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Lets talk RAM (Macbook Pro)

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Diamonds
Posts: 4443 - Karma: 1,299
Hey NS,
So I have a Macbook Pro 15" 2.66GHz from 2009. Over the past few years I've been having some minor problems such as programs quitting unexpectedly. I'm using FCP and Aperture 3 constantly. I'm running Mac OS X 10.5.8. 4GB DDR3.

Anyways, would it be beneficial to upgrade to 8GB of ram? Would it make much of a difference> Worth upgrading to Lion or Snow Leopard?

Thanks,
Max
Jan 23 2012 10:51PM
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orangecrush23
Posts: 279 - Karma: 65
To answer your question, is your computer a 32 or 64 bit?
Jan 23 2012 11:01PM
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DrZoidberg
Posts: 5675 - Karma: 4,268
Wow I have the same problem. But I've also had kernel panics. But all programs appear to quit randomly, mine is a mbp 2.4ghz from 2010. So far I've ran a memtest, which turned up as all clean aka inconclusive. I've read that the ram may not be sitting in the seat right, or it's just dead. I don't think the amount of memory is your problem though.
Jan 23 2012 11:10PM
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panojibber
Posts: 3382 - Karma: 216
Yeesh you don't have snow leopard? At least get that. Apple made a whole bunch of changes to the OS that improve the performance of pro applications like FCP and logic, and you get a bunch more power out of your GPU from what I understand. It would be well worth it, 4 gb ram is also definitely too small, and your processor being from 2009 is probably really weak for what you're trying to do. Plus with snow leopard you'll get 64 bit apps, so you can turn on 64 bit FCP and it will (ideally) run way faster.
Jan 23 2012 11:16PM
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Gnarwall
Posts: 1180 - Karma: 50
Aperture is a ram whore, so I would upgrade to 8 if you could.
Jan 23 2012 11:21PM
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123+ski
Posts: 2832 - Karma: 581
I was under the impression that only fcp x supported 64 bit, and that fcp 7/studio 3 etc. was stuck as 32 bit. but definitely worth upgrading the os, and my friend told me something about looking at page ins vs page outs in activity monitor to tell if you need a ram upgrade
Jan 24 2012 12:13AM
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Dustin.
Posts: 13839 - Karma: 7,704
Go to Macworld.com or whatever it is and you can get 8GB of RAM for like $50-60 bucks and they offer a rebate. It's awesome, first thing I did with my computer back when I bought it.
Jan 24 2012 12:14AM
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camohard
Posts: 343 - Karma: 22
8GB is probably worth it: so cheap now. Aperture munches RAM as well. How full is your HDD/SSD? Photo and video editing take a toll on your drive space, and OS X requires a fair bit of free space to function optimally. Also, try repairing permissions and verifying the disk in Disk Utility.
Jan 24 2012 2:18AM
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Diamonds
Posts: 4443 - Karma: 1,299
Alright sounds good, I'll definitely look into getting some extra ram and maybe even OS X snow leopard. I've used 119GB and there is still 178GB left on my hard drive. I have a 2 terabyte external HD that I got to store my videos on. well worth the 100$.
Also, the fan seems to be running louder when the computer is "idling" (Ie I'm not running anything big, just safari). I'm not too picky, but I still have apple care and I put in a lot of time saving up for this computer.

