No-Name vs. Crucial

bicmedic · February 24, 2008 9:29AM

I just switched to a macbook and was looking at RAM upgrades. I use my computer mostly for audio recording so at any one time I usually have a lot of different programs open. I was wondering if it is worth the extra money to go with crucial over a cheaper brand. The price isn't all that much more, so will I see a performance increase with Crucial?

Off-Brand

http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/MacBook/DDR2/

Crucial

http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/MacBook/DDR2/

karelia · February 24, 2008 12:17PM

It's pretty hard to find bad RAM these days. So while Crucial is a tried-and-true brand (though not as much as Kingston, IMO), there's nothing to suggest that the OWC modules are of any lesser quality.

futurepastnow · February 24, 2008 12:44PM

RAM is such a commodity product nowadays that it probably doesn't matter. I buy so much computer stuff that I'm bound to run into a problem or three, but the average consumer isn't.

However, if the difference is only a few dollars, I'd buy the better brand (and if the difference is more than a few dollars, I'd find a different store).

john.b · February 24, 2008 12:47PM

I agree with FuturePast. Exactly how much money are you saving going with the no-name memory? If its the OWC memory, you'd be saving a lot correct?

Edit: If you look around at NewEgg you can get PNY memory cheaper than OWC, even cheaper for the A-Data memory.

If you go the NewEgg route, just make sure you are ordering the right stuff. 200 pin SODIMM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) unbuffered 1.8v with a Cas latency of 5. The trick at NewEgg is to check the user comments for people who have installed it sucessfully in other MacBooks, iMacs, etc. Read all the reviews, don't just look at the chart. The advantage to OWC is that they are Mac people from the start.

splinemodel · February 24, 2008 8:10PM

OWC OEM's from a brand-name supplier (one view to their web site makes it easy to figure out which one). You save money because they are able to provide a warranty and support more cheaply than the supplier can. They also purchase in bulk, acting as their own distributor. In other words, OWC is great!

shawnj · February 26, 2008 2:18PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Splinemodel

OWC OEM's from a brand-name supplier (one view to their web site makes it easy to figure out which one). You save money because they are able to provide a warranty and support more cheaply than the supplier can. They also purchase in bulk, acting as their own distributor. In other words, OWC is great!

Just purchased an additional 1 gb on the strength of your rave review.

(And the fact that Crucial is being dumb with my credit card).

lucky13 · February 26, 2008 6:57PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John.B

I agree with FuturePast. Exactly how much money are you saving going with the no-name memory? If its the OWC memory, you'd be saving a lot correct?

Edit: If you look around at NewEgg you can get PNY memory cheaper than OWC, even cheaper for the A-Data memory.

If you go the NewEgg route, just make sure you are ordering the right stuff. 200 pin SODIMM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) unbuffered 1.8v with a Cas latency of 5. The trick at NewEgg is to check the user comments for people who have installed it sucessfully in other MacBooks, iMacs, etc. Read all the reviews, don't just look at the chart. The advantage to OWC is that they are Mac people from the start.

I am looking to buy a MB or MBP and going to add 2GB of RAM but no way would install it myself....should I go to a computer store and have them install it? any recommendations?

karelia · February 26, 2008 7:04PM

No, it's something you should be able to do yourself. If it's a MacBook, there's three screws under the battery that hold a thin L-shaped strip of metal on... right under there, you'll find the levers to release the RAM.

If it's a MacBook Pro, under the battery, you'll find three or four screws (depending on size), which allow a small aluminum panel to come off. The RAM is right under there.

In either case, once you install the RAM, just follow the steps in reverse to reassemble the machine.

bclapper · February 27, 2008 6:26AM

Just installed 4GB of Crucial RAM to my 2.4GHz iMac and it was a breeze

nofeer · February 27, 2008 6:34AM

who has the best return policy and warranty, i've bought from both, and if it's just a few bucks then it's a tossup both owc nd crucial are respected companies.

lucky13 · February 27, 2008 6:52AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Karelia

No, it's something you should be able to do yourself. If it's a MacBook, there's three screws under the battery that hold a thin L-shaped strip of metal on... right under there, you'll find the levers to release the RAM.

If it's a MacBook Pro, under the battery, you'll find three or four screws (depending on size), which allow a small aluminum panel to come off. The RAM is right under there.

In either case, once you install the RAM, just follow the steps in reverse to reassemble the machine.

Should I buy one stick of 2GB of RAM or can if fit 2 sticks 1GB each

bclapper · February 27, 2008 7:11AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lucky13

Should I buy one stick of 2GB of RAM or can if fit 2 sticks 1GB each

Both MB & MBP come with 2GB (2 x 1GB) installed now, except the entry level MB which has 1GB as standard (2x 512MB)

lucky13 · February 27, 2008 7:37AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bclapper

Both MB & MBP come with 2GB (2 x 1GB) installed now, except the entry level MB which has 1GB as standard (2x 512MB)

How many empty slots are there? I was wondering if I need to buy 1 stick of 2GB RAM or can I buy 2 sticks of !GB RAM each?

edouble · February 28, 2008 10:22AM

I'd like to know this too. I just ordered one of the new MBP's on Tuesday with the minimum amount of RAM (2GB). I'm not sure how many slots there are, nor what configuration that 2GB is coming in, and thus am not sure what to purchase to push it up to 4GB.

edouble · February 28, 2008 10:51AM

Well based on this from Apple's site, it looks like the MBP's have 2 slots:

Quote:

The MacBook Pro will run fine with either a single memory slot filled or with both memory slots filled with two unmatched memory sizes (such as a 512MB DIMM in one slot and a 1GB DIMM in the other).

However, if both slots are loaded with an equal amount of RAM (such as two 512MB DIMMs of the same type), you can take advantage of the system's dual-channel memory architecture for an additional performance boost. With a dual-channel memory interface, both banks of SDRAM can be addressed at the same time, enabling MacBook Pro to reach a memory throughput of up to 10.7 GBps.

I guess it is too much to hope for that a 2GB confiuration would come as one stick?

edouble · February 28, 2008 11:03AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Karelia

It's pretty hard to find bad RAM these days. So while Crucial is a tried-and-true brand (though not as much as Kingston, IMO), there's nothing to suggest that the OWC modules are of any lesser quality.

What do you think of Corsair? I've always been a fan of them for my PC Desktop RAM, and after rebate this seems like it is right in line with other ram prices posted above:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820233062

ozzieboy · March 3, 2008 9:34PM

See http://www.everymac.com for extensive listings on how many RAM slots, etc.

As was stated above, read the reviews on stuff like that Corsair and other offbrands. If users of your machine have reported success -- esp after a few weeks of use --, you are golden. There was a time (think G4 processors) when Apple machines were VERY picky about name-brand RAM. Not so much anymore. Just get your specs right, you will probably be okay...but definitely use user reviews as a backup. And if you want no worries, order the OWC. It is guaranteed and they ARE Mac-centric first and foremost.

OWC has good service, they will cross-ship you replacement RAM if one of their chips goes bad. Which is highly unlikely in the first place.

No-Name vs. Crucial

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