Anyone use Komputerbay RAM? Cheap 8GB on Amazon

[skylennard]

Has anyone tried out the new(?) 2x8GB / 16gb KomputerBay kit from Amazon?

http://www.amazon.com/Komputerbay-P...50/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1322590554&sr=8-11

This will be for my Macbook8,3; we've already ordered them and should know in the next day or so when they get here. I don't imagine we should expect to have the same issues as described above with the <2011 models failing to downclock the 1333MHz to 1066MHz since these models run at 1333MHz (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacBook_Pro#Technical_specifications_2), but other than the RAM clearly being "cheap Chinese RAM", is there any reason they wouldn't work?

Has anyone tried yet with success or failure?

Thanks!

 

[nicklad]

Komputerbay sell bottom-of-the-barrel binned (selected) RAM that usually has no serial number. (Seen in System Information after installing.)

I made the mistake of purchasing RAM from the company, the first set failed memtest, as did the second and then the third. I got a refund after that, learned my lesson, and bought branded RAM elsewhere. (Crucial in my case.)

Avoid like the plague! They very much are too good to be true...

As you've already ordered them, make sure you test them with the correct software to do so.

 

[skylennard]

Komputerbay sell bottom-of-the-barrel binned (selected) RAM that usually has no serial number. (Seen in System Information after installing.)

I have no doubt, hence the price tag ~1/5 of the competition!

I made the mistake of purchasing RAM from the company, the first set failed memtest, as did the second and then the third. I got a refund after that, learned my lesson, and bought branded RAM elsewhere. (Crucial in my case.)

Avoid like the plague! They very much are too good to be true...

As you've already ordered them, make sure you test them with the correct software to do so.

I'm not really familiar with the "best" options on the Mac platform for doing this test - is this a "before install" kind of test or one to perform right after they've been put in?

I'd greatly appreciate a bit more verbose description of how to do this, and I'd be happy to post my results for everyone's benefit. This is the *only* 2x8GB kit on Amazon that's under ~$700 or so, but if they work and give me 6 months of service I'd still probably be happy with it considering the price tag! I don't mind throwaway components when priced really low, just so long as they don't burn my logic board or something like that.

Thanks!

 

[gbenrus25]

I have no doubt, hence the price tag ~1/5 of the competition!



I'm not really familiar with the "best" options on the Mac platform for doing this test - is this a "before install" kind of test or one to perform right after they've been put in?

I'd greatly appreciate a bit more verbose description of how to do this, and I'd be happy to post my results for everyone's benefit. This is the *only* 2x8GB kit on Amazon that's under ~$700 or so, but if they work and give me 6 months of service I'd still probably be happy with it considering the price tag! I don't mind throwaway components when priced really low, just so long as they don't burn my logic board or something like that.

Thanks!

Please how is the memory working for you? About buying from them also for use in my mac. Thanks

 

[thundersteele]

Has anyone used (or heard of) Komputerbay RAM?

here's one set of 2x4GB for $235
http://www.amazon.com/Komputerbay-S...ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1274492283&sr=1-148

an another 2x4GB with "SODIMM Heatsink for extra cooling" for $245
http://www.amazon.com/Komputerbay-S...ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1274492283&sr=1-153

can anyone vouch for these parts?/ the price is so temping!

Wow... 2x4 GB was around $300 just 18 month ago? Then it's actually not so surprising that apple is still asking $200 for the upgrade. They set the price a year ago or so

 

[JTravers]

Wow... 2x4 GB was around $300 just 18 month ago? Then it's actually not so surprising that apple is still asking $200 for the upgrade. They set the price a year ago or so

RAM pricing is incredible these days. I wonder what 2x8GB will cost a year from now?

 

[lilgto64]

Komputerbay

I will have to post back later in the week after my Komputerbay memory shows up.

I am not sure why an earlier post says PC1066 memory is NOT 1333MHz.

RAM Experts shows DDR3 PC3-10666 1333MHZ
OWC shows 2 x 8.0GB 1333MHz DDR3 SO-DIMM PC10600 204 Pin

so how is PC10600 not 1333MHz?

many computers support two different speeds of RAM - and many RAM chips can run at two different speeds.

Maybe the issue is 2010 vs 2011 Mac systems - I have a 2011 MacBook Pro and a 2011 MacMini Server.

The Komputerbay 16GB kit ($120) will be going into the MacBook Pro - which shows 1333MHz on the installed memory (8GB kit from OWC) - the 8GB that comes out will go into the MacMini Sever - if all goes well there is a good change I will be getting a couple more 16GB kits - one for the Mini Server and another for a 15" Macbook Pro that is on order.

In the system profiler - the OWC memory chips currently installed show a manufacturer code 0x857F and a part number 0x483634353155363446393333334700000000 - but no serial number (all zeros).

