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Where to purchase 3rd party RAM for a Mac


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Where to purchase 3rd party RAM for a Mac
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iBeard
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Join Date: Jan 2005
 
2005-01-25, 18:26

I'm looking to get another stick of 512MB of RAM for my brand new 20" iMac, but I heard about of alot of incompatibility with OS X/G5s and "other" RAM like Kingston, Corsair, Mushkin, etc... I would just buy some of that off of Newegg.com, but I want to get some RAM that I know will work and RAM from Apple is just WAY too expensive. I've seen a few sites that sell RAM specifically for certain models of Macs, but I don't know how reliable these sites are... So basically I'm asking where do y'all buy your RAM from? Thanks.
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naren
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Join Date: Jul 2004
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2005-01-25, 18:42

I like OWC myself but I believe newegg is a favorite around here. I ordered a Samsung PC2700 which is the same as the RAM which came factory installed on my AL-PB except that it cost me half as much as Apple wanted to charge. I suppose there might be a different story with G5 RAM though....

The future is tomorrow!
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Luca
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: Minnesota
 
2005-01-25, 18:59

Go OWC for RAM. NewEgg is generally great for miscellaneous computer junk, but their RAM selection is spotty and I've heard of some people having compatibility problems with RAM from NewEgg. OWC will cost a few bucks more than NewEgg, but it's a Mac shop so you'll definitely get something good.

HUGE EDIT: NewEgg is fine. A few years ago there were still lingering problems with Mac compatibility with certain brands, but that's all over now.

Last edited by Luca : 2009-03-27 at 09:45.
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Brad
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: Zone of Pain
 
2005-01-25, 19:07

I've had great luck with RamJet.com, OWC, and Crucial.com. Some for work, some for home.
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torifile
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2005-01-25, 21:12

What's up with the title? I can't make sense of it...

Anyway, I've been ok with random RAM from whereever it's cheapest. I haven't got a clue what brands I'm using in my powerbook or eMac. I *think* the emac ram is valuemax but I'm not sure...
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Luca
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: Minnesota
 
2005-01-25, 21:15

Fixed the title for you.

By the way, the only reports I've heard of RAM from NewEgg not working in Macs is with a certain 1 GB SO-DIMM (laptop memory) made by a company called "Kingmax." I've seen one or two people say that they got this for their PowerBooks and it didn't work. So you can probably still go to NewEgg, but maybe just avoid the Kingmax RAM. I think desktop RAM is generally less fussy anyway.
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Jay
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Join Date: Oct 2004
 
2005-01-25, 21:33

I've gotten the RAM for my PowerBook from OWC and I haven't had any problems. At the time they were actually the cheapest around.
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tricki
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Join Date: Feb 2005
 
2005-02-22, 00:49

Quote:
Originally Posted by Luca
Fixed the title for you.

By the way, the only reports I've heard of RAM from NewEgg not working in Macs is with a certain 1 GB SO-DIMM (laptop memory) made by a company called "Kingmax." I've seen one or two people say that they got this for their PowerBooks and it didn't work. So you can probably still go to NewEgg, but maybe just avoid the Kingmax RAM. I think desktop RAM is generally less fussy anyway.
hey Luca ...u mentioned that you've heard of 1GB kingmax ram not working with the PB .....would u have any other brands to recommend....What about kingston? Mine is the 12" 1.5 Ghz one. I would like to buy a 1 GB ram but am looking ard for a reliable brand that won't mess with OS x...thanks
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FFL
Fishhead Family Reunited
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Slightly Off Center
 
2005-02-22, 00:54

Kingston seems to be better than Kingmax, and occasionally better even than Crucial, esp. in PowerBooks.

If you want guaranteed-to-work-with-your-Mac RAM, though, I'd check out transintl.com and macsales.com (OWC)
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Brad
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: Zone of Pain
 
2005-02-22, 00:55

Moving to the Purchasing Advice forum...
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MacWins
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Columbus, OH
 
2005-03-25, 22:17

According to my PB, these are my specs:

Machine Model: PowerBook G4 15"
CPU Type: PowerPC G4 (1.1)
Number Of CPUs: 1
CPU Speed: 1.25 GHz
L2 Cache (per CPU): 512 KB
Memory: 512 MB
Bus Speed: 167 MHz
Boot ROM Version: 4.7.1f1

On the OWC site, I can't find the computer I have on the list to select the proper RAM. Can someone help?
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MacWins
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Columbus, OH
 
2005-03-25, 22:44

Nevermind....I found it. Sorry. The category was labeled funny.

