Crucial CT2K8G3S160BM 16GB Kit (8GBx2) DDR3/DDR3L 1600 MT/s (PC3-12800) SODIMM 204-Pin Memory For Mac

I purchased the Crucial CT2K8G3S160BM 2x8GB to increase the memory in my Lenovo Y410P laptop from 8-GB to 16-GB. My Y410P has two memory slots, and one slot was already occupied by a factory-installed Samsung M471B1G73QH0-YK0 8-GB memory card. I probably could have just added another 8-GB card. But to avoid any possible memory glitches, I prefer not to mix-and-match memory cards of different types. The existing Samsung memory was PC3L/DDR3L, with the 'L' signifying that it is low-voltage 1.35V memory, whereas the standard PC3/DDR3 memory uses a higher voltage of 1.50V. You should not combine memory of different voltages or use memory with incorrect voltage since your laptop may not even boot up. To further maximize compatibility with my laptop, since it came equipped with CL11 1600-MHz memory, I likewise wanted to stick with CL11 CAS Latency speed, instead of going for memory with a faster (lower) CL rating. Some CL9 memory cards have faster specifications, but I really think that most people will not notice 2-nanoseconds of extra latency. So I ordered this CL11 1600-MHz memory because I wanted to exactly match the specifications of my laptop's original 8-GB memory card to ensure compatibility since using mismatched memory can cause system instability. And this memory has been working flawlessly in my laptop!In real-world applications benchmarks, there is barely any difference between using CL11 memory and using some fancier CL9 memory, and the unnoticeable speed difference is not worth paying extra money for more-expensive models of CL9 or faster memory. With most applications, if you compare CL7, CL9, and CL11 application benchmarks, the differences mostly amount to 2% to 4% differences in benchmark timings. Along with the CL listing, another important memory performance indicator is bandwidth, and this Crucial memory's DDR3 1600MHz has a very good maximum bandwidth of 12800MB/s. But what does this mean in real-world performance terms? Relatively little. As long as you have enough memory to hold the applications that you are running without paging, RAM speed is only very rarely a performance bottleneck. Even with quad-core CPUs, the bottleneck is more likely still going to be the CPU . The reason for this is that the CPU's branch prediction algorithms are so accurate that, in the vast majority of circumstances, the data is already in the cache when the CPU needs it. So direct calls to RAM are quite rare. The branch predictor is like the CPU's personal assistant; it guesses what piece of information the boss needs next and makes sure it is already on his desk by the time he needs it. Occasionally, the assistant will get it wrong and the boss will have to forage around and find the information himself. In CPU terms, "foraging around" means retrieving the information from RAM, or (worst case scenario) disk, while if it is "on the boss' desk", that is equivalent to it being in the CPU's cache. And if your computer is equipped with an SSD using Intel's "Smart Response Technology" or if your computer uses SSDs instead of hard disks, it may retrieve the data from the speedy SSD instead of reading from a slower hard disk.So the days are long-gone when purchasing high-end expensive RAM actually makes a tangible difference to your computer's performance. As long as it meets the basic specifications that your chipset requires, there is not much to be gained by paying more. Some performance gains are possible from buying better RAM, but these days, most tests tend to show that such performance gains are minimal... far, far lower than you will get from adding more RAM (not necessarily faster RAM, just *more* RAM) or a faster CPU. This was not always the case. When the Pentium IV first came out thirteen years ago, it used a new type of RAM that had, at the time, very high bandwidth, but also very high latency. AMD's Athlon used traditional RAM with lower bandwidth and lower latency. Some types of applications (e.g. video and audio conversion) were very sensitive to bandwidth, but less sensitive to latency. These types of applications showed significant performance gains with the Pentium IV. Other applications (typically games and office applications) were more sensitive to latency and favored the Athlon.Overall, this Crucial memory is a great buy! Don't overspend on memory just because a brand or model of memory touts better specifications. If you are a hardcore computer gamer with a $4000 gaming laptop, you may opt for faster high-end memory to complement your top-of-the-line CPU and graphics. But most people should focus far more on how compatible that memory's specifications are for your system because the differences between CL ratings are negligible if you are considering CL rating differences of 2 or 3, while using memory that is not correctly matched or compatible with your computer can cause a variety of problems.After I removed the original Samsung 8-GB memory from my Y410P laptop and added these two Crucial SODIMM cards, I reran the Windows Experience Index benchmark and got the same WEI "Memory operations per second" score of 8.1 that I had with the Samsung memory. The WEI "Processor: Calculations per second" also remained unchanged at 8.1. This was not surprising considering that both the original Samsung memory and this Crucial memory have the same specifications.I also purchased a single 8GB card of this same Crucial memory to upgrade my HP Chromebox, which comes equipped with only 2GB in its single memory slot. There is a lot of misleading information on the Internet stating the maximum memory that you can use in the HP Chromebox is 4GB. But that is incorrect since the HP Chromebox can fully use 8GB of memory. After I upgraded my HP Chromebox, the Memory Monitor app on its Chrome OS displayed the memory capacity as 7.9GB. 2GB of memory is sufficient for a Chromebook/Chromebox if you are just browsing with a few tabs open. But if you want to open up lots of tabs and run lots of apps, or if you