twinsfan21

Q: Upgrading RAM: Documentation that this does NOT void warranty

Hello - I work at a University with a very "by the book" IT director. He is under the assumption that installing third-party parts (e.g. RAM, hard drives, etc) in an Apple product (such as a Mac Pro or MacBook) "voids the warranty" because this apparently is the case with some PC brands.

 

I know this is not the case and that Apple characterizes RAM as a user-upgradable part -- as long as you don't break anything while installing it, it does NOT void your warranty (case in point: Apple even gives detailed instructions on how to upgrade).

 

However, being the stickler that he is, my IT director will not take my word for it -- he needs proof from Apple that it's okay for us to upgrade these machines ourselves. Can anyone provide a link on an Apple (or similarly reputable) site clearly stating that this is the case? Does such documentation exist?

 

Thank you in advance for any help!

 

Ryan

Minnesota

Mac Pro

Posted on Jul 6, 2012 11:06 AM

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Q: Upgrading RAM: Documentation that this does NOT void warranty

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  • by The hatter,

    The hatter The hatter Jul 6, 2012 11:24 AM in response to twinsfan21
    Level 9 (60,935 points)
    Jul 6, 2012 11:24 AM in response to twinsfan21

    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4433

     

    Apple pdf diy and of course the 'booklet' it came with show what the above shows, for that model. The memory slot utility will even tell you if the placement of RAM was not ideal or to its liking.

     

    http://www.apple.com/support/macpro

  • by Grant Bennet-Alder,

    Grant Bennet-Alder Grant Bennet-Alder Jul 6, 2012 11:37 AM in response to twinsfan21
    Level 9 (61,250 points)
    Desktops
    Jul 6, 2012 11:37 AM in response to twinsfan21

    The upgrade procedure is described in the Users' manual, along with specifications to be used to assure compliance with Apple standards for your computer.

     

    You should have dozens of paper copies of that DVD-sized manual. Otherwise, these manuals can be downloaded from the support site.

     

     

    Additional notes

    Important: Apple recommends that you use Apple-approved DIMMs. DIMMs from older Mac computers cannot be used in your Mac Pro. You can purchase Apple-branded memory online from the Apple Store at www.apple.com/store.

     

    When purchasing DIMMs for use in Mac computers, make sure that the memory vendor conforms to the Joint Electronic Device Engineering Council (JEDEC) specification. Check with your memory vendor to ensure that the DIMMs support the correct timing modes and that the Serial Presence Detect (SPD) feature has been programmed properly, as described in the JEDEC specification.

     

  • by twinsfan21,

    twinsfan21 twinsfan21 Jul 6, 2012 11:28 AM in response to The hatter
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 6, 2012 11:28 AM in response to The hatter

    Would you say this is documentation enough that doing this doesn't void the limited warranty? The only thing it doesn't explicitly say anywhere on that page that following instructions will not void anything.

  • by The hatter,

    The hatter The hatter Jul 6, 2012 11:31 AM in response to twinsfan21
    Level 9 (60,935 points)
    Jul 6, 2012 11:31 AM in response to twinsfan21

    Hey listen 10 million plus users can't all be wrong, right?

     

    Take it up with the lifetime warranty that memory vendors like Kingston and Crucial offer.

     

    Being too paranoid to me.

  • by twinsfan21,

    twinsfan21 twinsfan21 Jul 6, 2012 11:34 AM in response to The hatter
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 6, 2012 11:34 AM in response to The hatter

    You're probably right that I'm being super paranoid... I can just predict the discussion I'm going to have with our IT guy -- 10 million users SHOULD be enough for him but he's somewhat of an idiot, so obviously an explicit statement would be ideal, if it existed.

     

    But I wasn't sure if it did or not. Thank you very much for your help!

  • by The hatter,

    The hatter The hatter Jul 6, 2012 11:55 AM in response to twinsfan21
    Level 9 (60,935 points)
    Jul 6, 2012 11:55 AM in response to twinsfan21

    He is giving the tiite "IT" either a bad name, or the deserved derison sometimes heaped on a few.

