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harrisjamieh · Jan 31, 2006, 01:37 PM

This is mostly to do with the iMac, hence i think its in the right forum

I was about to order some more RAM for my intel iMac, a 1 gig stick from Crucial, but they were out of stock. I checked back a few days ago, and though they were still outa stock, they had gone up in price from £85 to £95 (ex VAT). I was pretty peeved. I checked back today to see if there was stock (which there isnt), and the price has gone up AGAIN from £95 to £105 (ex VAT).

WHAT GIVES?!?!?!?!??!?!?

tikki · Jan 31, 2006, 01:54 PM

Supply. Demand.

ryan · Jan 31, 2006, 02:15 PM

Don't buy from them if you're so mad. Duh?

Dumbass.

harrisjamieh · Jan 31, 2006, 02:21 PM

Listen, dumbass, im just saying that its not right that they put prices up twice in the period of a week. Anyways, its not like theres a huge number of places in the UK to buy RAM

parsec_kadets · Jan 31, 2006, 02:22 PM

I can confirm that they have jacked up their price. When the announcement was made the price for 1GB was $130. Now it's $188. Just give it time, demand is high now, but it will go back down soon enough.

harrisjamieh · Jan 31, 2006, 02:26 PM

Ye i guess if i wait a few months, prices should go donw. After all, there really arent many DDR2 SODIMMs around at the moment, so hopefully in a couple of months, it will be more affordable

thiagofll · Jan 31, 2006, 02:43 PM

I found this seller on Ebay....He only has 2 available... $108.00 plus $6.00 shipping..REAL CHEAP!

http://cgi.ebay.com/1GB-200-pin-DDR2...QQcmdZViewItem

applenut1 · Jan 31, 2006, 02:48 PM

the dumbasses are the people like yourself ordering from Crucial who has never had anywhere close to the best price on RAM. Why so many mac users live this false notion of having to buy expensive ram is beyond me.

Newegg, Outpost, Memory2Go, etc....all have ram and all have much better prices. Virtually all ram carries a lifetime warranty so I don't know why you would see the need to spend so much more. Is it because sites like crucial have pretty graphics telling you what ram is compatible with your mac or something?

I don't get it, and don't say the quality is different. RAM is RAM, it will either work or it won't. If it doesn't work, you swap it for one that works.

Crucial is just being smart since there are apparently so many fools.

FWIW, Fry's is selling 1GB sticks for the iMac for $99

Outpost.com as well

harrisjamieh · Jan 31, 2006, 02:57 PM

No, RAM is not RAM, some RAM is much more prone to causing system crashes and kernel panics than others. And the dumbasses are people like YOURSELF who seem to be blissfully unaware that not everyone lives in the USA!!!!!!

Agent69 · Jan 31, 2006, 04:22 PM

Wow, that's a lot of anger. You're from a third world country, aren't you? (Just kidding!!! I enjoyed my visits to England.)

Macadvo · Jan 31, 2006, 06:01 PM

Just to put things in perspective I have been checking the Crucial website every day since I ordered my 20 inch iMac (which I now have YAY!) and the price of a 1gig stick initially was £112. Yes it dropped over a few days to around the £85 mark but as of today it's back up to £124. RAM prices fluctuate on a day by day basis, nothing to be surprised about

Besides if it's £124 when they don't have stock just imagine what they'll charge us when they DO :o

harrisjamieh · Jan 31, 2006, 06:05 PM

Oh cool, i didnt know the prices also went down recently. Ill keep any eye on the prices and try and grab a stick when prices are relativly low.

JustinHoMi · Jan 31, 2006, 06:34 PM

For those of you that say there is better ram available for the dual core imac... what brand are you buying, and from where?

Blubby · Jan 31, 2006, 06:59 PM

Originally Posted by harrisjamieh

Listen, dumbass, im just saying that its not right that they put prices up twice in the period of a week. Anyways, its not like theres a huge number of places in the UK to buy RAM

WHatz yur problem? I was just readin your post and yur a moody git. People are tryin to help you, dont buy from Crucial if theyre so xpensive. Go to somewhere like EBAY or MISCO.

