Quick question: has anyone after-marketed the latest MacBookPro to 16 gigs of RAM?

[Jason Jenkins]

[Phil Hoppes] “I just upgraded my MPB (Oct 2011 version) to 16Gb using the upgrade from MacSales. This upgrade use to cost well over $1000.00. It is now price just over $300 with shipping so it was a deal for me.”

I also just upgraded my 2011 Macbook Pro to 16GB of RAM from OWC. It definitely helps when running multiple applications at once.

Jason Jenkins
Flowmotion Media
Video production… with style!

Check out my Mormon.org profile.

[Jeremy Garchow]

[Phil Hoppes] “No I have no experience with this drive. “

Thanks, Phil.

As far as the DVD drive, I am going to put it externally as well. The MCE kit, while a little more expensive, comes with the DVD case:

https://mcetech.com/

https://mcetech.com/optibay/index.html

Thanks for linking to that drive, I might give it a shot.

Jeremy

[Jason Livingston]

I put a 16GB kit in my 15″ MBP 2011, it only cost about $140. For software development there is a very noticeable improvement from 8GB, and I expect that any 64-bit video editing or related programs will make good use of it.

I also put a 256GB SSD in the main HD slot, and moved the 750GB HD into an adapter that replaces the optical drive, which I almost never use. The optical drive is now in an external USB case which works perfectly for the rare occasion I need it. The result is extremely fast boot time and program access, but I still have access to bulk HD storage for large files while on the go.

[Dennis Radeke]

Does anyone have a link to whether this can be officially done in some capacity? I’m trying to decide if I want to get a new laptop now or potentially wait for the next one and one of the big factors for me is whether a 17″ laptop can truly hold 16GB of RAM.

Thanks!
Dennis – Adobe guy

[Phil Hoppes]

Guess I don’t understand your question. I’ve put in 16Gb of ram in my Oct2011 MBP and it works fine. That you can’t purchase it direct from Apple I do not see as a downside. Apple, along with every other PC manufacturer, hoses you on memory and HD upgrades. I like Macs but I always purchase them with the smallest RAM and occasionally (depends on the model) smallest HD and then immediately replace or upgrade from 3rd party dealers. It does not void the warranty and there is no need to pay so much more. I tend to buy memory upgrades direct from Crucial and HD upgrades from Newegg.com. When I purchased my MBP I did get the Apple SSD as the price differential was not enough for me to substantiate getting a different 3rd party drive. I find it usually depends on timing. I gave up long ago worrying and waiting for a deal. If I need a new machine, then I would look for the best deal at the time and get a new one. On Mac’s it is easy enough on MacRumors to figure out if a new model is about to show up so I would always pay attention to where product releases are but no matter when I buy a computer, guaranteed, someone I know will point out the very next day someone had something a bit cheaper and a bit faster than the deal I just got the day before. I get a computer and NEVER look into the rear view mirror….. I always loose… 😉

[Chris Harlan]

[Dennis Radeke] “Does anyone have a link to whether this can be officially done in some capacity? I’m trying to decide if I want to get a new laptop now or potentially wait for the next one and one of the big factors for me is whether a 17″ laptop can truly hold 16GB of RAM.”

Ah, the “official” question. I don’t think there is anyplace that Apple acknowledges in print that the current Macbook Pro is capable of holding 16 G, but there are plenty of after-market places that feel comfortable selling you kits that officially do so (e.g., specifically naming the product). That is, in fact, the reason I posted the question here. Avid–in their qualifications list–has a note about more RAM always being better, as long as it meets with the manufacturer’s approval (bad paraphrase, I’m sure; but I’m too lazy to look it up right now).

HP and Dell both offer their mobile Workstations with 16G, and, from my POV, a far better set of i/o options. Really, what is holding me back from them at this point, is my dependence on FCS 3, the lovely glass track pad, and the overall light-weight elegance of the MacBook Pro. Hey Dennis, does Adobe offer any kind of cross-grade between OSes?

[Frank Gothmann]

Just chiming in to let you know there are crossgrade options for Adobe’s stuff. Either when you upgrade to the next version but also with your current version (a while ago it was for a nominal fee, don’t know what the current fee, if any, in the US is).
You need to fill out a confirmation letter to do that:
https://kb2.adobe.com/cps/153/tn_15327/attachments/lod_xgrade.pdf

If Dennis Radeke reads this, he may have figures and or links to point you to but calling Adobe should also sort you out within a few minutes.

[Chris Harlan]

Thanks Frank!

That letter adds some clarity to my deliberations. I’m not quite ready to destroy my OS X copy of CS5, since I’m still primarily relying on my 8 Core things Adobe. I’m thinking now that converting to a PC Mobile Workstation only for Avid (and a better eSATA connection) might be a bit of a reach. So maybe, this time around I’m staying Mac. I’m still mulling, though.

[Frank Gothmann]

[Chris Harlan] “That letter adds some clarity to my deliberations. I’m not quite ready to destroy my OS X copy of CS5, since I’m still primarily relying on my 8 Core things Adobe. I’m thinking now that converting to a PC Mobile Workstation only for Avid (and a better eSATA connection) might be a bit of a reach. So maybe, this time around I’m staying Mac. I’m still mulling, though.”

I understand completely. It would be nice if they handled things the same way Avid does. I had the same decission to make so I ended up getting another Win licence while keeping the Mac one. Depending on how things will develop in the next couple of month, that one is very likely to go Win as well once CS6 comes out.
I got a dongle for MC6 so I switch happily from Mac to HP without deactivating/activating all the time. Or put it on a laptop. I really wanted to test waters thoroughly before moving to a different OS and hardware completely but now I know I can.

[Jeremy Garchow]

Hey, Phil.

Thanks for the heads up on the drive, again.

I got it installed with the MCE OptiBay. Check out the performance (of course this is an empty drive):

Not too shabby!

Jeremy