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gary42556 · May 24, 2006, 12:45 AM

I have just ordered a MacBook, and I ordered it with the 2x256 mb ram option. I want to buy two sticks of ram, 1 gb each, but are macbooks picky when it comes to which brand the ram-sticks are? I know some PCs are.

andgarden · May 24, 2006, 01:00 AM

This has been reported to work well, and it's pretty cheap too. With RAM, the game is always to go as low with the price as you dare!

jsousa · May 24, 2006, 01:07 AM

Patriot is a new player to the game of PC Overclockers on a budget. What does that mean? It should be extremly stable; given that your chips aren't defective to begin with. I plan to pick up a pair of these when I buy.

masugu · May 24, 2006, 01:24 AM

Any sort of reputation history for Patriot? They are new, yes? $170 Vs. $350 from Crucial, $500 from Apple??? Madness

iFrankie · May 24, 2006, 02:27 AM

I plan on purchasing the following for my new MacBook.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231066

Don't bother with Crucial, it's way over priced.

chipchen · May 24, 2006, 02:57 AM

ugh... why would you guys put trash in your nice new computers?

Fry's Electronics (Outpost.com) has had sales in the last two months for Mushkin PC5300 SODIMM 1GB modules for $80 or so after rebate.

Actually, right now...

http://shop1.outpost.com/product/4700769

Anyhow... these are the only brands I would trust in my Apple notebook:

Kingston, Crucial, Samsung, Hynix, Mushkin, Corsair. (not in any particular order)

Not every one of those "generic ram" companies manufacture their own ram. In many cases, the larger companies manufacture it, and the modules that are lower in quality or don't pass as stringent of tests are sold to the generic ram companies to sell to consumers. Sure, chances are the ram will work fine... but why take that chance? If you're buying a Lexus or BMW, don't put crap engine oil in it.

gary42556 · May 24, 2006, 09:40 AM

Hmm, I've been searching the webshops around here, and it seems as though kingston and crucial are the two main brands of DDR2-5300 667 around.

I think I will go for this one:
Kingston ValueRam PC5300 1024MB DDR2 SODIMM CAS Latency: 5 Frequency: 667 MHz

Good choice? Ram-prices are higher here - 2 sticks will set me back 310$(US)

force838 · May 24, 2006, 10:36 AM

i got 2 of these corsair 512 sticks from newegg. do you think i'll have any problems with these?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145008

 · May 24, 2006, 10:39 AM

The way I see it, it doesn't matter what brand of RAM you buy. Just be sure to get something with a lifetime warranty and you're set. Those chips on newegg will work just as well as the Kingston you're thinking about.

Paying more for name brands when they do absolutely nothing better than the generics just seems dumb to me.

icruise · May 24, 2006, 11:03 AM

RAM, especially on Macs, is not a "it works or it doesn't" kind of thing. Bad RAM can lead to all kinds of problems that can often be pretty difficult to diagnose. That's why a lot of people spend more for "brand name" RAM. Of course many people have no problems with the cheaper RAM. It's just that the chances of having problems are greater.

jsousa · May 24, 2006, 11:10 AM

Well being a long time PC Overclocker, here are my opinions on ram.

generic ram will often fail to operate coreectly the minute you recieve it. However often times it is much more subtle to the point where it will only crash your system when a lot is demanded of it

Larger brand names, such as Kingston are less likely to have these problems but its still a chance.

The fact is; memory manufacuteres like, Kingston, Muskin, Patriot, A-Data, whatever, are all realy just Memory Assymblers. The buy the memory chips from whoever is selling them cheapest at the time; weather that be SamSung, or some fly by memory supplier from Korea. Then the Assymblers solder the little black Memory chips onto the memory board and ship it out.

The only exception to this is ofcourse SamSung memory, and Crucial, who both make their memory 100% in house.

My opinion? Buy something thats not totally Generic, like Patriot, and give it a thourough testing (Loading into video game levels is a good way; or get Prime 95 for Windows). if it passes your tests its just as good as any stick of mushkin.

The reason you buy really expensive ram on newegg is cuase you are overclocking and the memory has to follow the CPU's system bus (to a certain degree) and so the ram needs to be able to scale passed its 667 stock speed and still remain stable.

