iMac RAM Upgrade

[AdmanTemp]

Hi there,

This is my first post, so apologies if I appear a little bit of a novice. I currently have an early 2009 2.66Ghz iMac with the integrated graphics and 2GBs of DDR3 RAM. I am thinking about upgrading the memory simply because I need the added performance for video processing.

Now I am on a tight budget, and I have deduced that Ebuyer is a good place to buy the RAM for the money conscious student consumer, like myself. I want to purchase one of these;

http://www.ebuyer.com/cat/Memory---Laptop/subcat/DDR3-1066MHz

There are a few options on there that are the right size and capacity. The final decision comes down to price. My question is; is it worth spending the extra money on the 'Crucial' one, compared to the 'Extra Value' one. Will I see a difference in speed or quality?

Keep in mind that every penny counts for me at the moment, so the small price difference is quite important. Furthermore, is the upgrade even justified? Will I actually see a difference?

I am based in the UK, so any alternative purchase suggestions must be UK based, or have European shipping options. The work I do is Final Cut based, along with all the other typical tasks one would expect for a student film-maker.

I appreciate your help and patience guys.

Thanks

-Adam

 

[Justin Lee]

I've always gone with Crucial, and have never had any complaints. You are guaranteed to get the right memory using their tools.

Saying that, I used Mr Memory in the last 3 weeks, when I got some memory for my new iMac. They were about 10% cheaper than Crucial, and I had no issues.

In short, give Mr Memory a visit.

 

[LondonGooner]

I've always gone with Crucial, and have never had any complaints. You are guaranteed to get the right memory using their tools.

Saying that, I used Mr Memory in the last 3 weeks, when I got some memory for my new iMac. They were about 10% cheaper than Crucial, and I had no issues.

In short, give Mr Memory a visit.

I agree with this

 

[Hellhammer]

If the RAM has correct specs, it'll work and be as fast as other one. I don't see a reason why to get Crucial over the other one

 

[robpow]

Just be careful with some of the 'value' RAM sticks, I had two Crucial DDR2 SO-DIMMs that wouldn't work together in a pair in my 2007 iMac. Swapped for Kingston and all was well. Upgrading to a guaranteed Apple compatible part number was only a few quid more in my case.

Cheers,
Matt

 

[knewsom]

I've never had a RAM conflict before, but if you DO buy cheap RAM (hell, even if you buy the spendy stuff), make sure you run some heavy RAM tests to make sure you don't get errors, and there are no issues with the RAM. Bad RAM can spoil your day, especially if you don't discover it until AFTER the return period has ended.