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"Crucial Recommends"....

A

ansalmo

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 23, 2005
140
1
Just pricing up memory for an iBook on the Crucial UK site, and was presented with the "Crucial Recommends" option of 512MB at 81 quid. Thinking this to be a bit steep, I took a look at the other sizes of memory that they offer for the iBook and found that they have 256MB at 23 quid and 1GB at 91 quid - both 9p per MB compared with 16p per MB for their "recommended" option. Interesting, particularly with the web layout now hiding these other options on another tab.

So, if anyone's in the market for some Crucial iBook memory and needs at least half a gig, consider paying an extra tenner for twice the memory and get the 1GB stick.
 
Well I'd recommending NOT using Crucial because they use dynamic pricing on their website, meaning they read the cookies from your browser, check your buying pattern, and determine how much to charge you based on your cookies.

Or here's a little experiment for you: delete all your cookies, then disable cookies completely, go to the Crucial website, and keep refreshing the page and watch the price change every time you refresh.

This may only be on the US part of their website, and/or they may not do this anymore (last time I checked was last year), but the fact that they did this means I won't be buying RAM from them ever again, nor will I be recommending them.

NewEgg sells Crucial RAM at a cheaper price than Crucial does, so that says alot....
 
I tend to use Orcalogic when I find that Crucial are overpriced. Their 512MB iBook memory is 58 quid delivered - significantly cheaper than Crucial, though their 1GB and 256MB are more expensive. My surprise was just how much more expensive Crucial's recommended 512MB was compared with their reasonable prices on their other sizes.
 
Abstract said:
Well I'd recommending NOT using Crucial because they use dynamic pricing on their website, meaning they read the cookies from your browser, check your buying pattern, and determine how much to charge you based on your cookies.

Or here's a little experiment for you: delete all your cookies, then disable cookies completely, go to the Crucial website, and keep refreshing the page and watch the price change every time you refresh.

This may only be on the US part of their website, and/or they may not do this anymore (last time I checked was last year), but the fact that they did this means I won't be buying RAM from them ever again, nor will I be recommending them.

NewEgg sells Crucial RAM at a cheaper price than Crucial does, so that says alot....
Click to expand...

I tested your theory and everytime I got the exact same prices. I have heard that amazon.com uses the dynamic pricing theory.
 
ansalmo said:
Just pricing up memory for an iBook on the Crucial UK site, and was presented with the "Crucial Recommends" option of 512MB at 81 quid. Thinking this to be a bit steep, I took a look at the other sizes of memory that they offer for the iBook and found that they have 256MB at 23 quid and 1GB at 91 quid - both 9p per MB compared with 16p per MB for their "recommended" option. Interesting, particularly with the web layout now hiding these other options on another tab.

So, if anyone's in the market for some Crucial iBook memory and needs at least half a gig, consider paying an extra tenner for twice the memory and get the 1GB stick.
Click to expand...

Hi, have you just purchased the latest iBook or do you have one of the earlier models? From what I've read the new one takes PC2700 RAM which is the same as the PowerBook. Crucial havent yet updated their site to include the new iBook models so if you've got a new 12 inch one and clicked on "iBook (G4 1.33Ghz)" it refers to the old 14 inch model. PowerBook RAM is a bit more expensive.
 
crucial ram

whats so special about crucial ram? why don't you go to the computer shop next to you and grab pc2700 SD-RAM as u need it? there are a lot of good brands of RAM so what makes crucial so special for mac upgrades?
 
lizard79 said:
whats so special about crucial ram? why don't you go to the computer shop next to you and grab pc2700 SD-RAM as u need it? there are a lot of good brands of RAM so what makes crucial so special for mac upgrades?
Click to expand...

I think a lot of it is the great service that crucial offers. they are very responsive to questions, provide free shipping, guarantee compatibility, are often the cheapest option available, AND they are based within a couple of miles of my house.
 
Hmmm interesting. Well the UK site hasn't been updated yet.

I just looked at the EU site and for the new 12 inch iBook, the 1Gb RAM module is this one:

Part number: CT464092
DDR PC2700 • CL=2.5 • UNBUFFERED • NON-ECC • DDR333 • 2.5V • 128Meg x 64
Price: €132.76 inc. VAT

For the 12 inch PowerBook, which is what I have, the 1GB RAM stick is this one:

Part number: CT434204
DDR PC2700 • CL=2.5 • UNBUFFERED • NON-ECC • DDR333 • 2.5V • 128Meg x 64
Price: €195.04 inc. VAT

Right.... so the specs look the same to me. So why are there 2 different part numbers and 2 different prices? Can I buy the cheaper iBook one for my PowerBook (assuming that this price difference will also apply when they update the UK store)?
 
dietcokevanilla said:
Right.... so the specs look the same to me. So why are there 2 different part numbers and 2 different prices? Can I buy the cheaper iBook one for my PowerBook (assuming that this price difference will also apply when they update the UK store)?
Click to expand...
Yes sure you can. I got one price when I went through the Crucial recommendation thing (where you put in what computer you have and it tells you what Ram you need). The price that gave me was £130 for 1GB.

