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August 16, 2006
Ordering Memory for a Portable ICBM
So I finally ordered a 17-inch portable ICBM. I couldn't order it while I was at WWDC because I didn't want to take two 17-inch laptops home (the new ICBM and my original PowerBook). Now, everyone knows that you should never order extra memory from Apple, as they charge way too much. I usually order memory from 18004Memory, however, they either sold or gave my email address to spammers. I won't support companies that give my email address to spammers. So where should I order the memory? I'm looking at OptiVAL memory, but I've never ordered from them before and I haven't really heard much about them. I've never been one of those to believe the entire "buy the most expensive memory" mantra as often the memory is manufactured from the same place and many companies (like Crucial) seem to artificially inflate their memory prices when they know they are dealing with a Mac user, even when it is the exact same part. I'm most interested in hearing from people that have had memory fail. It's not that I want to avoid the companies with failed memory modules, I want to know how hard it was to get a replacement for no additional cost. Apple is known for making computers with extraordinarily strict RAM requirements and they have released firmware updates that have caused the requirements to get event stricter. So it's very important to know how these RAM companies handle replacements. I originally started using 18004Memory because they offered free replacements when Apple released the first such firmware update. But of course, they're no longer a suitable candidate. So yeah, where do people out there in the land of the internets buy their ICBM (Core Duo) memory?   Posted by rosyna at August 16, 2006 10:20 PMTrackback Pings: TrackBack URL for this entry: Related:
Comments
Order from macsales.com or crucial.com both give the same lifetime warranties on their products. Somtimes Macsales is cheaper sometimes crucial is. Both are great companies though. Posted by: Shayne Sandison on August 16, 2006 10:40 PMBut both crucial and OWC are nearly twice the cost of the OptiVAL memory. And I already mentioned that Crucial seems to make their memory more expensive to mac users, even when it is the identical part number they sell to PC users. Posted by: Rosyna on August 16, 2006 10:42 PMnewegg.com That's where I bought an additional gig for my 17". Check user reviews to make sure that it works with your laptop. No problems so far. hi that's great! i'd really love it if i could use your product again, unfortunately I haven't heard from a single person or gotten any of the automatic emails regarding my registration code. Please help! Tricia, commenting here is not the way to get support. If you lost your code, just go to the support page you used to get our email address and fill out the "lost code" form. Furthermore, you were sent a personal reply many hours ago. If you did not get it, this issue probably lies with your ISP's spam filter or an overzealous spam filter on your computer. Posted by: Rosyna on August 16, 2006 11:32 PMI used to buy everything online. I now try to buy as much as possible at the local Fry's Electronics to keep the local guys around. Prices are usually just a few dollars more and sometimes less, even on memory. I bought the Patriot brand (not in the Mac section) for my MBP 15" and it has been working perfect. A friend bought the wrong chip at Fry's for his mac, called Patriot and they sent him the correct chip. No questions asked - didn't have to return the wrong one. Posted by: cosjr on August 17, 2006 2:33 AMI second Newegg.com. I got a stick of (bad) Rosewill RAM there, sent it back easily and got a replacement that hasn't failed since. Rosewill was the cheapest brand, though you might find something else that works. Posted by: Arden on August 17, 2006 3:15 AMI recommend OWC (eshop.macsales.com) or MemoryX.net. Both carry Apple Original (Samsung) RAM in case you're worried about future possible memory incompatibilities. Both charge significantly less than Apple for the same product. Posted by: Ben Rosenthal on August 17, 2006 5:41 AMwhile newegg is cheaper it doesnt always work, i tried several sticks for a friends laptop that was cheap and nothing worked, after 3 different sticks we gave up and ordered from macsales. The OptiVal stick is cheaper but if you check out the specs its a lower quality stick of RAM.. Posted by: Shayne on August 17, 2006 6:50 AMYou get what you pay for. Crucial.com (it's a division of Micron, for