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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Mac Notebooks > MBP memory options = SUCK

MBP memory options = SUCK
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itistoday
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Jun 17, 2007, 09:06 PM
 
Originally Posted by Monty Python
Man: I want to complain.
Man in Charge: YOU want to complain...look at these shoes...I've only had them three weeks and the heels are worn right through.
Man: No, I want to complain about...
Man in Charge: If you complain nothing happens...you might as well not bother. My back hurts and the middel of such a fine day and I'm sick and tired of this office...
(The man exits, walks down the corridor and enters a room)

So say I want to get the 2GB for now and wait for the price to drop on 2GB memory? Well if I want to outfit my MBP with 4GB at a future date then I have no choice but to sell off both 1GB sticks and buy two 2GB sticks. Had they just put a single 2GB stick in that thing then I'd only have to buy one 2GB stick to get 4GB of RAM. XXXXXXXX.

Inappropriate language removed. Glenn

( Last edited by ghporter; Jun 18, 2007 at 10:52 AM. Reason: Removed foul language)
     
peeb
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Jun 17, 2007, 09:53 PM
 
Yeah, I don't know why Apple always puts too little ram in by default, and tries to stiff users on upgrading.
     
Atheist
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Jun 18, 2007, 07:51 AM
 
Originally Posted by peeb View Post
Yeah, I don't know why Apple always puts too little ram in by default, and tries to stiff users on upgrading.
Ummm.... to make money?
     
sray
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Jun 18, 2007, 09:11 AM
 
There may be a technical reason that impacts performance. The following is a quote from macsales.com in regards to memory for the macbook pro:

All MacBook Core 2 Duo systems have two user accessible slots and may be updated with one memory module at a time. For the maximum performance benefit possible, Apple recommends that two modules of the same size be installed to enable 128MBit memory addressing.
     
analogika
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Jun 18, 2007, 09:50 AM
 
That does NOT apply to the MacBook Pros AFAIK.
     
ejl10
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Jun 18, 2007, 10:19 AM
 
It is most likely because a 2GB stick is substantially more expensive (even to Apple) than 2 1GB sticks are.
     
alex_kac
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Jun 18, 2007, 10:25 AM
 
Originally Posted by peeb View Post
Yeah, I don't know why Apple always puts too little ram in by default, and tries to stiff users on upgrading.
How can you call 2GB of memory standard as "too little ram"? For most people, its more than enough.
     
ghporter
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Jun 18, 2007, 10:55 AM
 
[QUOTE=itistoday;3407478]So say I want to get the 2GB for now and wait for the price to drop on 2GB memory? Well if I want to outfit my MBP with 4GB at a future date then I have no choice but to sell off both 1GB sticks and buy two 2GB sticks. Had they just put a single 2GB stick in that thing then I'd only have to buy one 2GB stick to get 4GB of RAM. XXXXXXXX.

Inappropriate language removed. GlennYou can choose to NOT buy an MBP you know. The options Apple offers are their choice, and probably based on the economics of providing a reasonably priced product with reasonable options. Being crude doesn't help you state your case.

I just upped my own MBP (one of the last Core Duo machines) to 2GB-that meant replacing both 512MB sticks with 1GB sticks. So I have those two sticks on my desk right now. I do not "have to sell" either of them (I'm not planning on it). Further, I shopped around and got not just a great deal on the RAM, but a great deal with a rebate besides. Instead of fuming, you could be researching you know.

And isn't it pretty common knowledge that it's never cost effective to buy RAM upgrades from Apple? They plug a lot of overhead costs into the price, so their RAM prices are outrageous compared to the rest of the market. Always shop around.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
itistoday  (op)
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Jun 18, 2007, 01:02 PM
 
Originally Posted by ghporter
You can choose to NOT buy an MBP you know.
That's not really an option for me though because I'm in a position right now where I can sell my current one and buy a new one for about the same price as buying insurance for it, which would be the other option.

The options Apple offers are their choice, and probably based on the economics of providing a reasonably priced product with reasonable options.
Apple is notorious for overpricing their RAM, how does that play into "providing a reasonably priced product with reasonable options."? Their 4 GB upgrade is almost $700, whereas you can get it elsewhere for $220. Seeing as neither one of us knows exactly how they came up with these options or prices, I'm going to say that based on the evidence available it's unlikely that providing "a reasonably priced product with reasonable options" was their motivation when it comes to their RAM offerings.

