RAM Manufacturer Opinions

Question

Level 1

65 points

RAM Manufacturer Opinions

HI everyone. Looking for some advice on places to buy RAM for my Mac Pro. Looks like most places that have been recommended by people on the forums are charging around $400 for 2GB (2x1GB) of RAM. Manufacturers I'm talking about are newegg, transintl, macsales, 4allmemory, etc. I've found a few that are a little cheaper and was wondering if anyone had any experiences with them. Memory to go and power line memory both are a bit cheaper with memory to go selling for about $366 and Power Line Memory selling for $338. I believe I've seen members saying that they've had good experience with the memory to go modules. Has anyone used the Power Line Memory modules? A link to the product is:
http://store.powerlinememory.com/ma685g-a.html

Also, any other opinions are more than appreciated. I'm certainly not averse to paying the extra $40-$70 for something that I know will provide good results but if either of these prove to be good choices, then I'm also not averse to saving a little chaching!

Thanks.

Mac Pro 2.66 Stock Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Posted on Jan 5, 2007 6:19 AM

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Answer 1

The hatter

Level 9

61,031 points

Jan 5, 2007 6:29 AM in response to Parag

I've heard nothing but good things about Ramjet so I gave them an order, 2 x 1GB $428 and it has been running fine. But... I was disappointed in the packaging. Thin layer of bubblewrap allowed it to slide around inside the FedEx box. OWC used a LOT of bubble inside (but the RAM was kicking up errors).

No one packages RAM like Apple. Great looking box that protects memory. Crucial comes close 2nd but prices are almost as high.

Even Crucial has been having to work with customers to replace RAM to work properly.

If I were buying from OWC (and they get a lot of business) I'd stick with their TechWorks RAM.

Seeing you have 1GB do you plan to add 1GB (2 x 512) or go to 4 x 1GB eventually?

Never heard of powerline. I assume they just use generic or 2nd tier or stuff that doesn't qualify for brand name label. If it looks too good to be true, it usually is. Especially with FB-DIMM ECC. That is about $100 under TechWorks and Ramjet, and $70 under TransIntl. Personally.

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Answer 2

Parag Author

Level 1

65 points

Jan 5, 2007 6:47 AM in response to The hatter

Thanks for the insight, The hatter.
I have 1GB (2x512) right now and wanted to upgrade. figured there would be no harm in adding 2 GB (2x1GB). My impression from a quick search of the forums is that it is more desirable to have all matching types of RAM? If that were to be the case, then I'm not sure what my plan would be. I'd prefer to go the 4x1GB route but obviuosly there are some monetary issues with that. Any suggestions?

Mac Pro 2.66 Stock Mac OS X (10.4.7)

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Answer 3

The hatter

Level 9

61,031 points

Jan 5, 2007 7:33 AM in response to Parag

Instead of looking at cost, look at what you need.

2GB: 4 x 512MB is nice and offers better performance and what everyone should really try to have.

4GB: 4 x 1GB should be fine for most.

4GB: 8 x 512MB is also fine and there is a hit on RAM latency is all, and costs slightly more in the end.

If you think you need 5 (or 6) GB of RAM, very understandable to do it in stages. In the end it costs more to buy 4 or 6 x 512MB to get to 2, 3 or 4GB.

I needed 3GB (1GB 2 x 512MB $250 vs 2GB 2 X 1GB $425) and opted for the later. Looking forward, would I ever need more? unlikely. Looking back, I should have saved instead and gotten just 2 x 512MB to add to the 4 x 512MB I had.

I would rather see less RAM, spread it out over time, and get quality memory. Nor do I see myself ever needing more than 4GB.

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Answer 4

Parag Author

Level 1

65 points

Jan 5, 2007 8:08 AM in response to The hatter

My guess is that I could suffice with an extra 1 GB (2x512MB) as my machine's performance really only slows down with a fair number of apps open. I tend to have multiple iLife apps open at any given time plus internet activity, etc. I also use my machine to record audio but generally only have my audio apps open at that time so I haven't seen as much of a drain on performance in that situation. I also haven't gotten to the point where I've gone into production with heavy CPU intensive operations so that could be a factor. That all being said, how did you come up with a distinct value of RAM that you reqirued? Is there a measurement tool that you used that gave you some insight to that?
My other thought is that I'd like to go the 2x1GB route in anticipation that in the future I may need more memory and would be able to increment in 2 GB steps.
That all being said, is it a bad thing to add 2x1GB to the 2x512MB that I already have? I'd suspect the answer to that is no but figured it couldn't hurt to ask.
Not sure if my reasoning is quite right on this matter. Thanks again.

