Is it possible to insert a 8 GB RAM stick and a 2 GB RAM stick into a Mac?
Solution 1:
The answer to the general question is yes - Macs have never required paired RAM although many machines get a 5 to 15% speed boost if you pair the RAM. In some integrated graphics applications on the 2007/2008 era designs, this could be larger a speedup for some graphics operations.
As long as your Mac doesn't exceed the total RAM the CPU/logic board wants to handle, you can split up the banks in any way you choose.
For your specific models, I would look at a reputable RAM seller like Ramjet to see if people have been reliably making more RAM work in your specific models. Often Apple will say the maximum RAM is 4 GB but 8 will work well if you have top of the line chips with the correct timing. Also - be aware that mixing speeds of RAM (1066 vs 1333) can be problematic or cause the system to fail to start up. Normally, permanent damage is not done to the memory or the computers when you place the wrong RAM in, but it can lead to aggravating crashes, video glitches and slowness.
Solution 2:
Go to apple.com/support and type your serial # in the search bar. If your RAM is above the recommended maximum amount of your machine, you stand a greater chance of getting errors. However, a kernel panic usually indicates a bad stick of ram rather than improper amounts. As a matter of fact, some larger sticks of ram are designed to only use the maximum amount allowed by the computer no matter what the size of the RAM. It's just nog widely publicized.
Solution 3:
I'm not the expert but I have done that and It works just fine. No issues at all. No idea if any issues is possible in the long run, but 8+2GB works perfectly on my MacBook Pro8,2 (15-inch, Late 2011)
BANK 0/DIMM0:
Size: 8 GB Type: DDR3 Speed: 1333 MHz Status: OK Manufacturer: 0x0000 Part Number: *** Serial Number: *** BANK 1/DIMM0: Size: 2 GB Type: DDR3 Speed: 1333 MHz Status: OK Manufacturer: 0x80AD Part Number: *** Serial Number: ***
