Adding RAM to Mac Pro

Hello,

My Mac Pro currently has 2 gigs of RAM - 4 x 512 in slots A1-4 (slots B1-4 are empty)

I want to add two additional gigs. Do I get four more 512s and install them in slots B1-4 or can I get two 1 gig sticks? ($100 cheaper)

But then if I get the two one gigs is there a special order they go in? I remember reading something about a certain configuration for optimal performance when mixing sizes.

Thanks for the help.

Shelley

Shelley
MacBoo Pro 2015
16 GB Ram
OS X 10.13
Premiere Pro CC

Nobody uses GOOGLE anymore

Get the larger sticks...leaves room for expansion later.





When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

Thats not entirely correct. Read this Apple Doc about adding Ram to a Mac Pro for optimal performance.

[docs.info.apple.com]

And Google is not always the best way to solve a problem. It's simply a start.

Michael Horton
-------------------

Pick the memory install for your CPU

The memory install is actually different between the new (early 2008) MacPros and the previous version.

...didn't say it was the best way... just that nobody uses it anymore.

FWIW - I found a movie on YouTube via GOOGLE to install my RAM in my Macbook Pro (which I have never done before) and it WAS that best way...so there

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

If your Mac Pro is the earlier version (not the new 8-core):

You'll get better performance if you split your 512 sticks between risers A and B, not all of them on one riser. Remove the two from A3-4 and put them in B1 and B2, matching the sticks in the A slots above. Then buy the two 1GB sticks and install them in A3-4. Not only are those sticks cheaper, you leave open the option of adding another 2GBs down the road in slots B3-4 for a total of 6GB (just did this myself).

HTH, JK

_______________________________________
SCQT! Self-contained QuickTime ? pass it on!

Thank you so much for the tips!

I was puzzled when I saw the configuration (all in slots A1-4) but that is the way it came from the Apple Store -- Funny they didn't have the RAM installed for optimal performance, huh?

I'm happy to hear that I can mix the 1 gig sticks with the 512 because I will most likely want to add more RAM down the road.

Shelley
MacBoo Pro 2015
16 GB Ram
OS X 10.13
Premiere Pro CC

That Google Demo was very helpful. Now I have the courage to install the RAM myself and save myself the headache of hauling it to the Mac Store.

My machine is extremely dusty inside and the demo tells you to clean it out. How do I clean it safely? I can use the canned air to get the loose dust but what about the dust caked on the board? That can't be good. Can I just wipe it gently with a damp cloth? How do I get that off without causing harm?

Shelley

Shelley
MacBoo Pro 2015
16 GB Ram
OS X 10.13
Premiere Pro CC

Quote

That Google Demo was very helpful.

Thank you, darlin' Glad to help.

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

Quote

Can I just wipe it gently with a damp cloth? How do I get that off without causing harm?

I wouldn't go anywhere near the computer with any kind of moisture! Use the compressed air to blow off as much dust as you can, making sure to blow it OUT of the case and not further inside. You can also use one of those small, battery-powered hand vacuums (but not a regular vac that you plug in -- you risk static shock).
Computer Cleaning Tips


JK

_______________________________________
SCQT! Self-contained QuickTime ? pass it on!

"You'll get better performance if you split your 512 sticks between risers A and B, not all of them on one riser. Remove the two from A3-4 and put them in B1 and B2, matching the sticks in the A slots above."

I just bought 2 x 1 gig sticks from OWC. I installed exactly as stated above. I had 4 x 512 Mac Ram in A1-4. I split the four Mac 512s: A1, A2, B1, B2, then put the OWC 2 x 1 gig sticks in A3 A4. (B3 and B4 are empty)

Something is not right because my computer runs slower, I get the beach ball and can hear the drive kerchunking away. The additional ram shows up in the system profiler. I did a hardware test passed so the ram is not defected.

Is there another configuration that I could try because now it's slower than it was before I added the ram.

Shelley
MacBoo Pro 2015
16 GB Ram
OS X 10.13
Premiere Pro CC

Shelley,

Which Mac pro do you have, the earlier Quad-Core or one of the new Octo-cores? In any case, you might as well try a different configuration than what I suggested: put all the 512s back on Riser A and add the two new sticks to B1-2. See if that makes a difference.

JK

Shelley,

I have posted here and deleted your other thread. No need to repeat-post...just stay with one. Thanks!

Now...you could probably use THIS:



When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

This 4GB kit from newegg is $130.

With 8 slots available and RAM at $$260 for 8GB, especially for one with an octocore machine... why the fret about where to put the 512 chips? Mine are in the bottom of a desk drawer.

Amen, Mike. My 2 - 1 GB sticks I took out of my MBP (replaced by 2 - 2 GB sticks) are in the a similar place...in a shoebox in a cabinet.

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

Thanks for the handy configuration chart, Joey. I went with configuration 6C and now it's running smoothly. I think the problem with the first configuration is that riser A had two 512s of Mac Memory and 2- 2gigs of OWC - hence mixing ram manufacturers.

Configuration 6C keep them together by manufacturer.

Thanks for all your help.

Shelley
MacBoo Pro 2015
16 GB Ram
OS X 10.13
Premiere Pro CC

Mike,

May be a good idea to add this chart to the FAQ...

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

Yeah but it will be obsolete as soon as next MacPro comes out I would think

Michael Horton
-------------------

I doubt they will rework the RAM boards but you da boss

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.