Nothing but good things to say about it overall
+K for everyone above.
Jan 24 2012 9:35AM
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Diamonds
Posts: 4443 - Karma: 1,299
PS: Went the macworld.com, I'm having some trouble finding the right RAM... Can anyone help? I saw that there are a few brands, and speeds, etc. All I know is that I have 4GB DDR3 1067MHz and my computer supports up to 8GB.
Thanks!
Jan 24 2012 10:00AM
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123+ski
Posts: 2832 - Karma: 581
I would get 1333mhz if your computer can use it, some of the older ones it is useless because their max is 1067. To be honest I got mine on sale at amazon, though it was brand name (I just can't remember atm). For me it was easy because I had a new mbp and it said it was for the newest ones. I think there are a few sites that can tell you specifics for your model. I looked at crucial.com and it can tell you what type you need, and then you can look on like newegg or amazon or something
Jan 24 2012 10:24AM
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canterbury
Posts: 2382 - Karma: 55
go to www.crucial.com , the site will advise you exactly what ram (their brand) is compatible with your laptop.
Jan 24 2012 12:43PM
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tom.skier
Posts: 817 - Karma: 392
I just upgraded my Macbook Pro RAM to 8gb from 4gb using www.crucial.com and it does help a lot. Super easy to install as well and really cheap. Worth it!
Jan 24 2012 12:55PM
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oil.
Posts: 2255 - Karma: 1,254
buuuuuuump.
im in the same boat, looking to upgrade the performance of my mbp (mid 2010, core 2 duo 2.4 GHz, 13 inch, 4 gb ram).
i have a decent amount of money to spend (like 600-700 bucks) so i guess i should upgrade my RAM. i looked at the cheaper alternatives to buying it straight from apple, but can i have them switch out the ram if i dont buy it drectly from them? also can you guys point out some good places to buy the ram?

a new hdd would be the next step. whats a good internal hdd? looking for something 256gb or more.

changing the processor isnt an option cuz apple solders all their processors.
what other ways can i upgrade my mac?
Oct 10 2012 6:06PM
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eheath
Posts: 61603 - Karma: 123,089
go up to 8gb, maybe even 16. 16gb from crucial is like 80 bucks now and 8gb is like 30-40. The only thing is, if youre using FCP it doesnt matter because FCP is a 32bit program and can only use 4gb of ram. Adobe on the other hand can use as much RAM as you can fit, which would be 16gb.

check out crucials website, they have a guide to upgrading
http://www.crucial.com/index.aspx
Oct 10 2012 6:13PM
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oil.
Posts: 2255 - Karma: 1,254
computer doesnt support 16gb. so i guess that leaves only one option for RAM.
im using FCE. if FC uses all my ram then this should be good cuz id like tobe able to use my computer for other stuff while editing. i use adobe cs 5.5 too so that should be a bonus.

now on to hard drives... i dont really know the benefits of SSD vs. SATA. so school me on it.
taking everything in to account, should i prioritize the actual storage space on the hard drive or whether it is SSD vs. SATA? i.e. would paying $420 for a 512GB SSD drive be worth paying 1/4 of that for twice the memory in SATA? (1TB, $99)
Oct 10 2012 6:27PM
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eheath
Posts: 61603 - Karma: 123,089
Replacing your hard drive with a solid state drive is not worth it. It really only speeds up boot up times of your computer and programs. as soon as that shit is open, it doesnt matter at all. Its such a minuscule difference, i wouldnt worry about it. If you really wanna upgrade, save all your money, sell your computer and buy a new one.
Oct 10 2012 6:32PM
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oil.
Posts: 2255 - Karma: 1,254
haha thanks for the help.

while buying a new computer would be nice, its not really in my budget right now. id be paying for it myself and id rather have that money to use on other things if i want to (skiing, photo stuff) plus ive only had this for like 2 years. for the things im using it for spending $1500 for the specs i would want isnt really logical.