Macadvo · Jan 31, 2006, 07:19 PM

Originally Posted by harrisjamieh

Oh cool, i didnt know the prices also went down recently. Ill keep any eye on the prices and try and grab a stick when prices are relativly low.

Not a bad idea but bear in mind "low" is a relative term when it comes to RAM prices.

If memory suddenly doubled in price overnight then that £124 becomes a "low" price. I always just bite the bullet and buy at whatever todays price is.

Good luck getting some!

Cozmo85 · Jan 31, 2006, 07:35 PM

http://www.datamem.com/apple-memory.asp
$115 a stick for 1gb sticks.

Macadvo · Jan 31, 2006, 07:36 PM

Thanks for the link mate. Although it's not much use for those of us in the UK it'll be useful for those in the US.

Anyone have any links to a UK supplier that has stock?

JustinHoMi · Jan 31, 2006, 07:52 PM

Good company, I've ordered from them many times.

parsec_kadets · Jan 31, 2006, 07:55 PM

Originally Posted by applenut1

the dumbasses are the people like yourself ordering from Crucial who has never had anywhere close to the best price on RAM. Why so many mac users live this false notion of having to buy expensive ram is beyond me.

Newegg, Outpost, Memory2Go, etc....all have ram and all have much better prices. Virtually all ram carries a lifetime warranty so I don't know why you would see the need to spend so much more. Is it because sites like crucial have pretty graphics telling you what ram is compatible with your mac or something?

I don't get it, and don't say the quality is different. RAM is RAM, it will either work or it won't. If it doesn't work, you swap it for one that works.

Crucial is just being smart since there are apparently so many fools.

FWIW, Fry's is selling 1GB sticks for the iMac for $99

Outpost.com as well

Wrong. I've bought both Crucial and El Cheapo ram. The Crucial I bought in 2000 for my PC. In 2003 I bought El Cheapo ram from I forget where. The Crucial ram is still going strong in my PIII 800MHz system, while the El Cheapo I bought for my PB 1GHz G4 was replaced three months ago. So the Crucial is going on its 6th year and the El Cheapo failed after not even three. RAM is RAM until it stops working properly, then it's a stick of plastic, silicone, and solder. I have personal experience that tells me Crucial RAM is more reliable than other RAM, and no ammount of internet arm chair quarterbacking is going to change that.

FYI, I have to give a hats off to Apple in their hardware component selection. I've had two hardware failures since I switched to Mac with the TiBook 400MHz I bought new. Both items that failed were items that I had upgraded (the ram and an IBM Travelstar hard drive). The original components that came with the machine are all still going strong. That's why I don't lambast people for upgrading RAM or other components through Apple. Sure you can get the same brand components from other sources, but you can make worse decisions than having Apple do the upgrade.

ghporter · Jan 31, 2006, 08:14 PM

STOP CALLING PEOPLE NAMES, harrisjamieh. Stop NOW.

I understand you're frustrated, but you are NOT listening to good information. It is indeed the law of supply and demand at work. There's another factor; supply of materials to Crucial. The new iMac uses REALLY fast RAM, and the chips for that RAM are not in enormous supply. That means that a lot of people want them and the supply of finished products with them is tight. As the chip makers ramp up production the price will go down.

If you REALLY want to get steamed, look at the price Apple wants for more RAM! $300 for 1G!!! $600 for 2G!!!!! You think Crucial is high? Apple wants to put all the RAM they have in new computers, so their upgrade RAM prices are always high, but this is REALLY high!

Take some deep breaths and calm down. Crucial wants customers, but they also MUST make a profit. If they don't, they can't stay in business. Their prices are reflecting not a gouging level of profit margin, but their costs.

mduell · Jan 31, 2006, 08:18 PM

Crucial's prices are based on the spot price of DRAM. I'm not surprised to see this fluctuation since DDR2-667 is so rare and low volume right now.

