Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Budget RAM vs Name Brand RAM. Experiences?

T

Themegamacman

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 27, 2012
85
1
Hey everybody. I am looking to upgrade my late 2011 15" MBP to either 8GB or 16GB of RAM, but am not sure whether to go with the Komputerbay "budget" RAM or a Corsair or OWC "name brand" RAM kit. Not sure what the difference really is because it seems that they're both the same speed and would therefore act the same, since RAM, form what I've heard, it really either hit-or-miss.

So it's between:
​
Komputerbay "budget" RAM
or
​
Corsair "name brand" RAM
and maybe even
​
OWC "High end" RAM

I've heard great things about OWC but am a little hesitant to buy because of the high price relative to these others. Almost $100 more. Does it really make any difference?

Have any of you had any bad experiences with cheaper RAM (or even good experiences with higher-end RAM)? Or is it all the same? Thanks so much for your time, best wishes to all, and for those of you upgrading to the new MBP when it comes out, enjoy your machine! It should be great!
 
That OWC is overpriced.
Get the Corsair VS.
I don't know Komputerbay but with a lifetime warranty and standard conform RAM I see no reason why not.
Amazon has great return policies no reason to pay more.
 
I bought some generic no-name ram off ebay when I first got my unibody macbook.
Had absolutely no problems whatsoever with it, and been using it a good 2 years now.
 
Themegamacman said:
Hey everybody. I am looking to upgrade my late 2011 15" MBP to either 8GB or 16GB of RAM, but am not sure whether to go with the Komputerbay "budget" RAM or a Corsair or OWC "name brand" RAM kit. Not sure what the difference really is because it seems that they're both the same speed and would therefore act the same, since RAM, form what I've heard, it really either hit-or-miss.

So it's between:
​
Komputerbay "budget" RAM
or
​
Corsair "name brand" RAM
and maybe even
​
OWC "High end" RAM

I've heard great things about OWC but am a little hesitant to buy because of the high price relative to these others. Almost $100 more. Does it really make any difference?

Have any of you had any bad experiences with cheaper RAM (or even good experiences with higher-end RAM)? Or is it all the same? Thanks so much for your time, best wishes to all, and for those of you upgrading to the new MBP when it comes out, enjoy your machine! It should be great!
Click to expand...


I always go after the cheapest ram. No reason not too, as the companies have to follow the IEEE protocols for the specifications.
 
Name brand RAM advantage over cheap-o RAM:

Good RAM will save you from this:

fake-kernel-panic.jpg
 
In my old Macbook, I just used some Kingston budget RAM. Never had problems, but I suspect that budget brands have lesser quality control and customer service. You get what you pay for, and you may be lucky, but considering how crucial RAM is, I wouldn't dip too far into the "budget-never-seen-before" companies.
 
w00t951 said:
In my old Macbook, I just used some Kingston budget RAM. Never had problems, but I suspect that budget brands have lesser quality control and customer service. You get what you pay for, and you may be lucky, but considering how crucial RAM is, I wouldn't dip too far into the "budget-never-seen-before" companies.
Click to expand...

Glad to hear that, but yeah, good point. It's not much of a price difference but could save a lot of hassle.
 
I'm now using the Komputerbay and it's works well and I've had nearly no beachballs. The only questions I have is that I was wondering if it's possible the upgrade could cause my computer to run hotter and have lower battery life? It might just be placebo, but I'm not sure.
 
Still curious if more RAM can make my computer hotter and make battery life decrease. I'd love if someone could answer that for me. Thanks!
 
If you want really good ram, at a low price that will be sold guaranteed to work for your exact make and model of Mac... (or if you want a really good SSD for a Mac), there is only one place to go...

www.crucial.com
 
mfuchs88 said:
Still curious if more RAM can make my computer hotter and make battery life decrease. I'd love if someone could answer that for me. Thanks!
Click to expand...

There's more circuits to be powered so it's going to use more battery power. Will it be enough to be noticed? No.