Being crude doesn't help you state your case.
I doubt that censoring a PG-13 word that even the auto-censors don't pick up helps you state yours either, but you did it anyway. It's OK, I forgive, I know how trigger-happy some moderators can be.

I just upped my own MBP (one of the last Core Duo machines) to 2GB-that meant replacing both 512MB sticks with 1GB sticks. So I have those two sticks on my desk right now. I do not "have to sell" either of them (I'm not planning on it).
Of course you don't have to sell them, did you really think I meant that? I was referring to people in my position, you know, limited amount of income, the price of RAM is not a "spit in the bucket" for me, so I'm pretty much forced to sell the old RAM if I want to buy new RAM. However, it's rather silly of you to use your indifference to losing money as some sort of a counterpoint to the fact that I *do* care.

Further, I shopped around and got not just a great deal on the RAM, but a great deal with a rebate besides. Instead of fuming, you could be researching you know.
I did do quite a bit of research a couple months back and the cheapest 2GB stick I could find went for over $600. My fault is in not realizing that the price of 2GB RAM had dropped so much since then, and like I said above, there's a great option out there (that I will likely end up going for). Still, it would be significantly cheaper to just buy 1 stick instead of two.

And isn't it pretty common knowledge that it's never cost effective to buy RAM upgrades from Apple? They plug a lot of overhead costs into the price, so their RAM prices are outrageous compared to the rest of the market. Always shop around.
Yes, I know that very well, but that has nothing to do with Apple forcing me to buy two sticks instead of one if I want to go with 4 GB. Please remember, this post is a self-acknowledged rant, though IMHO, a justified one.
( Last edited by itistoday; Jun 18, 2007 at 01:26 PM. )
     
OreoCookie
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Jun 18, 2007, 01:25 PM
 
First of all, not just Apple, but basically any computer manufacturer's RAM upgrades are very expensive. It's not exactly a secret to buy RAM elsewhere. Second of all, it's an age-old topic, it's not as if Apple has changed its policy on that.
I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it.
     
mpancha
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Jun 18, 2007, 01:37 PM
 
Aside from Apple's pricing of memory...

Right now if you order off the Apple store, your MBP would come with 2GB. If you only want 2GB for now, there shouldn't be a problem. It used to be 1GB standard on MBP, but that changed around WWDC time.

The Apple Store (U.S.) - MacBook Pro <-- link to Apple Store MBP page.
MacBook Pro | 2.16 ghz core2duo | 2gb ram | superdrive | airport extreme
iBook G4 | 1.2ghz | 768mb ram | combodrive | airport extreme
iPhone 3GS | 32 GB | Jailbreak, or no Jailbreak
     
itistoday  (op)
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Jun 18, 2007, 01:54 PM
 
It's as if people aren't reading what I said... I'm not bitching about the price of Apple's RAM, I know that's always been expensive, I'm bitching about them splitting the standard 2GB option into two 1 GB sticks. They don't even include the option of "upgrading" to a single 2GB stick.

This makes it difficult to do exactly what you guys are suggesting. I want to upgrade to 4GB of RAM, and I want to buy that El Cheapo from some 3rd party. To do this Apple is forcing me to buy 2 sticks instead of 1. Please read the entire post...
( Last edited by itistoday; Jun 18, 2007 at 02:06 PM. )
     
Tomchu
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Jun 18, 2007, 02:51 PM
 
Dual-channel memory.

Many more people would be complaining if they weren't getting top performance from their MBPs because they only had a single stick of RAM.
     
analogika
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Jun 18, 2007, 03:41 PM
 
Does that actually affect the MacBook Pros?

Because the last generation shipped with a single 1 GB stick and NOT two 512 sticks...
     
itistoday  (op)
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Jun 18, 2007, 03:43 PM
 
Originally Posted by Tomchu View Post
Dual-channel memory.

Many more people would be complaining if they weren't getting top performance from their MBPs because they only had a single stick of RAM.
Not true. The previous revision had a single 1 GB stick and nobody complained. At the very least they should give you the option, I would be willing to pay a few extra bucks to have a single 2GB stick in the MBP when I purchased it.
     
itistoday  (op)
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Jun 18, 2007, 03:48 PM
 
Fascinating how I don't have a single sympathizer so far. I don't know if that's because of the way I've presented my case or because you're all so far gone with your Apple worship that any criticism, no matter how appropriate it is, is frowned upon.
     
