Is this really Apple RAM?

[Moof1904]

I just bought ram from a person on eBay who claims they pulled it from a brand new Mac Pro (Jan 2008 model). Upon opening it, I see that the ram that I just purchased is a different brand than the ram that came in my Mac Pro (also a Jan 2008 model).

I'm not up on who is OEM'ing Apple ram these days. I know my ram (with the M on it) is original Apple ram but is the other stuff (hynix) Apple ram also?

 

[Tallest Skil]

If it has the right pins and the right heatsink, it should very well be.

 

[PlaceofDis]

afaik, apple uses quite a few different brands so there is no one set kind of 'apple ram' since they don't produce it themselves.

 

[Moof1904]

The ram is working fine so the question is not 'is this the correct ram for my computer,' rather, the question is 'will apple consider this to be OEM ram if I ever take my Mac Pro in for service.

I was wondering if someone knew who the various Apple oem ram companies were out there and could tell me at a glance if hynix is one of them.

 

[Cheffy Dave]

The ram is working fine so the question is not 'is this the correct ram for my computer,' rather, the question is 'will apple consider this to be OEM ram if I ever take my Mac Pro in for service.

I was wondering if someone knew who the various Apple oem ram companies were out there and could tell me at a glance if hynix is one of them.

Doesn't have to be "Apple" RAM, you can put in any RAM maker you want, providing it's for your device, without affecting the warranty

 

[flyinmac]

I can confirm that Apple does in-fact install Hynix RAM in their systems at the factory.

That is the exact memory label (as in the label looks identical) that was on my modules in the MacPro that I purchased directly from Apple as a brand new built-to-order machine.

The Hynix modules they installed in my system, were a pair of 512 MB modules (totaling 1 GB).

But, I can confirm that the label on yours looks just like the label on mine (except for the capacity indicator).

I was in my machine just two days ago upgrading the RAM, and specifically saw those modules as I pulled them out to replace them with larger ones (see my signature).

So, yes, you can be assured that the modules you purchased came from an Actual Mac Pro and were provided by Apple. I've never seen this brand out in the wild anyway (not to say you can't buy them yourself, but I've never seen them for sale).

I hope this helps.

 

[flyinmac]

The ram is working fine so the question is not 'is this the correct ram for my computer,' rather, the question is 'will apple consider this to be OEM ram if I ever take my Mac Pro in for service.

I was wondering if someone knew who the various Apple oem ram companies were out there and could tell me at a glance if hynix is one of them.

As stated in my previous post (just posted), the modules are Apple modules.

But, Apple will not consider them to be OEM RAM in regards to your warranty.

Your computer is specifically marked on it's label (look under the foot) with the modules that came in your system. So, the machine is basically labeled to indicate what it came with (though not brand specific). So, any memory that you add to the machine will always be looked at as if it is 3rd-Party memory.

Your warranty will not extend to these modules since they didn't come with your machine. And, likewise, if those modules were to cause damage to your machine, Apple would not cover that damage.

Apple will only guarantee what they shipped your computer with. They will not cover anything you have added to it (even if it originally came from them).

As far as Apple is concerned, the modules you just installed are no different than the ones you would have purchased from anyone else.

But, you should at least have confidence that they met Apple's standards.

I have always purchased my memory from OWC (Other World Computing) and have been very pleased with their modules. So, I will buy new rather than used when it comes to this high priced stuff.

I like having a good warranty when it comes to memory that costs this much. It's kind of hard to get warranty coverage on memory modules purchased second-hand.

 

[Moof1904]

The reason I'm questioning is because in the past when I've taken my Mac to Apple for repair, they immediately yanked the third-party RAM out of it and put it in a bag before they'd even look at the machine. They wouldn't even put the ram back in when they returned it; they'd just put the third-party ram in a bag and tape it to the mac.

I'm just wondering if I ever take this computer in for repair will they treat this ram like it was a dead cockroach or would they leave it in and treat it like factory ram.

I didn't know that they'd treat any ram other than the box label configuration as third-part ram, even if it came from them. I'm not debating you, I'm just surprised that they'd do that with their own ram.

 

[flyinmac]

The thing to understand, is that Apple doesn't make their own memory. So, the only thing that distinguishes one module from the other, is whether Apple installed it in your computer or not.

I've gotten quite a variety of memory module brands from Apple in systems I've purchased from them.

And, I've purchased exact same brand modules (quite by accident) to replace some of them when upgrading to larger capacities.

Apple will always see memory that did not come with your computer as 3rd-party purchases.

Just because they use that brand, doesn't mean that they will see that module as "theirs". It's not like it's got an Apple tag on it.

And, even if it did, they are not obligated to service the computer with that module installed.

Apple (like other companies) is only obligated to prove that the machine they sold you is not defective. Likewise, they are only required to make it function as they sold it to you.

As long as the system they sold you works, they really don't have further obligation.

Now, if you took it in, and you were complaining of memory problems, and you were convinced that it was the computer and not the memory causing the problem, then they would probably test it with your modules and then test it again with their modules and compare the results.

If the problem happens with modules they supply for the test, then they'd probably concede that the system had a flaw.

Such an example might be where you suspected that the DIMM slots (which were previously empty when you purchased the computer) were bad.

But, for other general issues, it makes sense for them to remove anything that didn't come with the computer. They are providing warranty service at their expense. They don't want to spend their time and money troubleshooting more than just the hardware they sold you.

 

[CaptainChunk]

In all my Apple machines of the past, I have gotten Micron/Crucial, Hynix and Samsung modules.

The most important is to make sure that the 3rd party RAM in question is guaranteed compatible with your system. Macs tend to be picky with things like memory timings.

Both Crucial and OWC (my favorite suppliers) have memory selector tools and sell guaranteed RAM. I never once had a problem with either one of them. I usually buy whatever is the best deal after tax and shipping.