I've just upgraded my girlfriend's MacBook (I think it is a 2011 Model, one of the last white plastic ones) to Mavericks, and it has slowed down significantly. I'd like to upgrade the RAM on the MacBook to get it running faster. Currently, it has a total of 2GB installed in two separate RAM slots.
If I take one of these DDR3 modules out, what are the performance implications of replacing it with a bigger module to run alongside the remaining 1GB module?
Or should I make sure that the RAM modules are installed in pairs?
Best Answer
Matched pairs is the optimal configuration.
However, you will still see a performance increase by adding more memory. It is important to note that an increase in RAM ,whether in matched pairs or not, will give a much bigger performance increase than a move from unmatched pairs to matched pairs.
Really, the matched pairs issue only happens when there is an option of two sticks of size 2X, or one stick of size X.
In your current scenario, having an unmatched pair is fine, and will still lead to a good performance increase.