are willing to eat if things go a bit sideways.

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Answer Best answer as chosen by user AssafSoudry

Sometimes.

by R. Proffitt - 5/16/12 10:58 AM

In Reply to: Can I put more RAM than the stated maximum? by AssafSoudry

But you will encounter folk that DEMAND to know if it will work on their machine. So far I have yet to find any answer other than to try it.
Bob

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