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RAM Upgrade: OWC or NuRAM?

B

banalelectric

macrumors member
Original poster
May 22, 2010
35
0
I'm looking to upgrade my shiny new MBP to 8 GB of RAM and was wondering if any of you have any experience with "NuRAM", which appears to be a new discount memory brand being sold at OWC (among other places, I'm sure).

The 8 GB upgrade is priced at $299 for the OWC house brand (which ran flawlessly in my old PB G4 for 5+ years), and $249 for the NuRAM. I'll get a $50 rebate back on either set in exchange for the memory currently in my MPB. The two brands are spec'd exactly the same, and both come with a Lifetime Warranty, with the exception that OWC offers an "Advance Replacement Warranty" which means less downtime awaiting replacement should anything go wrong.

I've done a bit of research on "NewerTech", the company that is manufacturing the NuRAM, and they seem more or less reputable, specializing mainly in half-decent iPod accessories and such, but they seem to be new to the RAM business.

So what do folks think--is paying an extra $50 for "peace of mind" really worth it, or am I throwing money away on something that probably won't break down anyway?
 
If OWC sells it, it can't be bad. I've never heard anything bad about the products they sell and their support + warranties are enormous as well, so I would just get the NuRAM, it has lifetime warranty anyway
 
I haven't had personal experience with NuRam, but OWC sales reps say it's essentially the same as the OWC branded memory. (micron/samsung chips on a different PCB) Also, given it's OWC, they'll definitely swap it out if you have any problems. I'd say go for the NuRam :)
 
this is great deal. i din't even know about this.
ordered today. 8GB for $200 (after rebate) the best so far.
 
Well, a handful of anonymous strangers on an internet forum can't be wrong ;)

I'm gonna try my luck with the NuRAM and put the $50 I saved towards an SSD drive when prices come down a bit. Contrary to the "what's another $50 on a $2500 computer" argument, an extra $50 in my pocket is never a bad thing. And worse case scenario, it will just take a little longer to replace than the OWC house brand if something goes wrong because it doesn't come with the "advance replacement warranty", but that's an inconvenience I'm willing to suffer through.

Thanks for yr opinions!
 
Update:

Got my 8 GB NuRAM from OWC today. Popped it into my MPB and put it through its paces opening a massive Photoshop file. iStat says I'm using 6.36 GB of RAM (with PS and Safari open) and everything is running smooth as butter. For the record, my MPB struggled to open that 4 GB file yesterday (took 3-4 minutes), but opened it within 30 seconds after the upgrade, and PS remains as responsive as if I was working on a 5 MB file. Nice to be able to feel an instant boost from a memory upgrade ;)

Anyway, so far NuRAM gets a thumbs up from me. (And installing it was dead easy, for what it's worth.)
 
joecool99 said:
this is great deal. i din't even know about this.
ordered today. 8GB for $200 (after rebate) the best so far.
Click to expand...

How did you manage to get that rebate...? I don't see any options of rebates other than sending it stock RAM for cash rebates... :confused:
 
budman1961 said:
I just ordered the 8gb kit, and will post my results when it is installed.
Click to expand...

Good work. I'm convinced you'll be fine. For the record, I sold my stock MBP RAM today locally for $70. Figured I'd give it a go on craigslist rather than go through the hassle of shipping it to OWC. The fellow who bought it from me refurbishes MacBooks for a living and assured me that it's extremely uncommon for RAM to fail... One less reason to worry I suppose.

At the end of the day it will have cost me a grand total of $230 cdn to upgrade rather than the $400+ it would have been through apple. So I'm happy!
 
I've used OWC a number of times and so far they've been great every time. Their phone support is excellent, so with any issues that arise they are always helpful to resolve.
 
I received the new RAM this morning. It took maybe 15 minutes to open/install/close up the MBP, and it works like a champ. Plenty of free RAM with Parallels running, i'm very happy now!

OWC is highly recommended!

Andy

One note, put a microfiber cloth down so you wont scratch your lid, and take it easy removing/reinstalling the screws on the bottom, you dont want to scratch your baby!
 
Any brand... as long as it's decent... is fine... no need to go for this specific "Made for Apple" brand...
Just read the specs... go to a shop and buy...

For what it's worth... Apple usually follows the standards... and until they are capable of building their own logic boards with all the involved components... I'm afraid they will have to stick to standards...
Another thing is that the software may be designed for something in particular... but since the user can upgrade itself this part and the hard-drive, it is not...
 
OWC just kill me please

man I just ordered 2 4G of OWC-RAM for $299.98 could have save $60 if NuRAM just kill me please! pain in the a$$ argggggg. shoot me------>>>>
 
banalelectric said:
Good work. I'm convinced you'll be fine. For the record, I sold my stock MBP RAM today locally for $70. Figured I'd give it a go on craigslist rather than go through the hassle of shipping it to OWC. The fellow who bought it from me refurbishes MacBooks for a living and assured me that it's extremely uncommon for RAM to fail... One less reason to worry I suppose.

At the end of the day it will have cost me a grand total of $230 cdn to upgrade rather than the $400+ it would have been through apple. So I'm happy!
Click to expand...

I'd like to know how you posted the ad on craig's list...mind if you help me out? :)
 
No... it's more for professional use really. Opening up very large files (3-4GB in size) in 64-bit capable applications. PhotoShop, Maya, Logic Pro, etc.

leosaysfosho said:
Also I'd like to know...what are good reasons to upgrade to an 8gb RAM? Is it only recommended for people who game on the mac?
Click to expand...
 
Gonna order my 8GB of NuRAM today to put into my 13"MBP then take the MBP existing 4GB and put it into my i7 iMac giving iMac 8GB of RAM. 8GB on each Mac for $249 = great deal!
 
leosaysfosho said:
I'd like to know how you posted the ad on craig's list...mind if you help me out? :)
Click to expand...

I assume you mean how I worded my ad? I just stated the facts--that I upgraded my one-week-old MPB to 8GB of RAM and was selling off the stock 4GB that came with it, that it worked fine, etc. I also listed the RAM type and some compatible models.

It sold in just a few hours--and I got $20 more than I would have through the rebate program at OWC--so that worked out pretty well. If you live in a city, chances are there are computer nerds out there on the prowl for good, cheap RAM so it shouldn't be very hard to find to a buyer.
 
banalelectric said:
I assume you mean how I worded my ad? I just stated the facts--that I upgraded my one-week-old MPB to 8GB of RAM and was selling off the stock 4GB that came with it, that it worked fine, etc. I also listed the RAM type and some compatible models.

It sold in just a few hours--and I got $20 more than I would have through the rebate program at OWC--so that worked out pretty well. If you live in a city, chances are there are computer nerds out there on the prowl for good, cheap RAM so it shouldn't be very hard to find to a buyer.
Click to expand...

Selling the stock 2x2GB RAM...? Not keeping it in case your MBP screws up under warranty and Apple's generous enough to replace a new one for you...? :eek:
They sure hell gonna ask for the original RAMs...
 
i got a good deal from new egg on some ram called Mushkin for an 8 GB kit.

Works like a charm.
 
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