 

[Radiomarko]

Ok

My Komputerbay RAM from UK Amazon has been working hard for 6 months with no issues in my 2010 MBP 17". Serials etc all there.


BANK 0/DIMM0:

Size: 4 GB
Type: DDR3
Speed: 1067 MHz
Status: OK
Manufacturer: 0x0198
Part Number: 0x393930353432382D3030352E4130324C4620
Serial Number: 0x47117838

BANK 1/DIMM0:

Size: 4 GB
Type: DDR3
Speed: 1067 MHz
Status: OK
Manufacturer: 0x0198
Part Number: 0x393930353432382D3030352E4130324C4620
Serial Number: 0x48119539

 

[lilgto64]

Just intalled

Just installed mine in the MacBook Pro 17" 2011

the cards came with a metal head shield on them that is a tad bulky at the top - I had to remove a T6 black screw from under the RAM area to get both cards to click into place fully.

had a scary moment during first boot up where all I had was a gray screen - so I rebooted with no external devices attached - and all is good - then plugged external devices back in.

System profiler shows all zeros for both manufacturer and serial number on both cards.

Currently using over 10GB and no issues so far.

Yes the labels are very low quality and the parts themselves may be generic but if they do the job and don't cause issues and have a lifetime warranty - its all good.

 

[nicklad]

Just installed mine in the MacBook Pro 17" 2011

the cards came with a metal head shield on them that is a tad bulky at the top - I had to remove a T6 black screw from under the RAM area to get both cards to click into place fully.

had a scary moment during first boot up where all I had was a gray screen - so I rebooted with no external devices attached - and all is good - then plugged external devices back in.

System profiler shows all zeros for both manufacturer and serial number on both cards.

Currently using over 10GB and no issues so far.

Yes the labels are very low quality and the parts themselves may be generic but if they do the job and don't cause issues and have a lifetime warranty - its all good.

Have you checked the memory with memtest or an equivalent?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memtest86

 

[lilgto64]

On a Mac?

Have you checked the memory with memtest or an equivalent?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memtest86

Not sure that memtest you pointed to will work on a MacBook Pro running Mac OS X Lion.

a day later and no issues. Overall system temperature is maybe slightly better than before - overall performance is slightly increased.

I am not sure that I need a stress tester app - at the moment I have 27 Apps running - including 2 Windows Virtual Machines - and Screen Sharing - plus items that run in the background at startup - with almost 14GB used - and everything seems to be okay.

I think I need a faster hard drive - as I have CPU cycles idle - and a couple GB of free memory.

 

[nicklad]

Not sure that memtest you pointed to will work on a MacBook Pro running Mac OS X Lion.

a day later and no issues. Overall system temperature is maybe slightly better than before - overall performance is slightly increased.

I am not sure that I need a stress tester app - at the moment I have 27 Apps running - including 2 Windows Virtual Machines - and Screen Sharing - plus items that run in the background at startup - with almost 14GB used - and everything seems to be okay.

I think I need a faster hard drive - as I have CPU cycles idle - and a couple GB of free memory.

You boot from the CD so whatever's on the system is not relevant, I have used it before and it definitely does work.

The reason the RAM is cheap is that it is the from the bottom binning of the chip manufacturers - when I purchased memory from the same company, every single stick of it was faulty - and that was with two replacements. I got a refund after that.

The system would still boot, however. From a peace of mind perspective, IMO it is worth checking.

 

[PaulKemp]

Got Komputerbay 16GB (2x 8GB) DDR3 PC3-10600 10666 1333MHz and installed them today. Seems good so far. Installed Memtest86 and booted into single user mode and run the test twice without any issues. I would like to try more to make sure they are ok, but I'm not going to burn a cd. So if somebody wants me to test more give me a shout.

 

[GunsUp]

Looks pretty sketchy with no feedback and such.

You can get name brand 8GB sets for close to $300 from the usual suspects. I wouldn't touch this no-name stuff regardless of the price. You get what you pay for~~~.

I've had komputerbay 2x8 gig in all 3 of my mac's and absolutely amazed, never had a problem out of the ram at all - going on 9 months now.

----------

But, if you buy 1333Mhz memory for your MBP, more fool you!

Check the specs before you buy - Komputerbay memory is just fine for the MBP, if you buy the correct speed chips - 1066Mhz.

1333 has worked for me for 9 months

 

[lilgto64]

have not run test yet but...

no issues so far - two MacBook Pros running 24x7 with KomputerBay 16GB kit installed - without issues.

Considering an upgrade for the MacMini Server - currently has 8GB installed - not sure that I really need it there - it is using essentially all of the 8GB - but I don't always run a VM there - which is the main reason I would want more GB.

 

[crashnburn]

Considering getting DDR2 SODIMM 2x4GB kit for my Thinkpad laptops.

Wondering if its going to be reliable?

