Succesfully reviving a dead memory slot?

C

cbags101

Gawd
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Nov 26, 2006
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Has anyone here successfully revived a dead memory slot? I have a MacBook Pro, which is out of warranty, that I have figured that the memory slot is bad. It works fine with a single stick in Slot #1, and wont boot if there is anything in the Slot #2 (I've tested with multiple known-working sticks of ram).

Does anyone have an idea as to what would cause a mem slot to go bad? After googling around I found that it could be dirty (which seems unlikely), or a bad solder joint on the slot from heat.

Can anyone come up with something else?
 
Depending on the model, you may be experiencing issues with the memory controller, whether it's on-die or not.
 
ah. I had no idea that mattered.

It's a 2007, 15.4", Specs are 2.2ghz C2D w/8600m gt vid card.
 
The Core 2 Duo CPUs do not feature an integrated memory controller, and as such, nothing short of a motherboard replacement will "revive" the second slot.
 
never say nothing. you can always strip it down and try to reflow the solder in an oven or with a heat gun. on a laptop with so much integrated in the board, you would have lots of stuff to remove, but it could be tried. you never know if the OP has access to the necessary tools, so its worth suggesting.

and as the OP said, you could always try blowing the slot out with compressed air. laptops get dust in every single little crevice, so its plausable. i wouldnt hold out too much hope for this, though. physical damage is more likely.
 
as an aside, you could sell it, just let the buyer know it has a little issue. Some may care, some may not if everything else works.

You may find an amateur tinkerer that will pay close to market value for a fixer upper. . .

Just a thought.
 
I have the tools to do a reflow, and I'm familiar with the process. I just wanted to see if you guys thought it was feasible. I've taken countless MBP's apart and comfortable with doing it.

The point is, that I want to sell it and maximize my dollar. Running 3gb of ram instead of just 2gb would probably get me a little more cash (ive got the extra ram laying around). And if I can fix it without spending much money, then it's worth my time.
 
Be carefull, despide "reviving" the slot you should tell the buyer about it... those "reflows" usually are temporary solutions...
 
armartins said:
Be carefull, despide "reviving" the slot you should tell the buyer about it... those "reflows" usually are temporary solutions...
Click to expand...

Duly noted. That'd be super shady not to tell someone about a major refurb like that.
 
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