DakarÊ’
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Jun 18, 2007, 03:52 PM
 
Originally Posted by itistoday View Post
Fascinating how I don't have a single sympathizer so far. I don't know if that's because of the way I've presented my case or because you're all so far gone with your Apple worship that any criticism, no matter how appropriate it is, is frowned upon.
I sympathize. Mostly because I've realized my mac had 2 sticks instead of one the hard way, twice.
     
analogika
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Jun 18, 2007, 03:52 PM
 
Start a petition.


Or something.


(Or just buy your RAM elsewhere, like everybody else does.)
     
itistoday  (op)
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Jun 18, 2007, 04:01 PM
 
Originally Posted by analogika View Post
Start a petition.
Those rarely work...

(Or just buy your RAM elsewhere, like everybody else does.)
I said that I planned on doing that (I've never bought RAM from Apple), again though, that's not the issue:

Originally Posted by itistoday
My fault is in not realizing that the price of 2GB RAM had dropped so much since then, and like I said above, there's a great option out there (that I will likely end up going for). Still, it would be significantly cheaper to just buy 1 stick instead of two.
     
mduell
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Jun 18, 2007, 04:21 PM
 
This appears to actually be a technical limitation of the shiny new PM965 'Crestline' (which some people mistakenly call Santa Rosa) chipset, rather than a conspiracy from Apple's supply chain.

From the PM965 datasheet:
The chipset system memory controller supports DDR2 SDRAMs.
Two memory channel organizations are supported:
• Dual-Channel Interleaved
• Dual-Channel Asymmetric


Compare that to the 945PM datasheet:
Supports single-/dual-channel DDR2 SDRAM
Three Memory Channel Configurations supported:
• Single-Channel
• Dual-Channel Symmetric
• Dual-Channel Asymmetric
     
itistoday  (op)
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Jun 18, 2007, 04:27 PM
 
Originally Posted by mduell View Post
This appears to actually be a technical limitation of the shiny new PM965 'Crestline' (which some people mistakenly call Santa Rosa) chipset, rather than a conspiracy from Apple's supply chain.
Huh... that's interesting. So does that mean that these new computers can't support a single memory chip? That would be fairly significant news.
     
MattJeff
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Jun 18, 2007, 04:33 PM
 
its something every company does. it makes them money. Apple is not immune to this, they are not perfect, and they do need to make money. they are the underdog.
     
itistoday  (op)
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Jun 18, 2007, 04:53 PM
 
Originally Posted by MattJeff View Post
its something every company does. it makes them money. Apple is not immune to this, they are not perfect, and they do need to make money. they are the underdog.
Did you not see the part about offering a single 2GB stick for extra money? If it's really that expensive for them to default that, then they can charge extra. They've done that before.
     
Silky Voice of The Gorn
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Jun 18, 2007, 05:42 PM
 
I was really happy the MBP was bumped to 2gb standard. I really can't imagine needing 4gb ram on a laptop...
     
itistoday  (op)
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Jun 18, 2007, 05:48 PM
 
Originally Posted by Silky Voice of The Gorn View Post
I was really happy the MBP was bumped to 2gb standard. I really can't imagine needing 4gb ram on a laptop...
With OS X, the thing to remember is that there is no such thing as "too much RAM".
     
mduell
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Jun 18, 2007, 08:48 PM
 
Originally Posted by itistoday View Post
Huh... that's interesting. So does that mean that these new computers can't support a single memory chip? That would be fairly significant news.
Not really, there have been several examples of it in recent history: PowerMac G5s required pairs, Rambus (early P4s) required all slots to be populated (they offered 0 byte dummy modules to fill them with, but even those weren't cheap)

One option would be to offer a single 2GB module with a token (128MB? Or even 1MB) module just to fill the other slot. On other other hand, these days 2x1GB is a trivial percentage (2-3%) of the stock MBP price, so it basically is throw away. Or find a MacBook owner looking to max out.

edit: Huh, I can't even find a DDR2-667 SO-DIMM smaller than 512MB... scarcity of small modules may be why Apple upped the MacBook from 2x256MB.
     