Macadvo · Jan 31, 2006, 09:07 PM

Originally Posted by ghporter

STOP CALLING PEOPLE NAMES, harrisjamieh. Stop NOW.

....SNIP....

I do believe you're coming down a bit hard on harrisjamieh, ghporter.

Originally Posted by ryan

Don't buy from them if you're so mad. Duh?

Dumbass.

Was the first bit of name calling in this thread.

Originally Posted by applenut1

the dumbasses are the people like yourself ordering from Crucial who has never had anywhere close to the best price on RAM. Why so many mac users live this false notion of having to buy expensive ram is beyond me.

Newegg, Outpost, Memory2Go, etc....all have ram and all have much better prices. Virtually all ram carries a lifetime warranty so I don't know why you would see the need to spend so much more. Is it because sites like crucial have pretty graphics telling you what ram is compatible with your mac or something?

...and a bit later Applenut1 again called harrisjamieh a dumbass....

Now, correct me if I'm wrong but, IF anybody in this thread is a dumbass (and I'm not saying anyone is) it is the people who, seeing that harrisjamieh originally posted prices in UK currency (ie using the £ symbol) then insisted on suggesting places in the US from which he should buy his RAM.

Anyone reading this thread properly can plainly see that harrisjamieh was (rightly) getting frustrated at the seeming ignorance or lack of attentiveness of the people who appear not to know their £ from their $.

Which is WHY later in the thread I posted

Originally Posted by Macadvo

Thanks for the link mate. Although it's not much use for those of us in the UK it'll be useful for those in the US.

Anyone have any links to a UK supplier that has stock?

I hope that clears that up. At this point it would be nice if harrisjamieh got an apology and/or the other people in this thread who resorted to namecalling were also lambasted.

We can't be having one rule for us brits and another for you yanks now can we?

Gamoe · Feb 2, 2006, 06:09 AM

As the last poster pointed out, please read the the thread again carefully and give harrisjamieh a break, ghporter, because he was insulted early in the thread, for no reason, by ryan and then again by applenut1, and he only treated those posters the way they treated him, and has not insulted anyone at random.

As for memory, I will vote for Crucial, also, because although I'm sure there is perfectly good RAM from other vendors, Crucial RAM is generally of good quality and they have a great a great warranty. They replaced two DIMM sticks after two years of use and even replaced some fried RAM, which resulted of my own doing.

Now, I have some GeIL-brand value RAM in my Linux box and it has been running smoothly and almost continually since at least October now without any sort of failure. I even ran intensive Memtest tests on it when I first got it to make sure it was working properly. But, I do believe Macs are a bit more picky than your average PC.

mavherzog · Feb 2, 2006, 06:43 AM

Originally Posted by parsec_kadets

Wrong. I've bought both Crucial and El Cheapo ram.

Crucial is not the only place to get non"El Cheapo" ram. They don't have the corner on the market in regards to good-quality memory. (although their stuff is good)

I will often use their configuration tool and then go get the SAME ram elsewhere at a better price.

Mediaman_12 · Feb 2, 2006, 10:33 AM

Overclockers UK has got Samsung DDR2 5300 for £76 (cheaper than Crucial)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatal...msung_146.html
(bottom of page)
Does the iMac have to be upgraded in pairs?

:dragonflypro: · Feb 2, 2006, 03:40 PM

Originally Posted by Mediaman_12

Overclockers UK has got Samsung DDR2 5300 for £76 (cheaper than Crucial)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatal...msung_146.html
(bottom of page)
Does the iMac have to be upgraded in pairs?

No, it does not.

mduell · 12:33 AM

Originally Posted by Mediaman_12

Overclockers UK has got Samsung DDR2 5300 for £76 (cheaper than Crucial)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatal...msung_146.html
(bottom of page)
Does the iMac have to be upgraded in pairs?

That RAM won't even fit in the Intel iMac, so any price comparison isn't terribly relevant.