plan to install Linux or Windows on your Chromebook/Chromebox, then adding more memory will help with performance.Note that Crucial has two identical 16-GB 2x8GB kits with identical specifications, with each memory product having two different part numbers: CT2K8G3S160BM/CT2C8G3S160BM Crucial 16GB Kit (8GBx2) DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3-12800) CL11 SODIMM 204-Pin 1.35V/1.5V Mac Memory CT2K8G3S160BM , and CT2KIT102464BF160B/CT2CP102464BF160B Crucial 16GB Kit (8GBx2) DDR3 1600 MT/s (PC3-12800) CL11 SODIMM 204-Pin 1.35V/1.5V Notebook Memory CT2KIT102464BF160B. CT2K8G3S160BM/CT2C8G3S160BM and CT2KIT102464BF160B/CT2CP102464BF160B are exactly the same memory cards, with the only difference being that the CT2K8G3S160BM/CT2C8G3S160BM product is packaged for Macs with the words "Mac Compatible" on the package. But all four of these part numbers are totally interchangeable because they contain identical memory cards. So if you determine that this is the right memory for your computer, just get whichever of these four Crucial part numbers is cheapest :-) I purchased the CT2K8G3S160BM/CT2C8G3S160BM on Amazon because it was $30 cheaper than the CT2KIT102464BF160B/CT2CP102464BF160B product listing at the time (of course, prices can vary each day). Both of these products are dual-voltage and can work in either 1.35V PC3L/DDR3L or 1.50V PC3/DDR3 memory slots. Both products are Mac-compatible, but they are also not Mac-specific or PC-specific, and they work equally well with PCs, Macs, and Chromebook/Chromebox.If my review helped you to make an informed buying decision, please click the [Yes] button below. If not, please offer suggestions for how I can improve this review. If you have questions, please ask.

I purchased the iMac 27" quad core I7 in mid march of 2014. Although, technically, Apple still classifies it as the "late 2013" model.I purchased this memory module kit after verifying its compatibility through the official Crucial website. This memory was verified by Crucial to work in late iMac 2013 all processors, Mac Mini late 2012, and all the recent Mac Books.The memory arrived in two days, very well packed and protected from static electricity. Ordered Sunday evening, delivered Tuesday.After verifying the correct product, I was able to install the memory module with my two fingers and a chopstick. (The chopstick was used to safely push the door open button without scratching my new toy). Basically, you lay the monitor face down, and remove the AC plug. Under the plug is a small (2mm by 4mm) button. Depress the button to unlatch the memory door cover. Remove the door and set it aside, remembering its orientation. There are two small "handles" that press to allow the module to swing out. There are arrows to show you the direction. Once it's out, you can gently but firmly press each of these memory modules into place. If you look at the picture, you will see Memory has a short and long side. The short side goes on the right. Gently press down firmly and equally on each corner at the same time and it will "pop" into place. Then swing the module back into the housing and replace the door. You may have to press a bit hard on the door, it's designed to fit tightly. Return the AC plug and upright your monitor and plug her back in. The entire process should take between 2 and 3 minutes. Hit your power button. The initial boot up the first time takes a bit longer than normal, so don't panic if it takes a minute or so before your screen flickers to life. To verify it has gone well, go to the very top left and press the apple in the corner to bring down the menu. Hit the "about this Mac", and it will bring up a box with the memory total and should also give a speed of 1600.This memory has been very stable. No glitches or heat issues. The speed of the computer has improved, particularity with booting up and processing pictures. Memory is the best, easiest, and cheapest upgrade for a computer. I have also noticed a small improvement accessing the ssd during some games. There is little difference in simple tasks such as emails or web browsing. Computers are already fast at that. However, using iPhoto has seen an improvement. Steam (an online game client) has also seen an improvement in speed. I am able to max all game settings without any frame loss or slow down.The iMac is set up for a voltage of 1.35 and this memory has a dual nature to run at a voltage of 1.35 or 1.5This is convenient as it allows the smaller voltage to be used, cutting back on power consumption (although only pennies a day and realistically negligible) but also cuts back a little on heat production, which is the bane of all electronics. If you use your computer for any lengths of time, or push the processor hard, heat matters, and this could theoretically save wear and tear on your machine to keep it around longer. This is a good thing as apple products are not cheap...I did some research before purchasing. There are many brands of memory. Crucial, Corsair, Kingston, Transcedence, OWN, and the list goes on. Although Corsair seems to be the choice for most Intel pc computers, Crucial is the choice for Mac machines, by a pretty large margin. When doing your own research, be sure to be on Mac centric forums/boards.After such a positive experience with Crucial's customer service (about a 6 hour email response time to my compatibility question), the ease of install (credit to apple here though), performance boost, and no issues, I bought a second 16 gig kit to replace the four gig sticks that came with the machine. Don't be afraid to buy and install your own memory. Apple charges $600 to upgrade to 32 gigs of ram. You can purchase two of these kits for $300 (or under) and still have the 8 gigs you pulled from your machine to sell on eBay. (Save the memory stick package from your purchase for easy shipping packaging).One last thought. It seems the prices fluctuate a good bit. I bought my first kit on Amazon for 148$ about a week ago. Today, still on Amazon, I only paid 139$ for the same thing. Just something to keep in mind.