Looking for inexpensive memory for a G5 Power Mac

10/21/07 | Pontiac

[Pontiac]

I need some help from the Techies and Computer Nerds. I am the proud owner of a Power Mac G5 2.5Ghz. I want to upgrade the memory to 8G. I have a limited budget so I have been shopping around a little and have come across Ramjet.com which is offering 4G for $259.

Edge memory goes for $273 for 4G

Kingston $385 for 4G (I have had a Apple store employee tell me that Kingston works well in Macs).

Simple Tech $1,969 for 4G (what did I say? STAGGERING).

Does anyone have any experience with the memory sold by Ramjet or does anyone have any suggestions to offer on good quality memory for a G5 at a reasonable price (Personal experience please).

Just looking at MacMall the prices can be staggering.

http://www.ramjet.com/ItemDescription.asp?Item=G5DD4G

http://www.macmall.com/macmall/search/search.asp

[Pontiac]

But I will add that 4GB (one stick) is a bleeding-edge amount of memory, and can be expected to be very expensive.

The G5 can use 2G sticks and the G5 memory must be installed in pairs. Thus memory for the Mac G5 is offered in a 4G package.

[Petronski]

I did not know that.

[org.whodat]

And of course you have already checked ebay haven’t you.

[Pontiac]

Surfing around I found Other World Computing.

Has the best price for 4G memory I have found yet for what they say is certified Apple Compatible memory. $179.99

http://eshop.macsales.com/Search/Search.cfm?Criteria=PC4200%20533MHZ%20G5%20Pair&sort=a

[Pontiac]

And of course you have already checked ebay haven’t you.

Yes

There are eBay power sellers that offer Genuine Apple OEM memory at very good prices (compared to the Apple Store)

[Pontiac]

I did not know that.

I didn’t either until I started pricing memory for this machine of mine.

You may learn a lot when you get serious about upgrading your G4.

[GRRRRR]

Yeah, check out the CORSAIR RAM at Tigerdirect...bought 2Gig there a year ago and haven’t had a single problem. I think it was about $129 or so...

[Fire_on_High]

I wouldn’t consider this a good situation for ebay. I’d be wary of folks dumping iffy ram trying to get some money back and knowing how typically hard it is to pin ram issues down.

That said, I’ve seen very little difference between brands. The one bad stick I’ve ran into was from a midrange brand and line, and I’ve had cheap bottom of the barrel ram that’s performed gloriously for many years.

[Pontiac]

check out the CORSAIR RAM at Tigerdirect...

Thanks just checked them out.

They only offer one stick of 2G memory in DDR2 PC2-4200 • CL=4 • Unbuffered • NON-ECC • DDR2-533.

Made buy Centon Electronics for $97.99

The reviews on the page say that it is a quality product. But I want to buy matched pairs if I can.

[Pontiac]

I’d be wary of folks dumping iffy ram trying to get some money back and knowing how typically hard it is to pin ram issues down.

That said, I’ve seen very little difference between brands. The one bad stick I’ve ran into was from a midrange brand and line, and I’ve had cheap bottom of the barrel ram that’s performed gloriously for many years.

Good points.

I am certainly not looking to buy used RAM. I would only buy from a Store Front Power Seller on eBay.

I will also look of a good guaranty from the manufacturer.

Which brings up a good point; does anyone have any stories of returning faulty RAM to the seller or manufacturer?

[Pontiac]

I think this other world computing site may be a good one for you to look at.

http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/apple/memory/

[reg45]

I don’t use a Mac, but I have used Crucial memory for all my memory upgrades for PCs.

[MarkL]

Any idea if it is worth it to buy the Error Checking memory?

It depends, but it's not always an option. If the computer doesn't support it, it won't work if you install it. If the computer requires it, it won't work if you don't. There are some computers where it's optional: I don't think that it's worth it, but that's my personal opinion. And I don't know if it's optional on a PowerMac G5.

Mark

[Pontiac]

Heard that you are the Mac Guru.

I would appreciate any input.

[Swordmaker]

Is your Mac a G5 iMac or a tower? If it’s a dual processor tower, you want to get the best memory you can afford.

The Kingston memory is good. My main recomendation is to tell the supplier it’s for a Mac G5 and to get them to guarantee that it is certified for that use. Most hardware problems with Macs are memory problems caused by flaky RAM. You do want the heat sink that goes with the stick... Macs maintain their quietness by using as much passive cooling as possible.