ghporter
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Jun 18, 2007, 08:54 PM
 
Originally Posted by itistoday View Post
Apple is notorious for overpricing their RAM, how does that play into "providing a reasonably priced product with reasonable options."?
I was referring to their basic factory configurations, not their upgrades.
Originally Posted by itistoday View Post
I doubt that censoring a PG-13 word that even the auto-censors don't pick up helps you state yours either, but you did it anyway. It's OK, I forgive, I know how trigger-happy some moderators can be.
The word you used was not appropriate. And PG-13 ratings take context into consideration-your use of that word was not appropriate in any context for these boards. It is unfortunate that some words are not filtered due to their structure. To suggest that keeping things "safe for work" and "family friendly" in our forums is "trigger happy" is asinine.
Originally Posted by itistoday View Post
Of course you don't have to sell them, did you really think I meant that?
Yes, it's precisely what you said, so that's what I (and probably many other people) thought you meant. There was no body language, facial expression or even an emoticon to provide added meaning, so your words had to stand on their own.
Originally Posted by itistoday View Post
My fault is in not realizing that the price of 2GB RAM had dropped so much since then, and like I said above, there's a great option out there (that I will likely end up going for). Still, it would be significantly cheaper to just buy 1 stick instead of two.
Sure it would be. It would however, be MORE expensive for Apple to offer a single stick memory option. If you check, you'll see that when a single SO-DIMM is offered, it's always more expensive for the same capacity than a two-stick option.
Originally Posted by itistoday View Post
Yes, I know that very well, but that has nothing to do with Apple forcing me to buy two sticks instead of one if I want to go with 4 GB. Please remember, this post is a self-acknowledged rant, though IMHO, a justified one.
They're not forcing you to do anything. If you want to, you can do that, but 2GB is a really respectable amount of RAM for OS X. Going beyond that is probably viewed as special, like for doing heavy video editing, etc., and not a purpose the MBP is originally intended for.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
SierraDragon
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Jun 18, 2007, 09:11 PM
 
Originally Posted by Silky Voice of The Gorn View Post
...I really can't imagine needing 4gb ram on a laptop...
For pro graphics apps like Aperture, Photoshop, etc. the full 4 GB of RAM is very desirable. E.g. Photoshop shows performance improvement with up to 8 GB of RAM even with old PS, OS and hardware versions.

I sympathize fully with the OP. Apple's RAM choices force pro users to either pay triple price or throw away RAM. That is not a good thing.

-Allen Wicks
     
itistoday  (op)
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Jun 18, 2007, 09:41 PM
 
Originally Posted by ghporter View Post
The word you used was not appropriate. And PG-13 ratings take context into consideration-your use of that word was not appropriate in any context for these boards. It is unfortunate that some words are not filtered due to their structure. To suggest that keeping things "safe for work" and "family friendly" in our forums is "trigger happy" is asinine.
That is ridiculous. The word "as*h*le" appearing on some random webpage is perfectly safe for work, and as far as "family friendly" goes, that's a matter of opinion and quite variable. Some families cringe upon hearing the word "damn", you gonna censor that too? Forcefully imposing your primitive sense of morality upon others is also a fairly dubious thing to do. Don't hide behind those poor excuses, just admit that you have a personal issue with the word and feel that your sense of morality should be imposed upon others, even in the free domain of the internet. Freedom of speech be damned, a child's psyche is at stake, right? No, not really, it's just you.

Yes, it's precisely what you said, so that's what I (and probably many other people) thought you meant. There was no body language, facial expression or even an emoticon to provide added meaning, so your words had to stand on their own.
No facial expression, body language, or emotion required, I think it was a fairly simple concept that you should have been able to easily deduce from the context. I mean, at the very least you could have asked for clarification instead of jumping the gun. A normal person would have asked, "Gee, why do you have to sell it?" Instead of saying things like: "You can choose to NOT buy an MBP you know." (Really?!?) And, "I do not 'have to sell' either of them (I'm not planning on it)." (I never said you had to!)

Sure it would be. It would however, be MORE expensive for Apple to offer a single stick memory option. If you check, you'll see that when a single SO-DIMM is offered, it's always more expensive for the same capacity than a two-stick option.
Yeah, I already said several times that I'd be willing to pay more for a single stick option. Apple doesn't offer one.