I will be buying the patriot; and I do believe that they are a Subsidy company of a larger memory "assymbler"

here are some patriot supports
http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.p...patriot+memory
http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.p...hlight=patriot
http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.p...hlight=patriot

P.S. Lifetime electronic warranties ussually don't refer to your lifetime but the products production lifetime. When they stop making it your warranty ends, and make sure you keep the packagine and recipts.

andgarden · May 24, 2006, 11:19 AM

My method is to just run the extended Apple Hardware test after installing the new RAM. It might take about 45 minutes, but it's pretty extensive.

Maflynn · May 24, 2006, 11:37 AM

I go by the theory you get what you pay for especially when it comes to memory.

Since macs are more intolerant to memory that's not quite up to specifications, you need to be careful of where you get the ram from. I've seen cases where a given module will work fine in a PC but not in the mac.

For me, I prefer using crucial, it may cost a little more but there's a peace of mind, especially since I've used them for use (*knocks on wood*) and have no problems.

Many people swear by memory from OWC and I've not really heard anythink negative about them

Finally a lot of people like patriot ram and I think they pretty inexpensive.

For me, I went the crucial route and I'm happy I did.

Mike

brlittle · May 24, 2006, 12:06 PM

Does anyone living in Canada (Vancouver) know where i can get some ram? I just got quoted $240 for 1 gig from Simply Computing, seems a bit pricey to me.Some of these online stores in the U.S don't ship to canada or they do but you have to pay U.S taxes, canadian taxes, shipping and duty which brings the price up way too much.
any help from my fellow canadians would be appreciated

jsousa · May 24, 2006, 12:59 PM

Originally Posted by vangrl

Does anyone living in Canada (Vancouver) know where i can get some ram? I just got quoted $240 for 1 gig from Simply Computing, seems a bit pricey to me.Some of these online stores in the U.S don't ship to canada or they do but you have to pay U.S taxes, canadian taxes, shipping and duty which brings the price up way too much.
any help from my fellow canadians would be appreciated

eBay? I know a lot of canadians are more than happy to purchase my used computer parts for more than I paid for them new.

Just make them ship UPS standard to Canada and have them mark the value of the items at $1 so you pay hardly anything in custom fees, and you shouldn't pay any taxes.

chipchen · May 24, 2006, 01:13 PM

RAM is indeed, you get what you pay for.

I'm an Apple Certified Technician, and having troubleshot thousands of Macs, when the issue does come down to defective RAM, about 80% of the time it's generic crap. Of course, your computer, your money, your decision...

BTW, when RAM is outright defective, it will either not show up or cause your computer to beep. When there is bad RAM, but it's not just outright defective, it can corrupt your data for months before you have a problem, and then you're completely screwed. Sure, this can happen with brand name stuff... but it happens less often.

gary42556 · May 24, 2006, 01:43 PM

Originally Posted by cybervision_

Hmm, I've been searching the webshops around here, and it seems as though kingston and crucial are the two main brands of DDR2-5300 667 around.

I think I will go for this one:
Kingston ValueRam PC5300 1024MB DDR2 SODIMM CAS Latency: 5 Frequency: 667 MHz

Good choice? Ram-prices are higher here - 2 sticks will set me back 310$(US)

I should have mentioned that I live in Norway and newegg.com would be very expensive.

Are Kingston Value sticks good, og does Value mean they suck?

Should I rather buy crucial sticks costing 50 bucks more?

andgarden · May 24, 2006, 02:04 PM

Originally Posted by Maflynn

I go by the theory you get what you pay for especially when it comes to memory.

Since macs are more intolerant to memory that's not quite up to specifications, you need to be careful of where you get the ram from. I've seen cases where a given module will work fine in a PC but not in the mac.
Mike

Do you have any evidence that Intel based Macs, which use pretty generic Intel chipsets (945GMS I think), are any less tolerant of RAM than, say, equivalent Dells?

chipchen · May 24, 2006, 02:18 PM

Kingston ValueRAM is good... it's just that Kingston was in the high end market and wanted to enter the consumer market. So the RAM they sell for consumers is just called ValueRAM.

I actually like Kingston more than Crucial, but that's me.

Maflynn · May 24, 2006, 02:26 PM

Originally Posted by andgarden

Do you have any evidence that Intel based Macs, which use pretty generic Intel chipsets (945GMS I think), are any less tolerant of RAM than, say, equivalent Dells?

