how to get ram for g5

[Hungarianguy]

I just bought a G5 and it only came with 256mb ram. I want to upgrade to 1gb. where do you recommend I get the ram from? can i buy 768mb instead of just 1 gb block? is apple compatible with normal ddram?

thanks
dan

[Sun Baked]

You can get 768MB if you want to buy TWO 128MB PC3200 (or PC2700 depending on machine and TWO 256MB DIMMs.

Though most people would just opt for getting TWO 512MB DIMMs.

And know that you must buy RAM in pairs, since the PowerMacs run a dual channel 128-bit memory (and since RAM is only 64-bit, it pairs two DIMMs to make up that 128-bit memory.)

PowerMac RAM Expansion (http://developer.apple.com/documentation/Hardware/Developer_Notes/Macintosh_CPUs-G5/PowerMacG5/4Expansion/chapter_5_section_2.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP40001397-CH208-TPXREF102)

And how to do it...

http://www.info.apple.com/usen/cip/index.html

[Hungarianguy]

Thanks for this. How about where would you buy the ram from? apple. where is the cheapest (still reliable) to get it from?

thanks,
dan

[freiheit]

For the most part, RAM is RAM. You can buy PC3200 RAM anywhere, but as mentioned above you must buy in matched pairs (same speed, same size, and preferably same manufacturer) for the G5. A lot of newer PCs are going that way as well -- they don't NEED RAM in matched pairs but they're optimized for it.

As with any RAM purchase, it's wise to go with a name brand (Corsair, Kingston, Crucial, PNY) and avoid no-name, store brands or anything that was "manufactured in one of the following countries". Look for the best price you can get on name-brand PC3200 RAM and you should be fine.

[StylePower]

Just remember that the iMac haven't place for more than 2 dimms...

[gwuMACaddict]

dont we have a 'where to buy ram' sticky thread yet? :rolleyes:

[Fredstar]

www.crucial.com/uk
They will ensure you get the right ram using the selector and will tell you how much will fit into your mac
^Ditto about the sticky, really should have one

[FireArse]

Hey,

I presume you bought an iMac, since the PowerMac's don't come with 256Megs. You dont need to buy RAM in pairs for the iMac. I'd recommend getting a 1GB stick of RAM. For what it's worth, I bought from Crucial.

FireArse

[CanadaRAM]

For the most part, RAM is RAM. You can buy PC3200 RAM anywhere, but as mentioned above you must buy in matched pairs (same speed, same size, and preferably same manufacturer) for the G5. A lot of newer PCs are going that way as well -- they don't NEED RAM in matched pairs but they're optimized for it.

As with any RAM purchase, it's wise to go with a name brand (Corsair, Kingston, Crucial, PNY) and avoid no-name, store brands or anything that was "manufactured in one of the following countries". Look for the best price you can get on name-brand PC3200 RAM and you should be fine.

Wrong. Corsair PC3200 RAM has been reported to not work in Macs and Corsair specifically does not warranty their RAM for Macs. Crucial and Kingston are reputable brands but are far from the best value.

There is a lot more to RAM than just "PC3200". Even some PC3200 modules that work in the PowerMac G5 do not work in the iMac G5. RAM is not RAM.

Buy your RAM from a reputable dealer who offers a lifetime warranty and who guarantees compatibility with your specific model.

In the USA I like Data Memory Systems www.datamem.com. They have been around for 17 years and they are Mac people like us.

Thanks
Trevor
CanadaRAM.com

[habibbijan]

I presume you bought an iMac, since the PowerMac's don't come with 256Megs.

Just so you know, the 1.8 GHz Powermacs at the Apple Store only come with 256 MB RAM by default.

[QCassidy352]

I just upgraded my SP 1.8 Ghz G5 from 512 MB to 1.5 GB. I used crucial and I recommend that you do too. I've never had a stick of crucial RAM go bad on me (several computers) and they do stand behind their product. Don't go with the cheapest because it's a real hit or miss.

[CanadaRAM]

Wrong. Corsair PC3200 RAM has been reported to not work in Macs and Corsair specifically does not warranty their RAM for Macs. Crucial and Kingston are reputable brands but are far from the best value.

OK, Correction to my previous post:

With impeccable timing, Corsair has just rolled out a new website with a machine configurator. They have evidently decided they can't live on PC Gamer sales alone, and are now selling generic memory for all and sundry machines. This includes Macs.

So... let me amend my now incorrect post and say:

"Corsair *XMS and TWIN-X* PC high performance memory has been reported not to work with Macs and is not guaranteed for use in Macs. They have a separate "SystemSelect" line of DDR and PC133 memory that they sell for Apple machines."

Thanks
Trevor
CanadaRAM.com

[neonart]

G5's are picky about RAM. I went through 4 pairs of RAM trying to get the right stuff. My G5 would crash and have problems with most of them.

Then I remembered that it came with Samsung RAM and I looked on newegg.com. They have the same RAM Apple uses at a great price! You can actually compare the Samsung part number on Neweggs site, with what Apple ships. (They may be off on the chip revision, but mostly the same #) I just left the 2 256MB chips that came in the machine and got 6 more 256 MB chips for 2GB.
Here is the 256MB chip:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-147-108&depa=0
Apparently they don't have 512's at the moment. They usually do.

G5's like CL3, BTW. I wanted to get CL2.5 like in my G4, but these kept giving me problems.

[ekitel]

www.crucial.com/uk
They will ensure you get the right ram using the selector and will tell you how much will fit into your mac
^Ditto about the sticky, really should have one

I'm looking for 2x512 for a dual 1.8, Crucial has some that's very reasonably priced, but they also have 2 compatible versions of their Ballistix line that are more expensive.... so is it worth the extra money, and if so which of those 2 is better?

I plan on using the Mac for everything (switching from PC) but mainly for Protools and other audio production software

[CanadaRAM]

Don't go with the Ballistix RAM - there is no evidence that lower CAS latency is used by the Mac memory controller, so there is no benefit to the more expensive RAM. Plus if you have an iMac G5, you'd have to pry the heatspreaders off the Ballistix RAM.

Thanks
Trevor
CanadaRAM.com

[Lugonn]

I think I bought from OCW before.

But I have heard great things about Crucial so that's where I'm headed next time.