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Answer 5

Jan 5, 2007 8:25 AM in response to Parag

how did you come up with a distinct value of RAM that you reqirued?

Depending on the person the method can be different. For some is simply a case of what they needed on their previous system plus 1GB to cover them for Rosetta and anything additional for special things like Parallels. For others it's simply as much as they can afford.

The most scientific method however is by going with your page ins/outs ratio. If you page outs are less than 5% of your page in then you aren't running optimally in all situations although you do have enough and 1GB more would suffice if you wanted. Going beyond a 5% ratio you add more RAM based on what you have and what the ratio is. At around the 50% ratio mark you should be thinking of at least doubling your RAM installation.

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Answer 6

Parag Author

Level 1

65 points

Jan 5, 2007 8:48 AM in response to infinite vortex

Thanks for the info Ned. I'll give the staistical approach a whirl and see what shakes out of that.

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Answer 7

Jan 5, 2007 12:02 PM in response to Parag

I've also been searching around for RAM and I'm wondering what peoples experience is with the Wintec ram from New Egg. It says it's apple approved and it cheaper then a lot of places. Anyone using this?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?N=2010170551+1327925728&Submit=ENE &SubCategory=551

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Answer 8

drshame

Level 1

105 points

Jan 5, 2007 5:46 PM in response to Parag

Check out my earlier post on ECC errors.
MacPro Ram purchases can be the start of quite an adventure.

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Answer 9

fuzzydog

Level 2

355 points

Jan 6, 2007 6:52 AM in response to Parag

I have had good luck with crucial over the years. Maybe a few bucks more than some, but never a bad stick, good shipping. I have had bad sticks from otc places like compusa, so I do like crucial because of their reliability.

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Answer 10

drshame

Level 1

105 points

Jan 6, 2007 9:33 AM in response to Parag

Whatever Ram you choose, I would monitor the heat of the Dimms very closely.
My bad dimms ran about 150-170 degrees. I suspect that's what may have led to the continued ECC errors.

My first pair from my 2nd vendor ran about 140-150 untill the self-destructed after only 3 hours.

The replacements are running cooler than the Apple OEM 512's which are running at 140.

The replacment 1 Gigs are running at 130 & 134 degrees and are reporting no ecc errors.

I wouldn't even think about buying Mac Pro dimms unless the heat sinks looked exactly like Apples' and worked to keep their dimms cool.

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Answer 11

The hatter

Level 9

61,031 points

Jan 6, 2007 11:44 AM in response to Spencer Powell

S.A. Tech: Mac Pro Memory

Mac Pro 2GHz 4GB 10K Raptor 23" Cinema Mac OS X (10.4.8) WD RE16 RAID DW 4.0 APC RS1500 Vista RC1

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Answer 12

Parag Author

Level 1

65 points

Jan 8, 2007 7:03 AM in response to drshame

Wow. What an escapade. I think I would have given up if I had to go through what you went through. Glad to hear that it finally worked out for you. One thing I didn't see, though, was who you ended up getting the RAM from when it all finally worked out. Any chance you can pass that along?

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Answer 13

Parag Author

Level 1

65 points

Jan 8, 2007 7:04 AM in response to The hatter

Thanks for the links hatter. Have you ever bought from them? The information on their site certainly builds my confidence that I should get a good product from them.

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Answer 14

The hatter

Level 9

61,031 points

Jan 9, 2007 3:49 AM in response to Parag

I ran into those DIMMs from a friend's blog, and I thought I knew most of the players with good/excellent RAM reputations etc. from years of dealing with memory problems ("Bad RAM") etc. Even IBM Chipkill, but not those folks, and had already placed an order from Ramjet. Prices are comparable, so something I will keep in mind for future purchases.

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Answer 15

Jan 9, 2007 6:42 AM in response to Spencer Powell

I've also been searching around for RAM and I'm
wondering what peoples experience is with the Wintec
ram from New Egg. It says it's apple approved and it
cheaper then a lot of places. Anyone using this?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?N=201017
0551+1327925728&Submit=ENE&SubCategory=551

I don't think I'd trust the Wintec but the Techworks RAM at Newegg appears to be identical to what OWC sells. 2x1GB at Newegg for $352 (vs $419 at OWC) seems to be the best deal around for Mac Pro RAM that I'd trust.

-phil

Mac Pro 2.66 Mac OS X (10.4.8)

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