RAM missing and strange serial number

Noah,

I believe that that font is Lucida Grande.

Has your friend Tom run his MacBook Pro’s Apple Hardware Test (or Apple Diagnostics, if it’s a Late 2013 model), to see if it can detect anything wrong with the hardware?

Noah,

bumping doesn’t have much effect here.

Since your friend Tom has a Retina model, that means that its RAM is soldered in rather than inserted into sockets. If one of its RAM modules is no longer connected, then he’d need to take it to an Apple store for servicing. (Given its current behavior, getting a diagnosis on its current behavior from an Apple store might the best approach to take in any case.)

An internal temperature of 80 °C won’t melt RAM — it wouldn’t even boil water. When compiling, my MacBook Pro’s CPU can reach a little over 100 °C. As long as nothing blocks a MacBook Pro’s airflow, those temperatures can be handled; if needed, it will automatically throttle back its CPU to ensure that damaging temperatures are avoided.

All rMBPs should have paired memory, 2,2 or 4,4, or 8,8. The '-1' in serial number probably indicates a logic board replacement and the person who did the replacement forgot to correctly set up the logic board.

Sounds to me his RAM module or RAM slot is malfunctioning. If it's the slot, the whole logic board needs to be replaced. I don't know about the retinas, but the 13" non-retina mid-2012 logic board costs $480 plus labor.

Before you get in your car and go anywhere, please take a look at https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/MacBook+Pro+15-Inch+Retina+Display+Late+2013+Tea rdown/18696

If this is not the correct model, you can find the correct one on iFixit. I suggest the soldering iron get a break, till you understand what you may need to do. Visual inspection (and a magnifying glass) can indicate burn marks, frayed solder, etc., as well as how much memory is actually soldered on the logic board. You may also void your warranty, if there is any, with a soldering iron.

Has this MBP ever been to a repair shop? Do you have Applecare on it? (The "-1" may also be related to the invisible 4GB DIMM).

If the nearest Apple Store is 17 hours, I presume a closer FedEx/UPS/USPS/DHL location exists which can drop it at a repair facility (not a store) after a discussion and mutual agreement with Apple Tech Support/Care.I have come across a couple where their Macs were shipped to a repair location.

Was the memory physically missing from the machine? I have no explanation if it was physically missing or is it that the Apple folks want to charge for just re-soldering it back on?

Who's computer is this, I am a bit confused now, is it yours (they charged you for the repair)

The chip did not melt and disintegrate (this isn't Star Wars) and the Mac did not ship from new with one missing either. So what's the missing part of the story?

What did the email actually say?

There is a much simpler explanation, the ram was removed from the machine. Disintegration of memory is a very unlikely event. 😉