AppleHarvest
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Q: Is there a clear designator or code to indicate if a RAM stick is registered or unbuffered? I would like to know for sure before I install more additional RAM for this (2013) Mac Pro. Thank you in advance. David

Hello, all:

Is there a clear designator or code to indicate if a RAM stick is registered or unbuffered? I would like to know for sure before I add additional RAM for the empty slots this (2013) Mac Pro that has 2x8 installed.

Thank you in advance.

Appleharvest

 

Message was edited by: AppleHarvest (Corrected typo)

Mac Pro, OS X Mavericks (10.9.1), null

Posted on Mar 24, 2016 8:08 PM

by lllaass,Solvedanswer
lllaass lllaass
Level 10 (190,740 points)
Apple Watch
A:

This Apple article

Mac Pro (Late 2013): Memory specifications - Apple Support

also says the 4 and 8 GB are unregistered (UDIMM) while the 16 GB ones (RDIMM) are Registered

Posted on Mar 25, 2016 7:59 AM

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AppleHarvest

Q: Is there a clear designator or code to indicate if a RAM stick is registered or unbuffered? I would like to know for sure before I ... more

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  • by lllaass,Helpful

    lllaass lllaass Mar 25, 2016 4:55 AM in response to AppleHarvest
    Level 10 (190,740 points)
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    Mar 25, 2016 4:55 AM in response to AppleHarvest

    The 4 and 8 GB sticks are unRegistered while the 16 and 32 GB sticks are Registered. As you seem to know, you can't mix Registered and unRegistered sticks. Thus you can only add 4 or 8 GB sticks to your present 8 GB sticks

  • by AppleHarvest,

    AppleHarvest AppleHarvest Mar 25, 2016 5:06 AM in response to lllaass
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Desktops
    Mar 25, 2016 5:06 AM in response to lllaass

    Good morning, Illaass:

     

    That generally corresponds to what I have heard and read. On the other hand, an Apple store employee (and his store installed these two sticks in exchange for the original 4x4 GB sticks ) is telling me it is registered. I'd like him to be right ( for my upgrade path) but I expect you are correct. He wrote, in explaining that the 2x8 RAM sticks are registered:  The 1866 MHz DDR3 in the ram makes it so.


    Now, I have learned a bit about designators but I do not see one there. It's not the first time I've been baffled by what I hear there.

     

    So unless I am prepared to dump (trade in?) those 8gb sticks I'll be limited to 32 gb RAM.

     

    Thoughts?

     

    Cheers,

     

    D

  • by lllaass,Solvedanswer

    lllaass lllaass Mar 25, 2016 7:59 AM in response to AppleHarvest
    Level 10 (190,740 points)
    Apple Watch
    Mar 25, 2016 7:59 AM in response to AppleHarvest

    This Apple article

    Mac Pro (Late 2013): Memory specifications - Apple Support

    also says the 4 and 8 GB are unregistered (UDIMM) while the 16 GB ones (RDIMM) are Registered

  • by AppleHarvest,

    AppleHarvest AppleHarvest Mar 25, 2016 8:05 AM in response to lllaass
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Desktops
    Mar 25, 2016 8:05 AM in response to lllaass

    Much appreciated, Illaass:

     

    We'll hope and expect that the store installed replacement RAM according to those guidelines.

    I'll open up this puppy and have a look. Trust, but verify.

     

    D

  • by AppleHarvest,

    AppleHarvest AppleHarvest Mar 26, 2016 7:31 AM in response to AppleHarvest
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Desktops
    Mar 26, 2016 7:31 AM in response to AppleHarvest

    Thanks for all this, Illaass,

     

    A very helpful and thorough Apple Store technician yesterday contradicted the advice of their sales guy.

     

    They now declare these existing 2x8Gb Apple-installed sticks to be unbuffered.

     

    Nice to hear from the techs, finally. Still, that's an issue because it seems the largest "matching" RAM sticks I will be able to add/install in the adjacent empty slots will be 2 x 16Gb (available somewhere unbuffered.) Or, perhaps there are even larger unbuffered sticks out somewhere.

     

    The unbuffered are a conundrum for someone wanting a lot of memory eventually - unless and until one is happy to remove those two existing unbuffered legacy sticks - and start to invest in registered RAM. Perhaps a trade in somewhere, or sell them used.

     

    Any thoughts or suggestions along these lines will be much appreciated. Has anyone heard that unbuffered offer some kind of advantage over registered?

     

    Finally, the Apple tech did hint at a future series4 RAM available, as an alternative to the existing series3 they are supplying these days.

     

    With thanks,

     

    D

  • by Grant Bennet-Alder,

    Grant Bennet-Alder Grant Bennet-Alder Mar 26, 2016 8:07 AM in response to AppleHarvest
    Level 9 (61,385 points)
    Desktops
    Mar 26, 2016 8:07 AM in response to AppleHarvest

    OWC /Macsales has a buyback program. You buy new DIMMs from them, and they will give you a few bucks back for your old ones. It is not a lot of money, but it takes some of the sting out of this "jump" up to Registered DIMMs.