The Intel Macs support dual channel, but do not require it like the PowerMacs do.

ghporter · Feb 2, 2006, 10:27 PM

I may have seemed heavy handed, but it sure looked like harrisjamieh was kind of freaking out there. His posts looked that way to me. And while it may have sounded harsh, that sort of thing gets people's attention-it got several people's attention here-and often cuts short a cycle of harsh dialog. Which seems to have happened.

I'd also like to point out that, while others did do some name calling, harrisjamieh got really worked up about it. Agent69 noticed it too. And the tone of his initial post was angry from the begining. Note that once I'd said my "stop" bit, I provided information that backed up what a few others had pointed out but in more detail.

In short, it seemed that the common factor was harrisjamieh being very upset by seeing the prices he was seeing, and if he stopped feeding the negativity of other posters, the tone would calm down quite a bit. harrisjamieh, did I seem that harsh to you?

icruise · Feb 2, 2006, 11:04 PM

I think applenut1 and ryan were more out of line. And your message sure made it sound like harrisjamieh was some nutjob who came in here and started calling people names for no reason.

That's not to say that any aggression should be excused, but two people called him a dumbass and one called him a fool in a very condescending way.

Oh, and not all RAM is created equal. It really is true that some RAM can cause weird instability issues.

Macadvo · Feb 3, 2006, 12:07 AM

Originally Posted by Mediaman_12

Overclockers UK has got Samsung DDR2 5300 for £76 (cheaper than Crucial)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatal...msung_146.html
(bottom of page)
Does the iMac have to be upgraded in pairs?

I think that RAM a 240 pin DIMM as opposed to the 200 pin SODIMM that the new Intel iMac requires, which would explain the cheaper price. Thanks for the link though

Mediaman_12 · Feb 3, 2006, 11:15 AM

Originally Posted by Macadvo

I think that RAM a 240 pin DIMM as opposed to the 200 pin SODIMM that the new Intel iMac requires, which would explain the cheaper price. Thanks for the link though

GRRRR! Why on earth is it still called DDR2 PC5300 then? I did the search on Crucial, and that was the spec's of the RAM I needed. That makes no sense, and is just confusing.

dice · Feb 3, 2006, 01:14 PM

I've used http://www.shop4memory.com/ before and they were very good. They ship all over europe.

Twas memory for a PC laptop but its all the same.

mduell · Feb 3, 2006, 08:05 PM

Originally Posted by Mediaman_12

GRRRR! Why on earth is it still called DDR2 PC5300 then? I did the search on Crucial, and that was the spec's of the RAM I needed. That makes no sense, and is just confusing.

The technology (DDR2) and speed (PC2-5300) of the memory is correct. The physical size and pinout is wrong. Crucial's specs clearly say "These 200-pin SODIMM modules are compatible with your system.", but you ignored that and found a DIMM instead.

Mediaman_12 · 08:48 PM

Originally Posted by dice

I've used http://www.shop4memory.com/ before and they were very good. They ship all over europe.

Twas memory for a PC laptop but its all the same.

they don't seam to stock the 5300 SO-DIMMs that the Intel imac requires.
WHY the hell as Apple chosen to put LAPTOP RAM in a DESKTOP machine (again)! Laptop RAM is always super expensive, in comparison to regular RAM.
Is space really THAT much of an issue?

Just found this MUSHKIN? branded ram on ebay (item no 6844947151) for £74.99. anyone know anything abut this brand of ram?

LeeG · Feb 3, 2006, 10:52 PM

Yeah,

I ordered the 1x1Gb iMac, expecting to add another 1Gb, I have also watched the prices slowly climb, and you know what...the iMac flys with only 1 Gb. So I am going to wait a while, save some $$, and have another little "boost" I can add in 6 months or so when the prices fall...patience...