crying out loud!) Posted by: Joshua Ochs on August 17, 2006 7:01 AMI have used OWC memory in all of my computers since 2000 and I have had zero issues with it. Posted by: Twist on August 17, 2006 9:22 AMto rosyana: sorry to use the comments section. I've tried 10 times to get the codes via the website and haven't gotten any comments from anyone so this is the only method i can think of. att.net supposedly holds junk mail in screened mail folder and there's nothing there. I turned it off. I had very good luck with these guys when I got RAM for my PB: http://www.datamem.com/ . Posted by: Ken on August 17, 2006 10:59 AMGot my 1 gb stick through newegg.com like the other guys. I went for Kingston though...still cheaper than the apple upgrade... Posted by: Yo Yo on August 17, 2006 11:01 AMJoshua, it's the "you get what you pay for" mantra that just isn't true in RAM. In that case, Apple's should be the best because it is the most expensive, but it isn't the best. And many memory companies were found to have fixed prices at an artificially high level. More often than not, the cheapest stick of ram will work just as well as the most expensive stick of ram. Posted by: Rosyna on August 17, 2006 12:38 PMI usually order mine from techworks.com. Nearly 10 years ordering RAM from them and no failures yet. Posted by: Jason F on August 17, 2006 1:28 PMICBM means Intel-Chip Based Mac. (It's a pun on the older "Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile" from the cold war.) Posted by: Jesper on August 17, 2006 4:14 PMHi Rosyna, I apologize for posting on the comments section, but I believe the att.net email is busted and would like to be able to access my registration codes. I have not received any emails from any of your staff, but am receiving them from friends. I don't know how else to communicate; I've tried to specifically email people, and also tried getting my code via the form online many, many times, and nothing is working. Please email me at tromano@villagevoice.com and once again I apologize. I went from 2x512MB to 2x1GB on my 15" ICBM by buying from memoryx.net. It was a good price as of April 14; I don't know how it compares now. I'd definitely be interested to know whether you find a 1x1GB upgrade that can be paired with the 1x1GB that can come in the 17" -- I just bought one, and would rather not have to buy 2x1GB for it... Posted by: Tristan Horn on August 17, 2006 5:37 PMWell, now that I've read for comprehension, it looks like Newegg is the ticket. I just bought 1GB for the 17", so we'll see how that goes... thanks! Posted by: Tristan Horn on August 17, 2006 5:45 PMI will never buy memory in a place where Intel Core Duo is named "DOU" (OptiVAL). OMFG what a serious guys... You gave the reason for higher Mac memory prices in your blog entry, even though you obviously didn't realize it. Stricter requirements. That means tighter tolerances, and that means a greater percent failure on the yield, and that means higher prices because you have to spend money making and testing chips you can't use. I used to work in Military Test for Signetics when I was in college, and the space shuttle parts had to pass a truly impressive battery of tests. Chips that failed these tests underwent the less rigid standard military tests. Those that failed military test went to the even less rigid commercial tests. Chips that failed the shuttle test would often pass the military test. Those that failed the military tests often passed the commercial test. Guess which chips cost more, even though they all came from the same wafers. Posted by: frgough on August 23, 2006 8:15 AMfrgough, except I said these often have the same exact part numbers. If they were tested differently, they'd have different part numbers. Even the "highest tested" stuff from a lot of these companies are cheaper than their mac memory. Posted by: Rosyna on August 23, 2006 8:26 AMI bought PQI memory from NewEgg--2 1GB sticks for $70 a stick. No problems with it--to me, PQI is sort of in-between a totally generic no-name product and the better-known branded products, and I have always had decent luck with their products. Posted by: Scotty on August 24, 2006 11:19 AMI order Mushkin RAM from NCIX. They are a Canadian company that consistently delivers products at an excellent price. Other than being a very satisfied customer, I have no affiliation with them. Mushkin RAM for Apple Products: 1 x 1GB - US $117.00 Cheers! Colin Posted by: Colin Ng on August 31, 2006 9:59 AMKeep comments on topic. If a comment is unrelated to this post, it may be removed or moderated. |