Is there any difference between the 1G Samsung RAM ($240) or the other 1G RAM for less money? Which is recommended?
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holbox
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Florida
 
2005-03-25, 22:56

i bought from 2 GB fromCrucial. Works fine on my PowerMac G-5. They run full page ads in Mac World & I thought that they'd have to be pretty dumb to spend that much stroking a limited market with bad goods.
Their price was right too!
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MCQ
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2005-03-25, 23:22

I'll go ahead and recommend a 1GB stick from Mushkin. Around $200 - good customer service and quick shipment. Free pen too!
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donniedarko
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Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Los Angeles, Ca
 
2005-04-03, 05:35

hey you guys, i just found this 1 gig stick of kingston ram for $139.00. I didn't think it came cheaper than the kingmax ram over at new egg. Is the kingsting rambetter than the kingmax ram or are they both sketchy?

don't forget to set your clocks back.

*G4 PB 15"*1.67*2GB*100GHD*128VRAM*

Last edited by donnydarko : 2005-04-03 at 05:41.
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Performa636CD
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Sea of Tranquility
 
2005-04-03, 08:21

clocks back?
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EmC
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Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Columbus, Georgia
 
2005-04-03, 13:34

Spring forward. And some people don't do it. It is a daylight savings reminder. So if your locality does change thier time in accordance with daylight savings . Sunday morning(this morning) the time at 1:59AM jumped to 3:00AM.

What Adobe Updater‽ What‽ What‽ WHAT‽
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dgh
 
 
2005-04-09, 09:05

I've got 2*Kingmax 256Mb pc133 SO-DIMM in my old Tangerine iMac (with Sonnet G3 600MHz upgrade). It worked fine until I updated to 10.3.8 and I kept getting Kernel panics. I've gone back to 10.3.7 and everything is fine again. This RAM was by far the cheapest in the city at the time.

dgh
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marklovesportland
 
 
2005-04-27, 01:07

When some of you write than some memory is "better" than others, exactly what does that mean? Does non-Apple memory work properly, or does it NOT?
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alcimedes
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2005-04-27, 01:11

Quote:
Originally Posted by marklovesportland
When some of you write than some memory is "better" than others, exactly what does that mean? Does non-Apple memory work properly, or does it NOT?
Depends. Apple RAM is just the same RAM you get from everywhere else. Usually the only real difference between "good" RAM and "bad" RAM is that one brand actually tests their chips before they send them out the door. So as long as you buy decent quality RAM, it shouldn't matter what brand it is, it will work in a Mac just fine.

However, I have also seen on occasion cheap RAM chips that will work fine if they're the only chip in a machine, but when paired with other cheap memory one of the two chips either won't register at all, or will register only some of the total RAM on the chip.

Again, you get what you pay for. Paying more for RAM though usually just means that someone else has already tested it for you, and you're getting a good chip. (usually)

Google is your frenemy.
Caveat Emptor - Latin for tough titty
I tend to interpret things in the way that's most hilarious to me
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pilot1129
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Join Date: Mar 2005
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2005-04-29, 19:05

when i called up and registered my powerbook and applecare, i asked them about the ram. the representative told me it voids my applecare to install any ram that isnt sold to me by apple. sounds like bs to me, not even microsoft/hp/dell/sony do that to you. any one have further insight into this?
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alcimedes
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2005-04-29, 19:31

That's fucking bullshit. However, they will ask you to remove 3rd party RAM before you send it back to them if it needs to be repaired so they can rule that out. They don't like testing other people's hardware.