Nope, not for the intel macs, though I have seen my share of PPC macs chocking on generic ram.

Perhaps its not an issue anymroe, or perhaps the population of intel macs are not yet to the point where we can measure that. Nonetheless I'm not going to take a chance, as chipchen so aptly put it "your computer, your money, your decision... "

teco1582 · May 24, 2006, 04:44 PM

Just poppped in my new 2Gigs from Omni for just $76.99 each:

http://www.omnitechnologies.biz/cgi-...O&cat=&catstr=

It only took a couple minutes to install (made sure to press extra firmly) and it started right up and acknowledged the RAM no problem. I'll post followups if there's any problems.

money69 · May 24, 2006, 07:24 PM

Is the RAM from omni running at 667?

jchen · May 25, 2006, 12:06 AM

If you read the NewEgg reviews for Kingston and Corsair value varieties, some Mac users have had problems with their sticks.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145012

It appears that NewEgg is no longer selling the Kingston ValueRAM (or so I can't find it under their page categorized under PC5300 DDR2 Notebook Modules) but I do recall reading a mixed bag of reviews. Just a warning.

chipchen · May 25, 2006, 01:11 AM

There's bad experiences with every brand RAM out there. Which leads me to another point... most bad RAM is PREVENTABLE.

RAM is VERY SENSITIVE to static electricity. Some people think they can just throw the sticks around, leave they lying on a table, carpet, etc... but all it needs is a TINY shock and it's gonna cause problems. Most consumers (yes, even those that shop at Newegg) don't know how to handle or install the RAM, and end up damaging them with static electricity.

Here's some tips:

- Always be sure you're properly grounded. If you have an anti-static wrist strap, use it. If not, touch a metal part of the computer to ground yourself.

- NEVER touch the contacts on the RAM. Hold it by the edges of the circuit board.

- Don't remove the RAM from packaging until you're ready to install it. Some people take it out of the bag or package and leave it lying around until they open up the computer... don't do that.

- Store RAM properly. Either in the package they came in or in an anti-static bag. ONE PER MODULE. I've seen people stick 10 sticks of RAM in one bag, and that was in a computer store!

Follow those few rules and your RAM will be happy.

mindwaves · May 25, 2006, 01:59 AM

I have never had any bad experiences with generic memory. In fact, that is all I buy.

voicebox · May 25, 2006, 03:36 AM

Originally Posted by cybervision_

I have just ordered a MacBook, and I ordered it with the 2x256 mb ram option. I want to buy two sticks of ram, 1 gb each, but are macbooks picky when it comes to which brand the ram-sticks are? I know some PCs are.

Crucial

force838 · May 25, 2006, 09:51 AM

i'm getting my 2 sticks of 512 mb corsair ram tonight. (see link to newegg in my previous post). i'll install, test and report back tonight. it's a great deal, and, with overnight shipping, only a little over a hundred.

gary42556 · May 25, 2006, 01:23 PM

Sounds really good!

But both Crucial and Kingston are reliable brands if I haven't misunderstood. I will try to get hold of one, I just hope Apple will soon register my payment and start building the machine!

force838 · May 25, 2006, 07:21 PM

ok, so i recieved and installed my two new sticks of corsair value ram 512 mb. 49 bucks a stick at newegg. so far so good. mac and windows both recognizes it. boy it makes surfing the web sooooo much faster! scrolling doesn't have the hiccups it used to. sweet.

i've always bought generic ram, never had any problems...

ChuckD · May 25, 2006, 11:06 PM

Originally Posted by id-sign

Just poppped in my new 2Gigs from Omni for just $76.99 each:

http://www.omnitechnologies.biz/cgi-...O&cat=&catstr=

It only took a couple minutes to install (made sure to press extra firmly) and it started right up and acknowledged the RAM no problem. I'll post followups if there's any problems.

I got the same RAM for my black MacBook. The problem I had was that the computer would have problems if I put both pieces in. If I just put one in, no problems. One plus the stock 256 from Apple? No problems. But if I put both 1GB pieces in - the computer would stutter. Apps wouldn’t minimize smoothly, video wouldn't play properly, etc.

