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Where to buy RAm for a new G5?
Finnaly pulled the string and bought a dual core 2.3 with a 7800 GT, now I need to add some RAM. I’ve heard people say good things about crucial, but they’re charging around $300 for 2 x 1gig sticks of ram where as 4allmemory.com and Other World Computing are both under $200 for the same setup. I believe I had heard good things about 4allmemory when I was more of a pc user, and I think Barefeats used to recommend Other World Computing for RAM, but I can’t find anything on that now.
So, are one of these otions okay, or am I going to have to suck it up and pay the extra $100-200 for the crucial?
Thanks for any help! -
7 Replies
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crucial.com
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I’ve had such good luck with Crucial, but also have had OK RAM come from 6allmemeory… before I started buying from Crucial… at the time i bought last though, the prices were pretty close.
Jerry
Apple Certified Trainer
Author: “Jerry Hofmann on Final Cut Pro 4” Click here
Dual 2 gig G5, AJA Kona SD, AJA Kona 2, Huge Systems Array UL3D
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On the off-chance that you haven’t already ordered your RAM, I would suggest RAMJET as a terrific vendor. They are very Mac-friendly and I’ve had great success with them. Their current price is $115 for a 1 GB module.
You may take note on subtle differences between RAM vendors, specifically differences in latency ratings that sometimes can explain price differences. Also, you have an option of buying error correcting RAM versions for your dual core G5 (ECC modules a bit more expensive).
As you probably know already, you should install the RAM in pairs, with each pair being made up of modules with the same exact specs.
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Sorry for the delay, but thanks for the help. Crucial has gotten good feedback at resellerratings.com, but so has 4allmemory. Other World Computing has not done as well. Crucial seems to be the favorite around here, but it runs about $80 more for each 2 gig set, so combined it would cost me $160 more. Is crucial really that much better?
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Thank you very much for that. Actually, I’ve been so busy with other things that I haven’t bought anything yet. Also, the latency wasn’t something I knew about. Most of the people I asked said basically that Ram was Ram.
I’ve been trying to compare latency stats a bit. Other World and Crucial both seem to say they’re at 4. I can’t find any stats for 4allmemory’s ram and RAMJET lists theirs as “Latency 4-4-4-12”, which I thought was the timing. The thing is Crucial is about $80 more expensive for each 2 gig set of Ram than any of the other options and as I’d like to buy 4 gigs of Ram, they’d cost $160. But accoding to the given latency speed, they’re the same as Other World. You said the difference in cost is usually small differences is latency speed, are you sure about that as it doesn’t seem to be the case here?
Thanks again! -
I mentioned that sometimes the price difference may be (partially) due to differences in latency, not entirely.
If the modules are essentially the same spec., the price difference can be accounted for by the difference prices charged by manufacturers, when the modules were sold (these things are commodities and are traded as such), margin desired by any given vendor, etc. The real secret here is that most modules of a given type are made by one or two manufacturers, i.e., the vendors don’t make the modules… they just buy them and put their sticker/label on them. It is a bit confusing when each vendor’s on-line listing may describe a “feature” differently from another.
Perhaps, more important than price alone is the quality of service of a given vendor. What is their replacement policy? Do they ship replacements before receiving your “bad” modules? For larger companies, price may be more important, as they could afford to have extra modules on-hand. It’s a balancing act.
I do like RAMJET.com for memory. Some of their modules come encased in metal (no exposed chips) for better heat dissipation (dust does kill electronic parts). Their prices were in-between Crucial and OWC/all4memory. I would guess that Crucial charges a bit more to pay for their advertising, which is much more substantial than the others.
The final question to consider may be: “What is the best mix of price and service for a given vendor.” At the end of the day, except for “deluxe” modules (like I mentioned above from RAMJET, and others), the modules of a given type are all the same (different resellers/vendors may sell the same exact SAMSUNG module, for example).
I don’t think you’ll go wrong with any of the mentioned vendors.
-Dave
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crucial is the only place I purchase RAM from and I replace all the ram in my machine. For instance I purchased both of my current G5’s with the bare minimum RAM and then replaced it with 3GB and 4GB RAM in the two machines from Crucial.
This ensures all the RAM matches up perfectly.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
https://www.biscardicreative.comDirector, “The Rough Cut”
https://www.theroughcutmovie.comNow Posting “Good Eats” in HD for the Food Network
“I reject your reality and substitute my own!” – Adam Savage, Mythbusters
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