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RAM price comparison???

F

fjs08

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jun 25, 2003
1,252
0
Hi,
Last week, I updated my wifes ThinkPad from 512 mg to a gig of ram and it cost me $ 34. I was looking to do the same to my Titanium Powerbook and Apple just quoted me a price of $ 150. Why the enormous discrepancy??

With that kind of investment, I may as well think about updating to a new Mac Book Pro<g>. It does make one wonder though??

Thanks.

Frank
 
OK for starters, only buy RAM from Apple if you want to be guaranteed the highest price on Earth. Secondly, depending on the type of RAM the Thinkpad takes, the prices are not directly comparable. The TiBook requires a low density low profile PC133 SODIMM -- a generic 512 Mb DDR PC2700 SODIMM (for example) is much less expensive type of memory.

Look for a reputable third party memory reseller who tests and guarantees RAM for compatibility with your specific Mac, offers a lifetime warranty and a no-cost return if it doesn't work.

In the USA, for example, Data Memory Systems has the 512 PC133 for Titanium for US$95

Thanks
Trevor
CanadaRAM.com
 
I was at Circuit City and they are supposed to be getting a shippment in today or Monday, so they say of Kingston RAM. They want $ 129 for it. This stuff is expensive. Maybe I'll "suffer" with 512<g>.

Frank
 
fjs08 said:
I was at Circuit City and they are supposed to be getting a shippment in today or Monday, so they say of Kingston RAM. They want $ 129 for it. This stuff is expensive. Maybe I'll "suffer" with 512<g>.

Frank
Click to expand...

Order it online. I recently got a 1GB stick for my powerbook for $90 shipped 2nd day air.
 
debrey said:
Ram price comparissons:

http://dealnews.com/memory/

This is a very nice site. However, it doesn't really tell you much about quality. I've been told that data memory systems is a good quality and a good price.

-- David
Click to expand...

I've dealt with data mem several times and have been happy with all.
 
>>
http://dealnews.com/memory/<<

Their prices are marvelous.

Frank
 
fjs08 said:
This stuff is expensive.
Click to expand...

Expensive? RAM is cheap. I specifically remember being psych'd when 1MB sticks fell to only $70 a stick.

...but then we are talking about several chip generations ago since the memory was to go into my then new and speedy 386SX-33 ;)
 
Another comparison site:

www.ramseeker.com

Not as comprehensive as, say, Froogle, but it does break down about 10-12 of the biggest RAM sellers by price, and I've found some insane deals there (like a 1gig stick for my ibook at aboout $70).
 
Well, good news and bad. I found the RAM I needed at Circuit City for a very nice price, $ 105. Bad news is when I got home, instead of my Powerbook having 1, 512 module, it had 2, 256 modules. It is faster with the bump, but I guess I still need another 512 module to get it to 1 gig. I'm sure I didn't see more than 2 slots under the hood so to speak, but if it's somewhere I just was to dumb to notice, please let me know.

btw, it took about 20 seconds to swap the old out and get the new in.

Frank
 
fjs08 said:
Well, good news and bad. I found the RAM I needed at Circuit City for a very nice price, $ 105. Bad news is when I got home, instead of my Powerbook having 1, 512 module, it had 2, 256 modules. It is faster with the bump, but I guess I still need another 512 module to get it to 1 gig. I'm sure I didn't see more than 2 slots under the hood so to speak, but if it's somewhere I just was to dumb to notice, please let me know.

btw, it took about 20 seconds to swap the old out and get the new in.

Frank
Click to expand...

Wait, you paid $105 for a 512 module? Honestly, your best bet is to return it and order somewhere else. You could have easily found a 1GB stick for the same or less.
 
The best price I could find from the sites recommended here were $ 85-90, so $ 105 isn't that bad, comparably.

Frank
 
i buy strickly from crucial. sometimes they are more expensive, but they really stand behind their stuff. i have found in the long run the better support is well worth the extra couple of bucks.
 
mmcxiiad said:
i buy strickly from crucial. sometimes they are more expensive, but they really stand behind their stuff. i have found in the long run the better support is well worth the extra couple of bucks.
Click to expand...
You can say the same for datamem.com. And they are usually a few dollars cheaper than crucial.
 
munckee said:
Wait, you paid $105 for a 512 module? Honestly, your best bet is to return it and order somewhere else. You could have easily found a 1GB stick for the same or less.
Click to expand...
For frack sakes, go back and read the first posts - it's a TiBook with PC133 RAM - he's not going to find it under $90, OK? And there are no 1 Gb PC133 SODIMMs.
 