L

LeeG · Feb 3, 2006, 11:29 PM

http://www.memorytogo.com/comp_model...d~99660823.htm

$106 for 1Gb

Lee

turk.o · Feb 4, 2006, 05:12 AM

i too, am a little tired of the 'crucial is worth the $$' stories on here. first, all the ram dealers at ramseeker.com have warranties on their ram, so not much risk is involved. second, as the pro-crucial storiesare always supported exclusively by anecdotal evidence, i though i'd add my own anecdote and encourage people to save some money.

over the past five years i have purchased and installed about 35 sticks of ram in a variety of computers i own and use in my business including ibooks, powerbooks, imacs and powermacs. i have never bought from crucial. i have bought everything from either memory-to-go or 18004memory. out of the 35 chips, one arrived DOA and was replaced at no charge and no hassle from memory-to-go. outside of that instance, every other bit of ram has functioned 100% perfectly from the moment i purchased through to the present. EVERY stick. many of which have been used for thousands of hours.

so the lesson i learned? i saved about $3,000 or more by NOT buying Crucial ram, and have suffered zero defects, no mysteriously crashing machines, no nothing (we'll assume my one DOA stick was an anomaly and regardless, it was replaced at zero cost and nearly zero hassle).

what would you prefer: a new, tricked out MacBook Pro, or membership in the elite Crucial Club®?

2009059 · Feb 4, 2006, 11:14 AM

Crucial is a huge rip off! I have ram in my g5 that is half the price of it and works great.

Hi I'm Ben · Feb 4, 2006, 01:29 PM

Saying cheap RAM is as good as expensive RAM is just false. Buy an expensive motherboard and try to stick some cheap ram in it, it will probably either A. Not work, or B. Act stupid..

Not that you have to buy Crucial, there are other decent RAM companies out there, however buying RAM at the cheapest possible price you can and thinking it's "the same" Is completely wrong.

Mediaman_12 · Feb 4, 2006, 03:42 PM

How come in the USA there is a CHOICE where to buy this RAM from? Over here you have Crucial, and that's it. NOWERE sells the 5300 SODIMM's (not even Apple, I was all ready to get the extra RAM when I picked up my iMac, but they hadn't received any stock).

JustinHoMi · Feb 4, 2006, 03:46 PM

Originally Posted by Mediaman_12

Just found this MUSHKIN? branded ram on ebay (item no 6844947151) for £74.99. anyone know anything abut this brand of ram?

IIRC, mushkin is really good ram. Search for mushkin on newegg.com, and you can read a lot of reviews.

JustinHoMi · Feb 4, 2006, 03:48 PM

Originally Posted by Cozmo85

http://www.datamem.com/apple-memory.asp
$115 a stick for 1gb sticks.

Looks like their price went up too... it's $129 now.

Looks like newegg has some ram now:

GIGARAM
crucial, expensive

turk.o · Feb 4, 2006, 05:39 PM

Originally Posted by Hi I'm Ben

Saying cheap RAM is as good as expensive RAM is just false. Buy an expensive motherboard and try to stick some cheap ram in it, it will probably either A. Not work, or B. Act stupid..

Not that you have to buy Crucial, there are other decent RAM companies out there, however buying RAM at the cheapest possible price you can and thinking it's "the same" Is completely wrong.

thanks ben, you certainly sound like an expert. i think apple counts as an expensive motherboard, right? especially my quad? and my dual 2.0 before it? cause both machines had 6 1GB sticks of the cheapest ram i could find and never had a single problem, so . . . . . i guess i'm just suuuuuper lucky.

Hi I'm Ben · Feb 4, 2006, 07:59 PM

Originally Posted by turk.o

thanks ben, you certainly sound like an expert. i think apple counts as an expensive motherboard, right? especially my quad? and my dual 2.0 before it? cause both machines had 6 1GB sticks of the cheapest ram i could find and never had a single problem, so . . . . . i guess i'm just suuuuuper lucky.

Sorry I didn't list off models of mother boards for you to fill in to your "expert" status. I'm probably wrong anyhow. I suggest you buy the cheapest ram you can find and stick it in your $3000 machine. And actually, yes you probably are lucky. Or ignorant.

Macadvo · Feb 5, 2006, 02:30 AM

Anyone mind if I add my own anecdotal evidence?

In the world of the PC it is definitely worth paying extra to get branded RAM ESPECIALLY if you are overclocking but even when not overclocking some cheap RAM is flaky at best in "enthusiast" motherboards.

