RAM Brand Recommendations for 5,1

[Auggie]

One of my eight Hynix DDR3 ECC 1333 MHz sticks went dead on me (swapped slots which made no difference). I don't recall ever having a Mac RAM module go bad on me over the decades, at least not in the Intel line.

So I'm thinking of going a different brand for a replacement: any suggestions?

 

[mugwump]

One of my eight Hynix DDR3 ECC 1333 MHz sticks went dead on me (swapped slots which made no difference). I don't recall ever having a Mac RAM module go bad on me over the decades, at least not in the Intel line.

So I'm thinking of going a different brand for a replacement: any suggestions?

I was having shutdown memory problems when I upgraded my Mac Pro 4,1, and when with this ram site and the issues went away:

https://www.macramdirect.com/

 

[F1Mac]

I've been using OWC ram for years without a single issue. All my sticks in my 5,1 are from them.

 

[Auggie]

I was having shutdown memory problems when I upgraded my Mac Pro 4,1, and when with this ram site and the issues went away:

https://www.macramdirect.com/

Interesting. It has a warning for 8GB and 16GB sticks:

note: MacPro firmware prefers not mixing 8GB [or 16GB] with other modules

So I shouldn’t try replacing just one from any other brand to mix with the seven other Hynix sticks...
[doublepost=1505661290][/doublepost]

I've been using OWC ram for years without a single issue. All my sticks in my 5,1 are from them.

Cheaper yet still comes with lifetime warranty. And they only warn against mixing their 16GB sticks with any other brand or lower capacities.

 

[h9826790]

Just get the cheapest server pulled RAM. That practically means someone use the server to test the DIMM for you for a prolong period of time

Anyway, the real limitation is cannot mix RDIMM with UDIMM. Not idea why OWC not make it clear. It's nothing to do with 16GB or 8GB. But I personally will avoid OWC RAM, from the members post here, their failure rate definitely higher than used server pull memory. And much more expensive.

 

[flowrider]

My RAM supplier since the 80s has been:

https://www.datamemorysystems.com

I can't recommend them highly enough. Mac Specialists and their RAM is guaranteed for life.

Lou

 

[Auggie]

Just get the cheapest server pulled RAM. That practically means someone use the server to test the DIMM for you for a prolong period of time

Anyway, the real limitation is cannot mix RDIMM with UDIMM. Not idea why OWC not make it clear. It's nothing to do with 16GB or 8GB. But I personally will avoid OWC RAM, from the members post here, their failure rate definitely higher than used server pull memory. And much more expensive.

Hmm... used stuff, eh? Something to consider as they're really cheap on eBay...

My RAM supplier since the 80s has been:

https://www.datamemorysystems.com

I can't recommend them highly enough. Mac Specialists and their RAM is guaranteed for life.

And their prices are even better than OWC! This is the top contender for new sticks for sure...

 

[Dr. Stealth]

One of my eight Hynix DDR3 ECC 1333 MHz sticks went dead on me (swapped slots which made no difference). I don't recall ever having a Mac RAM module go bad on me over the decades, at least not in the Intel line.

So I'm thinking of going a different brand for a replacement: any suggestions?

If you are only planning on replacing the one bad stick out of your set of 8 then you really should buy the exact same stick to replace the bad one. Do not run 7 Hynix sticks with 1 from Micron or elsewhere.... There is a reason they sell memory in "Sets".

 

[Auggie]

If you are only planning on replacing the one bad stick out of your set of 8 then you really should buy the exact same stick to replace the bad one. Do not run 7 Hynix sticks with 1 from Micron or elsewhere.... There is a reason they sell memory in "Sets".

Well, I'm not so sure about all that; if all the specs are the same (speed, latency, etc), then I can't see how mixing brands would be problematic so long as they're high quality brands.

And selling in "sets" may serve more as a marketing ploy, with the secondary purpose for boards that perform more efficiently when sticks are installed in synchronized pairs of slots. After 30 years working with computers, that's just based on my experiences anyways, so I could be wrong.

 

[h9826790]

Sure mixing RAM is not a problem. All you need is getting the correct spec DIMM. I tested it myself.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/can-i-mix-memory-size.1903411/#post-21638766

I personally also believe "set", "match pairs", etc are more for marketing. Yes, use a set should give you less trouble, because that should never go wrong. However, it's not a requirement at all.

Like OWC, 16GB and 8GB means nothing in this case. You can mix 16GB RDIMM with 8GB RDIMM, the system will work as expected. In fact, on a single CPU cMP, the max RAM demonstrated is done by mix 16GB and 8GB RDIMMs.

But mix 8GB UDIMM with 8GB RDIMM will cause no boot. Obviously they intentionally focus on the wrong direction, make things complicated, and confuse the buyer / user.

To make sure the cMP can function normally, memory spec is the key, not the brand or capacity.

 

[Dr. Stealth]

I bought a 8 stick set (64GB) from OWC and after about a year I had one stick go bad. I called OWC to inquire about getting a new replacement stick. They are the ones that told me I needed to exchange the whole set. They sent me 8 new sticks and I returned all of mine. No charge. They didn't just do that for marketing. I'm sure you could get by replacing one stick with quality memory and the same specs. I've done it before myself. But is it optimal? I'm not sure.

 

[Auggie]

Like OWC, 16GB and 8GB means nothing in this case. You can mix 16GB RDIMM with 8GB RDIMM, the system will work as expected. In fact, on a single CPU cMP, the max RAM demonstrated is done by mix 16GB and 8GB RDIMMs.

This is actually what I want to do because I was currently maxed out at 64GB with all 8 slots populated with 8GB sticks. With a free slot now available, I want to pop in a 16GB stick.

 

[h9826790]

This is actually what I want to do because I was currently maxed out at 64GB with all 8 slots populated with 8GB sticks. With a free slot now available, I want to pop in a 16GB stick.

You have to check if your 8GB sticks are RDIMM, AFAIK, 16GB stick only RDIMM available. If your 8GB sticks are UDIMM, you can't just pop in a 16GB stick.

 

[Auggie]

You have to check if your 8GB sticks are RDIMM, AFAIK, 16GB stick only RDIMM available. If your 8GB sticks are UDIMM, you can't just pop in a 16GB stick.

Already did: RDIMMs. Which is why I am wanting to do the 16GB route, so long as I can keep my existing 8GB's. Although, used Samsung's are going for $40 shipped/$50 shipped for new ones, so I can probably go with a minimum of two 16GB's for now and unload one 8GB on eBay to recover some cost.