[tooki]

What brand to choose?
Apple RAM is always the most expensive. It's guaranteed to work, but generally wildly overpriced.

Crucial is a top-grade vendor. It's not the cheapest, but guaranteed to work. Crucial's parent company (Micron) is one of Apple's RAM suppliers.

Samsung and Hynix RAM, available from many sources, are also some of Apple's suppliers, and of high quality.

Other World Computing is the leading Mac upgrade vendor. Many users swear by OWC's budget RAM.


This is in no way an exhaustive list. ramseeker compiles Mac RAM prices daily, organized by model. Most of the vendors listed have reputations for good product.

[ghettochild]

I got crucial sticks in both my iMac and PB. purchased 'em when they were on sale, thus significantly cheaper. work perfectly, no probs at all so far.

[bkarlsen]

I got a 1GB stick of Samsung OEM ram off of Newegg.com and it is working great. I expected it to since it is the memory that Apple is currently charging $300 for upgrading. Was able to get it through Newegg for just about $90.

[mkral]

I found 18004memory.com off of ramseeker. They always seem to be close to the lowest cost I can find. I've had trouble with 2 sticks of RAM I've ever bought from them, both times (one time right away & the other time 17 months later) I called & they exchanged the ram right away. No complaints here.

[Moon Potato]

I purchased a 1GB stick of Kingston RAM along with my new powerbook, and kept getting hard freezes. Even though Hardware Test said the memory was OK, the problems stopped when I removed the DIMM. Next time I'm going with Crucial.

[Maflynn]

I've purchased almost exclusivly from crucial and I've not been dissapointed once.
Because of circumstances beyond my control - I couldn't purchase ram at crucial so I picked up some from my local apple store (for my G5). More money then crucial but all in all it seems to be performing.

[shakai]

i also bought kingston and i installed it the same day i got my powerbook...it kept on freezing...i thought my powerbook was a defect...

[GUER03]

I was at the Apple store locally last night and spoke to 2 guys who had their Powerbook G4 1.5Ghz and I asked them about memory because I am about to add a stick to mine. They both told me that they had installed Kingston in their PBs and they both had problems with them. One guy said he installed a stick of a GB and it gave him lot's of hard freezes. He said Kingston replaced it for him and the new one would freeze up as well.

I guess I won't be buying Kingston for my PB 15" because that's the main one I hear about not being compatible.

Anyone know anything about Patriot memory?

[icruise]

The new intel iMacs have a note on their Apple Store entries saying:

"To maximize memory performance, it is recommended that memory SO-DIMMs be installed in pairs."

Does this mean that the chips you install have to be of the same capacity? I ask because if you buy the standard configuration you will get one 512MB stick. If you want more than 1GB of RAM, are you going to have to remove the 512MB it came with and go with 2GB? Would just installing a 1GB stick to go with the 512MB stick result in a perceptible decrease in performance?

And does this apply equally to the MacBooks?

[pbnewb]

I think that this is to do with the fact that, all other things being equal, 2x512 sticks will be faster than 1x1gb. Of course, 2x1gb will be as fast too. The issue is to do with simultaneous requests being faster on average if you are accessing two parrallel stores than one.
I don't think 'unmatched' sticks are going to be any slower than 'matched' ones apart from the fact that two will be faster than one.

[ICD2k3]

Hey guys, im looking to get a gig stick for my powerbook to bump my ram from 512 to 1.2gb. I was wondering about samsung ram as compared to crucial. For my model (15in 1.33) the samsung ram is about $60 cheeper than crucial at http://www.macsolutions.com/1gbpcsopog4a.html. Suggestions? is crucial worth the extra money over samsung?

[ajbaker]

Whilst not an expert, I doubt as a user you would see any noticable performance difference having two different chips as compared to one. Having said that, I didn't even think it was possible to have two of different sizes - can anyone confirm this?

[macboy]

I'm a very soon to be mac user. Just wanted to know - is it easy to upgrade the ram by yourself on a powerbook? I heard somewhere a while ago that it sort of voids all your Apple warranty if not installed by Apple itself???

[mkral]

Very easy to upgrade the Ram on a powerbook. IIRC, it is also the only user installable upgrade that will not void your PBook warranty.