Good news is that I called Omni and they had no problem giving me an RMA. I'm shipping it back and should receive new RAM next week. But now I have to live with 512 until then - definitely not enough for the MacBook. 1GB is the minimum.

iChelle · May 25, 2006, 11:30 PM

I ordered a gig (1 stick) of RAM from newegg
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16820221043
The tracking # states it will be shipped today. However, I never got it but the tracking info says it was DELIVERED. I don't know what their delivery guy was smoking but I never got my RAM today! What should I do?

Sorry, I know this is off topic but I needed to vent.

chipchen · May 26, 2006, 12:30 AM

I'm kinda surprised no one is buying th mushkin that's on sale at Fry's / Outpost.com. Just ship one to home and one to work, and you've got your two gigs (since it's limit one per order).

madefree · May 26, 2006, 01:23 AM

Here's another big toot for http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231066 ... 2 GB of the G. Skill PC2 5400 modules were installed this morning in a new 2.0 MacBook and they are running perfectly ... and fast!

SeSawaya · May 26, 2006, 02:22 AM

just installed my 2 gigs that came today from Newegg. Man, this thing screams now!! Amazing difference from 512 to 2 gigs. different computer completely. Love it!!

(& for only $173!)

Eug Wanker · May 26, 2006, 11:28 AM

I bought Samsung RAM off eBay for US$219, plus $11 shipping to Canada. I can't order from Newegg or Fry's, and the local stores did not have 1st tier brands for the 1 GB PC2-5300 SODIMMs. They had KingMAX, which is actually pretty good too, but it cost somewhat more so I figured I may as well order the Samsung. If anyone wants the link to the seller I can provide it.

And yeah, the MacBook SCREAMS with 2 GB RAM.

P.S. The 2x256 that came with the MacBook was Hynix. I'm not sure if it's worth eBaying this since it's not as if a lot of people want 2x256 DDR2-667 SODIMMs these days. Maybe I'll keep it for when I sell the MacBook, and then re-eBay the 2 GB if I can't use it in my next laptop.

Just make them ship UPS standard to Canada and have them mark the value of the items at $1 so you pay hardly anything in custom fees, and you shouldn't pay any taxes.

That's only if you're lucky. Better to ship US Postal Service. They have a flat rate handling fee of CAD$8. Plus if anything goes wrong with the order, you only get $1 back, if that's the value at which you've declared it.

cql · May 26, 2006, 05:59 PM

After reading this thread i decided to buy 2 stick of 1gb of patriot ram from new egg. Today went to fry's and they had a deal of 2gb ram package (2x1gb stick) for $169. So i just bought and popped in. Works good so far. I just hate mail order, only use it when i really need to...rather go in a store and pick up.

iChelle · May 26, 2006, 07:03 PM

^ I agree. I hate mail order. I wouldn't hate it so much if Newegg hadn't LOST MY RAM IN TRANSIT! ugh. I just went to Fry's and did the same thing. 2 gigs of RAM. Let the games begin.

kd · May 26, 2006, 07:09 PM

Originally Posted by id-sign

Just poppped in my new 2Gigs from Omni for just $76.99 each:

http://www.omnitechnologies.biz/cgi-...O&cat=&catstr=

It only took a couple minutes to install (made sure to press extra firmly) and it started right up and acknowledged the RAM no problem. I'll post followups if there's any problems.

I suggest you test that omnitechnologies.biz RAM very carefully, using something like memtest (http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/mo.../macosx/17156). A 512MB stick that I bought from them appeared fine until I ran memtest on for a few hours, which revealed an intermittent bad bit. They cheerfully replaced it -- with another stick that was likewise bad, but only as revealed by careful testing.

They then cheerfully accepted return of both bad sticks, and cheerfully promised a full refund -- which was never given. Despite having acknowledged by email having received the returned RAM, they are apparently now denying that to my credit card company.

I imagine that somebody could make a lot of profit by selling known-bad RAM that's good enough to pass the typical cursory test that's run when you boot the computer. Most people would think the memory was fine, and might not even realize that it was the reason for their subsequent occasional crashes and data corruption.

There are plenty of companies out there that do not sell worthless defective merchandise and do not steal your money. I see no reason for anybody to do business with omnitechnologies.biz.

chadseld · May 26, 2006, 09:42 PM

I bought the GigaRam from newegg http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820221043

Works great.

Meadowfield · May 30, 2006, 10:49 AM

I am running a stealth with the standard config and was wondering if additional ram would have a noticeable performance improvement if I only keep one app running at a time and never "swap" according to iStat... Thanks.