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Nobody wants your RAM.

mcdj

mcdj

macrumors G3
Original poster
Jul 10, 2007
8,972
4,225
NYC
A few have posted, myself included, that the Apple $150 RAM upgrade isn't such a great deal. Apple upgrades your 2GB of RAM to 4GB, but they keep the 2GB they take out as part of the deal. The best deals on the web show a DIY 4GB kit at around $130 or so. On paper, it seems like a no-brainer. Keep the 2GB, buy your own 4GB kit, install it, then sell the spare 2GB kit on eBay.

Problem is, no one wants your "used" 2GB kit. If you search on eBay for "Macbook DDR3", you'll find a few folks (MR members probably) already trying to sell the 2GB of RAM they took out of their new aluminum MB/MBPs after doing their own upgrades.

No one is buying, or bidding, on the "used" 2GB kits. Other companies are selling 2GB kits for $80 brand new. (Seems no one wants those either.) The DIYers are asking around $40-$60, with no bites. I'm not even sure any other computers out there are using these DDR3 chips yet. And if they eventually do, why would anyone buy a set of "used" RAM when they could get a brand new kit with a warranty for $20 more?

So, if you haven't gotten your MB/MBP yet and were considering doing your own RAM upgrade, think twice. There's likely to be even more "used" 2GB kits hitting eBay, pulled from MB/MBPs, with the only people who can use them being other MB/MBP owners, who don't need 2GB anyway. Save yourself the trouble of setting up an auction, paying the listing fees, and relisting who knows how many times until it sells, and just pay Apple for the upgrade. Even if you sell it on eBay for $40, you have to pay an eBay fee, a Paypal fee, maybe shipping, and waste your time at the post office. And if it doesn't sell, you've completely wasted your time and money, and the RAM goes in the junk drawer.

A Public Service Announcement from the RAM Buyer's Guild
 
I wanted to get a BTO MB with the 4GB option, but the "I want it and I want it now" side of my brain took over. I could not wait and went with one off the shelf at BB.

I agree the $150 price from apple for a BTO 4GB option sounded good. When I looked at the Crucial site they were asking $145.

Gary
 
I've posted before that the $150 price installed from Apple is quite good, especially considering they're selling the DDR2 option for the plastic MB's at $225. It's not a do-it-yourself job for everybody.
 
mcdj said:
A Public Service Announcement from the RAM Buyer's Guild
Click to expand...

It's cause most of the notebooks that are sold with DDR3 already come with 3-4GB's of memory included. Apple just Nickle and Dimes you to death.
 
Ill be upgrading it myself not becuase i'll save $20/30, its just i want to take my MB apart, I think of it as lego, take it apart, put it together, take it apart, put it together. :) I've done it with everything in life, even my Tv's, VCR's, Dvd, car, stove, piano...... lt goes on and on.

but the Apple price is actually very well priced, its actually about 15% cheaper for Apple Japan to upgrade your ram then it is to do it yourself. not bad at all i say.
 
If you are buying a MacBook then it's likely you don't need 4GB RAM. Most folks who really need that sort of memory size will go for the Pro anyway.

There are far too many people buying Macs who simply ramp up the RAM to the highest amount possible just because they "can" rather than looking at their own needs.
 
$140 for 4GB or $130 for 6GB

Even if there isn't a great demand for the 2GB kits it doesn't mean it isn't worth it to do the upgrade yourself.

The only reason I wouldn't recommend doing it yourself is if you are scared of messing with your laptop. Otherwise, the real "no brainer" is to upgrade it yourself. Better yet, wait until the prices drop a bit on the 4GB kits and then upgrade.
 
neiltc13 said:
If you are buying a MacBook then it's likely you don't need 4GB RAM. Most folks who really need that sort of memory size will go for the Pro anyway.
Click to expand...

That's a pretty gross generalization. The macbook is plenty peppy for some serious 2D design work (print/web). In fact, I had a previous gen macbook for just that purpose and it held up pretty durn well...
 
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munckee said:
neiltc13 said:
If you are buying a MacBook then it's likely you don't need 4GB RAM. Most folks who really need that sort of memory size will go for the Pro anyway.
Click to expand...

That's a pretty gross generalization. The macbook is plenty peppy for some serious 2D design work (print/web). In fact, I had a previous gen macbook for just that purpose and it held up pretty durn well...
Click to expand...

and some people find it as a hobby to juice their machine up, just do it, Nike
 
if it is cheaper to install it your self you still save money, and listing items on craigslist is free. Apple's deal is still costly.
 
I completely agree with your post, except...