[FireWire]

First, I don't know why a thread about RAM for Mac is located in the PowerBook forum, as there is none for other models, and beside the physical configuration of the stick (DIMM, SO-DIMM, numbers of pins) the RAM characteristics should be roughly the same for every Mac, no?

I own a flat panel iMac and I was recently looking for information about what brand of memory should I buy, and I never thought of checking in THIS thread. I believe this information should have been better served in a new forum, about general Mac technology/hardware.

By the way, despite the mixed experience with the ValueRAM brand from Kingston memory, I went ahead and ordered a 1 Gb stick, and so far everything is working fine, no crash, no kernel panic. I tested the RAM with TechTool 4.11 (I lost my Apple Hardware Test CD) and found nothing wrong. For information, the P/N# is KVR333X64C25/1G (200-pin SO-DIMM).

[Chase265]

How do you guys feel about buying Crucial ram from ebay?

[hkd]

Can someone explain the difference between these for me?

http://www.crucial.com/store/MPartsp...&WSPN=CT368654 for $205

vs.

http://www.crucial.com/store/partspe...LE=CT12864X335 for $140

[Always]

I need to upgrade ram for my 15 inch powerbook as well. PLS advise

Cheers

[jorgem4]

My sister and I are looking into upgrading the RAM in our machines.

I own a 1.33 GHz 12 in. PB

My Sis a 1.5 Ghz 12 in. PB

I was wondering if this Crucial Ram would work for both of us?

Thanks.

[Chase265]

bought my Crucial ram from Newegg for my PB 1.67. Cheapest place plus its newegg...so can't go wrong

http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16820145068

its even cheaper now then when I bought it a month ago.
installed with no problems.

[Star-Fire]

Just a heads up, I had a 1 gig 4200 DDR2 in my Gateway (sold for the MBP) and figured WTH I'll try in the MBP, works perfect now I have 2 gigs

BTW it is a kingston chip.

[ajbaker]

Anyone hazard a guess as to whether this will work in my new MacBook Pro (ok, so it hasn't been ordered yet!)

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/produ...oductID=353418

This is the cheapest I have found in the UK and seems to be a similar price to that in the US.

[zombie67]

my 2.0G MBP is on the way, need to buy one 1GB now! just check curcial.com they have different memory for 1.83G and 2.0G.

For 2.0G:
$157.99 CT511220

For 1.83G
$142.19 CT500626

What is the difference between those two? Can I buy the one for 1.83G but use it for my 2.0G MBP?

Thanks!!!

[fadercraig]

Hey hey, is anyone using 'Transcend' 1 gb sticks? its a pain in the ass trying to get decent priced ram here in NZ!

cheers
Cx

[SMacSteve]

I hear a lot of you mentioning the Kingston RAM apperantly causing freezes. Have any of you seen this problem with PNY? I have and I'll never use it again in my Macs.

I've bought my last 3 RAM purchases from Crucial and I've been very happy. No problems and fast shippment! And I went with the cheapest shipping too!

Also, I've had good luck with Centon RAM. You can get them from Comp USA and they have Apple Certified RAM too. I've recommended it to many of my customers and they've all worked fine!

[sigo1966]

Quick question:

Can 667 MHz RAM be used in 333 MHz RAM powerbooks?

I have a 15 inch 1.5 aluminum and got RAM from a new MBP and was wondering if it would work.

[hookem2oo7]

no, it wont work. the MBP has DDR2 RAM and the PB uses DDR RAM. I'm not 100% sure, but i dont even think the DDR2 ram will fit in the same slot as the DDR

[mduell]

Originally Posted by Icruise

The new intel iMacs have a note on their Apple Store entries saying:

"To maximize memory performance, it is recommended that memory SO-DIMMs be installed in pairs."

Does this mean that the chips you install have to be of the same capacity? I ask because if you buy the standard configuration you will get one 512MB stick. If you want more than 1GB of RAM, are you going to have to remove the 512MB it came with and go with 2GB? Would just installing a 1GB stick to go with the 512MB stick result in a perceptible decrease in performance?

And does this apply equally to the MacBooks?

No, you do not have to install the same capacity chips to get the performance of dual channel. The 945PM and GM chipsets are the first (AFAIK) to support asymmetric dual channel.

Originally Posted by azhagan

Quick question:

Can 667 MHz RAM be used in 333 MHz RAM powerbooks?

