4GB in one slot?

floyde

floyde

macrumors 6502a
Hey guys,

I'm feeling a bit frustrated right now. I finally decided to upgrade my ancient Powerbook G4 with a shiny new 15" Macbook Pro, but I'm really not liking the choices that Apple offers in terms of customization. It seems that I only have two options: I either overpay or end up with something that falls short of my requirements. I'm well aware that Apple is a business, after all, and that it's not their fault that I'm poor :p, but it's still a bit frustrating that I can't get something "in between".

I've already convinced myself that I've used Apple products as a symbol of status in the past :eek:, and that I don't need the latest and greatest to suit my needs (mostly hobbyist audio recording, although hobby or not the software I use still requires a lot of computing power). I've decided that I really don't need the i7 and can live comfortably with the i5.

But something that I still can't get over is the RAM issue. I don't need 8GB right now, but I'm certain that I will need them in the future (I wan't to try to use this computer for about 3-4 years), so I want to buy 4Gb in a single slot so that I can just add another 4Gb module later on. The online apple store doesn't offer this option and it is very frustrating that if I don't want Apple's overpriced 8Gbytes just yet, I'll have to literally throw away my current RAM (by then who will need two 2GB modules?) and pay for it again, plus the price of the extra RAM if I want to upgrade. This is the kind of bullying marketing technique one would expect from Microsoft, or even the RIAA :p, but anyways...

Has anyone found a way to make such a purchase? Perhaps if I buy it over the phone I can ask them to give me 4gb in a single slot? Am I basically screwed? Any ideas or similar experiences are welcome.

Thanks
 
floyde said:
Has anyone found a way to make such a purchase? Perhaps if I buy it over the phone I can ask them to give me 4gb in a single slot?
Click to expand...
Yes, you can operate with 4GB in one slot and nothing in the other, but Apple won't sell it that way. It's better to have matching pairs.
 
I sympathize with you as I bought my G4 powerbook with 1x1gb in it and threw an extra 1gb in there a year or so down the line. It was worth the price over the 2x512mb at the time.

But think about it this way- You say you really only need 4gb right now, so buy the computer with that in it. 2x2gb sticks cost less than 1x4gb sticks. By the time you *need* to upgrade, the price on the 4gb sticks will drop (they are still kind of expensive). Then you'll be at 6gb. Wait even longer before you need to buy a second 4gb stick and they'll be even cheaper.

Basically, I'm saying that you save more money by waiting to upgrade, especially if you don't even need it right now.
 
What's the success rate for using 1x2gb and 1x4gb? I recall reading someone had done this without any problem...is the matching pair just a falacy to get people to spend more $$$?
 
sadcamper said:
What's the success rate for using 1x2gb and 1x4gb? I recall reading someone had done this without any problem...is the matching pair just a falacy to get people to spend more $$$?
Click to expand...

It will work but dual-channeling will be disabled though it's only ~5% boost anyway
 
when you want to upgrade to 8GB the price of two 4GB sticks will probably be around the price that one stick is now, so I wouldn't worry about it.
 
reebzor said:
Basically, I'm saying that you save more money by waiting to upgrade, especially if you don't even need it right now.
Click to expand...

seb-opp said:
when you want to upgrade to 8GB the price of two 4GB sticks will probably be around the price that one stick is now, so I wouldn't worry about it.
Click to expand...

Yes, this is starting to make sense :). It probably won't be so bad once I choose to upgrade in a couple of years. I guess I'll go for the 4GB then.
 
reebzor said:
I sympathize with you as I bought my G4 powerbook with 1x1gb in it and threw an extra 1gb in there a year or so down the line. It was worth the price over the 2x512mb at the time.

But think about it this way- You say you really only need 4gb right now, so buy the computer with that in it. 2x2gb sticks cost less than 1x4gb sticks. By the time you *need* to upgrade, the price on the 4gb sticks will drop (they are still kind of expensive). Then you'll be at 6gb. Wait even longer before you need to buy a second 4gb stick and they'll be even cheaper.

Basically, I'm saying that you save more money by waiting to upgrade, especially if you don't even need it right now.
Click to expand...

yep!
 
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