1600MHz RAM on a Late 2011 MacBook Pro?

The specifications for a 2011 MBP RAM are: 204-pin PC-10600 (1333 MHz) DDR3 SO-DIMM. It may not be seated correctly or it simply is incompatible with your MBP due to the frequency mismatch,.

Ciao.

Hello,

I found the solution, the MacBook Pro is not around 2011, but Mid-2009 ... bought in feb 2010.

The RAM may not be compatible with the MDP.

Thanks,

Arnaud

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Hey guys, For what it's worth .....

Hopefully this will help. With a late 2011 17".

THERE IS NO PROBLEM, AT ALL, RUNNING 1600 SPEED RAM.

(1) I have a very late 17" macbook Pro. (It is actually the somewhat rare 2.5 quad model.) One of the very last ones made.

(2) It came with 1333 ram

(3) I swapped in 1600 ram

(4) IT IS ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN, THAT, THE MACHINE RUNS MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH FASTER when you have 1600 speed ram.

(Indeed, it runs 1600 / 1333 = 1.20x faster on all memory operations - it's just that simple and obvious. I am somewhat surprised some are suggesting there will be "not much difference". The difference is VERY SUBSTANTIAL -- like 20%. Again, I tested it back-and-fore swapping in and out the slow/fast ram. the difference was extremely obvious in everything from startup to XCode, etc etc)

I did A NUMBER OF TESTS back-and-fore swapping the slow and fast ram.

and it is very, very obvious, the speed difference.

Most operations on computers are just memory bound - everything from startup to rendering and the like is quicker - obviously and clearly quicker - with faster ram.

(5) I have had utterly no problems running the faster ram. It reports and runs the ram utterly normally, no problem.

(6) These machines cost thousands, and ram cost a few dollars - there seems very little reason you wouldn't do this.

(7) I do have one of the very last 17" mbp. (It was "old new stock" - I bought it unused in March 2013.) So, it's possible that OLDER 17" mbp will not run 1600 speed RAM. But, I mean it costs like $100 to try, on a fantastic machine worth $1000s, so it's a huge win at low cost if it works.

I hope this report helps someone !!

Cheers

John-Paul May, greetings; I would be interested in knowing what protocols and test equipment you used to make the comparison. I have doubts about your assertions simply because technical staffs at highly respected firms such as OWC would be offering same if that were indeed the case.

I too have a late 2011 17" 2.5 GHz CPU with 16 GB 1333 Hz RAM. Unless someone with a proven track record of technical competency gives a definitive approval of installing higher frequency RAM, I will retain what I have. Until that time, I suggest others not to venture forth in installing improper and untested RAM in their MBPs.

Ciao.

Hi Ogel ..

" I would be interested in knowing what protocols and test equipment you used to make the comparison."

um .. a stop watch ?

" I have doubts about your assertions simply because technical staffs at highly respected firms such as OWC would be offering same if that were indeed the case."

Do you have a contact at OWC? When I asked someone on the help desk they just said "Yeah it might work"

"I too have a late 2011 17" 2.5 GHz CPU with 16 GB 1333 Hz RAM"

How cool ! those are rare.

Since RAM costs nothing, why don't you grab some of the 1600 and try it? It's almost certain it will work perfetcly since it works perfectly in mine.

You very likely have exactly the same chipset and bus. Since it works fine in mine, try it in yours. If no good -- pull itout and push back in the other. Cheers !!

John-Paul May, greetings: Yes you did get a valid response from the OWC help desk: "Yeah it might work". However you did not get a complete response. The technical staff recommends that even if it does work, it will be down clocked to 1333 MHz and that one should install 1333 MHz RAM in a 2011 MBP.

I would not characterize a stop watch as 'professional' test bench equipment. Thus what ever protocols or procedures you may have used are of no consequence. You may honestly feel that you are deriving some performance benefit from 1600 MHz RAM, but I suggest that if put to controlled scientific test conditions, one will find that NO performance increase will be detected.

Until you can promulgate test criteria that prove your position and that can be repeated by others, I would suggest that you refrain from asserting that 1600 MHz RAM will enhance performance in 2011 MBPs. That simply has not been proven but is contrary to actual results that been tested and measured by professionals.

Ciao.

Hi Ogel !

well, a great way to test start-up times is with a stopwatch

"even if it does work, it will be down clocked to 1333 MHz" Nah, that's only if the bus limits it to 1333. if the bus does not choke it, it will run at 1600.

I think what you mean is "if the bus chokes it to 1333 it will run at 1333"

Right?

Exact;y as Rudolf says "

I'd normally agree with you, but Apple support would also say that my MBP supports up to 8GB, when in fact the Intel chipset supports 16GB (in fact, up to 32GB). The Intel chipset also supports 1600MHz... but what does that mean for MBP? Will it work, or clock down?"

"I would suggest that you refrain from etc ..."

um, I appreciate your opinion but, well thanks for the opinion !! Cheers for now !

BTW fortuinately after I mentioned this to a colleague, he tried it in a 2011 mbp (I think a 15) and also got clear speed-up. Cheers!

It would certainly help if you could learn how to use the quote button, it's really quite simple. It's not any more difficult than the spell checker.

Jn My

Your friend put RAM of incorrect speed in a system and times loading web-pages with a kitchen clicky-timer. And you now propose to others to run mis-matched-speed RAM on that flimsy test evidence?

Please use your system as test beds for weeks-long tests under scientifically controlled enviroments before dispensing any more advice in this forum ... people are confused coming in and need not be more confused after the visit.

John-Paul May, greetings; I would be interested in knowing what protocols and test equipment you used to make the comparison. I have doubts about your assertions simply because technical staffs at highly respected firms such as OWC would be offering same if that were indeed the case.

I too have a late 2011 17" 2.5 GHz CPU with 16 GB 1333 Hz RAM. Unless someone with a proven track record of technical competency gives a definitive approval of installing higher frequency RAM, I will retain what I have. Until that time, I suggest others not to venture forth in installing improper and untested RAM in their MBPs.

In the eighth post the op actually provided a link to OWC where they actually are offering exactly that. They don't go as far as John-Paul may does and say a 20% increase, but they do say an average 2% increase in memory activities.

Stop watch 😀 Made my day. Don't mean to be rude or anything, just sayin'.

So the ideal upgrade for a MBP late 2011 would be 16GB 204-pin SODIMM DDR3 PC3-10600 - 1333MHz 1.35V two modules, then I take it.

Would it be worth the trouble for a user like me to upgrade? I have the default 4Gb mem.

I usually work with Logic or watch HD-movies. Some MATLAB and CAD projects too..

I would like to confirm that the PC3-12800 DDR3 SDRAM will work on any Macbook Pro that has a i7-27xxQM and i7-28xxQM processors (As I have them installed in my own Macbook Pro).

As for the speed increase, I did not notice any radical performance changes. However, I think the system will run faster with some sort of solid state drive.

I hope this helps.

There is a 20% increase in memory speed, but that does not translate into a 20% overall speed increase, maybe a 3% increase in overall speed wil result, and that is virtually invisible.

I am running 16GB of 1600 MHz RAM in a late 2011 17" MBP since Oct-2012 with no issues.

Soon we should be seeing 32GB in these MBPs too!

http://www.intelligentmemory.com/dram-modules/ddr3-so-dimm/

The maximum the processor in that machine can address is 24GB, and that's assuming all the address and data lines are run to it. I wouldn't count on being able to upgrade.

http://ark.intel.com/products/37147/Intel-Core-i7-920-Processor-8M-Cache-2_66-gh z-4_80-gts-Intel-qpi