RAM advice -- does the speed matter / is it compatible?

[mikefly]

Hey, have this Mac (2.0 C2D)

Just curious - do I need to buy 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300) ... or can I buy PC2-5400

Just ask as 5300 is rarer, and apparently more expensive. (bummer)

also, any advice where to buy in Montreal is appreciated.

Mike

also, can I buy slower RAM (i.e. PC4200) -- what impact will this have? ($17 a gig)

AND.. planning to upgrade from 1gb to 2gb - as I'm finding my computer is slowing down.

Mike

 

[hogfaninga]

Frys.com is selling Crucial RAM (great for the Mac) cheap. Check them out or go to crucial.com. It is a great, name brand and highly recommended.

I got 4GB of RAM a few weeks ago from Fry's for $40.

BTW it is 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300).

 

[Sun Baked]

Personally I look here to see what RAM is used instead of though your link

RAM Expansion Product-Specific Details

And would buy from a RAM dealer that tests the RAM for the Mac, and provides a warranty to make sure it works in that Mac.

Typically, buying faster RAM than required provides little benefit for Macs -- since they typically aren't RAM overclocked much.

However, buying the next RAM speed up tends to reduce the chance that marginal memory from a cheap dealer will work -- Apple used this method when they required PC-133 memory in the 100MHz machines.

 

[mikefly]

Hog -- The tip is appreciated, but I'm most likely going to buy local, as US-Canada shipping is often a hassle, and you always wonder what will happen at the border. -- Also, I max out at 2x1GB.

Baked -- not at all sure I understood your link, or your post -- it sounds like you're saying that I can buy faster or slower - with no issues, --- the link says the following

"must be DDR2-667 (PC2-5300) compliant "

Which leads me to believe it must be exactly that..

--

Which leaves me back where I started!

Help/Clarification still very much appreciated,

Mike

 

[Sun Baked]

Baked -- not at all sure I understood your link, or your post -- it sounds like you're saying that I can buy faster or slower - with no issues, --- the link says the following

"must be DDR2-667 (PC2-5300) compliant "

Which leads me to believe it must be exactly that..

Mike

I can be faster, but not slower ...

Some memory is marginal and might not always work at the tested speed in the Mac, Mac have a tendency to run a little tight on the memory specs.

When the Macs with PC-100 came out Apple had to require PC-133 (faster) memory in them ... doesn't mean that the Mac is making use of faster memory, since it downclocks it.

After this fiasco, Apple worked to make sure things worked a bit better at the stated speed. But they still tend to be fussy.

So PC2-5300 is the standard

PC2-4200 shouldn't work -- the Mac will read the EEPROM and reject it.

and PC2-6400 will get downclocked to the PC2-5300 speed. Maybe

Jump to a faster speed if using $5 bargain bin memory -- it'll have a greater chance of working than sticking with the correct speed from than same bargain bin at $5.

Edit: Alternatively, buy more expensive memory guaranteed to work in the Mac.

WARNING -- HOWEVER, some people have complained that the machines didn't downclock and the PC2-6400 from the RAM suppliers didn't work. Even though it should and has worked in the past with similar bumps in memory between classes of RAM.

Such as iMac RAM issues

 

[mikefly]

perfect

Thanks -- this is now clear -- very much appreciated.

So, now alls I gots to do is buy some RAM! -- last time I looked into this (when it was at least 2x the price as now - I got some recommendations for RAM brands that would work well -- hopefully I can search for some old threads on the topic -- frankly, I'd rather spend a few extra bucks and get peace of mind -- without dishing out the $100 a gig apple charges -- besides which, they don't offer 1gb pieces anymore.

Mike

p.s. Thanks to mods for cleaning up bickering.

 

[Neil321]

Thanks -- this is now clear -- very much appreciated.

So, now alls I gots to do is buy some RAM! -- last time I looked into this (when it was at least 2x the price as now - I got some recommendations for RAM brands that would work well -- hopefully I can search for some old threads on the topic -- frankly, I'd rather spend a few extra bucks and get peace of mind -- without dishing out the $100 a gig apple charges -- besides which, they don't offer 1gb pieces anymore.

Mike

p.s. Thanks to mods for cleaning up bickering.

Just go to crucial, its got this scan thingy that tells you the compatible RAM & how much, like another member posted their cheap & recommended