Searching for RAM?
One of the things that makes PowerMax different from a lot of online computer retailers is that we're not here just to fulfill orders after making you do all the work and research.
Accordingly, we don't provide long lists of memory descriptions and prices in the hopes of grabbing a bit of the expert-shopper business. We'd rather talk with you and find out what your needs are, and explain at length what kind of memory, and how much, is best for your computer and your needs. Our goal is to save you money while increasing your productivity, and we still believe in doing that the old-fashioned way: through a bit of conversation.
Call Us!
Give us a call at 1-888-769-7629 and we will help you pick the best amount of memory at the best price for your particular needs.
Here is some information you might find useful for your memory purchase
"Size may be important... but it is not the most important thing." We've all heard this before, but with RAM it actually is true. Picking the right stick of RAM for your Mac is not as simple as saying "I need to add 512MB of RAM." Most models of the Mac have a variation as to how that might happen best.
Just because two different sticks say they are 512MB, does not make them equal to each other or interchangeable. There are a multitude of variations even from the same manufacturer.
In addition, just because it has an Apple logo on the sticker doesn't mean it was made by Apple. Apple buys RAM from the same people we do (and actually shorten the warranty they offer in the process).
Selecting RAM for a Mac is not something that can be done by a chart alone. It takes expertise and experience, and even then it can confuse the best of us. What should you look for and what should you expect from RAM? When should you buy it and from where? What's necessary for you to know about your Mac so that you can order the right RAM? There are almost more questions you need to answer just to buy RAM for your Mac than what you needed to know to buy the Mac itself. We can help.
RAM, evolved
RAM is one of the components that has to evolve with any improvements to the processor. The two are so tightly paired with the operation of the Mac that RAM really could be seen as an extension of the processor. Most major design changes also indicate a RAM change. Some Macs are finicky with the RAM they take, and others can work a variety of RAM types. A great example is pre-USB 2.0 eMacs. They have trouble with many 256MB RAM chips. They only like unstacked chips on double-sided sticks. Even then it can tricky to find a compatible stick of RAM. 512MB chips have none of these problems.
The 1.67GHz PowerBook is another classic example of an obscure issue. One version of the 1.67 uses PC 2700 DDR RAM, and the next version uses PC 4200 DDR2 RAM. Worse yet, there is very little to tell the two PowerBook versions apart. Mac towers have the same problem. Some PowerMac G4/400 towers can take 512MB RAM sticks and others can only take a 256MB stick in each of its four RAM slots. These are tidbits that only techs who live in this stuff every day will acquire.
What RAM is made of
RAM sticks have three main parts that are important to know about. The "board" is the oft-green center of a RAM stick. It has gold-plated connectors on one edge and chips along its flat sides. The RAM chips are the black plastic containers that are the storage portions of the RAM stick. A much smaller portion of RAM is the controller. It handles the way data travels through the board to each chip and back again. It is often considered part of the board, but it is a critical part of the RAM stick, and is what allows it to work with a Mac.
RAM can be made of a board and controller from one company and chips from another company. It's much better to get RAM from a manufacturer that makes all the elements of that stick, much like buying a computer whose operating system and hardware are made by the same company. You also want to buy RAM from a major manufacturer, so that you know they can afford to test and warranty their product. When RAM is composed of chips from a major manufacturer, installed on the same company's board, it is called Major on Major RAM. Major on Major is what Apple uses and what PowerMax prefers to sell.
So when you search for RAM and compare prices, you've got to know that not all memory is created equal. You should also know that there can be nothing more mysterious or hard to pinpoint than an intermittent RAM problem, and problems with your Mac as you're trying to finish a project are extremely annoying, to say the least.
You can rely on us
PowerMax will always be competitive on memory prices, but we'll also always endeavor to make sure your complete Mac experience is as trouble-free as possible. So just give us a call. We'll be glad to discuss what you're looking for. And we're from Oregon for goodness sake, which means we wouldn't know how to deliver a hard sales pitch if our lives depended on it. We're just still too laid back and friendly out here. :-)
