G Skill Apple mem vs Regular, Marketing Scheme?

Hello all,

so i have the latest macbook pro and searching around to upgrade the 2gb ram to 4gb ram.

i ran into this g. skill ram that specifically says its for the Apple macbooks.
this ram sells for $85 at newegg

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/news/2697

then i ran into what looked to be the exact same ram by g. skill, but does not mention any compatibility with apple. this one sells for 69.99 at newegg

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...A-Approvel-_-Content-_-text-_-N82E16820231135

as far as i can tell, they have the exact same specs, is this just a marketing ploy? and, is there any way to really test ram speed performance? are there any available benchmark tests?

curious to see if anyone else knows the difference in any of these little nuances.

thanks!

Look down the bottom right of the NewEgg ad and it does refer to working in Apple MacBooks.

It's all about marketing, there is no difference whatsoever between the two types of RAM. Just get the cheaper one.

yeah, i know for sure the cheaper one works because i know someone whose currently using it.

but i mean, to label the same thing with apple next to it, and charge more...... quite interesting, especially since its hard to test any of this

Companies mark up products for all sorts of reasons, and the reason is because there are suckers out there who will purchase these products simply because how they are marketed.

If you follow PCs, then you will have seen this with the glut of SLI certified power supplies and memory that came out following the release of nVidia's SLI technology. It's really no different than other hardware, it just had a pretty sticker and a guarantee to work with SLI. The same goes with the Apple memory on places like Newegg. The manufacturer simply certifies that the product will work on a Mac, but it's really no different than the "normal" stuff. They figure they might as well go ahead and make some money on the people that don't know any better. Heck, if people are willing to pay Apple for the exorbitant prices they charge, I would imagine people paying a couple extra dollars for "certified" third party memory isn't that hard to believe.

well said, kash.

welps, i just ordered the 4gb upgrade for $75 total, and found a buyer for my 2gb ram currently in my macbook ram for $40 on craigslist, so all told....

$35 instead of the $200 apple charges.

ace!