Future noob MacBook owner here. I plan on upgrading the RAM as everyone seems to believe that is the best way to increase performance. First is really worth it? And second, how difficult is the process of actually installing it for a beginner? Thanks in advance.
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installing ram in MacBook difficulty?
- Thread starter tigerblue711
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It is worth it, definetely. It gives great performance boosts. And it's really easy to install. All you need is a coin and a screwdriver.
http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Mac/MacBook-Core-Duo/86
go here it will show you everything
ohh and btw make sure you discharge the static electricity from your body before you touch your ram, you wouldn't want to fry it before you can use it.
Brand doesn't really matter. I do recommend OWC though, they're cheap and their customer service is good.
Also I would add, the performance gains from adding more RAM is overrated. You won't notice a difference unless you're using apps that eat up a lot of RAM like Adobe CS suite apps, or if you are a serious multitasker. But since RAM is so cheap, you should upgrade it anyways.
Also I would add, the performance gains from adding more RAM is overrated. You won't notice a difference unless you're using apps that eat up a lot of RAM like Adobe CS suite apps, or if you are a serious multitasker. But since RAM is so cheap, you should upgrade it anyways.
i had problems removing the screws from the L-bracket covering the RAM slots, but that's because i didnt have a short enough screwdriver, so yeah.
About 5-10 min. effort total.. and this is from a total techno numbskull.. I second having a little(short) screwdriver.
How would one go about doing that?
Best way is to wear a grounded wrist strap. Radio shack use to sell them, IM not sure now, but I'd be very surprised if they don't. Their cheap and one should always have one on hand when working with circuit cards, RAM etc...
Another alternative is to touch something near by that you know is grounded, like a water pipe, metal appliance etc....
What you want to do is insure that you have discharged any static electricity on your body before handling the RAM. Then remove the RAM from the static protective bag it came in.
Take a look at sometime at a microscopic picture of just what static electricity can do to a micro circuit. I been in electronics for 35 years and I was amazed when I first saw the actual damage it can cause. It looks just like a copper track on a circuit that blew a hole into the track.
Always practice this policy when handling sensitive electronic components and circuit cards.
I can only imagine the multitudes of people complaining they received a defective circuit card or RAM, when in fact they actually caused the damage and never knew it.
Hope this is helpful to all!
I just upgraded to 4gb using OWC ram. It's not too difficult, but being a newb myself, it was a little nerve racking. When installing the new ram, be sure the orientation is correct, and you may need to apply more force than you think is necessary. I thought I was going to break memory or the slots during the installation, but it just requires a lot of force... Good luck!
How would one go about doing that?
they sell grounding wrist straps, but i usually just touch a piece of the metal inside and avoid rubbing socks on carpets.
Putting RAM in the MacBook is so incredibly easy. Apple designed the RAM and HD slots really well IMHO. Before you do anything, make sure you ground yourself to the MacBook by touching the metal inside after removing the battery. That way you won't have a static charge on you when handling the RAM.
I just received my black MacBook on Friday and I had previously ordered SAMSUNG 4 GB RAM from OWC for it. Once I checked that the MacBook was functioning properly after 24 hours, I decided to put the 4 GB RAM inside. What a difference going from 2 GB to 4 GB!
The 2 GB left over will go into my wife's older black MacBook, because she only has 1 GB RAM. 1 GB is not enough to run Mac OS X and applications IMO. Having more RAM makes a huge difference in your computing experience. Just ask my Mac Pro if she likes the 16 GB instead of 1 GB RAM. LOL
I just received my black MacBook on Friday and I had previously ordered SAMSUNG 4 GB RAM from OWC for it. Once I checked that the MacBook was functioning properly after 24 hours, I decided to put the 4 GB RAM inside. What a difference going from 2 GB to 4 GB!
The 2 GB left over will go into my wife's older black MacBook, because she only has 1 GB RAM. 1 GB is not enough to run Mac OS X and applications IMO. Having more RAM makes a huge difference in your computing experience. Just ask my Mac Pro if she likes the 16 GB instead of 1 GB RAM. LOL