Possibility of using SDXC Card as Permanent System DDR3 Memory?

Hey Dan -

Yeah, I knew that the OS was written so that it see's it as a PCI-e expansion storage bus, and you could use a large-ish card to extend storage (read today it will recognize up to 2TB if you can afford the SD card that comes that large -- it's nota SDXC. It's another format that's slightly different, but apparently after 32GB, the speeds aren't what the specs list due to how the system buffers the data.

Anyhow, I was just hoping you could go into the kext or alter the OS "pointing" with coding (yeah, a risk... but thought perhaps a software eng could give suggestions) ... wonder if it has ever been attempted or even is possible with the right alteration behind the scenes. I would be willing to chance "bricking" it to find out :)

Thanks for stopping by though... seems like lately my posts have gone unanswered, so I appreciate that you took the time. Regards

In years past we created a RAM disk on HD's to extend a systems memory and we even had interface cards with RAM using the EMS spec IMB/AST/Lotus created to leverage the addressing that was put aside in the systems BIOS space. Unlike then we don't have a means to do that in todays OS's & Systems that offer enough performance to be useful or just no means to do it (EMS).

As a side note: We haven't upgraded many of our laptops to the Retina class systems because of the memory limitations they have (we even are buying used systems to replace broken ones!) As an engineering firm we deal with some very large CAD drawings so memory is very important to us the more the better so I feel your pain here. Maybe Apple will create an upgradable version as a premium system. We love the Retina display just hate the RAM & storage limits

Amen, Dan! Thanks for the in-depth! That's what I wanted. Crystal clear now; you rock.

*For the last 2 years, I used a 2012 15.4" MBP (non-retina) 2.6Ghz i7 16GB 1TB SSD (Forced trim support) + a 512GB SSD in the DVD drive slot. I loved having 2x sizeable SSD's in one laptop. One ran programs, the other, accessed files (especially those of a more substantial size like vid editing,etc). I never saw any bottle-necking of the system bus, or any other issue. That machine was my baby and it ran like a freaking tank! I NEVER had issues with her. I also ran autdesk prods and I can say, she handled the rendering flawlessly, and multitask-ed like a d@mn champ (we're talking CS6 open, CAD open, Final Cut Pro open, and not dragging). Sadly, when I upgraded some of my more senior designers' laptops to 2013 15.4" rMBP 2.8Ghz i7 16GB 768GB, I got one for myself and foolishly listed my trusty Macbook Pro Non-retina up for sale. It sold in 3 hours listed on craigslist. The new one is buggy as !@#$. I miss ole' reliable.

Pretty much exactly the reason I'm so loathe to get rid of my two mid-2012 pre-Retina MBPs. I've loved Apple's products for many years, but I must admit to a growing disillusionment with the company's protectionist practices of increasingly preventing third party expansion and repair... We can only hope that some legislature somewhere, either at state or national level, introduces legislation to force Apple to reconsider their policies