How to Upgrade MacBook RAM: Tips for Your Success

Wouldn’t it be nice if your MacBook was faster? No more pinwheel of death. No more lag when running too many programs. Just a well-running machine that does what you want, when you want.

You can make your Apple laptop be just that smooth with these tips for how to upgrade MacBook RAM.

There are two hardware components of a computer that really affect how fast it runs: the processor and the RAM.

If your processor is a lot slower than your RAM, the processor will be the bottleneck, and it won’t matter how much RAM you add because none of it will make the processor go any faster. On the other hand, if you don’t have enough RAM, your processor will have to pull information out of virtual memory — drastically slowing down your computer.

SLee had been thinking about upgrading the RAM in his MacBook Pro for a while, but someone told him that it wouldn’t make any difference because it was really the processor that was slowing him down. I convinced him to upgrade the RAM anyway, and it’s a good thing I did: now his Mac is running at least twice as fast.

We increased the memory from 4 GB RAM to 8 GB RAM, and while we were working I realized that there were a few tricks we were using to simplify the process that may not be well known to others in the same situation. So without further adieu, here are some tips to help you out:

How to Get Cheap Mac RAM

RAM can be absurdly expensive, so getting our RAM for cheap was an important thing to consider.

The first part of upgrading your RAM is being able to upgrade in the first place. We started off with a MacBook that wasn’t already at maximum capacity. When you purchase a new MacBook, you have options for customization and can order the maximum amount of RAM right off the bat. There are two problems with this:

1. You won’t get the best deal buying a new MacBook. SLee’s past two have been refurbished models. Both worked just like new and both were at least 30% off retail price.
2. If you get a MacBook with the RAM maxed already, you will be paying a premium for Apple RAM.

Apple RAM is not cheap. To get 8 GB for SLee’s MacBook Pro would have cost $200.

The same amount of RAM from a non-Apple brand is often 75% less. We wound up getting this “Apple-certified” Corsair RAM from Amazon for $48.98.

You might be wondering what “Apple-certified” means. We certainly were.

After looking through the product information we found “Apple-certified” means the RAM was tested at Apple’s compatibility lab to ensure functionality with all current products that have official Apple support for 8GB SO-DIMMs. (So this means that it could also work as iMac memory.)

This RAM also comes with a limited lifetime warranty so even if it is faulty, your downside is minimal.

All that to say, just because your MacBook is an Apple product doesn’t mean that you have to get Apple RAM. Shop around some and you can find a much better deal. In addition to Corsair, you can also consider Kingston RAM and Crucial MacBook RAM.

Pick the Right RAM for Your Machine

Before you purchase any RAM at all, it’s super important to make sure that you are buying the right kind. The good thing is that checking your specs on a Mac are as simply as making a couple clicks.

To be specific, click 1 is on the Apple icon at the top left of the screen and click 2 is on “About This Mac.”

The “About This Mac” screen shows which version of OS X you’re running, your processor specs and your memory specs. You can get more information by clicking the “More Info…” button (obviously), but this is all the information we need. (The screenshot above shows 8 GB of RAM because I took this after we had already upgraded; before it showed 4 GB.)

Now that you know the current status of your Mac, it’s time to find out what you’re upgrading to.

Even though you’re not buying your RAM from Apple, you still need to go to Apple.com to find out what kind you need for your particular model. Go to Apple.com and click on the “Store” button in the navigation bar. In the left sidebar, look for “Memory” under the “For Mac” heading. (Or you can just click here.)

Choose your type of Mac on this screen. You can get iMac memory, Mac mini memory, MacBook memory or Mac Pro memory. The model we were working with is a MacBook Pro (Winter & Fall 2011), so we chose that option. On the next screen you just match up the specs you got from the “About This Mac” screen with the options in the Apple Store.

When you have selected the correct page for your Mac, take note of the specs. For instance, SLee’s MacBook Pro can only take up to 1333 MHz DDR3 RAM. If we purchased 1600 MHz RAM, it wouldn’t work or at best would be unstable. On the other hand, if we got 1066 MHz RAM, it might function, but it would be much slower.

Determining Your MacBook RAM Capacity

The information in the Apple Store will also help you determine if you have the capacity to upgrade your MacBook RAM. If the specs listed on the “About This Mac” screen are identical to the results in the Apple Store, you don’t have the capacity to take any more RAM.

For instance, SLee’s computer currently shows 8 GB RAM. That is also the only option in the Apple Store, so we know that the MacBook RAM capacity has already been met. However, before we upgraded his computer, the “About This Mac” screen showed 4 GB currently installed, so we knew we had some room to work with.

Doing the Deed

So, you’ve checked your specs, picked out and ordered the appropriate RAM, and now you’re ready to do your upgrade. The good news is that it’s a relatively simple process. The bad news is that it varies a little bit from model to model.

Good news again: you can find written directions and diagrams for whichever model you have here on the Apple Support site. If you would prefer color pictures, you can follow the instructions on iFixIt. Just find your model, and click the link for “RAM.”

There are a few important tips that I want to point out here.

First, in addition to a tiny phillips head screwdriver, you probably will also need a Torx bit — especially if you are also planning to replace your MacBook Pro hard drive or do some cleaning while you’re in there.

Which brings us to the second important tip. Since you already have everything exposed when you upgrade MacBook RAM, it’s a good idea to go ahead and do some cleaning while you’re in there. For the fan and some other solid parts, you can just take an old (clean!) toothbrush to brush off any dust, dirt, or grime you find. You can use some air power dusters like these on the areas where you can’t use a brush.

One last tip that really makes this process easier involves something you probably have in your fridge — a carton of eggs. An empty carton to be exact. If you don’t know already, you will soon find out that the screws in your MacBook are never the same size. There are several different shapes and sizes that hold your computer together, and to put it back together you’ll need to know which screws go where. The best way that I’ve found to keep screws of the same type together but separate from all the other types is to put them in the chambers of an empty egg carton.

Enjoy Your Faster Mac

With these tips you can upgrade MacBook RAM cheaply and easily. Your computer will feel like a brand new machine. Enjoy!