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g4 and OEM ram?

P

p0le

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Hello. I bought two 512mb pc133 modules for my G4 tower and the machine does not recognize the ram. The ram is rated to 2cls so I thought the ram itself would be plenty fast enough for the G4. Do I have to return this ram and buy apple certified ram or something? Or, do I just need a firmware update?

Thanks
 
p0le said:
Hello. I bought two 512mb pc133 modules for my G4 tower and the machine does not recognize the ram. The ram is rated to 2cls so I thought the ram itself would be plenty fast enough for the G4. Do I have to return this ram and buy apple certified ram or something? Or, do I just need a firmware update?

Thanks
Click to expand...

you don't need apple ram. Apple just rebrands ram anyway, they don't make it, they only charge you a whole heck of alot for it. you do need higher quality ram than some vendors supply.

Of course, sometimes ram is just bad, or maybe you zapped them with static electricity. ram almost always comes with a lifetime warranty, so I'd return them and try again. If it still didn't work, I'd judt try a different vendor.
 
Ram

p0le said:
Hello. I bought two 512mb pc133 modules for my G4 tower and the machine does not recognize the ram. The ram is rated to 2cls so I thought the ram itself would be plenty fast enough for the G4. Do I have to return this ram and buy apple certified ram or something? Or, do I just need a firmware update?

Thanks
Click to expand...

I just (yesterday) installed 2x512 sticks in my G4 from www.crucial.com with 5% discount from MacRumors. I used crucials memory finder system to find the correct RAM. I did not experience any problems,
I would recommend calling the company you bought your RAM from and ask for some help.
Good Luck,
Kyan
 
you might also consider trying to reinstall it. maybe it was just not pushed in all the way this time? 😕

as other have said, you can always return it and try with new ram, or consider a new source.
 
p0le said:
The ram works in my PC. Are there any specific requirements besides being pc133 for it to work in a G4 powermac? I tried older PC100 ram from another working PC I have and it is the same. Is there any OSX software I can use to diagnose this problem?

btw, this is the ram I bought.

http://www.smksuperstore.com/catalog/viewitem.asp?ID=7622
Click to expand...
Just because the spec is the same does not mean it will be compatible, RAM that works on a PC will most likely not work on a Mac, there are slight differences in which the chip is set up. Also, OS X is very picky about RAM, in OS 9 it might like it, but in OS X it may not. I think the problem you have is having the wrong kind of RAM, even though it is the same spec it is PC RAM. You could try the hardware test CD that came with your computer, that could detect bad RAM. good luck.
 
Maybe I havent looked hard enough, but I cant find anywhere a listing of compatable ram. Is there a list somewhere of the ram that works? Can I only use ram that says specifically that it is for a powermac? I dont want to pay 120 bucks for 512 megs of ram when I can get double that for the same price for my PC.
 
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