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teknik · May 7, 2004, 04:14 PM

I'm getting my 1.8dp G5 next Tuesday, and want to order some extra RAM this weekend. But I have a few questions:

-I know I need PC3200DDR, but does it have to be ECC?
-I've always trusted Corsair, Kingston,GEIL, and Crucial with the memory in my PC, should I do the same with my new Mac?
-Do I have to buy these 'pair kits', or I can just buy two sticks of XXXmb ram and pair it that way?
-Lastly, where are some other reputable Mac upgrade sites? Or is newegg the best for this kinds of things?

tooki · May 7, 2004, 04:25 PM

-The RAM must NOT be ECC. ECC will not work.
-some "performance" PC RAM is not compliant with the standards. Apple is extremely picky about standards-compliance, and the machines are pretty demanding of perfect RAM. I suggest sticking with Crucial.
-the pair kits are just two normal modules sold in pairs because that's what the G5 requires. You can buy them individually, but it's probably cheaper to buy the pair!
- www.xlr8yourmac.com is without a doubt the best upgrade info site. Many would agree that for Mac upgrades (esp. CPU upgrade cards), Other World Computing (www.macsales.com) is the best site. But if you just need a drive or display or some other non-Mac-specific component, NewEgg is certainly just fine. Just don't expect the slightest bit of support from them!

tooki

[APi]TheMan · May 7, 2004, 07:29 PM

Originally posted by teknik:
I'm getting my 1.8dp G5 next Tuesday, and want to order some extra RAM this weekend. But I have a few questions:

-I know I need PC3200DDR, but does it have to be ECC?

Unless your new 1.8 DP G5 is an Xserve... don't get ECC.

Cadaver · May 9, 2004, 10:03 AM

I agree with tooki on this one.
Don't use ECC or registered RAM in your G5.
IMHO, the best place to buy RAM is Crucial.com. Always free 2-day shipping and guaranteed to work with your machine.

I have 512MB of Corsair XMS memory in my (overclocked) AthlonXP PC, and it will not work in my G5 - its missing CAS 3 timings, and the G5 rejects it.

As a matter of fact, there's another 1GB of Crucial RAM for my G5 and 256MB for my blue & white G3 file server on its way to me right now.

andersbk · Jun 30, 2004, 04:03 PM

so wich one of these will work best with a G5 1.8 ??

- Crucial DDR2 PC3200 512MB CL3 REG/ECC Registered, ECC/REG,1.8V,64Meg x 72, 240

- Crucial PC3200 DDR-DIMM 512MB CL3 5ns Unbuffered, Non-parity, 2.5V, 64Meg x 64

- Crucial PC3200 DDR-DIMM 512MB CL3 ECC Unbuffered, 2.5V, 64Meg x 72

- Crucial PC3200 DDR-DIMM 512MB CL3 REG Registered, ECC/REG, 2.5V, 64Meg x 72

Catfish_Man · Jun 30, 2004, 04:34 PM

Why not just go to Crucial.com and order the memory they have on their G5 page?

Siskomac · Jun 30, 2004, 04:39 PM

Originally posted by andersbk:
so wich one of these will work best with a G5 1.8 ??

- Crucial DDR2 PC3200 512MB CL3 REG/ECC Registered, ECC/REG,1.8V,64Meg x 72, 240

- Crucial PC3200 DDR-DIMM 512MB CL3 5ns Unbuffered, Non-parity, 2.5V, 64Meg x 64

- Crucial PC3200 DDR-DIMM 512MB CL3 ECC Unbuffered, 2.5V, 64Meg x 72

- Crucial PC3200 DDR-DIMM 512MB CL3 REG Registered, ECC/REG, 2.5V, 64Meg x 72

The third one.

mac freak · Jun 30, 2004, 07:06 PM

I bought two COMPLETELY generic 512MB sticks for my rev. A DP1.8, and the machine hums along at incredible speed recognizing it all. People go a little nutzo over their RAM

Dennis the Phantom Menace · Jun 30, 2004, 08:08 PM

transintl has pretty good prices on G5 RAM.
http://www.transintl.com/store/category.cfm?Category=1

Catfish_Man · Jun 30, 2004, 08:25 PM

Originally posted by Siskomac:
The third one.

