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Third party RAM for new Mac Pros?

Dominic Jones

Dominic Jones

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Hi all,

So... Looking like we've got the spec nailed down for our new Mac Pros, but where are people sourcing 3rd party RAM from? Over here in the UK, I'm having a tough time finding 800Mhz FB-DIMMs - is that really what's inside these beasties, or are they running on 667MHz?

The apple store lists them as having memory of "up to" 800MHz speed - which I presumed to mean is was 800MHz, but is that just the marketing boys doing their thing??
 
800MHZ is the fastest memory for the new chipset used in the latest MacPro. It also supports the previous 667MHZ memory or at least it should according to Intel.
 
Don't forget you can also use the 8GB DIMMs if you can afford them.
 
Well... OWC it is.

You should see UK prices - I got quoted £300 (that's pounds) for 4GB Kingston RAM from a reseller! Best I could find it for (on a quick search to be fair) was about £270, making it a phenomenal 230% more expensive (that's with shipping from the US included, to boot).

Thanks all, really useful advice.
 
My general feeling with things like this is avoid any reseller who specialises in Mac stuff. Invariably they change much more for EXACTLY the same thing than a non-Mac specialist.

The other thing the FB-DIMMs are used for is servers, so some of the more high-end resellers are the best source here anyway.
 
Other FB-DIMMs will work with the Mac Pro, just be sure you have adequate heat spreaders on them or you're risking shorter lifespan or system crashes under heavy loads and heat. Most FB-DIMM modules DO NOT have the proper heat spreaders.

The modules from OWC, TransIntl.com and ramjet.com all have proper heat spreaders on them. They also carry great warranties right from the vendor and unconditional guaranty that they will work with your Mac.

Their prices are not bad at all. I could go to Newegg or other vendor and order equivalent FB-DIMMs at a lower price, but they're not going to have the right heat spreaders, I'll probably only be saving $15 per module or so and in 60 days when I'm doing some serious rendering and the system crashes there's nothing I can do. I can complain, but if I send the RAM back and they test it to find nothing wrong with it, then I'm stuck with it. Instead of replacing the RAM, I'd be scrounging ebay or other potential sources for some heat spreaders.

I like Crucial modules too. Although, I've heard mixed reviews over their FB-DIMM kits that are Mac approved. I've been watching different vendors and prices and ramjet.com has crappy prices. Theyre price $250 more for an 8GB kit with 4GB modules compared to transintl.com or owc.
 
It's the Heat! Only buy Mac-specific memory for the Mac Pro

It's the Heat! Only buy Mac-specific memory for the Mac Pro

Yes, the key difference with the Mac Pro memory is the heat sinks (a.k.a heat spreaders). Even previously good providers of Mac Memory have tripped over this hurdle. According to Diglloyd (click here), who did real-world testing of both performance and heat generation, dissipation, and resulting fan speed, the OWC memory works as well as the official Apple memory, and OWC stands behind their product with a 14 day full refund (including shipping) if not satisfied, plus lifetime advance-replacement of any failed units. I single them out not because they are better than Crucial or Ramjet or SATech, but because they are cheaper. Barefeats (click here) also tested and endorsed both TransIntl and OWC memory.

As of today, 4GB (2 x 2GB) prices for 800Mhz Mac Pro memory are :

TransIntl: $218
OWC: $219.99
Ramjet: $269
TechWorks (Buffalo Technology): $299
Edge Tech: $312
SATche: $349.98
Crucial: $579.99
Apple: $999

=Chase=
 
OWC has always been great. In the event you do have a stock go bad they stand behind it and replace it. Great prices too.

Steve
 
I always go to ramseeker.com. It's a site that allows you to select your model and then view prices from a whole bunch of companies. I've always found Omni technologies to be the cheapest. They currently are selling a 2GB kit 667mhz (2 1GB modules all apple certified with heat spreaders) for $88. Now that's a deal. The new 800mhz memory is only $119 for the same kit, but for those of you with the 2007 Mac Pros there's no need to pay the extra premium for the 800mhz memory.

http://www.omnitechnologies.biz/cgi...o&catstr=HOME:A57:appledesktopmem:applemacpro
 
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