[SOLVED] PC ram cards in a Mac Pro?

[Bloodklot]

So at work I have a Mac Pro 2010 8-core 2.4GHz Intel Xeon with 32GB of ram running OSX 10.9.1 Mavericks. I came into work and one of my ram modules died. The ram module that died is a 4GB DDR3 1066Mhz. So I went to the IT guys and they said a regular PC ram should work if the specs are the same. While I waited for a replacement ram module they threw in a PC ram with similar specs. Except it was slightly faster. 4GB DDR3 1333MHz. And it worked fine! I was surprised. On the mac it shows as 1066Mhz but it works and I'm back to 32GB of ram. Although it doesn't show that it has ECC. But from what I hear it's almost better not to have ECC.

My question is, I have have a Mac Pro 2008 3,1 at home. Could anyone with the same Mac Pro verify if they have regular PC rams in their machines and what brand worked for them? The ram for this particular Mac Pro is PC6400 DDR2 ECC 800MHz 240 Pin. Thanks.

 

[yapstick]

All memory is essentially PC memory these days. Any brand of memory will do too really, as long as the specs/numbers match what's required on the spec sheet of the Mac Pro 2008. Check this out:

http://support.apple.com/kb/SP11

Looks like you're after some 800MHz DDR2.

As for the whole Fully Buffered thing, 240 pin FB-DIMM DDR2 are notched differently from conventional 240-pin DDR2. Those types are neither mechanically nor electrically compatible. Basically 'Fully Buffered' is a memory technology which can be used to increase reliability and density of memory systems. So, it's all good...