Unstable after RAM upgrade

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Unstable after RAM upgrade

I installed 4GB of Patriot RAM from Fry's. The specs are:

2 x 2GB, DDR3 PC3 8500

Model: PSD34G1066SK

This is the same set at newegg:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220338&Tpk=psd34G1066SK

During various operations, including SuperDuper, downloading files and watching YouTube, the machine froze and I had to restart by holding down the power button.

I've run memtestosx in single user mode and it didn't turn up any issues.

Should I return the RAM and get a replacement set? Should I go with a different brand?

Thoughts?

MacBook (late 2008) 2.4GHZ, Mac OS X (10.5.5)

Posted on Oct 18, 2008 7:03 PM

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Answer 1

jtokash Author

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Oct 18, 2008 7:06 PM in response to jtokash

One quick correction: Looking at the superduper log, it seems that the backup was completed before the crash, which means nothing but the screensaver was doing anything interesting at the time of the crash.

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Answer 2

jtokash Author

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Oct 18, 2008 9:32 PM in response to jtokash

After several crashes today, I decided to do a clean OS X install, hopefully ruling out any software problems. The computer froze approximately 3/4 of the way through zeroing out the HD.

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Answer 3

jtokash Author

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Oct 18, 2008 10:08 PM in response to jtokash

Swapped in the original 2GB. Everything seems fine. Guess I should have bought online and gotten the $150 2GB upgrade. The Apple Store tells me it would cost $400 to have a genius do it.

Has anyone successfully upgraded the RAM with something off the shelf?

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Answer 4

pogster

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Oct 18, 2008 10:18 PM in response to jtokash

Have you tried reinstalling the new ram? Perhaps one of them was not seated properly the first time around.

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Answer 5

Oct 18, 2008 10:23 PM in response to jtokash

That's one of the reasons I buy Apple branded memory.

I usually buy brand new pulls from new machines.
Placing like OWC etc. sell brand new pulled memory modules from new computers that customers are upgrading the memory on. Check around on the net.

Joseph Kriz

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Answer 6

jtokash Author

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Oct 19, 2008 12:35 AM in response to pogster

I swapped the 4GB back in and I'm testing now. I'll leave some video and audio running overnight and see what happens.

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Answer 7

jtokash Author

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Oct 19, 2008 1:51 AM in response to jtokash

Crashed, unfortunately.

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Answer 8

Oct 19, 2008 9:32 AM in response to jtokash

jtokash wrote:
Swapped in the original 2GB. Everything seems fine. Guess I should have bought online and gotten the $150 2GB upgrade. The Apple Store tells me it would cost $400 to have a genius do it.

Has anyone successfully upgraded the RAM with something off the shelf?

You're better off getting RAM for your Mac from one of these places. (There are others, I only suggest these two because I've actually bought from them several times in the past and had no problems)

http://www.crucial.com/store/listparts.aspx?model=MacBook%202.4GHz%20Intel%20Cor e%202%20Duo%20%2813-inch%20DDR3%29%20MB467LL/A&pl=Apple&cat=RAM

http://eshop.macsales.com/MyOWC/Upgrades.cfm?sort=pop&model=300&type=Memory&TI=3 051&shoupgrds=Show+Upgrades

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Answer 9

pogster

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4,247 points

Oct 19, 2008 10:15 AM in response to jtokash

jtokash wrote:

Should I return the RAM and get a replacement set? Should I go with a different brand?

Thoughts?

If it's less hassle you could try a replacement set from the vendor first. If that doesn't work then try another brand. As with everything else no brand is perfect and it's quite possible to get a bad one.

Just curious, what brand of memory comes with the new macbooks? My iMac came with Hynix but replaced it with 4GB of Kingston.

Message was edited by: pogster

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Answer 10

XJ-linux

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30 points

Oct 19, 2008 11:44 AM in response to jtokash

FYI... if you buy your RAM at OWC, they will give you $15 for your OEM 2GB RAM chips which knocks the price down to about $125 for their 4GB kit which is warranted for life.

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Answer 11

-Dave-__

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4 points

Oct 19, 2008 2:21 PM in response to jtokash

Hi!

I'm planning to buy the MacBook aluminum soon and would like to upgrade the RAM with the RAM I got for my current PC.

Do you think these specs will do the trick?
Corsair Value Select SO DIMM DDR2 PC5300/667MHz 2GB VS2GSDS667D2

Link to where I bought it:
http://www.tbh.se/index.asp?id=3&akatid=2265&kat_id=2270&prod_id=32554&startprod=1&category=SO-DIMM_DDR2_Corsair&prod namn=Corsair_Value_Select_SO_DIMM_DDR2_PC5300/667MHz_2GBVS2GSDS667D2

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Answer 12

Oct 19, 2008 3:36 PM in response to -Dave-__

Dave wrote:
Hi!

I'm planning to buy the MacBook aluminum soon and would like to upgrade the RAM with the RAM I got for my current PC.

Do you think these specs will do the trick?
Corsair Value Select SO DIMM DDR2 PC5300/667MHz 2GB VS2GSDS667D2

No the new MacBooks use a DDR3 RAM.

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Answer 13

jtokash Author

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Oct 19, 2008 11:37 PM in response to jtokash

FYI, resetting PRAM and NVRAM did not help.

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Answer 14

jtokash Author

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Oct 19, 2008 11:38 PM in response to pogster

I don't see a brand name. There is an M symbol with a slanted oval around it... Maybe that's the manufacturer's logo?

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Answer 15

jtokash Author

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Oct 20, 2008 9:26 AM in response to jtokash

Last night I ran the MacBook in two configurations:

Config 1: One of the new sticks in the bottom RAM slot, the other slot empty.
Config 2: The other new stick in the top RAM slot, the other slot empty.

I did this to try to find a problem with one or both of the individual sticks (or one of the slots), but both performed fine.

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