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Why do my RAM sticks break (+ brand recommendation please)?

pullman

pullman

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Feb 11, 2008
878
154
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
In my 2008 Mac Pro, I've had four 2GB RAM sticks break over the past two years. All sticks have been from OWC.

Perhaps I've been unlucky but I don't feel much confidence in this brand any longer (I've also had two Mercury Extreme crash). OWC offers excellent lifetime replacement warranty, but the problem is that I live in Europe and it is a hassle to send RAM and drives across the Atlantic. Of course, I was aware of this risk when I ordered the RAM initially.

Is there any way to check if something in my computer causes the RAM to break?

I'd also appreciate a recommendation for high quality RAM.

Thanks in advance
Philip
 
Is it always the same slot or daughter card? If so perhaps it is providing slightly too high a voltage and burning them out more quickly.
 
Do you have a power line conditioner that your system is attached to? Or a good battery backup that can control voltage output? Wouldn't rule out a power issue and if this is a recurring problem, then I'd at least look into it. I've used and setup, and maintained MANY Mac Pro systems (G3-G5 and 1,1-5,1) and have only seen the same exact recurring issues when it's actually caused by another factor - like a bad logic/motherboard, or faulty PSU.
 
pullman said:
OWC offers excellent lifetime replacement warranty, but the problem is that I live in Europe and it is a hassle to send RAM and drives across the Atlantic. Of course, I was aware of this risk when I ordered the RAM initially.
Click to expand...
:eek: We do have RAM suppliers in Europe who will offer replacements for faulty goods. You must have been paying over the odds for shipping at purchase in any case.

If the RAM is just "going dead" while in place in your computer, then that's very odd, but some sort of voltage/power issue (either the Mac's PSU or the electricity supply itself) does seem likely.
 
benwiggy said:
We do have RAM suppliers in Europe who will offer replacements for faulty goods. You must have been paying over the odds for shipping at purchase in any case.
Click to expand...

I'm in the same situation as Philip. I live in Belgium, and though I'm buying my RAM in the US. Why? It's cheaper for me even with the taxes (which, by the way, are included in the price of the modules sold locally) and delivery, and believe it or not, it's way easier to find. I have a regular supplier here, quite a big store, for stuff like hdd etc., but somehow they always have old modules on file, which aren't even in stock.
 
pullman said:
In my 2008 Mac Pro, I've had four 2GB RAM sticks break over the past two years. All sticks have been from OWC.
Click to expand...

I'm afraid of sounding like their sales rep, but I'm always buying RAM at OWC and have never had any issue. Every single module works well. Maybe indeed you have to think about some surge protection, power line conditioner or a battery?
 
sash said:
I'm in the same situation as Philip. I live in Belgium, and though I'm buying my RAM in the US. Why? It's cheaper for me even with the taxes (which, by the way, are included in the price of the modules sold locally) and delivery, and believe it or not, it's way easier to find.
Click to expand...
I've used Crucial UK for many years, and found their prices highly competitive, with good guarantees, quality stock, and fast delivery.
 
benwiggy said:
:eek: We do have...
Click to expand...

We? Who's "we"? You work for them or something?

If so then I just have to ask why your site never states who the RAM is manufactured by. With the heat-sinks covering up everything there's too much room for fudging (old or used RAM sold as new, low grade cheap memory sold at absurd prices, etc.). And OWC prices are probably the most ridiculous on the planet - seriously abnormal!

Most good memory comes with a life-time warrantee so there's nothing special there. I could never bring myself to nor recommend others, buy RAM from OWC. It just looks way too shady! And as people are pointing out here, the down-time when the fudged sticks go bad is a terrible inconvenience! Lifetime or not, local or out of country, it sucks when there's work to be done and we have to wait weeks.




--
I highly recommend anyone interested in purchasing RAM buy maker-labled, high-quality, lifetime-guaranteed, from e-bay, on-line shops, Amazon, or others at 1/2 to 1/4 the price OWC asks. It probably won't go bad and on the outside chance it does you'll only be in the same boat - except you'll be richer!

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/246397-30-what-manufacturer


.
 
Last edited:
benwiggy said:
I've used Crucial UK for many years, and found their prices highly competitive, with good guarantees, quality stock, and fast delivery.
Click to expand...

Do you live in GB? Here in Belgium the situation with Mac RAM is really disastrous.

Also, if it's an online store you're buying at, could you please give me a link?

Thanks!
 
benwiggy said:
We == Europeans. "We have the rapping music here now, you know."
Click to expand...

Rapping? No I dunno.... What's it wrapped in?

Oooooh, rapping. Like not actually music, just talking funny with lots of curse words over a cheap drum-machine loop? Yeah I have heard about that. And you say that dirty embarrassing noise is there in Europe? Man I feel sorry for you europeans! :)
 
benwiggy said:
I've used Crucial UK for many years, and found their prices highly competitive, with good guarantees, quality stock, and fast delivery.
Click to expand...

sash said:
Do you live in GB? Here in Belgium the situation with Mac RAM is really disastrous.

Also, if it's an online store you're buying at, could you please give me a link?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
When I lived in France I bought from the Crucial Europe store http://www.crucial.com/eu/ but now that I am back living in the UK I order from http://www.crucial.com/uk/ but they are both actually the same store except prices are in € or £ respectively. The actual RAM gets shipped from Livingstone in Scotland.

When I bought my Mac Pro I ordered it BTO with minimum memory & then ordered extra RAM from Crucial at about 25-30% of what it would have cost from Apple. When my Mac was delivered & I opened it up I discovered that
it was Crucial RAM already in there from manufacturing. Apple hadn't even stuck their own little labels on the FB-DIMMs.

----------
crjackson2134 said:
Would this work?

Crucial 48GB Kit (3 x 16GB) DDR3 SDRAM Desktop Memory Module
Click to expand...
Not in a 2008 Mac Pro 3,1. The OP is also in Europe & that's a link to Wal Mart.
 
I've used to have 6 dead Micron sticks out of 8. Sold my Mac Pro 2008 and bought Mac Pro 2009 and now now troubles at all. Using 6 Micron DDR3 1333 MHz sticks.
 
Damn ram!

I to buy all my ram from OWC always have. I have been lucky enough, "KNOCK WOOD" to never have ANY of that RAM go bad even in my OLD OLD OLD blue and white G-3 through 2 old Mirroed doored G4 and aged Power MAC g-5 and not my NEW MAC PRO 12 core.

Then a month after I got my new MACPRO which I had installed 8 new 8 GIG sticks. Wish I could of afford the 16 gigglers but what are you gonna DO! then one day one of the sticks gave up the ghost.

OWC said send it and its PARTNER or SISTER stick in the other RAM BANK! It took awhile to figure out WHich one that would be...

Support at OWC told me if you have one go down you must send in its partner stick, but this was after I had already sent in the one.

OWC replaced that ONE and I have not had any more issues with my RAM.

Do you all concern on the SISTER stick issue, where if one goes bad its partner must be replaced as well?
 
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