[kapkaplui]

Hi,

Currently i own an iBook 1.2Ghz with onboard 256MB RAM (M9623LL/A). I'm planning to add another 1GB RAM, but returning to Apple Store for the upgrade kills my wallet. So I'm looking for other alternatives out there.

I heard a lot about Crucial's RAM, but the the place I'm from do not sell them. Mostly here the usual ones are Kingston, Apacer & Corsair. So I'm looking for recommendation on which one to look for.

Besides that, can I use regular SO-DIMM RAM for PC on the iBook cause they are pretty cheap compare to Apple Store and memory specificly for iBook?

How many pin is the iBook I'm using?

Can the iBook support module newer than PC2100?

Thanx in advance!

[kauffee]

Kingston and Corsair are both good quality brands. I got my Crucial stick directly from crucial.com... you'll have to buy it online. You can put in RAM that's faster than PC2100, but the iBook will just downclock it. If there's not much difference in price, it might be worth getting the faster stick so you can use it in another laptop in the future.

[ghporter]

You will also probably notice that prices on faster RAM are sometimes significantly less than prices for slower RAM. The industry is working on faster parts, so that's where their focus is...and we reap the benefits.

I don't know of any modern computers that have problems with RAM that's rated faster than what they need. When in doubt, go with the faster/less expensive choice.

Finally, RAM form factors are standardized-it really doesn't matter if they advertise a part as for a PC or for a Mac, as long as its specs match what your computer needs. When we upgraded the RAM on my wife's iBook, we put the old part in my Dell laptop without any problem at all. If you want ALL the details, go to Kingston or Crucial's web sites and use their configuration tools-they will tell you form factor, pin count, physical layout, column latency (that odd "CL" spec you see sometimes, which is very important to performance!), and everything else.

[mduell]

Originally Posted by ghporter

If you want ALL the details, go to Kingston or Crucial's web sites and use their configuration tools-they will tell you form factor, pin count, physical layout, column latency (that odd "CL" spec you see sometimes, which is very important to performance!), and everything else.

More accurately CL is CAS Latency (where CAS is an acronym itsself for Column Address Strobe), and it doesn't really matter.

Buy from Crucial and be happy (link to 1GB for your iBook).

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by mduell

More accurately CL is CAS Latency (where CAS is an acronym itsself for Column Address Strobe), and it doesn't really matter.

Buy from Crucial and be happy (link to 1GB for your iBook).

That's an interesting article. But, yes it does matter if you are adding to existing RAM. Mixing parts with different latencies means the memory handler may have to slow down to accomodate the slower latency part. You may not be able to percieve the difference with a fast system, and it may not be much, but it will be there. I like to make things as simple as possible for the hardware when I upgrade, so I try to stay with or exceed the spec that's already there.

I concur on Crucial-they are reliable and like Kingston they stand behind the part they spec for your computer.

[kapkaplui]

Thanks for all ur replies!

kauffee & mduell = thanx for recommending Crucial.com. It's very convenient if i'm in US, which I'm not. Btw i prefer getting the RAM somewhere I can reach personally if the RAM gives me any problem.

ghporter = So all the SO-DIMM are same. That is really great news! Here in Malaysia I can get a decent Kingston PC2700 1GB at RM560, equivalent to USD142. It's cheaper compare to what they advertised online.

Another question, can a DDR2 RAM works on the iBook?. They are even cheaper; RM370=USD97.

From this post, u can probably figured out that I'm on a very tight budget. As long as it works & at a reasonable price( ie. cheapest on da market), it'll do.

Thanks again every1!

[mduell]

Originally Posted by ghporter

That's an interesting article. But, yes it does matter if you are adding to existing RAM. Mixing parts with different latencies means the memory handler may have to slow down to accomodate the slower latency part. You may not be able to percieve the difference with a fast system, and it may not be much, but it will be there. I like to make things as simple as possible for the hardware when I upgrade, so I try to stay with or exceed the spec that's already there.

I agree with what you say, but I thought you were suggesting buying low latency RAM for his iBook. Apple generally uses and ships the highest RAM latency available (CL3 for PC3200, CL4 for PC2-4200, etc), so there's no point in buying low latency RAM as your 2nd stick.

Originally Posted by kapkaplui

Another question, can a DDR2 RAM works on the iBook?. They are even cheaper; RM370=USD97.

Nope. Different connector and electrical requirement.

[kapkaplui]

Hey hey,

After hearing u guyz view, I think I'll settle for the Kingston mentioned. U guyz are great help. Thank you all