When buying a 4gb kit online, you still get to keep your 2gb. Say, for instance, the RAM you bought goes bad soon after you buy it. Most companies offer a lifetime warranty (and you should only buy from those that do), but what do you use while you are waiting for the RAM to return from warranty? Use your old RAM! Given the scenario of both failing in the same relative time period is unlikely, that's just one example of what could go wrong.
 
I think part of the issue too is that eBay in particular is so flooded with counterfeit items that at least some people are cautious about buying things that might be fake on eBay. I would (and have, actually) buy RAM from private sellers on forums, but I wouldn't generally buy it on eBay. I do trust people on eBay who have a fair amount of positive feedback but not enough feedback to indicate that they're dealers, but then it's a big PITA to hunt through eBay for these buyers.

So I think that's an issue, besides the fact that there's so much more demand for DDR2 memory than DDR3.
 
neiltc13 said:
If you are buying a MacBook then it's likely you don't need 4GB RAM. Most folks who really need that sort of memory size will go for the Pro anyway.

There are far too many people buying Macs who simply ramp up the RAM to the highest amount possible just because they "can" rather than looking at their own needs.
Click to expand...

4GB has made a world of difference for me. I had 2GB Macbook Pro (1st gen) and then a Macbook Air (1.6/80). Got a new Macbook 2.4GHz and put 4GB in, and it makes a world of difference. I usually have VMware open, Daylite (for CRM), Mail, a browser - usually Firefox, OmniFocus, and a Microsoft Office document or two open, and now I realize what a bottleneck 2GB was.

The Air unfortunately had other problems as well, overheating, core-shutdowns, and then a fix that stopped the shutdowns but slowed the system down. Now, with 4GB on my MacBook, I'm more productive than ever. I would definitely encourage it, especially if you have VMWare.
 
Intenost said:
4GB has made a world of difference for me. I had 2GB Macbook Pro (1st gen) and then a Macbook Air (1.6/80). Got a new Macbook 2.4GHz and put 4GB in, and it makes a world of difference. I usually have VMware open, Daylite (for CRM), Mail, a browser - usually Firefox, OmniFocus, and a Microsoft Office document or two open, and now I realize what a bottleneck 2GB was.

The Air unfortunately had other problems as well, overheating, core-shutdowns, and then a fix that stopped the shutdowns but slowed the system down. Now, with 4GB on my MacBook, I'm more productive than ever. I would definitely encourage it, especially if you have VMWare.
Click to expand...

Me too:
 

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I agree with the analysis. I think there is little or no market for the old 2GB chips. Apple probably recognized this, lowered the upgrade prices a bit (?), and convinced me and others that they would simply prefer to have Apple certified RAM and not bother with the install and selling hassles.

My next machine will have 4GB for sure. And yes I can put it to use. If you want specifics just ask...
 
mcdj said:
A Public Service Announcement from the RAM Buyer's Guild
Click to expand...
A PSA or another inane fiery protest from you?

I say that to each is own, it doesn't actually hurt you if people (me included) post their ram for sale. No skin off my back if it doesn't sell or if no one wants it. Though I echo previous statements, it is not a DIY job for all. :cool:

And for me, 4GB ram has made all the more difference and doesn't suggest that I need a pro instead. ;)
 
I am honestly surprised to see people legitimately using over 2GB of RAM. Before, I figured people were just being over-demanding and wanting to run 10 instances of some program and see no bottle-neck. It's good to know the chipset supports 8GB. Too bad it costs 1k :p
 
chrmjenkins said:
I am honestly surprised to see people legitimately using over 2GB of RAM. Before, I figured people were just being over-demanding and wanting to run 10 instances of some program and see no bottle-neck. It's good to know the chipset supports 8GB. Too bad it costs 1k :p
Click to expand...

You actually can only use 1.75GB of the 2GB since the graphics uses 256GB. 4GB does make a huge difference for me. I top out with Safari, iCal, Mail, Word, Excel and Preview open. If I want to open iPhoto, iTunes or keynote/powerpoint, I usually have to close something. They'll work, albeit slowly...
 
I hate to be the forum newbie, but is there no extra ram slot on the macbook?
Cause I was planning on upgrading i.e buying 2gb ram and sticking it in with my other 2gb...
Excuse my ignorance on the matter :/
Cause if its not the case im royally pissed off atm

Edit: I'm guessing by your reactions its 2GB (1 + 1 ) ?
 
I'm going to agree that right now it is best to stick getting the build to order upgrade to 4 GB. Of course this might not be the case later on this model or the next revision. ;)
 
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