Big Difference Between RAM Prices

[mikeishi]

Hey guys, I was looking for a RAM upgrade for my Mac Pro. I thought I could only afford a 1GB upgrade, but while researching prices on Crucial's official website, I noticed that I could actually afford 2GB. What worries me is that the Newegg price is very different than Crucial's website's price.

I know Crucial does some shady pricing tactics, but why would they give me a price difference of $124 cheaper than NewEgg?

Here's the RAM at NewEgg:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148046

Here's the RAM at Crucial:
http://www.crucial.com/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=0F893FE9A5CA7304


So should I go ahead and get that Crucial RAM from Crucial's website?
Thanks guys!

 

[WildCowboy]

Personally, I'd go with DMS. Great Mac vendor with terrific customer service and RAM that is guaranteed to work in your Mac. Cheaper than Crucial too, so you don't have to support Crucial and their shadiness.

OWC is fantastic as well.

 

[PlaceofDis]

i'll second the recommendation for DMS. great prices and i've had no problems with any of the RAM i've gotten from them. (iMac G5 and Macbook both upped to 2gigs)

 

[esaleris]

RAM prices have been falling pretty fast recently. I remember buying 2 x 1GB sticks of a less reputable brand for my mom's Macbook for about $160 for two. Now it's barely $100 for two, and a better brand (Crucial CL5, not CL12) at that.

Point being that Crucial's the vendor, newegg's the reseller. Given the rate of price drops, it could be possible newegg hasn't caught up yet. Either way, I haven't found either vendor to be shady at all, when it comes to RAM.

 

[akadmon]

Like the previous poster said, Newegg is reselling Crucial RAM that they probably bought when prices where high. Too bad for Newegg!

 

[filman408]

I've bought from RamJet. No issues what-so-ever. They even use the same heat sinks Apple does for the FB-DIMMS.

http://ramjet.com/macpro.asp

 

[brooker]

I've been shopping for RAM for the last few weeks now, watching prices, configuring and reconfiguring my setup...

Newegg has great deals on nearly all components, but they can't compete on RAM prices. Look elsewhere.

I ended up going with OWC, because of the great reputation their customer service has, and the Lifetime Advance Replacement guarantee (they send you replacement ram before you RMA what you have if you have any problems). Sure didn't hurt that their prices were very competitive!

Whatever you do, be sure to get large, finned heatsinks of some kind (not really available on NewEgg, anyway), to keep your ram happy for it's lifetime.

happy shopping!

 

[localoid]

... I know Crucial does some shady pricing tactics, but why would they give me a price difference of $124 cheaper than NewEgg?...

Heh... get used to it! I've watched RAM prices go up, then down, then up, etc. for >25-years now. Historically,RAM prices have always changed (up and down), sometimes very quickly. It's just a part of the computer world!

In general, RAM is usually higher during the months before and after the Christmas season, and lowest during the spring/summer season, etc.

Right now, RAM is at it's cheapest price point in history, in terms of price per MB/GB. Despite all the ups and downs in the RAM pricing over the decades, the prices have fallen (in the long term.) Compared to the price I paid for 16KB RAM in the 80's, today's price for 2GB is a real bargain!

There's never been a better time to buy RAM, than now. But, it almost always pays to check RAM prices at more than one vendor before buying.

 

[Lycanthrope]

Have mine on order from OWC (2xx2GB) via a friend in California, I went for the slightly more expensive Netlist stuff for the sake of $40 more.

After reading multiple threads on this forum they seemed to get the most consistently good feedback plus the RAM has been tested by several independent tech sites so I felt pretty comfortable about choosing them.

 

[SmurfBoxMasta]

Another vote for DMS ! Excellent service & knowledgeable folks there..... Although, I have never had any problems with Newegg, or OWC for that matter

 

[speekez]

my 2x2gb from TransIntl.com is working nicely. no problems. good reputation.

 

[mark476p]

RAM prices have been falling pretty fast recently.

I purchased 2 512MB RAM from DMS less than a month ago for $164. After reading this thread, I decided to see if the price changed. Sure enough, it's now $150. Nothing huge, but worth mentioning.