     

    Buy Mac Pro certified RAM from a good vendor.

     

    Trouble is Apple price is out of site and based on highest price at the time the Mac model came out and never adjusts to market pricing or improvements. Plus, Apple's own OEM RAM or upgrades do not have lifetime warranties, everyone else does though.

     

    Otherwise he is perfect "buy direct from Apple" customer that actually doesn't understand memory or that buying Apple is not the best bet in RAM or hard drives either.

     

    I would say that Apple makes the whole memory daughter card or process + memory daughter that slides out and makes it so easy the most user friendly of any system you could have. Why do that if they aren't to be accessible? for techs only?

  • by Grant Bennet-Alder,

    Grant Bennet-Alder Grant Bennet-Alder Jul 6, 2012 12:02 PM in response to The hatter
    Level 9 (61,250 points)
    Desktops
    Jul 6, 2012 12:02 PM in response to The hatter

    In the Apple Users' Manual, Apple DOES recommend that memory, drives, and PCI cards only be installed be Apple-certified technicians.

     

    You should read this as an indication that you should petition your "IT Guy" that you should be sent to Apple's next class for this work. Contact Apple regional sales office for dates, times, and content.

  • by Network 23,Solvedanswer

    Network 23 Network 23 Jul 6, 2012 12:23 PM in response to twinsfan21
    Level 6 (12,043 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 6, 2012 12:23 PM in response to twinsfan21

    twinsfan21 wrote:

     

    Would you say this is documentation enough that doing this doesn't void the limited warranty? The only thing it doesn't explicitly say anywhere on that page that following instructions will not void anything.

    In an indirect way, it does. The first three words in "Replacing the Hard Disk Drive" are "You can upgrade..." and under "Installing Addtional Memory" it says "You can add..." That is positive, imperative language that Apple lawyers would not allow if it would create ambiguity about warranty enforcement.

     

    Oh sure, Apple "recommends" that the work be done by a technician, but again, note the word choice. They said "recommends" not "requires."

     

    You and your IT person should know that in the consumer electronics industry, the term "user-serviceable" has a very specific and well-understood meaning. If your blender or TV or laptop says "no user-serviceable parts inside," that is understood by all service personnel and lawyers to mean "if the user opens it, we can deny them service." Now, what happens if you search for "user-servicable" in an Apple manual? In the one for my 2009 MacBook Pro, it says on page 63, "Your MacBook does not have any user-serviceable parts other than the battery and the memory." (I actually think that's inaccurate because Apple treats the hard drive as also upgradeable.) Anyway, that definitely says, in print, that memory IS user-serviceable, and by industry convention it means that if a user services the RAM it does not void the warranty. You might want to search for the term "user-serviceable" in the manuals for your MacBook Pro models.

     

    I realize this will probably not be enough for your IT guy. Maybe it will help to relate real-world experiences. If you send a Mac into Apple for warranty service, and they determine that a problem is not due to the RAM, having the non-Apple-installed RAM in there is not going to stop them from fixing the computer. I have experienced this time and time again. They still fix it. If the problem is determined to be caused by the non-Apple-installed RAM, they will simply say "Not our fault" and send it back, but that's fair if it isn't Apple's hardware that is the problem.

     

    Sometimes I avoid any hassles by actually putting the original drive and RAM back into the Mac before sending it in. Then there can be no argument. If the problem is there, it's all their parts.

  • by twinsfan21,

    twinsfan21 twinsfan21 Jul 6, 2012 1:11 PM in response to Network 23
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 6, 2012 1:11 PM in response to Network 23

    Thank you. You're right, that's probably as close as it gets to Apple explicitly stating what is and is not "user-servicable."

     

    Thank you so much for pointing this out! If it's not enough for my IT guy, then he's a lost cause... He's already pretty anti-Apple, so we'll see.

     

    Thanks!