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caccamolle

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Feb 18, 2005
359
0
iGary said:
Then why post anything?

Can I get the ten minutes I wasted on this thread back, please?

So basically you made a blanket statement with nothing to back it up.

Way to go.

Lame. :rolleyes:

dude, I believe you've got what you wanted, quite a few reference to great more competitive vendors. But regardless, I can't manage your own time.
 

iGary

Guest
May 26, 2004
19,580
7
Randy's House
milozauckerman said:
2GB matched from OWC/macsales.com is $225
Crucial is $350.16

Something doesn't add up. You can write off Crucial's price by saying not to buy from an e-tailer without Mac experience or guarantees - but when they're $125 more than a reputable Mac dealer (4GB for my G5, 1GB for my iBook from OWC), something ain't right.

Actually, if you compare apples to apples, instead of mangos to bananas - OWC is more expensive for Samsung RAM, which is what you will get with Crucial.

360.00 OWC Samsung

350.14 Crucial
 

caccamolle

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Feb 18, 2005
359
0
faintember said:
Obviously you need to read the Forum rules.

FWIW, i think Crucial is overpriced. I bought two 1GB sticks from Datamem for $185. A good price for great RAM.

yep ! I even got a PM on this ! wow.
I hope there is no rule against criticizing forum sponsors :)

.. whatever guys.

My intent here was to let forum members know. I am not quite sure why some seem to have troubles with that.

I have ordered my memory Monday and will get it tomorrow, I will let you know where I spend the nearly $200 I saved :)
 

theBB

macrumors 68020
Jan 3, 2006
2,453
3
iGary said:
Actually, if you compare apples to apples, instead of mangos to bananas - OWC is more expensive for Samsung RAM, which is what you will get with Crucial.

360.00 OWC Samsung

350.14 Crucial
That's a good point. Still, considering there are few fabs worldwide that produces state of the art memory, (the actual silicon, not the green board carrying the black plastic packages that houses the delicate silicon pieces) the differences between the two might not be as much as a banana and a mango.

However, I am aware that there are other pieces that go into the RAM boards, so if you value the brand of the hardware as much or more than the retailer selling it, then price difference may become worth it for you.

BTW, what brand RAM does Apple use?
 

WildCowboy

Administrator/Editor
Staff member
Jan 20, 2005
18,490
2,991
theBB said:
BTW, what brand RAM does Apple use?

Apple has been known to use Samsung, Micron (Crucial), and Hynix...probably others as well.
 

grapes911

Moderator emeritus
Jul 28, 2003
6,995
10
Citizens Bank Park
Of course Crucial is expensive. Everyone knows that. But they provide excellent service and excellent RAM. I personally get my RAM else where (datamem), but I'd never criticize anyone from making a purchase from Crucial. They are getting high quality Mac RAM.

caccamolle, you'd make a great politician. Lots of of "facts" but with no proof to back it up. Don't make a claim if you aren't willing to do the work and show us the evidence. Otherwise, you are just wasting our time.
 

Heb1228

macrumors 68020
Feb 3, 2004
2,217
1
Virginia Beach, VA
caccamolle said:
I have ordered my memory Monday and will get it tomorrow, I will let you know where I spend the nearly $200 I saved :)
Yeah, also be sure and let us know when you start getting kernel panics cause you bought cheap RAM.
 

caccamolle

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Feb 18, 2005
359
0
grapes911 said:
caccamolle, you'd make a great politician. Lots of of "facts" but with no proof to back it up. Don't make a claim if you aren't willing to do the work and show us the evidence. Otherwise, you are just wasting our time.

Facts have been produced in this thread as well as others in a very compelling way both qualitatively and quantitavily. I am not sure what you are talking about.

Just in this thread, in one single post:
newegg
datamem (yourself and others)
OWC

Crucial is simply overrated. This is a fact, not an opinion as this thread clearly shows. And you can continue forever and ever to support Crucial on the basis of service while I will continue to say that the service at any of the above mentioned vendors is at least as good.

Note, I am not criticing anyone for purchasing at Crucial as you say: I am criticizing Crucial for their absurd prices. I am not telling anyone where to buy their memory either.

I am pretty sure I might be wasting your time but others will find this information very usefull (even though most are probably smart enough not to need it, including yourself!).
 

Heb1228

macrumors 68020
Feb 3, 2004
2,217
1
Virginia Beach, VA
caccamolle said:
Facts have been produced in this thread as well as others in a very compelling way both qualitatively and quantitavily... Crucial is simply overrated. This is a fact, not an opinion as this thread clearly shows.

Most people understand that Crucial often has higher prices. People might respond better if your posts weren't so annoying.
 

jne381

macrumors regular
Feb 27, 2006
208
0
Grand Rapids
caccamolle said:
.

