Memory for Santa Rosa Macbooks

[AlecEdworthy]

Hi Folks,

I know that Santa Rosa isn't *quite* out yet but I was wondering if anyone could answer a question nevertheless... I am fairly sure that it will be possible to use DDR2 667MHz PC5300 memory (as used in the current Macbooks) in a laptop which uses the Santa Rosa chipset but will there be a performance hit (speed, battery life etc.) or any other drawbacks to doing so? I am looking to buy a Macbook in the next month or two but have the opportunity to pick up some memory now fairly cheap and wanted to make sure that it would be OK before spending my cash on it. Of course, if the Macbooks don't get Santa Rosa for a while (or at all) then this is all academic really...

Thanks to all who reply,

Alec

 

[Eidorian]

All of the preliminary Santa Rosa based hardware I have seen still uses DDR2-667. Is there any reason you need to buy the RAM now?

 

[AlecEdworthy]

All of the preliminary Santa Rosa based hardware I have seen still uses DDR2-667.

Thanks, I had a feeling that would be the case.

Is there any reason you need to buy the RAM now?

At the moment I can get it for about £23 per stick shipped (so £46 for 2Gb) compared to about £36 per stick (£72 for 2Gb) normally. That's my only reason really.

Alec

 

[Eidorian]

That is pretty much the same price here stateside. I do not see any increase in prices short of a natural disaster.

 

[AlecEdworthy]

That is pretty much the same price here stateside. I do not see any increase in prices short of a natural disaster.

I'm hoping there won't be an increase but the offer is time-limited so I am considering buying while I can save around £26 on the deal. To be honest, I will probably be fine with 1Gb of RAM in the short term but I would like 2Gb at some point.

Regards, Alec

 

[Eidorian]

To the best of my knowledge slower RAM will work on a DDR2 bus, strangely enough, but you will be stuck running at the lower then recommended speed.

 

[orangemacapple]

i personally would not buy the ram first. there is always teh possiblility that the newer models might use a different ram stick.

think about the fact that ram is dirt cheap right now. why are they doing that? quite possibly because it's going to be obsolete with the next generation coming out. somehow it seems that every time i buy a new computer, the ram from my old one just won't work. -- different pins or speed or something.

 

[Eidorian]

i personally would not buy the ram first. there is always teh possiblility that the newer models might use a different ram stick.

think about the fact that ram is dirt cheap right now. why are they doing that? quite possibly because it's going to be obsolete with the next generation coming out. somehow it seems that every time i buy a new computer, the ram from my old one just won't work. -- different pins or speed or something.

Prices are down due to the saturation of the market of the current DDR2 SODIMM standards of 533 and 667.

It is still extremely rare to see DDR2-800 in the SODIMM form factor right now.

 

[orangemacapple]

Prices are down due to the saturation of the market of the current DDR2 SODIMM standards of 533 and 667.

It is still extremely rare to see DDR2-800 in the SODIMM form factor right now.

extremely rare, true -- but it would be alot less rare if the new macs implemented it, and that's the sort of thing apple would do! wouldn't it be nice to have DDR2-800 in an upgraded mb/p? they won't stay with 667 forever and why not up the specs on the newer model?

 

[Eidorian]

extremely rare, true -- but it would be alot less rare if the new macs implemented it, and that's the sort of thing apple would do! wouldn't it be nice to have DDR2-800 in an upgraded mb/p? they won't stay with 667 forever and why not up the specs on the newer model?

No one else seems to be doing it...

 

[orangemacapple]

after all -- they did drop a bomb on us when c2d came out and they included wireless "N" and 3 Mb memory capability. pissed a lot of people off that had just bought macbooks the week before

 

[livingfortoday]

after all -- they did drop a bomb on us when c2d came out and they included wireless "N" and 3 Mb memory capability. pissed a lot of people off that had just bought macbooks the week before

Yeah! They should never upgrade their products!

But seriously, prices will probably go up, then down again. They fluctuate all the time. Just wait until you see what's going to be used in the new laptops, then decide to buy more RAM or not.

 

[whateverandever]

extremely rare, true -- but it would be alot less rare if the new macs implemented it, and that's the sort of thing apple would do! wouldn't it be nice to have DDR2-800 in an upgraded mb/p? they won't stay with 667 forever and why not up the specs on the newer model?

You can't just say "hey, we're using DDR2-800 ram now. You guys should too."

DDR2-800 isn't supported by the current chipset. Most desktop chipsets don't even run their memory at 800MHz out of the box without overclocking.

Santa Rosa is going to have an 800MHz bus, so chances are good that we'll see 800MHz DDR2 ram being used in laptops in the future, but Santa Rosa can also clock-back the bus to save power. 667MHz ram will run fine on Santa Rosa, just as 533MHz ram runs fine right now.

With 800MHz FSB support in Santa Rosa we're going to see RAM manufacturers have a reason to put out 800MHz SO-DIMM chips. There was simply no reason to before (noone would buy it).

 

[solvs]

Don't buy now. Best case is you save a couple of bucks. Worse case, you just wasted money on RAM you may not even be able to use, or will take a hit with when using. Unless they have a no questions asked money back guarantee, or you're planning on buying a discounted older model after the new ones come out, you should wait.

 

[virtual]

At the moment I can get it for about £23 per stick shipped (so £46 for 2Gb) compared to about £36 per stick (£72 for 2Gb) normally. That's my only reason really.

Where is that from? I wouldn't mind picking up an extra Gig at that price.

 

[whateverandever]

Where is that from? I wouldn't mind picking up an extra Gig at that price.

Newegg has 1GB Crucial RAM @ $35 after rebate right now.

 

[virtual]

Newegg has 1GB Crucial RAM @ $35 after rebate right now.

Newegg don't ship internationally though

The OP stated a price in pound sterling which led me to believe that it was a shop/site in the UK, for example, Amazon.co.uk.

 

[AlecEdworthy]

The OP stated a price in pound sterling which led me to believe that it was a shop/site in the UK, for example, Amazon.co.uk.

Correct, I am in the UK. I am looking at buying from eBuyer.co.uk and using the offer from Google at the moment (£10 off orders over £30). A stick of Corsair 1GB DDR2 667MHz can be bought for £33.01 (inc. shipping) at the moment, so after the £10 discount this becomes £23.01 or £46.02 for two saving quite a bit over prices elsewhere.

Still can't decide whether to buy now or not...

Alec