"Budget" RAM vs. "High-end"/"Name brand" RAM. Experiences?

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Hey everybody. It's nice to be a part of these forums after lurking for quit some time. Anyway, I am looking to upgrade my late 2011 15" MBP to either 8GB or 16GB of RAM, but am not sure whether to go with the Komputerbay "budget" RAM or a Corsair or OWC "name brand" RAM kit. Not sure what the difference really is because it seems that they're both the same speed and would therefore act the same, since RAM, form what I've heard, it really either hit-or-miss.

So it's between:Komputerbay "budget" RAM
or Corsair "name brand" RAM
and maybe even OWC "High end" RAM

I've heard great things about OWC but am a little hesitant to buy because of the high price relative to these others. Almost $100 more. Does it really make any difference?

Have any of you had any bad experiences with cheaper RAM (or even good experiences with higher-end RAM)? Or is it all the same? Thanks so much for your time, best wishes to all, and for those of you upgrading to the new MBP when it comes out, enjoy your machine! It should be great!
 

pigoo3

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There are so many different folks selling ram...and there are so many different manufacturer labels on ram.

Personally I don't pay any attention to whether the ram is "high-end", "low-end", or whatever "end". How is this "quality level" measured anyway??:Confused:

What I do pay attention to is...who is selling the ram...and how well do they stand behind what they sell. I don't really care what label is on the ram...if the store selling the ram guarantee's the ram to work...or they'll replace it for free...that's the ram I want & the place that I want to purchase the ram from.

This is why we almost always recommend purchasing ram from either Crucial.com or macsales.com (OWC).

In many cases...much of this ram is unlabeled when it ships from the very few manufacturers of ram worldwide. When the ram gets to the eventual seller...then they stick their label on it ("Crucial" ram, "OWC" ram, "Komputerbay" ram..etc. etc.). This is why at the end of the day...many brands of ram are exactly the same (if they are sold as Macintosh compatible)...the difference many times is the warranty behind the ram....which is dictated by the seller of the ram.

- Nick
 
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Get at least name brand RAM. Cheap RAM often leads issues down the road. Also make sure it has a lifetime warranty. If it goes bad, you can get it replaced.
 

CrimsonRequiem


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Crucial, Corsair, OWC, Kingston are the only brands that I trust for RAM. There are others but seems pricey compared to four that I listed.
 
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You're not really paying for "different" RAM when you buy from a known manufacturer, you're paying for customer service and better quality control. Those things are absolutely key when dealing with such sensitive items. If QC is sub par, there's more of a chance you'll get duds. And if customer service stinks, they won't care.

You get what you pay for.

Doug
 
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Crucial, Corsair, OWC, Kingston are the only brands that I trust for RAM. There are others but seems pricey compared to four that I listed.

I'd add Mushkin to that list.
 

robduckyworth


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FWIW, while I agree that you should buy RAM from a reputable brand, when i was a student I bought "Komputerbay" RAM for my old MBP, and there was absolutely nothing wrong with the product.
 
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The only difference "performance" wise is the Cass latency. Basically the Corsair and the OWC are the same even in the CL rating... And the lower the CL, the better it will be....
 

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