PPS: Also all positive reviews here are from a "MacRumors newbie" only. So wondering if these replies are authentic people.

 

[hjharvey]

I use komputerbay memory. they work fine for me.

ive had no problems w/ my memory. i run online gaming apps as well as downloading and video conversion tools.sata3 harddrive,windows7 w/ only 4gigs w/ no problem

 

[phishindsn]

Memory Slots:

ECC: Disabled

BANK 0/DIMM0:

Size: 8 GB
Type: DDR3
Speed: 1333 MHz
Status: OK
Manufacturer: 0x0000
Part Number: 0x4B425F38475F44335F313333335F43390000
Serial Number: 0x00000000

BANK 1/DIMM0:

Size: 8 GB
Type: DDR3
Speed: 1333 MHz
Status: OK
Manufacturer: 0x0000
Part Number: 0x4B425F38475F44335F313333335F43390000
Serial Number: 0x00000000

My Komputerbay is still work great for me.

 

[mund]

I have it installed for a week now, so far, no issues.. runs strong!

I have it going for a week now in my early 2011 15" MBP 2.2 QC i7 128SSD (Apple installed as built). I bought the stuff from Amazon, 2x8, $84 delivered.

I ran the current memtest in single user mode 2x upon install, then 4x overnight... All Passed! I then ran Rember 2x, All Passed!

Curious to see when I replace my 128 SSD with the Samsung 830 512 how things will go...

Very Happy with the ram so far.... I almost bough the OWC for $199.99, which I did for my iMac but chose their Samsung stuff at $160 4x4 a few weeks ago.

I'll update if anything changes...

E J

 

[mund]

I have it going for a week now in my early 2011 15" MBP 2.2 QC i7 128SSD (Apple installed as built). I bought the stuff from Amazon, 2x8, $84 delivered.

I ran the current memtest in single user mode 2x upon install, then 4x overnight... All Passed! I then ran Rember 2x, All Passed!

Curious to see when I replace my 128 SSD with the Samsung 830 512 how things will go...

Very Happy with the ram so far.... I almost bough the OWC for $199.99, which I did for my iMac but chose their Samsung stuff at $160 4x4 a few weeks ago.

I'll update if anything changes...

E J

So Far So Good with the Samsung SSD 512 installed... no issues to report/believed to be ram related.

 

[qijianjonathan]

good job. this is awesome.

 

[lilgto64]

Have you checked the memory with memtest or an equivalent?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memtest86

Now that you mention it….

I started to have trouble with two out of three systems using Komputerbay memory and memttest and remembr found errors - I returned them both - and got a refund on the one - the other I thought they said they were sending a replacement - have to look into that.

 

[mund]

I find it interesting that YOU are having problems on 2 systems...

I re-ran Rember ... no issues once again!




Rember Test Results

All tests passed!

Total built-in memory: 16 GB


This is the total amount of physical memory that the computer has installed. If this figure is not showing the correct amount of memory there may be a problem with one or more installed DIMMS.

Available memory: 12106 MB

Available memory is the amount of physical memory that is currently not in use by any other processes. All available memory will be used for testing when the "All" option is selected. To increase the amount of available memory, you can restart your computer before testing. If you are familiar with the command line (CLI), you can run memtest (the core of Rember) in single-user mode. See Rember help, or http://www.memtestosx.org for more information.

Requested amount: All MB

The total amount of memory requested for testing by the Rember application. Not all requested memory can be allocated for testing. See information on "Available memory" for more information.

Memory allocated for testing: 12106 MB

This is the total amount of memory that memtest was able to allocate for testing. See "Available memory" section for more information.

-------

Loops selected: 1

Total loops selected by user for testing. All loops should complete when testing is successful. Test failure when the "Continue on Error" preference is selected will cancel tests before this number of loops has been completed. Users can also cancel testing before this number is reached.

Loops completed: 1

Total loops completed by memtest. Note that the Rember is not always able to identify how many loops ran. If there are discrepancies between this and the loops selected, the log should be examined to determine exactly how many loops were performed.
-------

Total execution time: All tests passed! Execution time: 3578 seconds

This is the total amount of time that it took to execute the selected tests. Execution time may vary from system to system, and is provided as a guide for determining how long users can expect tests to run based on the amount of memory installed on the system.

Testing start time: 2014-02-28 18:12:19 +0000

Testing end time: 2014-02-28 19:12:03 +0000


Rember version: 0.3.7b Memtest version: 4.22

 

[saturnotaku]

One loop of memtest doesn't tell you anything. The program should run for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

 

[mund]

One loop of memtest doesn't tell you anything. The program should run for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

I did that initially upon install... two consecutive times. Ran much longer than 4 hours if I recall. I didn't do this again because I am not the one experiencing the/any issues. Just though my run as above may prove helpful.

Maybe this weekend, if I get a chance I will do just that. Will post those results when I get an opportunity...