I thought I mentioned it earlier, I am not hear to do free marketing for online vendors, but I will point out what I THINK are "absurd prices".

\

So you don't want to be a marketer for an online vendor, but you have no problem bashing Crucial. Everyone already knows that Crucial is more expensive than other online vendors, but people also know that they have a good reliable product. I know that they are less expensive than Apple by $90 for a 2 gb upgrade. So what are their prices ABSURD compared to? Are they ABSURD compared to non-reliable vendors, or ABSURD compared to other vendors with excellent reputation.

The notion that the prices are ABSURD is a completely subjective opinion, so you would need to inform us to the evidence that has formed YOUR opinion. Unfortunately, you don't believe that is proper for a internet forum. Moreover, you seem to refuse the simple and logical request for links with a rude demeanor.
 

solvs

macrumors 603
Jun 25, 2002
5,684
1
LaLaLand, CA
caccamolle said:
I hope there is no rule against criticizing forum sponsors :)
That's not why you got the PM and why the Demis above got a little peeved. You get more flies with honey. ;) Anyway, OWC is good, but I buy from Newegg all the time. I just read the reviews first and try not to cheap out too much. Got some Samsung RAM sticks from them in my iMac and they work great.
 

jmsait19

macrumors 6502
Jan 26, 2004
378
0
MO
gwuMACaddict said:

I pity the fool that gets Kernal panics brought on by cheap RAM!

I had this happen, so I sent it off and I should get it back soon. Lifetime Warranty.

Fortunately I am not a Power User and this doesn't really have adverse effects on me.

Some people, like myself, can afford a couple days with a lower amount of RAM if their piece goes bad. Some of the more Power User types may not be able to. They will be more willing to shell out more for a more reliable stick of RAM from a more reputable vendor. I can skeet a little bit and be just fine.

It seems that it each person should determine their level of need and then that will help determine the quality of ram you get (by quality i mean less of a risk of failure, because if your stick functions then a pqi stick is the same as a crucial stick, the pqi stick just has a higher propensity to fail, correct?)

Someone wanting high dollar RAM should not expect bargain bin prices...

Jason
 

Heb1228

macrumors 68020
Feb 3, 2004
2,217
1
Virginia Beach, VA
jmsait19 said:
I had this happen, so I sent it off and I should get it back soon. Lifetime Warranty.
If you're getting back the same kind of RAM, expect the problem to continue. The RAM probably wasn't "bad," just not high quality enough to run in a Mac without causing kernel panics.

Trust me, I swapped out 4 pieces of Kingston Value RAM form newegg before I finally figured out... hey Macs don't like cheap RAM.
 

clayj

macrumors 604
Jan 14, 2005
7,648
1,384
visiting from downstream
I find it interesting that no one mentioned the fact that while Crucial may be expensive, Apple is even MORE expensive.

For example, if you order a 2 GB MacBook Pro right now, that extra GB of RAM from Apple will set you back $300. From Crucial, that same GB of RAM (it's a different brand than what Apple uses, I assume) is $201.

If you wanna be mad at someone, be mad at Apple for gouging us all on RAM prices.
 

Heb1228

macrumors 68020
Feb 3, 2004
2,217
1
Virginia Beach, VA
clayj said:
For example, if you order a 2 GB MacBook Pro right now, that extra GB of RAM from Apple will set you back $300. From Crucial, that same GB of RAM (it's a different brand than what Apple uses, I assume) is $201.
Plus the fact that you're not getting the 2 256 sticks that would have come in a normal (not BTO) MacBook.
 

clayj

macrumors 604
Jan 14, 2005
7,648
1,384
visiting from downstream
Heb1228 said:
Plus the fact that you're not getting the 2 256 sticks that would have come in a normal (not BTO) MacBook.
Erm, in the case of a MacBook Pro, the default 1 GB configuration is a single 1 GB SO-DIMM... leaving one slot open for a second 1 GB SO-DIMM. In that case, you're paying $300 for a single 1 GB SO-DIMM to bring the total to 2 GB.

In the case of a MacBook, yeah, they're gonna remove the smaller 256 MB chips and use them elsewhere... so the price difference to jump from 512 MB to 2 GB should take into account that Apple gets to keep the 2 256 MB chips... but somehow I think it doesn't.

Seems to me that it makes sense to buy your Macs with as little RAM as possible and then upgrade the RAM yourself, if you're up to it.
 

TBi

macrumors 68030
Jul 26, 2005
2,583
6
Ireland
clayj said:
I find it interesting that no one mentioned the fact that while Crucial may be expensive, Apple is even MORE expensive.

For example, if you order a 2 GB MacBook Pro right now, that extra GB of RAM from Apple will set you back $300. From Crucial, that same GB of RAM (it's a different brand than what Apple uses, I assume) is $201.

