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virtualmullet · May 23, 2005, 08:34 PM

Because I want the Applecare, but Apple charges way too much for RAM.

Butch Hauke · 09:03 PM

No, your warranty will still be good, as will the AppleCare. The iMac G5 has user upgradeable RAM. There are even instructions on how to do it in the manual. I plan on doing the same thing within the next week.

Butch

virtualmullet · May 23, 2005, 09:07 PM

Awesome.

Is there a certain brand of Memory that I have to buy in order for the upgradeable ram thing to work? Or should I just buy one off of ebay.

JHromadka · May 23, 2005, 10:46 PM

The iMac G5 is actually quite user-serviceable. That will tell you all the things a user can replace. This pdf file (2MB) has memory specs and replacement instructions.

Just as an FYI, Apple's website is a good resource for a lot of technical info like this. Just click the Support tab at the top and do a search.

Good Luck!

GSixZero · May 23, 2005, 11:49 PM

Not all memory is created equal. Yes, Apple memory costs a lot, but don't cheap out on it either. http://www.crucial.com is a good choice.

Hodog16 · May 24, 2005, 05:02 AM

virtualmullet, I've sent you a message as I'll have 512 MB of Apple OEM RAM from my new iMac that I won't need. I'd be happy to sell it to you for much cheaper than Apple would sell it for.

James41 · May 24, 2005, 08:46 AM

Originally Posted by virtualmullet

Awesome.

Is there a certain brand of Memory that I have to buy in order for the upgradeable ram thing to work? Or should I just buy one off of ebay.

Just buy good quality ram of the Pc3200 400 CL3 type.

Crucial, Corsair, Kingston, Pqi are but a few that work fine on the Mac. Some of the best prices i have seen lately have been on newegg.com. They had some 1 gig sticks of Corsair for $95 and some Rosewell 1 gigs for $85. Both work fine in the Mac.

virtualmullet · May 24, 2005, 02:21 PM

Hodog, I replied. Is there a big difference between having 2 512 sticks (I understand that if they are the same make, you get added performance) or having the apple 512 sitck, and putting in a 1 GB Rosewell stick?

I would think the Rosewell would be faster because it is such a much larger amount of RAM that it would more than make up the difference, but I would appreciate it if someone could help!

Macpilot · May 25, 2005, 12:12 PM

Here is the deal with adding RAM yourself and you have AppleCare:

If you install Apple-Certified RAM, meaning RAM purchased from the Apple Store, then you are covered.

Your iMac is NOT covered under AppleCare if you take it in for service and they can prove that your third-party RAM caused issues with the iMac.

If you do purchase third-party RAM, and then have problems with the machine that requires you to take it into Apple under warranty (either standard 1 year or AppleCare 3 year), REMOVE that third-party RAM because Apple won't cover the cost and will claim that your third-party RAM caused the problems.

Macpilot · May 25, 2005, 12:23 PM

Here it is right from the AppleCare Terms and Conditions:

"2. Repair or Replacement Service Provided:
e. Limitiations: The Plan does not cover:
(iv) ....including equipment that is not Apple-branded..."

Hodog16 · May 26, 2005, 01:46 AM

Ugh. Thanks for the clarification.

Looks like I'll have to keep the 512 MB "apple" RAM in case I need warranty work. I ordered 2 GB (1 GB x 2) of Crucial RAM, but I guess if it isn't Apple Store RAM it doesn't matter.