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Where to buy RAM for a Mac Pro
Is there any reason to pay the higher price for Apple RAM rather than buy it from a vendor such as Crucial? Is Apple’s any better or more reliable?
ALFRED GUZZETTI
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9 Replies
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No… no reason at all EXCEPT piece of mind. Something to consider when putting memory into a Mac Pro. You need to have all the memory bars the same size and placed in matching pairs across the risers.
The most important thing is to see if they have a replacement policy or restocking fees if the memory doesn’t work for you.
My suggestion is that you replace the Apple 512s with new 1 gig bars in at least configurations of 4 gig or 8 gig.
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Wayne Carey
Schazam Productions
http://www.schazamproductions.com -
I only buy memory from Crucial. After all, it has been one of the suppliers of “Apple” RAM. (Apple doesn’t make RAM; they just repackage it.)
I’ve had great success with Crucial.
-Russ
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I bought all of my memory from these guys, https://transintl.com/. Absolutely no problems.
Recommended on Barefeats.com -
Crucial has been great for me for years now. I’ve had zero problems with them.
And in the “useless info” category you should know that having all chips match is a Final Cut suggestion, not a Macintosh requirement.
Two chips in a pair DO have to match each other, but the pairs don’t have to match other pairs. So having 512 x2 and 1 GB x2 is ok as far as the Mac is concerned.
Now, Final Cut Pro strongly suggests that you have ALL chips the same, so you should do it that way just as Wayne said. But I feel it’s good to tell the whole story in case a non-Final Cut user ever ask for your help. It’s good to know even if it doesn’t apply to you.
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Many thanks for all this very helpful advice. It bothers me a little to buy a computer, then throw away the RAM and replace it, but I hear what you’re saying.
ALFRED GUZZETTI
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[Alfred Guzzetti] “It bothers me a little to buy a computer, then throw away the RAM and replace it, but I hear what you’re saying.”
Well, you don’t really throw it away. You can keep it for backup memory if something should happen OR you can sell it on Ebay.
I understand where you are coming from. Its not a Mac thing but a FCP thing. Its all about performance and the Mac Pro systems are really picky about this. Kinda makes you understand why PCs are so funky. Here, look at this service bulletin from Apple discussing this.
https://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304492
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Wayne Carey
Schazam Productions
http://www.schazamproductions.com -
Wayne,
Thanks for this reference. Maybe I’m reading it wrong, but I understand that it says that you need to ADD memory in pairs of equal size from the same vendor rather than have ALL pairs of equal size from the same vendor. For instance, I assume that a 2.66 1GB Mac Pro comes with a 512MB pair and that I could add a 2GB pair to get a total of 5GB without any problem. Do I have this wrong?
ALFRED
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[Alfred Guzzetti] “For instance, I assume that a 2.66 1GB Mac Pro comes with a 512MB pair and that I could add a 2GB pair to get a total of 5GB without any problem. Do I have this wrong?”
Well, you’re not wrong, just a little confused. I undertand fully. I was, too, at first. But here’s the short of it.
When looking for maximum performance when using FCP, you need to have all of you memory in equal pairs across risers. Mixing 512s with 1 gigs can cause you issues like having to render everything – no realtime support (Unlimited RT and Safe RT are disabled).
I did the same as you when I first got my Mac Pro back in August. At that time, no one really knew how to configure these things. I purchased my system from ProMax. The Mac Pro came with a total of 1 gig (512s). I added an additional 6 gig to that. When I got my system in and started using it, I noticed that my RT was disabled. I had everyone stumped on this one. Finally, a techie at ProMax tried a few things and found out that you can’t mix the 512s and the 1 gig bars if you want Unlimited RT and Safe RT to work.
Sounds kinda screwy, I know. But this was my personal experience.
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Wayne Carey
Schazam Productions
http://www.schazamproductions.com -
Wayne,
Thank you for this valuable information. You saved me a lot of trouble. Too bad Apple doesn’t make this clearer.
ALFRED
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