Ordering a Macbook without RAM?

[jrodatus]

So I'm a college student buying a MBP...pretty typical, but I need 4GB of RAM for my audio work and can't afford Apple's ridiculous price . So I'm going to spring for the $200 deal on NewEgg. How can I minimalize what I end up paying Apple for memory? In other words-- ideally I'd want the MBP to ship without any memory and receive the full $500 some discount, but I have a funny feeling they won't play along with that.

What are my options? I thought of going to an Apple Store and asking them to pull the memory right there and give a discount, but I also need the 7200RPM drive and apparently the retail stores don't do CTOs. Or perhaps asking over the phone to configure it with a cheap 256MB stick?

If I have to eat the full cost, then so be it

 

[juanster]

yeah i don't think that's going to be possible... it's like going to a dealership and ask them to sell you the car without the tranny because you want to put in a better one...IMO don't think it ll fly but let us know how it goes...

 

[MacPossum]

Apple won't sell you a "ramless" MacBook. You can just stick with the stock ram and upgrade after.

 

[0007776]

You can't get it without RAM, but you can eBay the stock RAM and get a little back for it

 

[iToaster]

I believe if you buy from OWC you can then sell your old RAM to them... eBay'd work too... whatever you want.

 

[neven]

Even if they were to sell you a RAMless MacBook, they'd have no "RAMless price" to quote you. The base model RAM costs... how much?

It's pretty much pointless to ask; that's like trying to to haggle by asking for them to sell you a MacBook without a battery, Airport, keyboard, or OS X installed. Apple isn't Burger King.

 

[jrodatus]

Even if they were to sell you a RAMless MacBook, they'd have no "RAMless price" to quote you. The base model RAM costs... how much?

$550

It's pretty much pointless to ask; that's like trying to to haggle by asking for them to sell you a MacBook without a battery, Airport, keyboard, or OS X installed. Apple isn't Burger King.

lol, well they aren't a Burger King, but neither are they a car dealership. They do provide CTO and mention on their site to order via phone for more configuration options. I will ask as diplomatically as I am able, and let you all know what happens. If it doesn't work out...well, I'm a bit wary of ebay, but OWC is an interesting option. They should let me trade in the two sticks if I buy the 4GB kit from them, ultimately lowering the net cost by $20 . If anyone has an apple promo code I could borrow, please PM me, cause it would *really* help. On my honor, I will earn one myself and offer it on the promo code forum.

Thanks for all the answers.

 

[CanadaRAM]

The base RAM is what?

$550

No, that's not the base model RAM, (2 x 1 Gb) that's a 2 Gb single SODIMM

If you go to the iMac entry level model they charge $250 for the 2 Gb upgrade.

But Apple's cost from Samsung or Micron or Hynix is about $70 on those, so they are really not interested in giving you any kind of discount.

 

[gnasher729]

$550

I think you should go to an Apple Store and suggest this to a living person there. That should be a video worth appearing on Youtube.

 

[jrodatus]

Ya they refused over the phone. We talked to two reps. They explained that the factory simply would not ship it without either the 2GB or 4GB configurations, so that there is really no way within the company to do something like that-- sounds like Apple has themselves pretty locked down.

I think you should go to an Apple Store and suggest this to a living person there. That should be a video worth appearing on Youtube.

Like, I pay for the Mac, and right as they set the it down on the counter, I pull out a screwdriver and proceed to remove the memory. Then with memory in one hand and Mac in the other, threaten to return the Mac for the full $2,583 if they don't take back the memory for $70.

 

[emptyCup]

How much would you save after you paid for the labor to remove the RAM? Better to have a working machine out of the box which you can test. Buy the minimal memory configuration. You could sell it on ebay, but I suggest you keep it in case you ever have to return the machine for service. I also suggest that you see how well things run with the standard configuration before rushing out to buy more 3rd party RAM. Best wishes.

 

[gnasher729]

Ya they refused over the phone. We talked to two reps. They explained that the factory simply would not ship it without either the 2GB or 4GB configurations, so that there is really no way within the company to do something like that-- sounds like Apple has themselves pretty locked down.



Like, I pay for the Mac, and right as they set the it down on the counter, I pull out a screwdriver and proceed to remove the memory. Then with memory in one hand and Mac in the other, threaten to return the Mac for the full $2,583 if they don't take back the memory for $70.

In that case, they will ask you to put the memory back in, then they will _very_ carefully check the machine, and if there is the slightest problem, they will say sorry, you damaged it, your problem. What you are planning is called "taking the piss" in England, and they will react accordingly. Even better for Youtube.

 

[mr_matalino]

Apple isn't Burger King.

Haha! Apple's slogan: Have it "our" way!

 

[neven]

Haha! Apple's slogan: Have it "our" way!

Or, "have it the right way."

Apple is the chef who tells you that NO, you CAN'T add mushrooms and peppers to your order of Spaghetti Carbonara.

 

[yellow]

Please be aware...

Macs are notoriously finiky about RAM. Particularly cut-rate RAM. If you start experiencing problems, that's the first place you should look.

 

[jrodatus]

Macs are notoriously finiky about RAM. Particularly cut-rate RAM. If you start experiencing problems, that's the first place you should look.

Thanks for the tip. I'm not much worried at this point though, as I've seen only successes with using that particular NewEgg bargain in the MBP. For the record, I've researched the GeIL brand a bit and found that it not only seems comparative to Crucial, but is very more suited to overclocking (which I only note as an indication of further quality). Odds are that RAM from Apple themself wouldn't be *much* better.

On the other hand if you're saying that a Mac can be finiky about the particular *brand* of memory (Apple sales dude: "RAM isn't just RAM"), then I'll probably end up keeping the 2GB for backup.

 

[yellow]

I'm no RAM expert by any stretch of the imagination. I've just experienced in person, as well as read plenty of threads here and elsewhere detailing issues with "cheap" RAM. No brand in particular leaps to mind.