$200 isnt going to break the bank and keeps the computer (relatively) up to date. in a couple years ill also (hopefully) be getting college and/or NSP discounts on apple shit, so thats something to look forward too.
Oct 10 2012 6:40PM
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erikK
Posts: 3245 - Karma: 2,328
yeah $100 off from $2500 wooooo, it's still overpriced
Oct 10 2012 8:22PM
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benk
Posts: 1342 - Karma: 988
On top of upgrading your ram, look into this http://kk.org/cooltools/archives/7225
Oct 11 2012 12:35AM
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eheath
Posts: 61603 - Karma: 123,089
Not worth it IMO
Oct 11 2012 1:05AM
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benk
Posts: 1342 - Karma: 988
Depends on what you're using it for, sdd's have read/write speeds above 200mb/s while hdd's are around 50-100mb/s
Oct 11 2012 1:35AM
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eheath
Posts: 61603 - Karma: 123,089
what could you possibly be doing where that would matter?
Oct 11 2012 1:45AM
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benk
Posts: 1342 - Karma: 988
Wouldn't you want a hard drive that read/writes twice as fast? Since your hard drive is constantly reading/writing through programs and data transfer, why wouldn't doubling these speeds boost performance? I collect and quick look around 1tb-2tb of data a day, it's the little things that save hours a day for me. On a consumer scale, doubling those speeds will ultimately make you better off
Oct 11 2012 2:17AM
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eheath
Posts: 61603 - Karma: 123,089
i run everything off of am external raid, ssd only effects my boot times. maybe if you do alot on your comp hd then ya but i dont know anyone in photo or video that does that
Oct 11 2012 2:28AM
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Brock.
Posts: 5698 - Karma: 1,332
Awesomely helpful thread! Thanks max :D
Oct 11 2012 12:13PM
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TijmenDal
Posts: 4849 - Karma: 1,295
What kinda connection do you have though? Do you run it through usb 3?

I own a macbook and am for sure going replace my optical drive with an ssd. I use my optical drive maybe 2-3 times a year if even that. You can buy an external optical drive enclosure for 20$. The extra space and speed is so going to be worth it.
Just waiting for tunderbolt drives to flood the market now really...
Oct 11 2012 12:47PM
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eheath
Posts: 61603 - Karma: 123,089
I use eSata. I dont understand you're statement. You said youre going to replace your optical drive but you said you only use it 2-3 times a year? so why would you replace it?

The real way to go is to have a tower, run all your programs/OS off of a small SSD and then have other HDs setup as a raid for your storage, i believe jamie does that.
Oct 11 2012 2:28PM
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Sklar
Posts: 8864 - Karma: 31,612
replace the optical drive with a SSD, in addition to the internal hard drive. Or at least i think that's what he was trying to say
Oct 11 2012 2:35PM
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eheath
Posts: 61603 - Karma: 123,089
i see, i misread, meaning the disc drive, with an ssd drive? interesting.
Oct 11 2012 2:45PM
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Brock.
Posts: 5698 - Karma: 1,332
lol
Oct 11 2012 2:51PM
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eheath
Posts: 61603 - Karma: 123,089
hahahahah fuck me right
Oct 11 2012 2:54PM
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Sklar
Posts: 8864 - Karma: 31,612
they make kits like this so you can do it
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/DDAMBS0GB/
Oct 11 2012 3:10PM
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eheath
Posts: 61603 - Karma: 123,089
hmmm very interesting
Oct 11 2012 3:14PM
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Brock.
Posts: 5698 - Karma: 1,332
Sir, at least buy me a drink first
Oct 11 2012 4:17PM
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BK
Posts: 2353 - Karma: 1,122
Always good to do a total enema on a computer that old. Backup everything, put in a new startup hard drive and reinstall OS and all your apps, makes a computer extra FRESH again.
Oct 11 2012 4:36PM
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TijmenDal
Posts: 4849 - Karma: 1,295
It's awesome. Even the software for my film scanner and printer had to be downloaded. That's the last time I think I actually needed an optical drive. Other then that, it's just a music cd or something. I really don't need it. I would be much happier with an ssd
Oct 11 2012 4:54PM
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michael_bc
Posts: 1386 - Karma: 720
Aperture is slow, even on a brand new MacBook Pro with 16 Gb of RAM.
Oct 11 2012 5:00PM
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oil.
Posts: 2255 - Karma: 1,254
i still watch movies off my optical drive when i travel. not an option for me
Oct 11 2012 5:52PM
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BolderPro
Posts: 767 - Karma: 426
I made this thread a while back if you go towards the bottom there is alot of info on RAM helped me alot!!
Oct 11 2012 8:52PM
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