First, let me just say hi. Over a year ago I used to follow these forums every day... hell, every fwe hours even. That was back in the day with the old design. Anyways, I have a question about RAM...
I have a 1.5 GHz 15" PB, with the standard 2x256 (512) mbs of ram. With tiger and all the crap I run, I need an upgrade. Now a 512 chip would only kick me up 256 mbs, which seems useless, so I've decided to get me a 1 GB chip, which kicks me up 768 to 1.25 mbs. now that seems worth it.
I'm a pretty big fan of crucial ram. I've bought it in the past and been very satisfied. But a 1 GB chip for my PB costs over $200!! That just doesnt seem worth it. So I ask you lovely folk at applefritter, whats the best ram to buy at an affordable price? I've seen 1gb chips (pc2700) for as low as $105, all the way up to 200. There's Kingmax, Kingston, Viking, etc.
I realize not all RAM is created equal, but which ones are more equal than others? (ie, I need some good ram at a less than back-breaking price)
thanks so much.
-eric
You really can't go wrong with name-brand RAM. Crucial, Kingston and Viking are the big three, and I've never had problems with any of them. I personally like Crucial the most, but in general any of the big-name brands will offer good quality. With generic RAM, you may be saving a bit (sometimes a lot), but you'll be taking a bigger risk in terms of quality, reliability and compatibility. If you're willing to accept the fact that your big RAM module may spontaneously go bad or cause instability, then go ahead and buy generic RAM. If on the other hand you want to install it and forget it, a name brand is the way to go.
thanks dr. webster. im NOT really willing to accept that my memory module will spontaneously combust. so ill stick to a brand name.
but then what about the different levels of Kingston ram?
theres the Kingston Valueram where a 1gb module is $106 and then a Kingston 1 gb module which is something like $150+ (Newegg prices).
according to kingston.com, the main difference is that the valueram is not tested for specific computers.... but if its a pc2700 with the right specs, does that really matter??
For the best performing RAM, I would have to suggest pqi or Corsair. Kingston RAM, of course, works, but I have found that it doesn't have the best latency.
In *most* cases, not being tested for use with certain machines doesn't matter. Provided that the memory is manufactured according to design standards, it should work fine. With Macs, however, there's a bit of a grey area...some machines are somewhat picky about their RAM. You may recall a few years back when Apple released a firmware update for the iMac DV line that caused some machines to stop working with some memory modules. I haven't heard of any recent compatibility problems, so I'd bet that if you went with the ValueRAM you should be fine (especially if you buy it from NewEgg; IIRC they're pretty flexible when it comes to returns).
I'm partial to and have had only excellent results with OWC, a Mac specialist. Another longtime Mac supporter is DMS, from whom I've made numerous purchases over the years with total satisfaction. Both are well regarded among Mac techs and support people, and in the decade or more I've been aware of them I've yet to hear a bad word said about either.
I'm sure those other makers are fine, but I try to encourage folks to deal with smaller, more Mac-centric firms. Just seems right to support those who have long made their business supporting Macs and their users.
dan k