Any strong preferences based on real world experience between OWC or Crucial RAM sticks? Upgrading new 2.6 i7 mini to 16GB of RAM. Crucial is slightly less expensive from CDN source, but OWC has rebate for old memory bringing it down a bit.
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OWC vs Crucial Memory
- Thread starter Lugwump
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Can't comment on OWC, I don't think they sell it where I live. I've always used Crucial in all my Mac products going back around 13 years or so. I've never had a problem, and I've always used unmatched pairs.
Currently have a 8GB stick of Crucial RAM in one slot of my Mac Mini 2012 i7 2.3, and a completely mismatched 2GB Apple stick (supplied with the machine) in the other slot.
No issues. I don't bother looking anywhere else.
Currently have a 8GB stick of Crucial RAM in one slot of my Mac Mini 2012 i7 2.3, and a completely mismatched 2GB Apple stick (supplied with the machine) in the other slot.
No issues. I don't bother looking anywhere else.
Either brand is a good choice. Generally speaking, along with price, you may want to consider warranty coverage in any brand you buy. It's not uncommon to get defective RAM sticks, no matter what the brand is, so you'll want a good warranty. Apple doesn't make RAM, so even the RAM that shipped with your Mac is from a 3rd party.
I wasn't aware that sticks were sold that way outside of spare parts. Either way they're all rebranded. Crucial is just a retail subsidiary of micron. OWC probably has a higher markup due to testing, but the memory isn't any different. Some people have experienced problems with their ssds and sometimes misleading descriptions.
Thanks to everyone. I'll go with the Crucial. Checked warranty and they're both good. Crucial gets consistent love in these forums, but OWC seems to be quite respected, too.
I'm another happy and loyal DMS customer, 10+ years. Never had a problem.
I always buy the non-OEM parts from DMS rather than the branded ones. They both receive the same lifetime guarantee, so I'd rather save a couple of bucks.
I have used both and also a couple of other makers. I was lucky in that all of them have worked for me ranging from iMac, Mini and older Mac Pro (first memory purchase from OWC and all worked very well).
You can't go wrong with either Crucial or OWC.
You can't go wrong with either Crucial or OWC.
I've also used DMS for quite some time. Great pre sales tech support. Can't comment about the post tech support because I have never had a problem.
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Both should be gtg. However, I would probably lean towards Crucial since I don't have any experience using OWC RAM and I have always had a good experience using Crucial in the past.
One final question.... My new MM is now here, still sitting in the box. And I found through searching that Best Buy in Canada is an authorized Crucial distributor and was able to pick up 16GBs at the same price as the US website, so have that in hand. Slightly nervous because if either of the RAM sticks is bad, Best Buy would be a hassle for returns, but I think Crucial would make good on it from what I've been able to learn (can anyone confirm).
The question is, I assume it would be better to set up the MM with the Apple installed 4 GB first to make sure all is well, then install the new RAM? It's tempting to slap in the new RAM as soon as I take it out of the box, but the cautious part of me says best practice would be to make sure the system is up and running before installing the RAM.
Thanks in advance.
The question is, I assume it would be better to set up the MM with the Apple installed 4 GB first to make sure all is well, then install the new RAM? It's tempting to slap in the new RAM as soon as I take it out of the box, but the cautious part of me says best practice would be to make sure the system is up and running before installing the RAM.
Thanks in advance.
Crucial has some great support. I just inquired if they would replace a defective stick if it were purchased at a CND Best Buy. They said no problem, which is a relief because the Best Buy reps I spoke with were very unfriendly and seemed to imply they would not do anything if a stick was opened and found defective, or at least not without a LOT of hassle.
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Final question: I assume it would be best practice to set up the new mini with the 4GB of Apple RAM to make sure all is well before installing the new memory sticks?
Post up what brand you get and your impression. I just got a 2012 i5 Mini and I am looking to upgrade to 16gb soon.
I've normally stuck with Crucial. The only reason I'm considering OWC is for my iMac G4 RAM upgrade. You can unofficially upgrade it to 2GB and it's been difficult to make absolute certain the Crucial ones I'm looking at are the right specs. OWC has it listed exactly what I need and it's just a few bucks more.
I didn't know they have rebates. I'm unsure if I want to upgrade the 512MB stick to 1GB since I won't have any need for the 512, but if I can get a few bucks for it that should work.
I didn't know they have rebates. I'm unsure if I want to upgrade the 512MB stick to 1GB since I won't have any need for the 512, but if I can get a few bucks for it that should work.
Crucial does have great support and I have purchased memory from them based on that reputation. Unfortunately, I had to make use of it as they sent incompatible memory. Twice. Third time lucky, I guess. Since then I have purchased my memory from OWC, which thus far has always sent the correct product the first time.
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Might want to double check if OWC give a rebate for the 512MB. They have a page listing all available rebates.
I have no experience with OWC. For many years I've only used Crucial memory in my Macs. Never had any problems with their memory in my Macs, although I had one bad Crucial memory module in a PC I built several years ago. I can say that their customer service is 5 star all the way...
I have used OWC for many years and really like how they are 100% dedicated to the Mac, I did have a stick that was about 3 years old fail in my wife''s iMac and they replaced it with no hassle with the life time warranty they have on their memory. That was sweet.
I've used both for Macs over the years, and both were reliable.
Tomorrow I should receive a new 2012 MacMini i7 w/SSD. 16GB of new OWC memory are already here and ready to put in, so I'll report back on performance and reliability this week.
UPDATE 12/30/13--the 16GB OWC memory works flawlessly. No problems.
Tomorrow I should receive a new 2012 MacMini i7 w/SSD. 16GB of new OWC memory are already here and ready to put in, so I'll report back on performance and reliability this week.
UPDATE 12/30/13--the 16GB OWC memory works flawlessly. No problems.
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A quick update as thread starter to say that I installed the 16GB (2x8) of Crucial memory this week in my new 2.6 i7 with FD and it appears to be working splendidly. I had set up the MM with the original 4GB and when I switched over I noted a speed jump. I'll report back if problems arise. This little box really rocks! Loving it for working with Aperture (often with onOne suite). It's driving two monitors easily (a 27" Cinema Display and a 22" Samsung I like for writing). Thanks for the conversation.