What is the maximum amount of RAM a 2011 MacBook Pro can utilize?

I know macs can be picky about how much their max memory capacity is, so what is the maximum RAM I can install in my two available memory slots?

Model: Early 2011 MacBook Pro 13-inch 2.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5

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Can I put in 16GB with 8GB in each slot?

According to the Apple support, my specific model can officialy take 8gb, 4 on each slot. But many people say that we can put double the official, is this true?

**EDIT: It works, and I wrote an article about this whole process here **

HELL YEAH!

Solution 1:

Yes.You can install and use 16GB of RAM in that machine. There are several discussions in Apple's forum on this subject.

I Have same same model MBP and upgraded two weeks ago. Works great.

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Edit: _{(as to the comments)}

This is the product I have purchased to my mac. Please, before you buy make sure that the memory fit your specific mac model. Apple do have a good webpage of How to identify my mac model.

Here, you can find a similar discussion in iFixit forum

In my original answer I have mentioned SSD. Thanks to @tubedogg clarification, the SSD and RAM are unrelated in this discussion. Yet, when upgrading considering to upgrade the SSD is not a bad idea. Sorry for the bad analogy: it is like replacing parts in your car that will make it runs great, but it takes 15 minutes to start it. For me, I decided to start with RAM. Upgrading the Hard Drive, made it even better.

I didn't see the Mac going over 8MB yet, so I opened every application on my mac just to get to 51%. Since the update it usually runs between 30%-45% of RAM used.

Which brings me to the following conclusion:

Can You install 16MB RAM? Yes
Do you need it? depends on your usage
Why would you still install it? Upgrade once, even if you don't use it right away
Should you also upgrade your hard drive? If you have the resources (money, time, transfer method), then yes

Solution 2:

According to Everymac.com your particular model can support up to 16GB of RAM¹

So, as to your question, "Can I put in 16GB with 8GB in each slot?"

Yes. That's exactly how you can upgrade your memory to 16GB. You will need one "16GB kit" which is two 8GB modules of PC3-10600 memory.

¹Everymac.com: Apple officially supports a maximum of 8 GB of RAM, but as first confirmed by site sponsor OWC, this model actually is capable of using up to 16 GB of RAM with two 8 GB memory modules.