Just got some memory from OWC for my soon arriving 6-core. I've not broken the seal on the box because, from what I can see, the "heat sinks" on these modules look awfull flimsy, and I'm thinking of sending them right back to OWC. There are no horizontal fins like on the Crucial RAM I have in my 1,1, just a flat metal sheet on either side of the module. Is this acceptable? Have people run into issues with OWC RAM overheating and failing?
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Does OWC RAM have proper heat sinks?
- Thread starter akadmon
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They should be ok. I have 16GB of OWC RAM and it works well on my Mac Pro. Now, as far as them being loose if yours are indeed loose I would send them back. Then again you haven't opened the seal so you can't really tell. I think you should be fine.
I've had two sets of RAM from OWC, one set of 4x4GB and one set of 4x8GB. Both had good heat sinks, and the first set had one dead stick, in which they quickly advanced cross-shipped four new sticks while I used 12 of 16GB in the meantime.
Anyway, that's 2.5 years of heavy use and I have no complaints. If the sticks look like the picture below, you should have nothing to worry about. It's 95F in my office right now, and my system is happy.
![OWC1333D3X8M32K.jpg]()
Anyway, that's 2.5 years of heavy use and I have no complaints. If the sticks look like the picture below, you should have nothing to worry about. It's 95F in my office right now, and my system is happy.
That's pretty much the standard heatsink type for DDR3 RAM. DDR3 doesn't run too hot, whereas, at least in my experience DDR2 FB-DIMM's such as in the 2006 run very hot. Typically the gamer or overclocking stuff will have more complex heatsinks, but the OWC RAM isn't that.
Thanks everyone. I'm going to keep it. Just got notified that my MP is ready for pickup, so I'll know as soon as tonight if these modules are good (knock on aluminum).
akadmon - well, my new MP Crucial modules arrived and they don't have flimsy heat sinks 
As a matter of fact, they don't have ANY heat sinks
I believe the current memory runs waaaay cooler than the older stuff we are all remembering.
These modules run at 1.35v
As a matter of fact, they don't have ANY heat sinks
I believe the current memory runs waaaay cooler than the older stuff we are all remembering.
These modules run at 1.35v
akadmon - well, my new MP Crucial modules arrived and they don't have flimsy heat sinks
As a matter of fact, they don't have ANY heat sinks
Just a thought you might want to fit some Heatsinks on to those if so. Even though typical MP ram has ECC, heat could possibly still effect reliability. can't hurt, at least, i'd think.
Don't worry.
The 1,1 RAM's massive heat sinks aren't needed for the newer memory.
When I saw the 1,1 sinks back in 2006 I was shocked. Never seen such a thing.
Not even Rambus sticks had heat sinks like that.
The 1,1 RAM's massive heat sinks aren't needed for the newer memory.
When I saw the 1,1 sinks back in 2006 I was shocked. Never seen such a thing.
Not even Rambus sticks had heat sinks like that.