If you wanna be mad at someone, be mad at Apple for gouging us all on RAM prices.

I got my second 1GB stick from crucial and other than the crucial sticker it was identical to the ram inside the MBP. Same manufacturer and part number.
 

iGary

Guest
May 26, 2004
19,580
7
Randy's House
There's no doubt that Crucial is expensive.

That said, I have also gotten memory from Data Memory Systems and OWC with no issues. In my experience, on comparable RAM, Crucial can be as much as 25% higher, which is why I whatch their pricing.

I usually watch, and then buy 2GB kits over a month period until I have what I need. I'm not saying the other RAM is crap - I just like supporting a company I like, and that has treated me well in the past, even if that does mean I pay a bit more.
 

caccamolle

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Feb 18, 2005
359
0
jmsait19 said:
I had this happen, so I sent it off and I should get it back soon. Lifetime Warranty.

Fortunately I am not a Power User and this doesn't really have adverse effects on me.

Some people, like myself, can afford a couple days with a lower amount of RAM if their piece goes bad. Some of the more Power User types may not be able to. They will be more willing to shell out more for a more reliable stick of RAM from a more reputable vendor. I can skeet a little bit and be just fine.

It seems that it each person should determine their level of need and then that will help determine the quality of ram you get (by quality i mean less of a risk of failure, because if your stick functions then a pqi stick is the same as a crucial stick, the pqi stick just has a higher propensity to fail, correct?)

Someone wanting high dollar RAM should not expect bargain bin prices...

Jason

without a doubt !

I also think that peace of mind is indeed very subjective and, moreover, different people have different sensitivity to prices.

I for instance can hardly care about $100 plus or minus, at least in this context. And that is why I was going to get the 2gb with the iMac at the Apple store as I thought that they would charge me $300.

But here I was talking about a much larger difference and, again in my case and my own judgement, it became a matter of decency.

Lastly, in a time of hardware convergence, I would add that the argument PC memory vs Apple guaranteed memory is losing its relevance, big time and all it's left of that is a marketing trick. Bad memory is bad memory no matter the platform.
 

MRU

macrumors Penryn
Aug 23, 2005
25,370
8,952
a better place
clayj said:
I find it interesting that no one mentioned the fact that while Crucial may be expensive, Apple is even MORE expensive.

For example, if you order a 2 GB MacBook Pro right now, that extra GB of RAM from Apple will set you back $300. From Crucial, that same GB of RAM (it's a different brand than what Apple uses, I assume) is $201.

If you wanna be mad at someone, be mad at Apple for gouging us all on RAM prices.

WOW you USA prics from crucial are great. Here that extra 2gb will set you back

€330 + shipping = €340 that's $436.696

http://www.crucial.com/eu/store/lis...0GHz+Intel+Core+Duo+(13-inch+White)&submit=Go

That's what we mean by VERY EXPENSIVE.
 

caccamolle

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Feb 18, 2005
359
0
clayj said:
I find it interesting that no one mentioned the fact that while Crucial may be expensive, Apple is even MORE expensive.

For example, if you order a 2 GB MacBook Pro right now, that extra GB of RAM from Apple will set you back $300. From Crucial, that same GB of RAM (it's a different brand than what Apple uses, I assume) is $201.

If you wanna be mad at someone, be mad at Apple for gouging us all on RAM prices.

That has been such a well known fact for the past 10 years that I really don't think I am going to get mad about it. In fact it is simply understood by the entire mac community: Apple does not want to sell RAM, that is why they will charge you absurd prices when one purchases memory w/o a Mac.

The story changes however when we discuss a vendor, Crucial, which specializes in RAM, whereby one would expect a vast capacity to be more competitve on prices simply as a result of volumes. And that has indeed been the case for many years. I myself in the past have purchased many times from them.

Actually as to Apple, I believe (not 100% sure here) there has been some recent, yet marginal, improvement because when one orders an iMac from the Apple online store they charge "only" $300 extra for the 2gb upgrade. Forget it though if you wanted to order 2gb separately for the same computer: Apple will charge you $600 !!!!!!! Again, Apple wants you to go elsewhere. I think I mentioned this earlier, my wife, whom I had sent to the store to get the iMac, was strongly discouraged from purchasing the 2gb there.
 

grapes911

Moderator emeritus
Jul 28, 2003
6,995
10
Citizens Bank Park
caccamolle said:
Lastly, in a time of hardware convergence, I would add that the argument PC memory vs Apple guaranteed memory is losing its relevance, big time and all it's left of that is a marketing trick. Bad memory is bad memory no matter the platform.

I guess you haven't installed RAM in a many Macs. I agree that "Bad memory is bad memory no matter the platform." But good memory is not always good memory no matter the platform. Not all RAM is created equal. And Apple computers expect a certain quality of RAM.
 
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