Google is your frenemy.
Caveat Emptor - Latin for tough titty
I tend to interpret things in the way that's most hilarious to me
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csb
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
 
2005-04-30, 18:04

I purchase an E Mac from Comp USA and they did the ram upgrade 2x 512, i think it is centon not sure, yes i did have a problem (over a year later) with what Apple care said was a kernel panic so the tech told me that it was the ram and to put the original 256 chip back in I did and it didn't help, then i read here or another site about switching the chips around place them in opposite slots tried that and guess what it hasn't happened since.
Apple care didn't make a big deal of it just told me that they don;t cover the ram from other manufactures, I'm new to apple but i think they just want you to purchase the ram from them and their prices are way to high. Most ram i've looked at over the years (using pc's) had lifetime warranties.
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FFL
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Join Date: May 2004
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2006-01-02, 16:54

Quote:
Originally Posted by alcimedes
That's fucking bullshit. However, they will ask you to remove 3rd party RAM before you send it back to them if it needs to be repaired so they can rule that out. They don't like testing other people's hardware.
Very true.
Of course, you should always remove 3rd party RAM when troubleshooting hardware problems, anyway. And definitely remove it before sending the machine to Apple, whether they ask you to or not.
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Kraetos
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Boston-ish
 
2006-01-16, 23:25

Quote:
Originally Posted by csb
I purchase an E Mac from Comp USA and they did the ram upgrade 2x 512, i think it is centon not sure, yes i did have a problem (over a year later) with what Apple care said was a kernel panic so the tech told me that it was the ram and to put the original 256 chip back in I did and it didn't help, then i read here or another site about switching the chips around place them in opposite slots tried that and guess what it hasn't happened since.
Apple care didn't make a big deal of it just told me that they don;t cover the ram from other manufactures, I'm new to apple but i think they just want you to purchase the ram from them and their prices are way to high. Most ram i've looked at over the years (using pc's) had lifetime warranties.
Had same problem, cept within only 1 week of installing. Bought 1 gig of Centon RAM, and it was causing kernel panics before the machine could even load the entire OS. Pulled the Centon out, put the stock 256 and the 512 I bought from smalldog back in, and all problems were solved.

I recommend Smalldog. I returned that 1 gig and ordered another gig from smalldog (at nearly half the price) - hasn't arrived yet, but I'll let you know how it worked when it gets here.

Logic, logic, logic. Logic is the beginning of wisdom, Valeris, not the end.
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Wyatt
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Near Indianapolis
 
2006-02-15, 22:56

I just wanted to drop in with another recommendation for NewEgg. I hadn't ordered anything from them in a while, but I just got 1GB of RAM for my Mac mini, and I couldn't be happier! They've updated their searching tool now, as well. Before, you were lucky if any of the RAM had voltage specs or some of the other pickier numbers that Macs need (RAM for the mini, for example, has to be 2.5v exactly). It was SO easy for me to tailor the search for my needs. Kudos to NewEgg on the update, and a huge recommendation from me.

Twitter: bwyatt | Xbox: @playsbadly | Instagram: @bw317
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INBLEW
New Member
 
Join Date: May 2006
 
2006-06-24, 23:50

I bought two 1 GB of DDR2 off of www.mushkin.com for my imac intel core due and so far it has worked flawlessly

$119 for 1GB - so in my case.. I recommend MUSHKIN..
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alcimedes
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2006-06-25, 10:34

NewEgg has 1GB chips for the iMacs and Macbooks/MBP's for $79 each. I've bought 10 of them so far with no problems. Used to be crucial was cheap, but they've been very expensive lately.

Google is your frenemy.
Caveat Emptor - Latin for tough titty
I tend to interpret things in the way that's most hilarious to me
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Wyatt
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Near Indianapolis
 
2006-06-25, 11:31

Quote:
Originally Posted by alcimedes
NewEgg has 1GB chips for the iMacs and Macbooks/MBP's for $79 each. I've bought 10 of them so far with no problems. Used to be crucial was cheap, but they've been very expensive lately.
I got 1GB of Corsair Value Select there for my MBP for $84. Great RAM. I buy it all the time, and I've never had a problem.
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Partial
Stallion
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Milwaukee
 
2006-06-25, 13:15

Any of you guys ever use www.dealram.com ? I've used it for both of my macs now, going with their "generic" option instead of the name brand, and both times it has worked perfectly, been a timely delivery, and a well-wrapped package.
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