01-21-2007, 11:11 AM

hi, i was looking for any resources anyone could offer for where to get a dead RAM slot in my powerbook repaired or replaced, and if anyone has any ideas of cost? my warranty is over, too, if it matters.

i am 100% certain that the problem exists in the slot, and not in the RAM chip itself. for the long, boring, and frankly, embarrassing details of HOW i know this, read on to the fine print.

otherwise, any resources you know of (besides my local apple store) would be awesome.

: : :

THE FINE PRINT:
when i bought my powerbook (3?) years ago, i asked for the stock 512MB of RAM to be upgraded to 1GB. now i'm running some upgrades on it, and RAM is one of them. prior to purchasing any new RAM, i checked my system profiler for the first time in the time that i've owned the machine, and was surprised to see that the RAM was listed as 512MB, in one slot -- the upper slot. i thought to myself, "well, it was a long time ago, maybe i DIDN'T get it upgraded when i bought it." ok, fine, so i order a 1GB chip, receive it, and crack open the back of the powerbook yesterday, only to find ... TWO 512MB CHIPS INSIDE. but remember, the system profiler was only showing ONE 512MB chip. so with the back open, i pulled out the 512 from the lower slot and put in the new 1GB chip. (this should now account for a total of 1.5GB of RAM for anyone not counting.) turned the computer back on and system profiler continues to tell me that i have only one 512MB chip in the upper slot. so off with the back again and i swap the chips. now, when i turn on the system profiler, finally, it tells me i have 1GB of RAM in one slot -- the upper slot.

so that's the long, painful truth of how i discovered that my lower RAM slot is dead, or at least not functioning, and likely hasn't been since i bought the machine.

obviously, i'm past warranty now, too. nice.

: : :

THANKS!

01-21-2007, 02:12 PM

Well, sorry to say, the RAM slot is tied into the main board, so that would call for a whole new mother board. I looked around at a few major Mac online stores, and they don't offer what you need, and neither does eBay. I'm sorry to say, but I think Apple may be your best option. It's probably not going to be cheap either. You should probably get an estimate and go from there. If all else fails, you could just toss the 1 Gb stick in the working slot, and settle for that...

01-21-2007, 03:42 PM

Originally Posted by Jeff

Well, sorry to say, the RAM slot is tied into the main board, so that would call for a whole new mother board. I looked around at a few major Mac online stores, and they don't offer what you need, and neither does eBay. I'm sorry to say, but I think Apple may be your best option. It's probably not going to be cheap either. You should probably get an estimate and go from there. If all else fails, you could just toss the 1 Gb stick in the working slot, and settle for that...

thanks for the feedback, i do appreciate it. i have already stuck the 1GB stick in the working slot, and that's what i'm working with now, but i did find some additional information about it...

apparently, there is a known problem with the lower slot failing on certain aluminum 1.67/1.5GHz powerbook g4s. apple even has a program in place to extend the warranty in this specific situation. HERE is a link. nice, right? i just hope i qualify -- my serial number doesn't fall into the span that they say is the affected batch. (sigh.)

anyway, i really appreciate you laying the knowledge on me that the slot is tied to the motherboard, and also that the cost would be a chunk. i will use that info to make further decisions.

cheers.