When it comes to Apple I honestly don't think the cost of your RAM makes that much difference as Apple always specifies which RAM to get and then runs that RAM at that spec.

Having said that, I nearly always buy Crucial just because I've never had a bad experience with them

turk.o · Feb 5, 2006, 04:09 AM

Originally Posted by Hi I'm Ben

Sorry I didn't list off models of mother boards for you to fill in to your "expert" status. I'm probably wrong anyhow. I suggest you buy the cheapest ram you can find and stick it in your $3000 machine. And actually, yes you probably are lucky. Or ignorant.

ben, you are awesome. i am ignorant! ignorant enough to save $3k over 5 years. and in fact, even before your truly excellent suggestion, i have already ordered my cheap $105 1GB stick of ram from 18004memory to go in my new MacBook Pro (the high-end model, which even after maxing the ram to 2GB and getting the bigger HD is still costing me only about $2700 with my developer discount and wonderful sales-tax-free oregon shipping) maybe i'll spend the extra $300 left over on a plaque declaring you an authentic ram genius! or maybe, just maybe, i'll take a page from your book, and just burn it!

you just keep buying that over-priced ram, champ! crucial counts on people like you!

Big Mac · Feb 5, 2006, 05:25 AM

Although it's not the worst retailer in town, Crucial is overpriced. Crucial isn't the only name brand RAM vendor in the world, although many people treat it very reverentially, as if it is.

ghporter · Feb 5, 2006, 12:14 PM

Mushkin is good stuff, but they aren't as user friendly with their site as Crucial, Kingston, or Corsair.

Cheap is usually cheap. That means lower quality control standards, less attention to marginal test results and (of course) more parts out the door for less money. But you will find that a low-cost RAM device will produce poor results more often than the more established brands because of these shortcuts. Further, when you buy from a low-cost vendor, whose parts are you getting? At least with Crucial you know that you're getting their parts; they make 'em, you know.

So you can effectively put a fanbelt made from underwear elastic in your Bentley and feel good about saving a few bucks, or get a part that actuallyl meets or exceeds manufacturer's specs and feel good about taking care of your Bentley. It's up to you, but I ALWAYS recommend going with brands that have established themselves through a history of good service, good value, and good support.

jwoods · Feb 5, 2006, 12:55 PM

I think the bottom line comes down to.....

You want to pay a premimum price for your ram, then do it. Those that want to save some money, buy the cheaper stuff. Problem solved.

Alot of the ram is made by the same supplier anyway. After that, it's packaged and marketed by different companies. For example, how many companies use Samsung manufauctuered ram?

Rumz · Feb 5, 2006, 02:08 PM

Originally Posted by turk.o

ben, you are awesome. i am ignorant! ignorant enough to save $3k over 5 years. and in fact, even before your truly excellent suggestion, i have already ordered my cheap $105 1GB stick of ram from 18004memory to go in my new MacBook Pro (the high-end model, which even after maxing the ram to 2GB and getting the bigger HD is still costing me only about $2700 with my developer discount and wonderful sales-tax-free oregon shipping) maybe i'll spend the extra $300 left over on a plaque declaring you an authentic ram genius! or maybe, just maybe, i'll take a page from your book, and just burn it!

you just keep buying that over-priced ram, champ! crucial counts on people like you!

Actually from what I've heard thus far 18004memory isn't a bad place to shop. I heard something about no refunds but it seems like as far as quality goes... anyone else have any different experiences?

And compare the price of 1gb @ crucial (which is out of stock, at least for the macbook pro, at the moment-- isn't it the same chip as for the imac?) to adding 1gb to your machine as you order it from Apple. You're still saving a hundred bucks... you could just save a few more going elsewhere.

Honestly the only time I pay a premium for RAM is when it's performance RAM (like some corsair ram I bought for my PC). Either it works or it doesn't. I've only ever had one chip of RAM go south on me and that was on an lold Athlon Thunderbird machine.