I am ordering a 17" PowerBook tomorrow and need to buy two quality 1-GB DIMMS for it. I checked Kingston’s site and they wanted US$713 for 1 GB, even more than Apple!
I’ve found OWC sales and tech support guys very helpful over the years. Email them or phone them. I wouldn’t presume to have experience with 1GB sticks.
On the other hand, I have in the past bought OWC brand RAM modules (to replace mismatched ones in the old Frankenmac) and they’ve worked flawlessly. They do offer "advance replacement" lifetime guarantee, and in my experience they do stand behind their product. Your mileage may vary.
I’ve used Ramjet RAM. (I learned about them as third-party providers on Apple.com). Ramjet offers good-quality machine model-specific RAM that match Apple specs. And the prices are very, very good.
Whatever you do, DO NOT buy cheap generic RAM just to save a couple of bucks. Please.
OWC RAM is not cheaper nor more generic than RAM Jet’s.
In my experience, OWC picks their products very carefully, supports them fully and honors their warranties. They are very Mac oriented, which is a big plus.
In my experience, OWC picks their products very carefully, supports them fully and honors their warranties. They are very Mac oriented, which is a big plus.
Fortunately, I don’t think you can go wrong with these suggestions. I’ve had equally good experiences with Ramjet (for many years) and Crucial. Both were 100% hassle free when exchanging bad RAM. Ramjet’s home page is almost completely Mac-oriented.
Cost quotes for 2 x 1GB were Ramjet US$970, Crucial US$960, Samsung/OWC (alleged to be the RAM Apple OEMs) US$720 with a 10 day wait, and OWC’s own brand US$565.
Based on Ramon’s experience and after talking to OWC sales, I went with OWC at US$565. It is scheduled for delivery Monday. The laptop is not my primary box, so if the RAM were to be problematic it would not be a big deal to have some downtime while RAM was replaced.
Thanks everyone! I will report back if I have any RAM problems.
P.S. I am also buying a 15" PowerBook for a client, and will add the 512 DIMM from the 17" PB to the 15" PB.
Kinsington’s web prices are without discount. I get approximately half-off by getting the exact same Kinsington RAM at Fry’s. Check your local discount electronics retailer.
There are other advantages 1.) instant access to the product 2.) the store stands behind what they sell, if it goes bad, they replace it in a heartbeat, no questions asked 3.) It’s nice to save time and money by shopping locally, supporting jobs in your own community.
I buy _everything_ I can locally to support my local community. Unfortunately Truckee, CA, elevation 6000 feet population 13000 has no RAM sales, Mac sales, printer sales…
As Allen says, his closest source would be the Fry’s store I drive by everyday on my way to work, but it’s like a 100-mile drive for him.
I agree that Fry’s takes returns with no questions asked, but the lines to return merchandise are always so long that it’s a minimum 30-minute wait, usually longer. The one time I had the patience to wait in line in order to return a defective item, I saw the sales help slap a new bar code label on it right away, and after walking through the aisles for a little while, I saw the very same item back on the shelf. Not a confidence inspiring experience. :/
Just a suggestion. I only see long lines at Fry’s if I go at peak traffic hours. I go after work when others are headed toward home and have little or no wait. They can’t slap a new barcode on used ram, the package is tamper-proof and you can tell it’s been opened.
I lived at South Shore and would have been glad to make the trip to Sacramento or even San Francisco to get the RAM and make a mini-vacation of it for a day or two. You’ve got to get off the mountain once in a while : )
As I say, just a suggestion, as you asked for ideas.
OWC RAM is not cheaper nor more generic than RAM Jet’s.
Never said it was. I was just pointing out that it is important — particularly if you run Photoshop — not to skimp on RAM.
To address someone else’s comment I read along the way. Returning RAM that turns bad is not an issue — I would hope that all RAM dealers do that, even with generic RAM. My point is to purchase the right RAM in the first place — RAM that is electronically an exact match to Apple’s spec for the specific Mac model.
Running Photoshop full out, doing firmware upgrades, etc., will eventually trip up non-spec (generic) RAM. Personally, I don’t want to spend hours tracking down this kind of problem and then have to go out and buy the RAM I should have bought in the first place.
Cheaping out on RAM is like spending the bucks for a high-end [insert brand name here] sports car, and then buying steel rims with cheap all-weather tires for it. Neither will take you to the limits reliably.
Even brand new Apple RAM can fail. We all know that. Some of the RAM OWC sells is the very same RAM Apple puts on its computers. AS long as you buy from a reputable dealer who is VERY Mac oriented, you’ll be fine. Just stay away from the mail order catalog firms, you know, the ones that sell you the same RAM they offer for free to unsuspecting folks who buy computers from them.
I received the two 1 GB OWC RAM DIMMS today; very fast delivery, even specifying the cheapest non-US-mail shipping method. Now all that is needed is the latop, alleged to ship August 27.
,,,stay away from the mail order catalog firms, you know, the ones that sell you the same RAM they offer for free to unsuspecting folks who buy computers from them,,,
Exactly!
Of course, any RAM can fail. My point is to start with RAM spec’d exactly for your computer.
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