They're not forcing you to do anything.
Yes they are. As I said right there, if I want to go with 4 GB of RAM, I have no choice but to buy two sticks of 2 GB memory.

If you want to, you can do that, but 2GB is a really respectable amount of RAM for OS X. Going beyond that is probably viewed as special, like for doing heavy video editing, etc., and not a purpose the MBP is originally intended for.
What was the point of this paragraph? So 2GB is enough for you, great. What does that have to do with me? What does this have to do with Apple not offering a 1-stick option?
( Last edited by itistoday; Jun 18, 2007 at 10:00 PM. )
     
rjt1000
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Jun 18, 2007, 10:21 PM
 
Originally Posted by itistoday View Post
there's a great option out there (that I will likely end up going for).
If you decide to go for the OWC deal, you may want to consider their rebate on your old modules. They give you back $25 on each 1 gb module if you return them within 60 days. Looks like thats close to the current eBay prices, and certainly more convenient than running an auction.
( Last edited by rjt1000; Jun 18, 2007 at 10:52 PM. )
     
itistoday  (op)
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Jun 18, 2007, 10:26 PM
 
Originally Posted by rjt1000 View Post
If you decide to go for the OWC deal, you may want to consider their rebate on your old modules. They give you back $25 on each 1 gb module if you return them within 60 days. Looks like thats close to the current eBay prices, and certainly more convenient than running an auction.
Yeah I saw that, it's a pretty good deal and if all goes well with the sale of my old MBP then I'll definitely go with it.
     
Just Greg
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Jun 19, 2007, 12:53 PM
 
I would think Apple knows you'd want 2meg in a single slot, but that would mean raising the price. Why? Because 2meg chips cost Apple more and in turn you'd be paying for it.
They also probably had a boat load of 1meg chips lying around and needed to do something with them anyway.

I think we did pretty damn good, considering what each model had and what they used to cost. Look at how much more you got for the same price in each model of the MBP's.
I know I was glad I waited for the newer model. (First day, first person to pick up MBP 2.4)
AND PAID THE SAME EXACT PRICE AS THE OLD MODEL.
(I really would have been miffed, if I did not wait.)
Be happy for what you can get, when you get it.
     
palane
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Jun 19, 2007, 01:24 PM
 
Originally Posted by itistoday View Post
Fascinating how I don't have a single sympathizer so far. I don't know if that's because of the way I've presented my case or because you're all so far gone with your Apple worship that any criticism, no matter how appropriate it is, is frowned upon.
Well, it was an inflammatory thread title, so that does weigh against you. And the above comment won't exactly endear you to anyone either, assuming that being an Apple worshipper was meant as an insult.

As others have said, one high capacity memory stick costs significantly more than two lower capacity sticks. So, it costs less to equip your MBP with 2GB even though it will cost you more to upgrade it to 4GB. If very few users upgrade from 2GB to 4GB (as opposed to before with 1GB standard), Apple saves money on the many and inconveniences a few. I would note that Apple added an extra 1GB DIMM without charge. I'd be happy rather than irritated.

In theory, having matched pairs of memory is better for memory interleaving, which may affect performance. I don't know if anyone has benchmarked this for the MBP, but there may be a legitimate reason to ship with two DIMMs. Then again, the difference may be too little to notice (if present at all).

So, that's my take. It's probably a bit cheaper to ship with 2 DIMMs than 1 and there could be performance issues. Nothing to get too worked up over.

BB
( Last edited by palane; Jun 19, 2007 at 01:31 PM. Reason: Edited to remove redundant comment in the thread)
     
P
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Jun 19, 2007, 02:02 PM
 
The new MBPs require two DIMMS for maximum performance. For the last generation, this didn't really matter. Why? Because on the last one, the bandwidth of the processor FSB was 667(MT/s)*64(bits)= 42.7 gigabits/s = 5.34 GB/s. Now, it's 800(MT/s)*64(bits)=51.2 gigabits/s = 6.4 GB/s. The bandwidth of a single channel is 667(MT/s)*64(bits)= 42.7 gigabits/s = 5.34 GB/s. That's enough to saturate the FSB on the old CPU (so the only gain was when there was bus contention from HD or GPU) but not the new one. Clear?
     
