New SODIMM in an older machine?

June 2, 2006 3:33 PM

Can I take the 512 meg SODIMM from a MacBook Pro (a PC2-5300 DDR2 chip, according to the MacTracker program), and put it in a 17" iMac G4, which wants PC2100? What are the rules on this kind of backwards compatability?
posted by Steve3 to computers & internet (5 comments total)

DDR2 and DDR ram use completely different signalling, so it is unlikely that your plan will work. If the G4 took slower DDR2 RAM than the macbook, then you would be OK, but it doesn't.
posted by b1tr0t at 3:36 PM on June 2, 2006

PC2100 is DDR... DDR and DDR2 are not compatible. It won't even fit.
posted by knave at 4:00 PM on June 2, 2006

mmm. fire....
posted by tiamat at 4:22 PM on June 2, 2006

Ah. Since they were both 200 pins, I thought there might be a chance.... so much for that money saving idea.
posted by Steve3 at 5:45 PM on June 2, 2006

You may still be able to sell your DDR2 on Craigslist and buy some cheap DDR for the iMac. Alternately, propose a trade.
posted by b1tr0t at 6:17 PM on June 2, 2006