[OT] MacBook Pro firmware update failing to take more RAM

[Riccardo Mottola]

Hi,

I want to update my MacBook Pro 7,1 firmware because if i put in more 
than 4GB of ram it continues resetting. I have bought both 8GB and 16GB 
upgrades and neither work. With correct EFI both should be supported 
according to the internet. The SODIMMS are good because tested in 
another Mac.

I am running 10.13, which is latest.

Software Update says no updates are available


I do know that my EFI is outdated:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/101198

Says I should have MBP71.0039.B0E (EFI 2.5) 
<http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1478>, but I have MBP 68!

The link on that page doesn't work for me. With some search magic, I was 
able to find the updates and get EFI 2.5
However, if I try to install it says "This software is not supported on 
your system"

While it technically should work! Anyone experience such a situation? 
Some people do on the internet and couldn't get out of it. Tricks to 
trick the installer? I tried to open it, but xar dies at opening the pkg 
archive (literally segfaulting)

I even tried a trick: borrowed my older MBP 2008 hard drive which has 
10.9, tried to run installer from it, but no change!

I think the current firmware is being very dumb about RAM. It can't take 
faster RAM: the 2008 model takes faster modules and runs them at 
1066Mhz, the 2010 model might try to adapt to them running, faster, 
which it can't. I am unsure, of course, since I have not bigger but slow 
modules for the 2010.

Riccardo