MaxPower
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Jun 19, 2007, 04:12 PM
 
Just think, in the time it would have taken you to line-by-line quote people's replies, you could have bought a matched set of lifetime warranty sticks of ram for $219 (Apple MacBook Pro Memory upgrade and hard drive options for all Core 2 Duo 2.16GHz and 2.33GHz models 15" or 17" at OtherWorldComputing.com).

Sack up and sell the default sticks on craigslist after you buy the cheaper aftermarket sticks. Its not a conspiracy, they are not evil, we are not fanboys. You are complaining.
     
itistoday  (op)
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Jun 19, 2007, 05:16 PM
 
Just Greg, palane, MaxPower, how about actually reading the entire thread next time?
( Last edited by itistoday; Jun 19, 2007 at 05:23 PM. )
     
MaxPower
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Jun 19, 2007, 05:29 PM
 
Just a small point: Regardless of whether you would like to dignify my post, you responded.


I read the thread. I agree with you. It is not ideal for the end user to have both slots occupied, especially when they could have done us a favor and put one 2GB stick in there instead. I think its stupid that EFI on the Mac Pros indirectly shuts out the possibility of using off-the-shelf PC GPUs. I realized that I still would benefit from getting the tower, so I dd. So I guess you have to figure out what you want. If you want MBP, get the MBP and buy much cheaper 3rd party ram, then sell the stock ram. If you just want to whine, go right ahead.

itistoday: Stealth edits are for cowards. Stand by your words.
( Last edited by MaxPower; Jun 19, 2007 at 05:44 PM. )
     
mduell
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Jun 19, 2007, 05:55 PM
 
Dell is offering single 1GB or 2GB modules on their PM965 laptops, so my chipset theory isn't right.
     
itistoday  (op)
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Jun 19, 2007, 06:01 PM
 
Originally Posted by MaxPower View Post
Just a small point: Regardless of whether you would like to dignify my post, you responded.
I wanted to let you know that I read your post and realized I had already addressed everything in it several times. This way you would know why I didn't give you a personal response.

If you want MBP, get the MBP and buy much cheaper 3rd party ram, then sell the stock ram. If you just want to whine, go right ahead.
Again, had you read the thread, you would have seen that that is exactly what I'm forced to do. And yes, I know I can whine, though I would call this criticism of Apple instead. There's not exactly much more I can do, who knows, maybe this thread will piss off enough people to reach Apple marketing.

itistoday: Stealth edits are for cowards. Stand by your words.
That wasn't a "stealth edit," look at the timestamp. I stand by my words, and I like to improve upon them too. I didn't change the underlying meaning there.
     
itistoday  (op)
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Jun 19, 2007, 06:06 PM
 
Originally Posted by mduell View Post
Dell is offering single 1GB or 2GB modules on their PM965 laptops, so my chipset theory isn't right.
It was an interesting theory nonetheless, although I still think we would have heard about that had that been the case. Being incapable of running your laptop on one stick of RAM seems like a Big Dealâ„¢ to me.

So yeah, looks like my theory of the guys at Cupertino being A**h**** (censored for Glenn's eyes) is still standing strong.
     
utw-Mephisto
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Join Date: Dec 2006
Status: Offline
Jun 19, 2007, 06:29 PM
 
On Dual Core CPUs Ram should always be paired anyway ...
chmod a+x /bin/laden -- Allows anyone the permission to execute /bin/laden
     
palane
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Join Date: Feb 2005
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Jun 19, 2007, 06:30 PM
 
Originally Posted by itistoday View Post
Just Greg, palane, MaxPower, how about actually reading the entire thread next time?
A. I replied early and edited the post when I saw issues were brought up. And yes, I read the entire (your choice of expletive deleted--oh wait! that's already been done) thread.

B. How about replying constructively to others rather than whining and getting irritated when you don't get a "poor baby" from all and sundry?

Apple threw in an extra gig and you're bitching. Life is tough. Deal with it.

BB
     
MaxPower
Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Ze goggles, zey do nothing
Status: Offline
Jun 19, 2007, 06:34 PM
 
I have a different theory. You are trying to live outside your means and are frustrated. You cannot afford the MacBook Pro, yet you reallly want one. So you go to the Apple Store whenever you pine for a MBP, to configure your dream machine. Yet, as you noted in your response to the EVIL ADMIN, you are on a limited income. So in the course of configuring your holy grail, you notice every place that Apple could give you a break. It eats away at you. So you have to post (with pic of the most blatant offender, that evil ram config!) a rant on a MAC forum.

