Mac Pro ram fail when running Yosemite

[soduno]

Hi MacRumors.

Recently i got offered a Mac Pro 5.1 for $302 - It seems like a pretty good offer.
However yesterday the seller called me and said that he tried to install Yosemite on the computer
and when he boot the computer, the ram fails.
I am considering to buy it anyway because of the price and see if it can be repaired.
The specs is okay i guess:

• Mac Pro 5.1
• 16GBR
• 2TB HD
• 2.8GHZ Quad
• Mid 2010

So. Do you think it would be an easy, expensive, or worth it fix?
Let me know if i should provide more informations about the fault.

Best, Simon

 

[h9826790]

IMO, $302 with faulty RAM still a good deal. However, be careful that not just the RAM have issue. It may not be a good idea to pay $302 for an unknown condition computer. It may end up cost you more than double to fix it.

 

[soduno]

IMO, $302 with faulty RAM still a good deal. However, be careful that not just the RAM have issue. It may not be a good idea to pay $302 for an unknown condition computer. It may end up cost you more than double to fix it.

Got me thinking. Could it be just the ram, then replacing with new ones would make it work?
More exeplained, the maschine works fine with Snow Leopard he says. So somehow Yosemite makes it crash...
I do not have the machine here so i cant provide so much info unfortunately.

 

[h9826790]

I never heard that any RAM only work in 10.6 but will crash in 10.10.

On the bad side. If all the info are coming from the seller only, and you never saw the machine. I will doubt if the seller is trying to hide something.

At least, this "RAM issue" will make the machine is not working OOTB. So that, I can't complain that the machine can't boot when it arrive.

On the good side, may be just the seller mess up the OS, the RAM is actually good. Then you pay $302 for a full functioning 5,1. Just bad software.

Either way, if 10.6 is fine. Tell him to install 10.6.8, and ship the machine to you in a working good condition. Upgrade to Yosemite is free anyway.

 

[lowendlinux]

$300ish is a good price, buy it.

 

[IowaLynn]

Got me thinking. Could it be just the ram, then replacing with new ones would make it work?
More exeplained, the maschine works fine with Snow Leopard he says. So somehow Yosemite makes it crash...
I do not have the machine here so i cant provide so much info unfortunately.

MacIntouch has an old but kept current article based with reader input "Bad RAM." Was eye-opening.

iTunes use to be the most likely piece of software to find marginal RAM. Patterns of bits and zeros can have interesting results and RAM isn't always just good and bad, just like a disk sector block may be weak also and take more than one attempt to read or write and have proper checksum.

EVERY new OS has made better use of memory. Memory doing nothing is not good use, but the changes would uncover what was there already, marginal memory.

I would get your own memory and ask for a better price if possible.

 

[soduno]

Just to clear everything. The seller is 100% cool!
He contacted me bacause he tried to install yosemite on it after i agreed to buy the mac, and wanted me to know, before i actually buy the machine, that he discovered there is a ram fail with Yosemite, and that hi did not know about this. So please keep the seller out of any mistrust

I will ask for a better prise as IowaLynn suggested and see what happens.
Btw- What ram types does 5.1 use (mid 2010)?

 

[IowaLynn]

Just to clear everything. The seller is 100% cool!
He contacted me bacause he tried to install yosemite on it after i agreed to buy the mac, and wanted me to know, before i actually buy the machine, that he discovered there is a ram fail with Yosemite, and that hi did not know about this. So please keep the seller out of any mistrust

I will ask for a better prise as IowaLynn suggested and see what happens.
Btw- What ram types does 5.1 use (mid 2010)?

I would suspect something other than the RAM, maybe hard drive or something else.

It is rather hard to get a definitive test on ECC memory even with Rember and Memtest versions (or has that changed in the last 4 years?) that was the reason.

Regardless, never use pre-installed OS unless buying from Apple (Refurb Specials are nice) and Yosemite would be tied to the Apple ID, so that is bad or useless to you.

Even a 4,1 2009 for $that would be a steal, "true 5,1" and not flashed model.

MacSales memory, only as example (I'm lazy!)

 

[ActionableMango]

That's a really good deal, but also a strange amount, $302 instead of just $300?

You didn't list a video card, is there no video card? I assume it includes the stock 5770 or 5870.

In any case, I think you will come out way ahead unless the problem is a bad logic board.