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Ram Question

kavi

kavi

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 17, 2007
53
0
I'm thinking about buying a 24 inch imac but there's something I'm not understanding about the RAM options. I'm on the apple Canadian store on their website and I have selected the 24 inch imac and I'm at the page where I can customize whatever options I want.

For the RAM we have three options. By default it's set to 1GB. Then there's the upgrade to 2GB or ram which costs an extra $165 and after that there's the upgrade for 4GB which costs an extra $935.

I'm not understanding how, when you upgrade from 1GB to 2GB, it only costs $165 for an extra GB but when you add an extra 3GB it costs about $311.67 for each additional GB.

I don't know too much about the price of ram but it seems to me now that a GB of ram should be about $50 to $100. So why then would I not buy an imac with 1GB of RAM and then spend at most $300 for three additional GB of ram and just install it myself?
 
Wow it appears as though you're right. Here it is on the US site:

f_Picture1m_5fda102.png


But I agree, it is MUCH more economical to buy it with the 1GB, then buy the RAM from another retailer and install it yourself. On Newegg.com you can get a 1GB stick of RAM for the iMac for under $50. When I ordered my iMac last October it was an extra $120 (maybe more, I don't really remember) to add just 1GB more RAM. But of course I didn't know you just had to remove a screw on the bottom to add additional RAM or I would have bought it and put it in myself.
 
Well, the main flaw in your theory is that there's only 2 RAM slots in the iMac.

And 2GB sticks are quite a bit more expensize than run of the mill 1GB sticks.

I am also unaware if Intel Macs are sniffy about matched RAM, making it impossible (or technically prohibitive) to use say, a 1GB and a 2GB stick without some sort of issue.
 
Nope, it costs US$300+ from Crucial.

Well, everyone knows (or should, by now) that Apple RAM is significantly more expensive than the same RAM purchased OEM. It depends on the amount of technical know-how some folks have for putting in their own RAM, and how it-works-out-of-the-box it needs to be. Apple RAM has a very very low failure rate.
 
Apple simply applies a huge markup to RAM as a way to moke more money.

The answer, as Kavi stated, is to buy the machine from Apple with the minimal RAM, and then purchase your own RAM from a reputable seller who offers a lifetime warranty, guarantee of compatibility, and a no-cost return (no restocking, no shipping) for replacement or refund if it doesn't work.
 
Ok, so then in theory, this is what I should do right? Buy the computer with 1GB of RAM and then go and buy two sticks of 2GB RAM, take out the 1GB, and put the two sticks of 2GB RAM into the two slots on the imac.

All you would have to do is unscrew the bottom, take out the old RAM, and put in the new RAM? It shouldn't take much more effort than that right?
 
kavi said:
Ok, so then in theory, this is what I should do right? Buy the computer with 1GB of RAM and then go and buy two sticks of 2GB RAM, take out the 1GB, and put the two sticks of 2GB RAM into the two slots on the imac.

All you would have to do is unscrew the bottom, take out the old RAM, and put in the new RAM? It shouldn't take much more effort than that right?
Click to expand...

Correctamundo. And save $600 or something.

MR Guides to understanding and buying RAM
 
iMac RAM

I did same thing, ordered my iMac with 1GB RAM just two days ago.
Ordered 2 2GB modules for just under $100 USD each:

Thank you for shopping with us!
Silicon Mountain Memory
SKU SMAP16294/2
2GB Memory Upgrade for Apple iMac Intel Core Duo 2.0-2.8GHz 20-inch, 24-inch $99.97 2 $199.94
Click to expand...

My very recent 24" iMac order:
IMAC 24/SD Z0E4 $1,974.00 1
With the following configuration:
· Processor 065-6967 2.4GHZ INTEL CORE 2 DUO
· Memory 065-6962 1GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM - 1x1GB
· Hard Drive 065-6971 750GB Serial ATA Drive
· Optical Drive 065-6972 SuperDrive 8X(DVD+R DL/DVD+RW)
· Modem 065-6448 NO MODEM
· Apple Software Solutions 065-6200 None
· Mouse from AOS 065-7552 Apple wireless Mighty Mouse
· MAC OS Language 065-6979 WL KYBRD & MAC OS X
· Country Kit 065-6981 COUNTRY KIT
Ships by:

Oct 17 - Oct 19

Delivers by:

Oct 19 - Oct 25
Click to expand...
 
Crucial has high quaility RAM.

I've never heard of Silicon Mountain Memory, no idea what their quality is.

I will say that Macs are notoriously picky about RAM.
 
I like how you got those 2 2GB sticks for $200 instead of the $300 RAM I found on that crucial site.

Unfortunately that silicon mountain site seems to have a ton of problems and none of the pages are working so that makes me doubt their quality a lot. I think I might just go with crucial then to be safe since everyone says they're really high quality.

My next question then would be, when I buy the imac and the ram should I turn the computer on, set up everything, then turn it off and install the ram or should I just install the 4GB before I turn the computer on for the first time?
 
IMO, do whichever you want. The Mac will recognize the 4GB straight away once installed, and you won't get any strange performance issues because you set it up with 1GB whilst waiting for your 4GB kit.
 
kavi said:
I like how you got those 2 2GB sticks for $200 instead of the $300 RAM I found on that crucial site.

Unfortunately that silicon mountain site seems to have a ton of problems and none of the pages are working so that makes me doubt their quality a lot. I think I might just go with crucial then to be safe since everyone says they're really high quality.

My next question then would be, when I buy the imac and the ram should I turn the computer on, set up everything, then turn it off and install the ram or should I just install the 4GB before I turn the computer on for the first time?
Click to expand...


I work here in Michigan, my IT dept ordered same 2 x 2GB memory upgrade for my laptop which I'm typing this message with, along with 10+ other laptops......
Good luck!
 
Last edited:
I bought the ram for my mbp from owc, it was cheap, certified and works great. for the imac 4 gb will cost you 175$ US, plus around 18 in duty since you say you live in canada (duty is like 10%) So with our strong dollar that is a really good deal:D (better than when I bought my 4gb for 209 when our dollar was at .98)
Plus, if your in a major centre, the overnight shipping is true
 
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