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Which RAM brand is best?

Crucial.

I've had plenty of bad Kingston sticks (2 out of ten) and 1 bad Crucial stick out of about twenty.

I don't even bother with anyone else.

Others here are fond of newegg.com and OWC, though, too.
 
I'd put the Crucial. I've had a perfect record with Crucial, and one stick of Kingston go bad, so they're always my choice.
 
I would go with Crucial. Though I personally have not bought from them, they have a pretty good rep on the boards, and most seem to have no trouble with them. It would be worth the few extra bucks for that security...
 
josepht said:
Which would you put in your PowerMac G5, Kingston 512 MB 333 MHZ DDR-PC2700 DIMM CL2.5 PC Memory (two DIMMs for $49.99USD each) or Crucial 1GB kit (512MBx2) DDR PC2700 CL=2.5 Non-ECC Unbuffered for $105.99USD?

I know Kingston is cheaper, but which is better?
Click to expand...
First of all, the ONLY PowerMac this will go in is the 1.6 GHz single processor - so long as you have that model. If not, you will need PC3200 RAM
That Kingston is not their KTA-G5333/512 Apple memory, so that is out. Their KVR- ValueRAM is not guaranteed to be compatible. The KTA- series is fine, but pricier. You take a risk with PC-Generic sticks.

The Crucial is the compatible RAM, however I would go here
http://www.datamem.com/viewcat.asp?C=1125 for PC3200s at $98 the pair that would be compatible with your G5.

Thanks
Trevor
CanadaRAM.com
 
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mad jew said:
I thought they changed it round depending on who has the cheapest/most accessible RAM at the time. I could be wrong though.
Click to expand...

Since when does Apple use the cheapest parts, thus ensuring the maximum profit margins on their hyper marked up computers? :D
 
<RANT>

arribadia said:
Samsung. That's the module that Apple actually uses
Click to expand...

finalcoolman said:
The BEST RAM is made by Infineon. Done, zip, end of story.
Click to expand...

superbovine said:
Crucial
Click to expand...

WTF is all of this?
1) Quite simply, wrong. Apple is currently shipping Hynix RAM in their desktop machines. Next week it could be Micron, or Elpida, or Samsung or IBM.
The only Samsung model that has been consistently in Apple machines are the Aluminum Powerbook DDR SODIMMs. Apple buys RAM from the lowest bidder.

2) Ummm. You cannot say one band is "best". Mac compatibility has to do with how the module is organized and whether it has the correct SPD settings. Especially with the iMac G5. The correct modules work (including the right Infineons). There are a great many name brand models (including Infineon) that DON'T work because they are not appropriately configured -- not because they are bad RAM. The other problem is that other companies use Infineon (and Samsung and Hynix and Siemens) chips to make their modules, so the name alone is no assurance.

3) It frosts my buns when people pimp Crucial unquestioningly all the time. Yes, they make decent RAM and they have a configurator to choose the right module for your Mac. That's good. Their RAM is *no better or worse* than RAM from other reputable vendors -- but it is 10% - 40% higher in price because they have been effective in advertising their name. They have failure rates similar to other brands. My personal experience of their tech support is poor. And, despite the advertising, Apple never has and never will install Crucial brand RAM in their machines. Apple occasionally uses Micron RAM - but not Crucial.

We sell Crucial. We sell Kingston. They are good for many uses, they are not the best value for Mac owners.

Mac Users: If the RAM is compatible, there is *no performance difference* between brands.

So your job as a buyer is to find a reputable seller who tests and guarantees compatibility with your model Mac, offers a lifetime warranty, and a no-cost return if the RAM doesn't work (no sleazy restocking fees like some online sellers)

If you like the security of the Crucial or Kingston name enough to pay extra, fair enough.

Why do I think I know what I'm talking about? I buy over $350K of RAM a year to go in my customer's machines, and have done so for 16 years.

</RANT>
Thanks
Trevor
CanadaRAM.com
 
CanadaRAM said:
<RANT>

WTF is all of this?

<snip>

Why do I think I know what I'm talking about? I buy over $350K of RAM a year to go in my customer's machines, and have done so for 16 years.

</RANT>
Thanks
Trevor
CanadaRAM.com
Click to expand...

Now that was a great post. Informative and fun to read.

For myself, I have bought Crucial many many times without incident, but I'm prepared to be persuaded that there's a better way.
 
I will second the datamem.com - I used it over crucial for a couple of reasons - one I had to pay tax at crucial so their already high price went higher; two, based on these forums and CanadaRams suggestion - I gave it a try - they mailed it free and it took 2 days from order. I would definitely use them again - and probably will to pound another 2GB into the PM.

www.datamem.com

2GB kit for $218.
 
Yeah, Apple uses Samsung RAM, but only in their laptops.

If you're talking about desktops, they use Micron/Crucial.

Whatever, like you'd know the difference if I replaced your Crucial RAM with Kingston or OWC RAM. Chances are you wouldn't notice until you opened up the case and saw my "BOO-YAH!" Post-It note inside. ;)
 
I'm a big fan of OWC. Their RAM has worked in every Mac I've put it in, including a PM G5 and an iMac G5. The nice thing is that 1Gig (2x512MB) is ~$15 cheaper than Crucial. OWC is at http://www.macsales.com

Crucial works great though, too.
 
Good RAM

I've bought from Crucial and 18004memory.com, and both have supplied good stuff at low cost. I just ordered a 512 stick from crucial this morning for my new iMac <yeah!>...shopped around and went with crucial because I found a coupon:
Crucial 4% off orders CODE: EOLPROMO (Expiration: Unknown)

Saved me a whopping $2.12, as the memory was cheap anyhow. Free shipping, and I don't have to wait for it to get to Oregon from the east coast...they are mountain time folks, so it should get here a day quicker.

Anyhow, enjoy shopping around, I agree with CanadaRAM, it's all pretty much the same. I just know crucial has pretty good support and it's a guaranteed match. Price was within $5 of every other reputable seller.

~joe
 
I bought OWC last week for the first time, and it's sitting in the box waiting to be installed when my G5 comes today. Assuming it works, i found their service excellent, and as someone said, it's a very good price right now.

I've had good luck with samsung myself, but only in laptops mind you
 
I couldn't care less who manufactured my RAM. As long as it works. I've been purchsing RAM from www.memorytogo.com for a long time and they are quite inexpensive. I must admit, at first I was somewhat apprehensive about ordering from them as their prices were very low and their phone operator barely spoke english. Never had anything come from that didn't work.
 
Sedulous said:
I couldn't care less who manufactured my RAM. As long as it works. I've been purchsing RAM from www.memorytogo.com for a long time and they are quite inexpensive. I must admit, at first I was somewhat apprehensive about ordering from them as their prices were very low and their phone operator barely spoke english. Never had anything come from that didn't work.
Click to expand...

If you have to install and maintain a lot of computers and you see a lot ram of specific brands fail a lot then brand does matter.
 
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