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shinji · Apr 20, 2007, 10:46 PM

I'm thinking about adding another 2 gb RAM to my Mac Pro for a total of 4 gb.

Deciding between:

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other...g/53FB1GD2GBK/ @ $237.99

vs.

http://www.crucial.com/store/mpartsp...893FE9A5CA7304 @ $235.99

Anyone have an opinion on which is better in terms of quality/reliability?

Also, I bought it with 2 gb from the Apple store, the system has 512 mb DIMM's in Riser A (slots 1 and 2) and 512 mb DIMM's in Riser B (slots 1 and 2). Does it matter which riser I put the new 2x1 gb DIMM's in? Tried googling it but didn't see anything specific to higher capacity DIMM's in a system arranged like mine is. My concern is losing memory bandwidth if I do this incorrectly, if that's even an issue?

slpdLoad · Apr 20, 2007, 10:52 PM

I've had OWC fail a couple of times, but all my Crucial RAM has been rock solid. I highly recommend it. Looks like it's $2 cheaper anyway.

I'm not positive here, but I belive you'll want to add one of your 1 Gig sticks to Riser A and the other one to Riser B. It may or may not be better to have the larger sticks in slot 1 of each riser.

Langdon · Apr 20, 2007, 11:01 PM

No question for me. Go with Crucial.

OWC is a reseller of third party memory. There is no telling if they will be in business a few years down the road.
Crucial has a better reputation and prvides RAM to numberous large companies. I would trust Crucial's lifetime warranty far more than anyone elses.

brokenjago · Apr 20, 2007, 11:04 PM

OWC makes about 400 million dollars a year.

I really doubt they're going out of business any time soon.

zerock · Apr 20, 2007, 11:22 PM

OWC, they have been doing this for a while, since 1988.

CanadaRAM · Apr 21, 2007, 12:17 AM

Originally Posted by Langdon

No question for me. Go with Crucial.

OWC is a reseller of third party memory. There is no telling if they will be in business a few years down the road.
Crucial has a better reputation and prvides RAM to numberous large companies.

Not quite. Micron is a manufacturer who supplies RAM to numerous computer manufacturers. Crucial is a reseller of Micron and third party memory from Samsung and other brands, and Crucial is owned by Micron. Not all Crucial memory is Micron.

Thanks
Trevor
CanadaRAM.com

Annette310 · Apr 21, 2007, 12:47 AM

Another vote for Crucial!!

Don Pickett · Apr 21, 2007, 01:32 AM

Been buying from OWC for years and never had a problem.

Kenneth · Apr 21, 2007, 02:27 AM

I have no problem with those 2 brands. In this case, I will support OWC.

mduell · Apr 21, 2007, 11:27 AM

Crucial, especially when it's cheaper.

And usually with free 2 day shipping.

Originally Posted by CanadaRAM

Crucial is a reseller of Micron and third party memory from Samsung and other brands, and Crucial is owned by Micron. Not all Crucial memory is Micron.

Which Crucial modules use Samsung chips?

cgc · Apr 21, 2007, 11:49 AM

I've been using OWC since August 2006 in my MacPro with no problems.

SMacSteve · Apr 22, 2007, 10:29 AM

You might want to look at another option... Ram Jet. They've got a pretty good reputation and very competitive prices. They're the only ones I've seen that claim properly matched quad sets too.

mac128k-1984 · Apr 22, 2007, 12:40 PM

I've used both and both have been problem free (*knocks on wood*). AFAIK for the macpro, OWC uses the same memory mfg. as apple does and it also uses the same heat spreaders. Crucial ran into a little bit of an issue when they didn't but worked quickly to resolve the problem.

shinji · Apr 22, 2007, 07:46 PM

Ok thanks, and any advice about which riser to put the new ram in if slots 1&2 of risers a & b are already taken? Or does it not matter?

mduell · Apr 22, 2007, 10:30 PM

Put the two 1GB modules on the inside slots (closest to the logic board) on one of the risers.
Put all four 512MB modules on the other riser.

brokenjago · Apr 22, 2007, 10:32 PM

On the inside of my Mac Pro case, it says to put two chips into the top riser closest to the Logic Board, two on the bottom closest to the Logic Board, then two in the top in the remaining slots.

dru · Apr 23, 2007, 02:11 AM

I had no problem with OWC's product only with shipping a few years back. They used Airborne which misdelivered. I had to re-order and when the missing order finally turned up, I had to absorb the cost of returning it. The second order was not supposed to ship Airborne but it did. At the time Crucial was more expensive although they were recommended by my friend working at an Apple Genius Bar because they saw a lot of 3rd-party RAM issues come their way but not with Crucial's products. In the future I'd be more likely to go with Crucial, especially in a Mac Pro.