I then wrote down the details and searched for that stick manually. I found it with a different part number, and different price £80! So I bought that and it worked fine. As long as all the numbers are the same you are safe. They just charge extra to guarantee that it works with your particular model, but if you look carefully you can guarantee that yourself :)
 
dietcokevanilla said:
Hmmm interesting. Well the UK site hasn't been updated yet.

I just looked at the EU site and for the new 12 inch iBook, the 1Gb RAM module is this one:

Part number: CT464092
DDR PC2700 • CL=2.5 • UNBUFFERED • NON-ECC • DDR333 • 2.5V • 128Meg x 64
Price: €132.76 inc. VAT

For the 12 inch PowerBook, which is what I have, the 1GB RAM stick is this one:

Part number: CT434204
DDR PC2700 • CL=2.5 • UNBUFFERED • NON-ECC • DDR333 • 2.5V • 128Meg x 64
Price: €195.04 inc. VAT

Right.... so the specs look the same to me. So why are there 2 different part numbers and 2 different prices? Can I buy the cheaper iBook one for my PowerBook (assuming that this price difference will also apply when they update the UK store)?
Click to expand...

Problem: You can't see all of the specs. They don't decribe the chip organization or the SPD settings.

Some Powerbooks require different RAM configurations on the module.
Four I know of that do need special RAM are the 15" 1.0 and 1.25 GHZ and the 17" 1.0 and 1.33 GHz. Other Powerbooks and iBooks are more tolerant. Crucial will guarantee compatibility only on the recommended part number for your specific model - the price above are indeed two different modules.
 
CanadaRAM said:
Problem: You can't see all of the specs. They don't decribe the chip organization or the SPD settings.

Some Powerbooks require different RAM configurations on the module.
Four I know of that do need special RAM are the 15" 1.0 and 1.25 GHZ and the 17" 1.0 and 1.33 GHz. Other Powerbooks and iBooks are more tolerant. Crucial will guarantee compatibility only on the recommended part number for your specific model - the price above are indeed two different modules.
Click to expand...

I see. I have the 12 inch 1.5GHz (rev D) Powerbook so that's not one that you've mentioned as needing 'special' ram. I'm tempted by the price of the ibook recommended ram, especially as Crucial's prices seem to have gone up about £10 to £15 in the last couple of weeks, but obviously don't want to end up with bad ram. Hmmm...dilemma... I thought i could make do with just 512MB for a while but my system has completely crashed a couple of times from using virtual pc, so think i probably need more ram and may as well max it out.

To pulsewidth947 - do you know the part number that you bought? is it the same as the ibook recommended one? cheers.
 
lizard79 said:
whats so special about crucial ram? why don't you go to the computer shop next to you and grab pc2700 SD-RAM as u need it? there are a lot of good brands of RAM so what makes crucial so special for mac upgrades?
Click to expand...

Obviously you haven't enjoyed the bad RAM experience. Newer macs are so finicky when it comes to RAM.

As for crucial, I don't mind paying a little extra knowing that its gauranteed for life and at anytime I can call and talk to a human. And when I bought my upgrade for my mini, they rewarded me with free overnight shipping at no cost (I selected the 3-5 day shipping). That was a good experience for me and I would recommend them for others.

I too also tested the dynamic pricing theory and got the same price from three different browsers. Perhaps, randomly they will price something a little lower to get you to buy on the spot but I don't see why that would be a bad thing.

Sort of OT but you want some serious dynamic pricing, look no further than Dell. I recently followed the monitor pricing while in the market for a 2005FPW and its up and down from day to day with coupons being issued every few days to further enhance the dynamic pricing range of a few hundred "US quid."
 
Newegg ram

Is there anything wrong with buying ram from Newegg.com ? I found a SODIMM 200 pin 64x64 PC 2700 (333 Mhz) 512 MB stick for 40 bucks! Is it feasible to assume that this ram would work for a mac just as it would for a pc notebook? There is no way to search with 'Mac' as a parameter when it comes to ram.
 
Abstract said:
Well I'd recommending NOT using Crucial because they use dynamic pricing on their website, meaning they read the cookies from your browser, check your buying pattern, and determine how much to charge you based on your cookies.

Or here's a little experiment for you: delete all your cookies, then disable cookies completely, go to the Crucial website, and keep refreshing the page and watch the price change every time you refresh.

