Introduction
RAM memory upgrades can greatly increase your MacBook Pro’s performance and even speed it up significantly. Pro memory upgrades are known to be quite expensive as buying RAM directly from Apple is costly, however you can purchase third-party RAM from other retailers provided it is perfectly compatible with your MacBook Pro for a much lesser price. With a smaller Apple system you can usually afford to fill the RAM to the maximum and get the best results, but the Pro memory capacity is much larger, so upping it by a decent amount should be enough and not cost you too much.
History
Apple Pro and MacBook systems, like other laptop and desktop models, have been getting better and faster with time. The current 2011 model of MacBook Pro has a capacity for 16 GB, while other models take up to 8 GB memory. Memory sold by Apple for its systems is, however, too expensive for most people to consider upgrading their memory slots, but other retailers have brought in competitive prices and are now widely popular among Pro customers. One such famous company is Other World Computing who reported a price reduction from $1600 to $235 for its MacBook Pro memory kit (2 x 8 GB 1333 MHz) within just a year. Similarly 8 GB and other capacities have seen such huge cost reductions that now make upgrading memory a more accessible option.
Features
The best online sites for obtaining Pro memory are Other World Computing, NewEgg, MacMemoryStore, Crucial, MacImprove, and Data Memory Systems. Prices can be compared between them to get the best deals, though Other World Computing (OWC) is recommended by most.
1. For the MacBook Pro, OWC offers
a. 4.0 GB upgrade kit for $25.79,
b. 6.0 GB upgrade kit for $39.99,
c. 8.0 GB upgrade kit for $48.97.
2. For the current Pro 2011 models with dual- and quad-core processors, up to 16 GB is supported. The OWC price for an 8 GB kit is $49.99, for a 12 GB kit is $139.99, and for the 16 GB kit it is $229.99!
3. For less capacity models of MacBook Pro (1.83 GHz, 2.0 GHz, 2.16GHz),
a. OWC offers 512 MB upgrade for $15.99, 1.0 GB for $29.99, and 2.0 GB for $35.99,
b. Micron offers 1.0 GB for $21.99 and 2.0 GB for $41.99,
c. Samsung offers a 1.0 GB upgrade for $29.99 and 2.0 GB for $59.97.
Tips and comments
When buying a new Mac Pro laptop, it is better always to go for the base model that has the original amount of RAM, and then upgrading the Pro memory on your own, rather than directly purchasing the upgraded model which will be more costly by far. Once you have bought your RAM sticks, fixing them on your own into your memory slots involves no rocket science nor is it an exceptionally lengthy process. You can find Youtube video tutorials for memory upgrading for your specific Pro model. Compatibility and price are the main factors when looking for the Pro memory that will give your system a healthy boost.
