I'm starting to think it is me

May 23, 2011 8:44 AM

A few weeks ago, I put into my new Macbook Pro (2.3 i5) 8GB 1333Mhz DDR3 RAM in it from Crucial. The result was Kernel Panics and unstable applications. I reinstalled the (4GB) Apple RAM, and the problem went away. Crucial sent me replacement memory, I installed it, and guess what?

...more application crashes and a Kernel Panic that occurred when my computer was on but I was not using it.

On the first memory, I ran the Apple memory test, and it came up clear. This time, I ran Memtest and everything turned out OK.

I'm starting to think it is me. What else can I do?

Thanks for your help.

posted by 4ster to Computers & Internet (7 answers total)

Is there an Apple Authorized Dealer near you? The folks at the Genius Bar will probably stop helping you once you get to "I put this 3rd-party RAM in", but a local shop may be more inclined to figure out if it's something like a logic board problem, and/or have another MBP around to try that RAM in. They'll likely charge you a diagnostic fee, though.
posted by mkultra at 9:12 AM on May 23, 2011

Sounds like just another bad batch of RAM since the stock RAM doesn't cause problems. I would try running it with just one stick at a time to determine which one is bad, and then you can send just the defective one back to Crucial.
posted by ridogi at 11:02 AM on May 23, 2011 [1 favorite]

memtest isn't foolproof. I had the exact same problem here last week -- installed new RAM, had kernel panics. Pulled new RAM, kernel panics stopped. Memtest didn't catch anything on the new RAM.

Did you run it in loop mode? They recommend 3 passes. The arguments should be '/memtest all 3'

There's also a prob. with memtest being unable to lock more than 4 gb of RAM in 32-bit mode, and there's an additional argument to get it to run in 64 bit mode. (I looked this up, but didn't mess with it since I'm still on PPC)
posted by Devils Rancher at 12:15 PM on May 23, 2011

My old MBP had RAM-related kernel panic issues. The Apple store guy eventually decided that it was a bad RAM slot -- it was impossible to expand the memory, but changing out the one stick was fine. He thought it could be fixed with a logic board replacement, but I opted to just leave my RAM un-upgraded. Could that be your problem?
posted by danb at 7:36 PM on May 23, 2011

Response by poster: My old MBP had RAM-related kernel panic issues. The Apple store guy eventually decided that it was a bad RAM slot -- it was impossible to expand the memory, but changing out the one stick was fine. He thought it could be fixed with a logic board replacement, but I opted to just leave my RAM un-upgraded. Could that be your problem?

That's a good question, and I hope it is not that, but it seems that if it were, the factory RAM would have problems since it is using the same slot.
posted by 4ster at 6:57 AM on May 24, 2011

Response by poster: I just got off the phone with Crucial, and here is where things stand: Although my Mac was running reliably with one of the two sticks of RAM but not the other one, they told me to send both back, because they have had others who have had situations like mine. They told me that they are going to send me something different this time that should work. I will post here when it arrives.

Thanks, everyone.
posted by 4ster at 8:58 AM on May 24, 2011

Response by poster: I received the new and improved memory from Crucial today, and it is working great. Thanks to all for your help.
posted by 4ster at 5:02 PM on June 2, 2011