CanadaRAM said:
For frack sakes, go back and read the first posts - it's a TiBook with PC133 RAM - he's not going to find it under $90, OK? And there are no 1 Gb PC133 SODIMMs.
Click to expand...

I have a question for you, CanadaRAM (since you seem to be the most knowledgable about RAM around here): the specs on my ibook say that it requires PC133 RAM (it has the 128 soldered, so it is allegedly the middle gen machine, that was 800-1gig and maxed ram at 684). I just bumped it up to 1.128gig with a PC2100 1gig stick. Why does that work? Or are all the spec sheets just wrong, or were there a few 14 inch models that had different RAM specs before the 256 soldered models came out?
 
If you're talking about the iBook in your sig, G4s only used DDR, so you must have been looking at the wrong spec sheet that told you it took PC133.

EDIT... yours is the very first iBook G4 and would take PC2100 or 2700 (which would clock down to 2100 speed). Its the only iBook G4 that came with 128 soldiered. Check http://www.mactracker.ca/ for info on all Apple models.
 
disconap said:
I have a question for you, CanadaRAM (since you seem to be the most knowledgable about RAM around here): the specs on my ibook say that it requires PC133 RAM (it has the 128 soldered, so it is allegedly the middle gen machine, that was 800-1gig and maxed ram at 684). I just bumped it up to 1.128gig with a PC2100 1gig stick. Why does that work? Or are all the spec sheets just wrong, or were there a few 14 inch models that had different RAM specs before the 256 soldered models came out?
Click to expand...
Which iBook?

The iBook G3's use PC133 SDRAM
The iBook G4's use PC2100 or PC2700 DDR RAM

You absolutely did not put a PC2100 1 Gb stick into a PC133 iBook G3. No way, Jose. You have some incorrect information on your machine somewhere in there.

Don't get confused by the buss speeds. Both PC133 and DDR2100 use a 133 MHz memory buss -- the DDR because it is Double Data Rate executes memory ops at 266 MHz (2x133) The 2100 in PC2100 refers to 'bandwidth' = 8 x 266 = 2128 MB/sec
 
Ah, gotcha. I think the spec sheets I read were just wrong; and no, it's a G4, but then the spec sheet at lowendmac MUST be wrong as it says the following:

RAM: 256 MB of SDRAM (128 MB soldered in place), expandable to 640 MB using one 1.25" 3.3V PC133 compliant SO-DIMM

(source: http://www.lowendmac.com/ibooks/g4-14.html , I have the 1g model)
 
Well, both sites are wrong. I've had it running with 1.128g of RAM for a month or so now and it is completely stable.

EDIT: MacTracker has it right:

1.12 GB (Actual), 648 MB (Apple)
 
slightly off topic
datamem lists 2 types of ram for the imacs: "regular" and econoram.
all the specs look this same.
does anyone have any experience in comparing the 2?
 
I am confused with the datamem site. I have a 15.4 inch mbp, 1.83 ghz but they list all these numbers underneath

MacBook Pro 1.83GHz 15.4" (MA091LL)
MacBook Pro 1.83GHz 15.4" (MA463LL)
MacBook Pro 1.83GHz 15.4" (MA600LL)

How can i figure out which one is mine? crucial ram is way more expensive so id rather go with this company
 
bdugan said:
I am confused with the datamem site. I have a 15.4 inch mbp, 1.83 ghz but they list all these numbers underneath

MacBook Pro 1.83GHz 15.4" (MA091LL)
MacBook Pro 1.83GHz 15.4" (MA463LL)
MacBook Pro 1.83GHz 15.4" (MA600LL)

How can i figure out which one is mine? crucial ram is way more expensive so id rather go with this company
Click to expand...

If I'm not mistaken...they're just different configurations of the same machine. IIRC, the first one is the 100 GB hard drive, while the second one is the 80 GB hard drive. It doesn't matter...they all take the same RAM.
 
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