Mac's RAM or Kingston RAM?

Question

Level 1

20 points

Mac's RAM or Kingston RAM?

I am going to buy a new 2.4 GHz MBP and i definitely want 4 GB of RAM. The problem is the Apple upgrade to 4 GB of ram is $400, where as I can upgrade using an after market RAM, such as the Kingston RAM, for a quarter of the price. Here's my concerns: 1. I know I can install the RAM myself, and I know how to, it's just a matter of how smart would it be to do so. Are there any risks in doing this?
2. If I do buy after Apple Market RAM, are what are the performance setbacks/risks of the less expensive RAM?
3. Who makes the highest quality RAM for MBP?

Thanks for sharing your knowledge, I appreciate the help.

24" iMac intel, 20" iMac, G3 Mac, 30 GB iPod, 1 GB Shuffle, 2nd Generation iPod, Mac OS X (10.5.1)

Posted on Mar 14, 2008 11:32 PM

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Answer 1

Mar 15, 2008 3:17 AM in response to Catalyst447

There is zero differences between the Apple RAM and third party. I chose Kingston when I upgraded my RAM in my Macbook Pro and it's working flawlessly. Just be sure to get the exact type of RAM the Macbook Pro needs. The installation is very simple; all you need is a Phillips 0 screwdriver. Don't sweat it, go for the more affordable option.

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Answer 2

sig

Level 8

35,862 points

Mar 15, 2008 4:35 AM in response to Catalyst447

Make sure you don't get the Kingston value ram. For good ram prices check here:
http://www.macsales.com/

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Answer 3

jflnyc

Level 1

15 points

Mar 15, 2008 4:59 AM in response to Catalyst447

It's obscene that Apple charges $400 for 4 gig of RAM which can be bought for ~$100. I happened to get Mushkin RAM from ClubMac.com (cost <$120) because that's where I bought my MBP. But OWC always has great values on RAM and they're very customer friendly.

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Answer 4

Mar 15, 2008 7:47 AM in response to Catalyst447

Newegg.com has been the best source of parts (Mac or PC, since a Mac IS a PC) for years. Not only do they almost always have the best price, you cannot beat their service. Read the reviews on almost every product, even products that people didn't like, and you'll always find comments along the lines of, "As always, newegg service is awesome!"

Here's the Kingston from there:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134373

BTW, if you think $400 for an additional 2GB of RAM is bad, guess what they charged for it up until 3 weeks ago...

$700.

Robbing their non-technically savvy customers. Nice company.

-Doc

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Answer 5

jflnyc

Level 1

15 points

Mar 15, 2008 7:58 AM in response to Catalyst447

Newegg is great, and that's an excellent price for that RAM. Highly recommend.

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Answer 6

jflnyc

Level 1

15 points

Mar 18, 2008 6:21 AM in response to Catalyst447

I just saw this today:

http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=206341199&adid=17653&dcaid=17653

Same Kingston RAM 2GB modules for $44.95 each. Too late for me, but maybe it will help someone else.

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Answer 7

R. Berardi

Level 4

2,036 points

Mar 18, 2008 10:30 AM in response to sig

+Make sure you don't get the Kingston value ram.+

why is that?
i put 4 gigs in my MBP, ran hardware test - found nothing
have not had one single problem, no panics, no freezes, etc.

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