When I bought my MacBook Pro 4 years ago, I boosted the RAM from 4GB up to 8GB, and I'm thinking about upgrading again to 16GB. It's been a while since I've purchased RAM, so I was wondering what the best RAM brands are these days, and how much I should expect to pay for an upgrade to 16GB?
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Best RAM for a 15" early 2011 MacBook Pro?
- Thread starter RusselProuse34
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In my opinion, all RAM is the same. It's all made to comply with industry standards, so any talk of "brand" seems useless to me. Just make sure you buy the right type from a company you are comfortable with. Most people consider a lifetime warranty essential.
A quick check at OWC shows 8GB for $86. 16GB is $173.
A quick check at OWC shows 8GB for $86. 16GB is $173.
I recently paid about $160 for Kingston RAM for my 2012 i7 Mac Mini Server that occasionally gets put into production duty, purchased from Amazon. Lifetime warranty, US made. I've been satisfied with Crucial RAM in the past, but the China-made RAM for the Mini was about the same price, so I went with Kingston. My opinion is that if it's made in China it should be so much cheaper than anything made in the US - I have a friend who works for Micron in Boise so I'll shop Crucial first every time, but there was no cost benefit there for me.
Two friends bought some cheaper RAM for their Macbooks last year with a lifetime warranty, but those companies went out of business. So, the warranty was for the lifetime of the business, not the RAM. One of them recently heard that "RAM Crash" sound, so he's shopping for some new RAM. Again. There's a Fry's about 15 miles from me, and they have brand names for electronics that sound like the ones I heard on 6th Ave in Manhattan near where I grew up - they really don't exist for more than a few months, and then they're gone.
Shop around, but pick a brand name that's been around for a while. RAM is RAM, until it craps out on you. Key point: keep the RAM that shipped with the Mac, since you can put it in when/if your new RAM craps out on you! I'll be going back to Kingston and Crucial for my next purchase.
Two friends bought some cheaper RAM for their Macbooks last year with a lifetime warranty, but those companies went out of business. So, the warranty was for the lifetime of the business, not the RAM. One of them recently heard that "RAM Crash" sound, so he's shopping for some new RAM. Again. There's a Fry's about 15 miles from me, and they have brand names for electronics that sound like the ones I heard on 6th Ave in Manhattan near where I grew up - they really don't exist for more than a few months, and then they're gone.
Shop around, but pick a brand name that's been around for a while. RAM is RAM, until it craps out on you. Key point: keep the RAM that shipped with the Mac, since you can put it in when/if your new RAM craps out on you! I'll be going back to Kingston and Crucial for my next purchase.
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Those prices are insane.
DDR3 RAM prices have come down lately. Just two weeks ago I purchased 16GB (2x8GB) Crucial for $97 from Newegg for my dell Latitude. Though I did have a 15% off coupon.
This is the memory I bought
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148614
$110 is a lot better than $173 that OWC wants.