I have a 15 inch 1.5 aluminum and got RAM from a new MBP and was wondering if it would work.

It depends. The final revision of 15 and 17" PowerBooks took 533Mhz DDR2, but only ran it at 333Mhz. Putting 667Mhz DDR2 in one of those should work fine. Any previous PowerBook needs DDR (or SDR if you go back far enough), and DDR2 will not work.

No, you cannot put RAM from a MBP into a 1.5Ghz PB.

Originally Posted by hookem2oo7

no, it wont work. the MBP has DDR2 RAM and the PB uses DDR RAM. I'm not 100% sure, but i dont even think the DDR2 ram will fit in the same slot as the DDR

DDR and DDR2 use the same slot (same number of pins and key position), however they are not interchangeable.

[11giggsy]

If anyone is looking for RAM for their MBP, I just installed a 1GB module of Gigaram that I ordered from Newegg. I have a standard config 2.0ghz and it has been is working without problems since I put it in.

2GB makes a nice difference, especially with memory hungry Rosetta apps like MS Office.

[dsheetz]

edit - (accidental post due to the issue described below)

[dsheetz]

I just bought a 1.83 ghz macbook pro and I am experiencing tons of spinning beach balls with safari. I often run a java window in the background while I am surfing (the stattracker from Yahoo fantasy baseball), which could be causing this. My question is, will upgrading the ram from 512mb to 2 gig help solve this issue? I love the new machine, but the web browser performance is pretty subpar to this point, and I'm really hoping more ram will solve it.

Thanks in advance for any input.

Dan

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

Anyone here have experience with KingMax RAM?

[Eug Wanker]

So, how much RAM does Rosetta use?

Originally Posted by Severed Hand of Skywalker

Anyone here have experience with KingMax RAM?

Works fine. Mind you, when I get KingMax RAM I try to overspec it when possible.

eg. If I need PC2700, I'll try to get PC3200, for $5 more.

FWIW, KingMax RAM seems more reliable than the true noname brand stuff, even though it still is a 2nd tier brand.

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

Originally Posted by Eug Wanker

So, how much RAM does Rosetta use?



Works fine. Mind you, when I get KingMax RAM I try to overspec it when possible.

eg. If I need PC2700, I'll try to get PC3200, for $5 more.

FWIW, KingMax RAM seems more reliable than the true noname brand stuff, even though it still is a 2nd tier brand.

Rosetta uses double the RAM of what it would normally need. So if photoshop wants 500 megs it would take a gig. Not good.

As for KingMax... I bought some from a no-name shop. I went to the Applestore with my mini as they had to swap the RAM they put in it as they made a mistake.

I ask them "while you are putting in the one gig do you mind just popping this one in also". The Mac Genius said "No, because that is not Apple RAM". Then he told me to take it to a service centre to have it done because doing it myself voids the warranty. I said "Isn't the Applestore considered a service centre?" "He said he still can't do it because it isn't Apple RAM". I said can you at least look at my RAM to see if it is the correct brand? He said right away "I would take this back, Kingmax RAM is terrible and it will probably crash your Mac". He said to get either Samsung or Crucial. He said KingMax is the ONE brand he recommends against.

So I was paranoid and installed the RAM myself (Horrible experience with a Mini) and ran the Apple hardware test on loop for 15 hours. No problems.

For the record.

Apple 1 gig stick $360 CAN
Kingmax 1 gig stick: $150 CAN

Apple and its wicked official RAM can kiss my arse.

[trinlyovarin]

Luke's Hand, where did you buy your RAM from? I checked London Drugs and they offered me a gig for $260. Not at all what I was after... it's like $100 of NewEgg.

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

Originally Posted by Shawn_230

Luke's Hand, where did you buy your RAM from? I checked London Drugs and they offered me a gig for $260. Not at all what I was after... it's like $100 of NewEgg.

I got it from a Canadian store:

www.canadacomputers.com

They are the cheapest I have ever seen with just about everything.

[Eug Wanker]

SHoS convinced me to go with 2 GB RAM.

I was going to get it from Canada Computers, but found Samsung RAM modules (PC2-5300 SODIMM) that were slightly cheaper on eBay. It's not the slight savings that made me go to eBay, and in fact I'd rather buy locally (and Canada Computers, the Canadian reseller for KingMax, is local). The reason I went to eBay is because I am more comfortable buying Samsung RAM than KingMax, since Apple often ships their machines with Samsung RAM.