Name brand ram is just a few bucks more than off brand. It's higher quality which will result in you getting good ram to start with. You will also get solid support if you would need to exchange it. Why spend top dollar on a Macbook only to cheap out on a ram upgrade?
 
I spent $90 @ Newegg (10% off special deal) two weeks ago for 16GB of 1333 G.Skill ram for my late 2011 17" MBP and so far it's been flawless. On 4 other computers I have a total of 72GB G.Skill 1333 ram (3 x 16GB and 1x 24GB) that's worked flawlessly for up to 2 years now. Prices are good and the quality has been exemplary.
 
I had G.skill ram (almost the cheapest at the time) in my old MBP and it worked fine. I usually just check reviews on newegg or amazon and make sure someone at least mentions it working OK in a MacBook or iMac :p but sometimes it's really luck of the draw. There are some ram sticks labeled "for Mac" but I'm not sure what the difference might be, if any.
 
Themegamacman said:
Hey everybody. I am looking to upgrade my late 2011 15" MBP to either 8GB or 16GB of RAM, but am not sure whether to go with the Komputerbay "budget" RAM or a Corsair or OWC "name brand" RAM kit. Not sure what the difference really is because it seems that they're both the same speed and would therefore act the same, since RAM, form what I've heard, it really either hit-or-miss.

So it's between:
​
Komputerbay "budget" RAM
or
​
Corsair "name brand" RAM
and maybe even
​
OWC "High end" RAM

I've heard great things about OWC but am a little hesitant to buy because of the high price relative to these others. Almost $100 more. Does it really make any difference?

Have any of you had any bad experiences with cheaper RAM (or even good experiences with higher-end RAM)? Or is it all the same? Thanks so much for your time, best wishes to all, and for those of you upgrading to the new MBP when it comes out, enjoy your machine! It should be great!
Click to expand...

I have the same MBP as you. I have been running the same Corsair RAM you referenced above for a few months now with no issues whatsoever. I purchased from Amazon because they have a good rep and return policy. I don't think you can go wrong with this RAM at this price. If so RMA it and go with the Crucial or OWC brand.

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Chann...=1340332445&sr=1-1&keywords=corsair+16gb+ddr3
 
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
I prefer Samsung RAM since Apple uses them in their machines. I have 8 GB installed now and will probably install 16 GB soon however I am waiting to see if the price at Data Memory Systems drops. Right now it is $99 for an 8 GB module or $198 for a 16 GB kit. Corsair charges the same price for their "Mac memory" I noticed as well.
 
GGJstudios said:
Not really. RAM is RAM. Make sure they have a good warranty.
Click to expand...

No, ram is not just ram. You get what you pay for

OP, I would stay away from Komputerbay after reading the reviews. Go with a reliable brand. I went with Corsair this go around. Tried the cheap brands in the past and had a few DoAs to scare me off going with budget ram in the future
 
I have purchased RAM from many different places including OWC and have had no problems with any of it. I would just choose the RAM with the lowest price you can find that has a warranty.
 
I returned my Komputerbay RAM, it had a few problems and I wasn't risking it dying later in time. I think I might go with some Corsair but I don't really know enough about that brand so I have to do some research first.
 
Now that it's been a longer time, I'm looking at picking up the Komp Bay RAM again due to the super low price and was wondering if anybody else had tried it yet and can hopefully confirm that I just had a bad set of sticks.
 
mfuchs88 said:
Now that it's been a longer time, I'm looking at picking up the Komp Bay RAM again due to the super low price and was wondering if anybody else had tried it yet and can hopefully confirm that I just had a bad set of sticks.
Click to expand...

Looks like it has tons of good reviews on Amazon, I would go for it.
 
It's ALL so cheap now..

Why bother even calling it 'budget'.. Buy something you've at least heard of, or ask.. :apple:

Chances are it will be good no matter what, but if you have ANY problem and it is caused by trying to save $10 on a $2000 computer.. C'mon.. Really!! :rolleyes:

** And as mentioned above, make sure you can EASILY return if any issues.. and if not buying local, you WILL be paying Shipping on that I am sure!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back