Chinese RAM....(Ebay).....Hmmmmm......

[Revor]

Tossing this out there for comment: found this RAM that I believe is correct/compatible for the G5's (my Quad anyway, I think) and wondered if anyone on the forum has any experience with off-Brand RAM and if this is a bad idea/risk or what? Price is good compared to what I can find from other name brand mfg'ers. Also says: "60 day returns - Free returns". I like bargains, but also don't want to risk damaging my machine. It would be nice if it's possible to load up my G5 with 16GB for $40! - looking forward to comments on this - thanks - Shawn.

 

[velocityg4]

What's pictured is Hynix memory. That isn't off brand. They are a major memory manufacturer. One of the few true manufacturers of memory in the world. It's found in most OEM computers.

As to whether it is genuine Hynix memory or a knockoff. I could not say. The seller has good feedback for memory sales.

 

[weckart]

I've bought a ton of used memory from China. A couple of sticks died years later but nearly all were branded - Hynix, Samsung, Kingston, Crucial etc, even when the description didn't mention any particular brand. The stuff is too cheap and plentiful to bother faking. Some no-name sticks may have B-grade chips on them that didn't pass bin testing but the failure rate on those I have found is no worse than branded. YMMV of course.

These days, I find that "vintage" RAM is usually cheaper to get closer to home. It is getting harder to get bargains from China and the wait for shipping and the risk of loss en route, especially now, does not make for a compelling buy.

 

[Revor]

What's pictured is Hynix memory. That isn't off brand. They are a major memory manufacturer. One of the few true manufacturers of memory in the world. It's found in most OEM computers.

As to whether it is genuine Hynix memory or a knockoff. I could not say. The seller has good feedback for memory sales.

I see that now - when I look closely at the pictures - clearly shows Hynix. The details of the listing say "generic/unbranded" and that's what I focused on when I was checking it out.

The wait for a purchase to arrive doesn't bother me too much. I'm going to get 16GB and hope for the best. Once I have it, I'll post again on this to confirm what I received/quality/etc....................might.........be............a......while.

Thanks - Shawn.

 

[timidpimpin]

Virtually all RAM on earth is Chinese, because that's where it's all manufactured.

 

[velocityg4]

Virtually all RAM on earth is Chinese, because that's where it's all manufactured.

From what I can find of current DRAM manufacturers.

Most of Micron's fabs are in Singapore, Taiwan and USA. With one each in China, UK and Japan

List of semiconductor fabrication plants - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Samsung has
- Two in China
- One in the US
- Four in South Korea

Global Network | Manufacturing | R&D | About us | Samsung Semiconductor Global

Samsung Semiconductor is always located in the center of innovation. Find our regional offices, headquarters, global manufacturing sites, and R&D centers.

www.samsung.com

SK Hynix has
- Four in China
- Five in South Korea (with three more in the planning or construction phases)

Note that is all semi-conductor fabrication for these companies not just DRAM. At any rate it appears most fabs are in South Korea. With Hynix having the highest odds of being made in China.

 

[timidpimpin]

Well... a vast majority of the RAM I have used in my life is Chinese, and I wasn't purposely looking for Chinese RAM.

 

[velocityg4]

Well... a vast majority of the RAM I have used in my life is Chinese, and I wasn't purposely looking for Chinese RAM.

It may be assembled in China. As the plant doing the semi-conductor fab isn't necessarily going to be placing the chips on the PCB. I'd expect many are assembled in China.

 

[jmilan0302]

I've bought a ton of used memory from China. A couple of sticks died years later but nearly all were branded - Hynix, Samsung, Kingston, Crucial etc, even when the description didn't mention any particular brand. The stuff is too cheap and plentiful to bother faking. Some no-name sticks may have B-grade chips on them that didn't pass bin testing but the failure rate on those I have found is no worse than branded. YMMV of course.

I've heard from laptop RAM overclockers that it's mostly third shift (factories make more than they're supposed to and sell out the back door) stuff, at least for DDR3. No wonder some died after a few years.

 

[TheShortTimer]

I have branded RAM that was purchased from China and Hong Kong happily working in my MacBook 5,2. The only issue was the long waiting times but patience is a virtue.

 

[Project Alice]

The last time I bought eBay ram I ended up with random freezes and kernel panics.

Just spend the money to get it from a reputable source.
I use DMS. They’ve always got ram for PPC Macs, and a good warranty. I got one stick for my Pismo that was DOA and they replaced it immediately.

 

[Revor]

Got the RAM from Chinese seller/shop on Ebay. Ordered it on July 21st, it was delivered on August 3rd.....not bad at all - was fully expecting a 30 day wait (and possibly not ever receiving it at all).

16GB for a total of $32

Will install it later today - hoping there will be no issues with it.

 

[Revor]

To clarify price: seller had it listed for $19.99 for 8GB, I offered $16 and bought two sets - for a total of 16GB for $32. Shipping was free (and surprisingly fast).

 

[Revor]

Been using the RAM for a few days now - all good. Very happy with the performance/quality. Not sure about the test of time, but good for now - no strange behavior or slow booting or anything.