I am looking to get a mac book pro with 2gigs of ram. I am going to upgrade it to 3 D.I.Y. I have seen plenty of videos and it's real easy. Now I hear that you have to install in pairs. OWC sells a 1x2 gig for around 234, and they sell a 1x1 & 1x2 gig pair for a little over 300. What is the point of buying the pair if you have to put your notebook model and type in to find out what memory is compatable with your notebook. STOCK macbook pros come with 2x 1 gig so why would you by the 2 and the (1 gig again). maybe this is a general wrap around, or if you want new ram because your ram is damaged. Also I have found the 2x1 gig prices ranging from 240 up to 500. Still better than apples price of $575 to upgrade to 3. Does anybody know what might be the differences, durability, heat issues etc. I've heard high regards of OWC which has there own 2 gig for 234, a micron factory orig. for 327 and a samsung factory 2 gig for 439. Crucial memory has a 2 gig for 350 and welovemacs has 1 for 399.99. Why not get the cheapest at OWC. Why does OWC sell others when there prices blow 3rd parties out of the water... HELP!!! Ive heard of what is basically cardboard ram but I have no complaints about OWC, but I hear of alot of slowdown post ram upgrade install after a few weeks or months and I wonder if this could relate back to the quality of ram. Also is it critical to put the high ram (2 gig on top, I guess meanin closest to to the bottom because you flip it over) and then the 1 gig underneath?
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Does the higher price of ram mean its better?
- Thread starter RHeidenreich572
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RAM is like batteries. There's only a few real manufacturers, but a whole lot of distributors. For the most part, most RAM these days is just fine, as long as it meets the specs required for the machine in question.
OWC has had a lot of fans here, but apparently there are some potential issues with them from a business standpoint. It may be nothing, though. I've bought from Crucial & Kingston for years with zero problems, both with the merchant and the RAM.
There is no such thing as memory made to work on a Mac, as opposed to another machine requiring the same type. Just use the configurators online to get the correct SKU, and enjoy. Apple's prices are just silly. I really believe they'd just as soon you didn't bother them with it, for all they charge.
Installation is a breeze, follow the instructions from your manual or from Apple online. Only takes a couple of minutes.
OWC has had a lot of fans here, but apparently there are some potential issues with them from a business standpoint. It may be nothing, though. I've bought from Crucial & Kingston for years with zero problems, both with the merchant and the RAM.
There is no such thing as memory made to work on a Mac, as opposed to another machine requiring the same type. Just use the configurators online to get the correct SKU, and enjoy. Apple's prices are just silly. I really believe they'd just as soon you didn't bother them with it, for all they charge.
Installation is a breeze, follow the instructions from your manual or from Apple online. Only takes a couple of minutes.
As a long time OWC customer, I can only assume that along with offering their own "house brand" of RAM, they want to give customers the option of purchasing branded memory if they choose. I don't know who their supplier is, but considering the volume of business they do I suspect they are in a position to negotiate a good deal. With that in mind, there are vendors out there that place a high premium on the trademark, meaning that you'll pay more just for the name.
I will say that in supporting a number of Mac Pros that use OWC memory I was very, very impressed with the amount of effort and time OWC spends in testing the products before they put their name on it. When the Xeon Mac Pros came out there was a great deal of consternation about the proper type of RAM, the number of banks that should be used, matched pairs, etc., and before I recommended to my clients that they buy OWC I had a lot of discussion with OWC on the subject.
They were very open about their testing methodology, and even suggested that if we were in a hurry to purchase RAM that we go to another vendor, as they had not completed testing to the level that they were satisified with.
OWC has always done a fantastic job of support, and while I do know of people who have encountered problems with memory from them (as well as "name brand" vendors) I have never personally had a problem with any of their products.
So to answer your question, no, I don't think that higher priced RAM is necessarily better.
MD
I will say that in supporting a number of Mac Pros that use OWC memory I was very, very impressed with the amount of effort and time OWC spends in testing the products before they put their name on it. When the Xeon Mac Pros came out there was a great deal of consternation about the proper type of RAM, the number of banks that should be used, matched pairs, etc., and before I recommended to my clients that they buy OWC I had a lot of discussion with OWC on the subject.
They were very open about their testing methodology, and even suggested that if we were in a hurry to purchase RAM that we go to another vendor, as they had not completed testing to the level that they were satisified with.
OWC has always done a fantastic job of support, and while I do know of people who have encountered problems with memory from them (as well as "name brand" vendors) I have never personally had a problem with any of their products.
So to answer your question, no, I don't think that higher priced RAM is necessarily better.
MD
found my some of the answer I was seeking."All MacBook Core 2 Duo models have two user-accessible memory slots for up to 3GB of total memory supported. Installing memory in pairs allows for maximum memory performance, although additional performance is also attained with the maximum 3GB Memory Configuration. By adding an OWC 1GB module to an
existing factory installed 1.0GB module, the full 128MBit performance memory
addressing is enabled. OWC Modules are a perfect match for your MacBook Pro
Factory Memory with complete compliance to all of Apple's specifications. " directly from the OWC webpage itself. Thats why you would by 1 and 2 gig of ram even though it already comes with 2 1 gigs.
existing factory installed 1.0GB module, the full 128MBit performance memory
addressing is enabled. OWC Modules are a perfect match for your MacBook Pro
Factory Memory with complete compliance to all of Apple's specifications. " directly from the OWC webpage itself. Thats why you would by 1 and 2 gig of ram even though it already comes with 2 1 gigs.