Kyosho88 · Jul 2, 2004, 10:43 PM

Try buying the Corsair memory Twinx 1024 or Twinx 2048

Spliffdaddy · Jul 2, 2004, 11:15 PM

Originally posted by andersbk:
so wich one of these will work best with a G5 1.8 ??

- Crucial DDR2 PC3200 512MB CL3 REG/ECC Registered, ECC/REG,1.8V,64Meg x 72, 240

- Crucial PC3200 DDR-DIMM 512MB CL3 5ns Unbuffered, Non-parity, 2.5V, 64Meg x 64

- Crucial PC3200 DDR-DIMM 512MB CL3 ECC Unbuffered, 2.5V, 64Meg x 72

- Crucial PC3200 DDR-DIMM 512MB CL3 REG Registered, ECC/REG, 2.5V, 64Meg x 72

*not* the 3rd one. It's ECC.

I'd go with #2, the non-ECC, unbuffered.

unregistered · Jul 2, 2004, 11:27 PM

Originally posted by andersbk:
so wich one of these will work best with a G5 1.8 ??

- Crucial DDR2 PC3200 512MB CL3 REG/ECC Registered, ECC/REG,1.8V,64Meg x 72, 240

- Crucial PC3200 DDR-DIMM 512MB CL3 5ns Unbuffered, Non-parity, 2.5V, 64Meg x 64

- Crucial PC3200 DDR-DIMM 512MB CL3 ECC Unbuffered, 2.5V, 64Meg x 72

- Crucial PC3200 DDR-DIMM 512MB CL3 REG Registered, ECC/REG, 2.5V, 64Meg x 72

Crucial does an incredibly nice job of mapping their memory to any possible system/motherboard manufacturer. Why not just go to Crucial.com, select Apple->PowerMac->PowerMac G5 (Dual 1.8 Ghz DDR)

This will give you a list of compatible memory with all the specs. Even if you are not buying from Crucial, you can use the specs that they provide to determine what you need from another manufacturer.

andersbk · Jul 3, 2004, 08:19 AM

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by andersbk:
so wich one of these will work best with a G5 1.8 ??

- Crucial DDR2 PC3200 512MB CL3 REG/ECC Registered, ECC/REG,1.8V,64Meg x 72, 240

- Crucial PC3200 DDR-DIMM 512MB CL3 5ns Unbuffered, Non-parity, 2.5V, 64Meg x 64

- Crucial PC3200 DDR-DIMM 512MB CL3 ECC Unbuffered, 2.5V, 64Meg x 72

- Crucial PC3200 DDR-DIMM 512MB CL3 REG Registered, ECC/REG, 2.5V, 64Meg x 72
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Crucial does an incredibly nice job of mapping their memory to any possible system/motherboard manufacturer. Why not just go to Crucial.com, select Apple->PowerMac->PowerMac G5 (Dual 1.8 Ghz DDR)

This will give you a list of compatible memory with all the specs. Even if you are not buying from Crucial, you can use the specs that they provide to determine what you need from another manufacturer.

Jeah, I tried that.. I live in Norway, so I won't be able to buy from crucial.com.. but i checked it out though..

Basically what i wanted to know, is weather or not i should have REG or ECC?? And when it says unbuffered, i just think that sounds a little negative.. ?

The unbuffered, NON-ECC/REG is also the cheapest one, so i just wonder if that's good enough for my G5..?

If it is good enough, i will be happy, because i will save a lot of money!

Spliffdaddy · Jul 3, 2004, 02:39 PM

Registered & ECC won't work. You need 'unbuffered'. The fact that it's cheaper is a bonus. It isn't lower quality - just more common - which keeps the price low.

samslaves · Jul 5, 2004, 05:10 AM

I bought four 512MB modules from Crucial in December. When installed along with apple ram (PC3200U - 30330) the system froze if something CPU - Memory intensive (iDVD, cinebench, unpacking a 640MB .sitx etc...) went to be executed. Removing the modules back to stock config solved the problem. So I sold two of these module. One week ago, after updating to 10.3.4 I reinstalled the last two 512MB modules. Now, with my surprise, the system is stable under the same circumstances.

It is important to notice that the System Profiler prior to the 10.3.4 update listed the modules as PC3200U - 30331 (or similar) and after the update as PC3200U - 30330 (like the apple pair).

I don't know what appened but this solved all my problem (except KP after sleeps).

Sam