This may only be on the US part of their website, and/or they may not do this anymore (last time I checked was last year), but the fact that they did this means I won't be buying RAM from them ever again, nor will I be recommending them.

NewEgg sells Crucial RAM at a cheaper price than Crucial does, so that says alot....
Click to expand...

Couldn't replicate that. Price for the recommended 1GB (new iBook 12") was still $135.99. However, I always thought datamem.com was cheaper, but they have the 1GB @ $169.99 while crucial is only $135.99. Weird! I remember last time I checked for the last gen iBooks (12" 1.2ghz) that datamem was cheaper.
 
thewhitehart said:
Is there anything wrong with buying ram from Newegg.com ? I found a SODIMM 200 pin 64x64 PC 2700 (333 Mhz) 512 MB stick for 40 bucks! Is it feasible to assume that this ram would work for a mac just as it would for a pc notebook? There is no way to search with 'Mac' as a parameter when it comes to ram.
Click to expand...
Does it say it's Mac compatible? (it doesn't, because NewEgg never guarantees compatibility).

Its a cr@pshoot, whitehart. Mac RAM needs the Serial Presence Detect (SPD) setting correctly set or the RAM won't work. The cheapest PC generic manufacturers don't bother to set it, and the cheapest sellers don't bother to test it, so it's down to you. If you don't mind the time, trouble and extra shipping charges to you if you have to send it back, you can take a chance.

But for critical use, or for new Mac owners, i recommend that you always buy from a seller who tests and guarantees compatibility with YOUR MODEL of Mac, offers a lifetime warranty and a no-cost return if it doesn't work.

If the seller recommends one part number for the Powerbook, and not another there's a reason, don't you think? It's not because they want an extra $60, it's because they cannot guarantee the cheaper one will work reliably in your model. Think about it -- if they arbitrarily cranked the price $60 then anybody with a web browser who can comparison shop would walk. If they could use the cheaper part, they would.

Thanks
Trevor
CanadaRAM.com
 
You're right... I should've bought it from crucial then :(

Hopefully it will work. One comment left said it worked in an ibook, but no indication of what model. At least I can return it if it doesn't work. By the way, adding extra 3rd party ram won't fry the mother board if it doesn't work, right? The computer just won't detect it, right?

Will it make the ibook signficantly hotter?
 
Abstract said:
Or here's a little experiment for you: delete all your cookies, then disable cookies completely, go to the Crucial website, and keep refreshing the page and watch the price change every time you refresh.
Click to expand...

Tried that, and it raised the price $5!

EDIT: Wow! After using the Memory Config. tool, it quoted me $208 (!) for a 1GB stick. After searching manually, I got a price of $136. That's simply unbelievable.
 
Definitely right about Crucial's shifty pricing

4 different machines, 4 different prices. That's a crock, I never new that about Crucial, I've been ordering from them for years.
 
hmm on my ibook when i'm at crucial and I check the price of the 1gb that they "recommend" it gives me a price of 135.99. When I check the price of the same chip by doing the recommend thing on my pc desktop it gives me a price of 131.91. I don't know what they are trying to pull but its weird.
 
Why 1GB Apple RAM for 12" PowerBook is so Expensive

ITASOR said:
Couldn't replicate that. Price for the recommended 1GB (new iBook 12") was still $135.99. However, I always thought datamem.com was cheaper, but they have the 1GB @ $169.99 while crucial is only $135.99. Weird! I remember last time I checked for the last gen iBooks (12" 1.2ghz) that datamem was cheaper.
Click to expand...


I too was frustrated at the high prices for this Apple RAM so I called Crucial yesterday and complained about it. I was reliably informed by "Jack" that the reason the Apple RAM for the 12" Powerbook (and probably others) is more expensive is that this Apple RAM actually functions differently that standard RAM. Specifically, the Apple RAM has to perform a function called "bus slewing" -- what that means, I am told, is that in order to increase battery power longevity, Apple has engineered a way to slow down the speed of your bus when the computer is idle. When the computer becomes active again with data demand the bus speed increases to normal. Standard memory without bus slewing built in will not do this.

Just fyi - EDGE is selling their memory for less than Crucial. I called them too today and asked if their RAM was truly Apple compatible. They said it was -- they acknowledged that they had to learn the hard way about the bus slewing -- that early RAM did not meet this need but now in their 2nd generation RAM it does. Notwithstanding the foregoing you might want to double check with EDGE before buying from them.

Personally, Crucial is my first choice. Have used them many times. Never a problem ever. Their parent company is Micron and they make some of the best memory out there, IMO. Anybody had experience with EDGE?

Hope this is helpful.:)


Ps. There was about a nice drop in price yesterday on Crucial's 1 GB memory.
 
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