So what happens? People offer opinions different than your own. They offer suggestions on how to deal with Apple's lame configuration. What do you do? You split hairs with admins and posters over minutae.

There are ways around everything. If you want something badly enough, you need to make sacrifices in your life to obtain it. Bitching on a forum, hoping that Apple marketing will see your plight and give you a cheaper flagship laptop is not a realistic solution.

Apple - MacBook Pro - Feedback
     
itistoday  (op)
Professional Poster
Join Date: Oct 2001
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Jun 19, 2007, 06:50 PM
 
Originally Posted by MaxPower View Post
Other than the rest of your silly tripe, I thank you for this link! See? Bitching on this forum got me something palpable.
     
itistoday  (op)
Professional Poster
Join Date: Oct 2001
Status: Offline
Jun 19, 2007, 06:54 PM
 
Originally Posted by palane View Post
B. How about replying constructively to others rather than whining and getting irritated when you don't get a "poor baby" from all and sundry?
This is a matter of opinion, I do not see my responses in this light. I think that my responses were constructive in the sense that they successfully defended my original position. I got a lot of repeat responses, like yours, that indeed did irritate me because they brought up issues that I had already addressed.

Apple threw in an extra gig and you're bitching. Life is tough. Deal with it.
Yes, they threw in an extra gig, this actually makes things more difficult for me, and anyone who wants 4 GB in their shiny new MBP. Had they offered at the very least an option to get a single stick, that would have been nice. I am dealing with it, I'm bitching on this forum, and soon I'll be bitching directly to Apple thanks to MaxPower.
     
itistoday  (op)
Professional Poster
Join Date: Oct 2001
Status: Offline
Jun 19, 2007, 06:59 PM
 
Originally Posted by utw-Mephisto View Post
On Dual Core CPUs Ram should always be paired anyway ...
This has been brought up before...

Originally Posted by itistoday
Not true. The previous revision had a single 1 GB stick and nobody complained. At the very least they should give you the option, I would be willing to pay a few extra bucks to have a single 2GB stick in the MBP when I purchased it.
     
utw-Mephisto
Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Dec 2006
Status: Offline
Jun 20, 2007, 05:17 AM
 
Originally Posted by itistoday View Post
This has been brought up before...
If this is the case why keep people bit*** about it
chmod a+x /bin/laden -- Allows anyone the permission to execute /bin/laden
     
P
Moderator
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Status: Offline
Jun 20, 2007, 08:44 AM
 
Originally Posted by itistoday View Post
This has been brought up before...
I also explained above why it's different this time.
     
emark
Forum Regular
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Status: Offline
Jun 20, 2007, 12:43 PM
 
just out of curiosity, did you call the Apple Store and speak to a representative and see if they could do it for you? Just because it isn't listed as an option on the web site doesn't mean it can't be done as a one-off for a fee.

I seem to remember on past laptops they'd offer the option to get the total memory as one card for a price...could just be an oversight, could also be that once you're going past 2GB memory and you want to play with the big boys, the number of people that know they want to do this are somewhat small, and if they think they want to, they'll do it right out of the gate as pro (people using for work/earnings) users aren't going to diddle around.

Apple as a for-profit company is going to offer a structure to maximize sales revenue, and hold down costs...Memory has long been a gripe though they are much much much more in-line with reality then they used to be here.

((My sore spot on Apple's pricing tricks is when they charge you to enable the "save (as)" options for web-embedded/downloaded QuickTime video...After you've paid for an OS, probably iLife too, and most of all, the website has bought the pro version to produce the content and then decided to make it freely available to be downloaded...Apple wants to charge the user to save free content??? Now that's a kick in the teeth to disable that feature unless you buy the "pro" QuickTime.)) QTP should enable editing features, not saving video, that's atrocious.
     
Just Greg
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Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Los Angeles
Status: Offline
Jun 20, 2007, 12:44 PM
 
I'm sure when the next batch of Laptops come out and they have 2 x 2Gig chips in the only 2 slots.
We'll be hearing your grips again.

It's marketing and it's supply.
When did you first begin to think it was all about you.

Now go sulk....
     
 
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