"DO NOT buy the ram from apple" a quote on the Forum. Is this because of the price Apple charges to upgrade from 1G to 2G or is there better RAM out there?

samintx Wrote:
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> Is this because of the price Apple charges


Yes.

Not better, just cheaper.

If you're willing to install it yourself (fairly easy in most if not all cases) you can get much more for your money.

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Way Cheaper!
When Apple first introed the last G5 iMac, 2GB of RAM was $1200!!!
At that same timeframe, DataMem had it for $279.

BGnR

another consideration: when your Apple warranty expires, so does the RAM's warranty.

3rd party vendors usually give a lifetime warranty.

Although... keep in mind the difficulty invloved in installing the memory.

For the novice, buying the new Intel Mac mini with all the memory you need from Apple might be a better solution than trying to buy it separately and install it yourself. That model is notorious for being hard to get into for a simple memory upgrade.

But for most Macs, yeah, buying memory elsewhere is usually a much better deal.

I installed ram ON MY original iBook and never again! those screws were so tiny...had to put on masking tape to make sure I didn't lose them and to hold to rescrew and never again. My hands are also to shakey now days.

Installing memory in iMacs, PowerMacs and the recent Apple portables hasn't been too bad for the average user. That said, some people don't like to monkey around inside their computers at all. Depends on how you define value.

I know a fair number of folks who would happily pay twice as much not to have to "worry about it". I'm guessing most folks here, being deal-seekers, probably find Apple's prices for RAM a bit steep given the alternatives.

I went ahead and bought installed Apple RAM when I bought my iBooks. First of all, I don't feel like fiddling around in there. Second, OS X is fussy about RAM so this way I know it's not going to be an issue. Third, I am more lazy than I am thrifty.

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i have never found ram difficult to install on any mac i have ever owned.

steps are in the manuals and online, some even with video

im more frugal than lazy =)

jdc Wrote:
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> i have never found ram difficult to install on any
> mac i have ever owned.
>
> steps are in the manuals and online, some even
> with video
>
> im more frugal than lazy =)

JDC, I guess your not older, nor disabled, SamInTx was not complaining about difficulty of the job, it just when we get older, things get progressively more difficult, print and screws get smaller, steps and hills get bigger, and steeper.

Don't laugh, time cripples even the best.

BGnR

jdc Wrote:
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> i have never found ram difficult to install on any mac i have ever owned.

You never owned a PowerMac 7100... heh.

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sscutchen Wrote:
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> jdc Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > i have never found ram difficult to install
> on any mac i have ever owned.
>
> You never owned a PowerMac 7100... heh.
>
>

My favorite was the powermac 8500.

Jem Wrote:
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> My favorite was the powermac 8500.

I watched someone add RAM to an 8500 once, and I was very glad it wasn't me having to mess around in there.

I installed ram on my Powerbook 17" myself. Not difficult at all.
Took out the stock 512MB and installed two 1GB sticks.

All i needed was one of those tiny screwdrivers from those eyeglass repair kits you see at the supermarket checkout for $2.99.

After spending +2Gs on a new laptop, the last thing i wanted to worry about was cracking it open and mucking with the inards. The OWC instructional video helped alot.
It boosted my confidence to see how easy it was.

[eshop.macsales.com]

re: lazy/not thrifty ... our favorite kinds of customers!

aka "ringers"

i DID have a 7100, it wasnt bad -- i didnt have an 8500, which is plenty bad

im not super old, but old enough that many things have gotten harder due to age...

And I thought this was the penny-pinching crowd over here.

"Ringers" is a great term, as in ringing the cash register.

I got scary good and disassembling my 8500, having done it so many times over the years. Even now it would take me less than 5 minutes to get it disassembled to the point where I can add or remove RAM.

the first time installing RAM in an 8500 took me 45 minutes to get to the logic board.

Silencio Wrote:
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> I got scary good and disassembling my 8500, having
> done it so many times over the years. Even now it
> would take me less than 5 minutes to get it
> disassembled to the point where I can add or
> remove RAM.

I got much better with time... but what I really resented was that you had to remove ALL the PCI cards, and the CPU, and then all the power and data cables that connected to the MB before you could slide it out... which itself always seemed like an awkward event given you had to pop out the "power-on" button in order to do so.

Once you got the memory in (hoping you didn't break one of the support clips, and interleaved it properly) you reassembled everything and *prayed* that everthing including the PCI and CPU cards were seated firmly when you booted up again. If not... tear it all apart again. Man that sucked!

Considering how one of the main deterrents for potential switchers is Apple's reputation for higher prices, it's a shame they're so short-sighted on their RAM pricing. I wonder how many Windows users, on the verge of buying a Mac, have walked out of an Apple Store after they found out how bad they were going to get reamed on what it essentially a commodity item. Or, worse yet, found out after they got home and THEN discovered they couldn't return the RAM after they found it much cheaper elsewhere. Plus, seeing things like generic Belkin routers repackaged in a slightly different box with a "Mac compatible" blurb costing one and a half times what they can get it for at the CompUSA across the street doesn't help dispel that elitist reputation either.