Expensive RAM

Expensive as in RAM from Apple? Sure... it works... Everytime.

As in a different expensive RAM company such as Crucial? Maybe, it usually works.

 

I don't know - it would sorta depend on which RAM, for which machine, and what the alternatives were.

What I can say is there is no point paying Apple $500 (the difference betweeen a 1 Gb and 2 Gb Powerbook configuration) for the same chip you can buy for $ 209 from a reliable third party seller (http://www.datamem.com/viewcat.asp?C=1169), or paying Crucial $365.99 (CT368080) for the same thing.

The key thing about buying RAM is to find a seller that TESTS their RAM on Macs and can give you a written guarantee of compatibility and a lifetime warranty on the RAM. If you have a Powerbook and ar partial to Samsung RAM, you can usually get it from the same seller for about a 10% premium over other brands.

Thanks,
Trevor
CanadaRAM.com

 

I just sent back 1GB of Crucial memory for my PM. It was compatible with the Apple RAM. So, I'm paying Apple double for the extra 1GB. If that doesn't work, I'll give Applecare a call.

 

Eh, you have more faith in Apple than I do, my friend.

Here's a quote from another forum:

"I have sent them back laptops for repair that were sold from the Apple store or bought online from the Apple store and they have pulled the extra memory and said it was third party and bad, even though it was installed at the [Apple] factory in China."
http://www.macintouch.com/badram04.html#mar29

 

<rant>
As in... if it doesn't work... it's their problem. 3rd party RAM vendors do an RM freakin A. That leaves me with no memory upgrade and oh crap... is the RAM bad or is it my logic board.

I'm tired of people recommending 3rd party RAM to everyone without considering the person's circumstance. If they have the money and would like to purchase security in knowing that Apple will make it all right, then that's the way to go for them. If they are willing to play the let's trade RAM until it works game, fine. I for one have purchased my last stick of RAM from a 3rd party vendor. Crucial incorrectly had the SPD settings programmed in the DIMMS they sent me rendering it incompatible with my PM (provided the Apple RAM was installed at the same time).
</rant>

Not to go a little over the top, however MR people tend chastise people into purchasing RAM from someone other than Apple. I don't mind people pointing out that 3rd party memory may be cheaper, as long as they mention that problems may arise from using it.

 

Nice rant. Also, Apple has lowered memory prices from time to time and sometimes the price difference is as little as $10 to $20 for getting the memory from Apple. That little bit extra is well worth it. For exam[ple, upgrading the MacMini to 512MB makes sense to get the upgrade from Apple, but going to 1GB the cost difference becomes noticeable.

I woudl like to say that I've not had one memory issues in any of my systems that has had all Apple memory. And at the time I purchased each system the third party prices were so close that it didn't make sense not to buy Apple memory.

Right now on the PowerMac, Apple memory prices are way too high. I suspect on their next update, they will be close enough to third party prices that i will be getting the Apple memory. Heck, I'd rather not have to do any hardware changes to get a brand new system usable for me. That way is something does go wrong in the first month or two, I know it isn't some hardware I fiddled with.

 

i bought my 1gb powerbook-dimm at the apple store for $500. didn't work, got it replaced same day with a working one.

so no, there is no guaranteed ram. even if it's from apple.


andi

 

SAME DAY!!!! That's the guarantee I'm talking about. If you purchased the RAM from Cruical it would have taken another week to get your replacement memory (maybe even more) because they don't cross ship replacements.

Bad sticks happen.