new aluminum macbook 2.4ghz (memory upgrade)

[PSUMSTR]

Hello everyone,

I recently bought the new aluminum 2.4 ghz macbook (first mac machine) and I am loving it. I bought the stock model that comes with 2gb 1066mhz ddr3 ram, and the store salesperson told me that if I wanted to upgrade the memory at anytime, I could just pay the same price that it would have cost me to get the macbook with 4gb online ($150 difference) and they would install it at the store for free. Today out of curiosity checked the apple store to see what options did I have if I wanted to upgrade the memory to 4gb. I was surprised to see that they only have the option of buying 4gb of memory instead of buying a 2gb dimm to add to the 2gb that I already have.

So I went back to the apple store website and saw that the stock models come with 2 (1gb so-dimms) and it all made sense. So my question is this: If I wanted to upgrade today to 4GB ram through apple, would I have to pay the $300 price for the 2 (2gb so-dimms) and basically do nothing with what I have inside, or was the sales guy correct in saying that they would charge me $150 to do it at the store?

Sorry for the long post. Any comments appreciated.

 

[chscag]

Go back to the Apple store where you purchased the MacBook and find the salesperson who quoted you the memory upgrade for $150.00 and ask again.

I suspect if he stated they would install the 4 Gb for an additional $150.00, that they will remove the two 1 Gb modules and replace them with 2 x 2 Gb and keep the modules which were removed. Sort of like a trade in.

Sounds like a good deal to me if it is indeed true. The new 1066 MHZ ddr3 modules are still quite expensive. Shop around on line and you'll see what I mean.

Regards.

 

[bad.heron]

Go back to the Apple store where you purchased the MacBook and find the salesperson who quoted you the memory upgrade for $150.00 and ask again.

I suspect if he stated they would install the 4 Gb for an additional $150.00, that they will remove the two 1 Gb modules and replace them with 2 x 2 Gb and keep the modules which were removed. Sort of like a trade in.

Sounds like a good deal to me if it is indeed true. The new 1066 MHZ ddr3 modules are still quite expensive. Shop around on line and you'll see what I mean.

Regards.

I believe chscag's assumption is right, but it is worth double checking. Also you might want to have a look at Crucial's website to see how much you can get memory from on there.

Here is the link: Memory upgrades, flash media, and usb storage at Crucial.com

 

[PSUMSTR]

chscag, Thanks for the reply. Do you know of any reputable online store that sells mac memory at a reduced cost? I am worried of buying from a brand other than apple and then have them void my warranty for not using an apple part. I am new to macs so don't know much about places to shop for hardware.

thanks

Go back to the Apple store where you purchased the MacBook and find the salesperson who quoted you the memory upgrade for $150.00 and ask again.

I suspect if he stated they would install the 4 Gb for an additional $150.00, that they will remove the two 1 Gb modules and replace them with 2 x 2 Gb and keep the modules which were removed. Sort of like a trade in.

Sounds like a good deal to me if it is indeed true. The new 1066 MHZ ddr3 modules are still quite expensive. Shop around on line and you'll see what I mean.

Regards.

 

[CrimsonRequiem]

chscag, Thanks for the reply. Do you know of any reputable online store that sells mac memory at a reduced cost? I am worried of buying from a brand other than apple and then have them void my warranty for not using an apple part. I am new to macs so don't know much about places to shop for hardware.

thanks

>_> That does not compute. Apple uses third party hardware for their HDD, RAM and other stuff too.

You can install the RAM yourself without voiding any warranties. Most of the 4GB DDR3 Sodimms that I have looked at are pretty much in the 150 range except for Micron which was a whooping 700 bucks (USD).

Might be cheaper to just upgrade the RAM from Apple this time around. Although Crucial does have 4GB for 145 or 147 bucks but that's not including tax and shipping so it's about the same. >_>" Although I wouldn't mine paying a little extra for quality parts.

I'm curious as to which company they are using for their RAM this time.

 

[sozo33]

best deal I know of - and warranty info

The Geniuses and Apple support techs who fix your computer when you mail it off will fix your computer if it has the stock memory in it when it arrives. Every now and then, they will remove the hardware and test it with Apple authorized RAM. If it works with their hardware, they'll return the system with your memory removed and tell you to replace it with memory purchased from Apple.

THAT SAID:

Third party memory does not void your warranty. It just needs to have the original memory in it when/if it needs to be repaired. So KEEP the original RAM or or have Apple exchange it for the $150 price.

The best prices I've found for ANY memory, including Apple, is Dell and Apple Computer Memory Upgrades, Laptop Memory, Flash Memory Cards and Hard Drives. I've used them many times and am very happy. $80 for 4Gb of memory on the 2.0 and 2.4 Ghz Macbooks.

I know this is an older post, but hopefully this is helpful to those who find this in the future.