That said, I've bought several sticks of both brands in the past, and I've only had one bad stick... and that was a Samsung. Mind you that was probably because of my G5 iMac. The motherboard was dying on the iMac, and it seems it took the RAM with it.

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

Well you could just get the KingMax and run the hardware test overnight. If it is messed you can return it.

My test ran for about 16 hours and passed with flying colours.

BTW, you can put the hardware test into a loop by hitting COMMAND L before you hit run test.

[trinlyovarin]

The prices off that site are pretty good guys, but I think I'm still better off buying from America... US$86 for a 1 gig stick of Corsair isn't bad, right? That's only around like C$100 nowadays.

Do you have to buy sticks in pairs though? I read somewhere that the MBP had dual-channel RAM?

P.S. My MPB came with Hynix (Hyundai) brand RAM and not Samsung...

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

Originally Posted by Shawn_230

Do you have to buy sticks in pairs though? I read somewhere that the MBP had dual-channel RAM?

P.S. My MPB came with Hynix (Hyundai) brand RAM and not Samsung...

yes you must install equal size pairs of RAM.

[trinlyovarin]

Really? Then how are people getting 1512 megs of RAM?

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

Originally Posted by Shawn_230

Really? Then how are people getting 1512 megs of RAM?

Turns out you can mismatch the RAM but if you do 3d effects take a major dive.

[trinlyovarin]

How much of a dive? Worse than having no additional RAM?

I was going to get an extra gig to go along with my 512... if I got two sticks of 1 gig then my original 512 would go to waste.

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

Originally Posted by Shawn_230

How much of a dive? Worse than having no additional RAM?

I was going to get an extra gig to go along with my 512... if I got two sticks of 1 gig then my original 512 would go to waste.

Enough so that you don't want to do it.

[JAR]

Based on all the forums and reviews I've read, I've narrowed down my choice for 2GB ram for my Macbook to OWC ($226), Crucial (Newegg $308), G. Skill (Newegg $164) and Gigaram (Newegg $168). I'm sure many other MacBook owners are looking to upgrade their ram, and I am totally new to Apple so I would appreciate it a lot if more experienced members could chime in.

My main concern with these brands is that I have read user reviews on newegg that some cheaper brands are labelled as 667Mhz but in System Profiler they show up running at around 533Mhz. This is why I didn't include Patriot in my list, because some people complained that it runs at 533MHz in Macs. I'm about to remove Gigaram from the list too because many complain it doesn't run any faster than 533Mhz ram, though they haven't mentioned whether they checked System Profiler or not.

Also, Gigaram has a reputation for dying after a few months of use, and G. Skill seems to be hit or miss with Apple computers. OWC seems to ship the occasional dead stick (as do Gigaram and G. Skill, but they're all covered by lifetime warranties), and I haven't seen any complains about Crucial.

Like anyone I want to buy the best ram for the cheapest price, and I definitely want to be sure it runs at 667MHz. Worst case scenario I will buy Crucial, but if anyone here can prove that any of the other brands I've mentioned runs at 667 MHz and won't die in a few months, I will buy that instead. Thanks!

[trinlyovarin]

But $308 is a hell of a lot of money...

[thag-simmons]

I bought a 1GB stick for my MBP 2.16 from OMNI Technologies for $73. It shows up as 667MHz in system profiler. Benchmarks (e.g. Cinebench) show the machine performing as would be expected. So far no problems with the RAM.

[Eug Wanker]

Originally Posted by Shawn_230

The prices off that site are pretty good guys, but I think I'm still better off buying from America... US$86 for a 1 gig stick of Corsair isn't bad, right? That's only around like C$100 nowadays.

Do you have to buy sticks in pairs though? I read somewhere that the MBP had dual-channel RAM?

P.S. My MPB came with Hynix (Hyundai) brand RAM and not Samsung...

That price seems almost too good. Are you sure it's the right type of RAM?

[King Bob On The Cob]

http://www.dealram.com/ and select your system. There's some nice prices for RAM there. :-)

[trinlyovarin]

Take a look.... I'm pretty sure this'll work for the MBP. I was contemplating these ones myself...

Originally Posted by Eug Wanker

That price seems almost too good. Are you sure it's the right type of RAM?