ram upgrade and protective cover for 13" macbook

i just purchased the basic 13" white macbook ($1099 for 2 ghz core 2 duo processor and 1gb of ram) and am looking to upgrade to 4 gb of ram and buy a protective sleeve or cover that can absorb shocks, drops, and general wear-and-tear from being carried around.

1) after browsing online, this is the best deal i could find for 4gb of ram (2 X 2gb):
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other World Computing/53IM2DDR4GBK/

it was $104 a few days ago, but now it's down to $99.97. i don't know if they're having a sale or what, but it seems awfully cheap. my question is, are any of you guys out there familiar with this company/brand? if so, is it reliable? and if not, what brand would you recommend (that's compatible with my laptop, of course)? i'd rather pay a little more for quality, but if you guys think this one's ok then i'm going to go ahead and purchase this.

2) my other question concerns protective covers for my laptop. i've done research in this area, and have narrowed it down to a few possibilities.
hopefully some of you out there have experience dealing with these covers and can either give them the thumbs-up or thumbs-down, or can recommend a different brand. the most important thing to me is good protection, but it would be a bonus if it wasn't overly bulky/heavy.

a) http://www.bestskinsever.com/servlet/the-35/Apple-MacBook-13.3"-Total/Detail
this one is like saran wrap around your computer. benefit is that it covers the outside (top and bottom) as well as the wrist rest area, track pad, and track button on the inside without making your laptop bulky. but does it really work besides preventing scratches? or is it a waste of money?

b) http://www.macobserver.com/review/2007/02/08.1.shtml
then there's the techshell macbook cover. costs double what i would pay for the saran wrap cover, but seems like it might be more durable. what do you think?

c) http://www.iskin.com/soho/index.tpl?cart=118473090812404110
this is basically a zip-up case. obviously bulkier, but is this the type of thing i should be getting instead to protect my laptop from shocks/drops/flexing/getting lugged around in my computer bag? is this better than the saran wrap-type of protection, or should i use both?

http://www.crumplerbags.com/Cart/index.php?catId=5
this is a similar laptop case by crumpler. click on "macbook school hymn 13" to see the one i'm looking at.

basically, i don't know if i should get the super slim/clear protection, the thicker zip-up case, or both. i want to protect the laptop from scratches and fingerprints as well as general wear and tear, flexing, the possibility of getting dropped, etc. what do you think is the best solution?

i should note that i already have a 15" computer bag by crumpler:
http://www.crumplerbags.com/Cart/index.php?catId=5
click on "the skivvy (medium/15")" to see which one i'm talking about.

i was hoping to buy a computer cover/sleeve that could fit into this bag. for instance, the crumpler zip-up case in link "c" above actually fits into my 15" computer bag. but i don't know if it provides the best protection out of all the various cases/sleeves/covers out there.


thanks in advance for all your help, guys.

Just on the RAM.

RAM is RAM... and unless you're building a monster Windows based rig that you intend to overclock well beyond it's limits, there is virtually no advantage is buying the most expensive RAM you can lay your hands on.

I'd recommend Crucial, simply because I have used their RAM for decades (literally) along with Corsair, and never had an issue, not once. However, most RAM is equally as good.

My own MacBook has 2GBs of Crucial RAM and it cost a fraction of what Apple would have charged.

thanks for the ram tips, much appreciated.

anyone out there have any thoughts about protective covers or sleeves for the macbook?

I'd also give Crucial RAM my backing. I'm running a Macbook with 2GB of Crucial RAM that I bought for a fraction of Apple's price, and it's perfect! I always use Crucial as you know it's going to work.

With regards to the case, I have a Crumpler 'The Gimp' protective sleeve that I use with my Macbook and Sony Vaio and it's spot on. It's protective from knocks and bumps, can handle a bit of water (enough to protect it from getting wet if carrying it in the rain) and is very, very strong. It's also not SO big that it becomes a pain to carry.

I also have a Crumpler laptop case and a couple of other Crumpler bags. I always buy Crumpler because nothing else can compare in terms of construction, protection, OTT build quality (car seat belts for shoulder straps!!) and, most importantly, style

Not always the cheapest, but you get what you pay for and it will last, and last, and last....!

Just a question, what are you going to be doing to need 4 GB of ram? In all honesty, 2 GB would be more than sufficient.

Oh, and for a sleeve, just a basic neoprene sleeve will work fine.

pbergen said:

thanks for the ram tips, much appreciated.

anyone out there have any thoughts about protective covers or sleeves for the macbook?

Click to expand...

I just bought 4GB of G.Skill RAM from Newegg, works like a charm. Got it for $70 AR

In terms of skins, I got a best skin ever, and it's great. It really does help in preventing scratches on the bottom and top (I haven't put my trackpad or wrist wrest ones on yet) and it makes it look really nice.

Words of wisdom: Make sure you don't have any lint / cat hair / dog hair / anything stuck underneath it as you put it on. AND don't get freaked out by the use of water and soap to apply it. It really DOESN'T hurt your macbook. Just follow the directions and you'll be fine.

I've used a BSE on my iPod (Black, 5G) and it looks phenominal still after two years. I'm hoping my BSE for my macbook does too!

EDIT: Forgot to continue. I also use an incase for my macbook, and carry that around just in my backpack. It probably depends on how...accident prone you see yourself being with the macbook. My incase + BSE will protect it against anything I've ever done in the past, which is usually just scraping against stuff in my bag. But if you want protection from a fall....look at those other tech cases and such.



-k

thanks for the protective cover tips, i really apreciate it.

thepachman said:

I just bought 4GB of G.Skill RAM from Newegg, works like a charm. Got it for $70 AR

In terms of skins, I got a best skin ever, and it's great. It really does help in preventing scratches on the bottom and top (I haven't put my trackpad or wrist wrest ones on yet) and it makes it look really nice.

Words of wisdom: Make sure you don't have any lint / cat hair / dog hair / anything stuck underneath it as you put it on. AND don't get freaked out by the use of water and soap to apply it. It really DOESN'T hurt your macbook. Just follow the directions and you'll be fine.

I've used a BSE on my iPod (Black, 5G) and it looks phenominal still after two years. I'm hoping my BSE for my macbook does too!

EDIT: Forgot to continue. I also use an incase for my macbook, and carry that around just in my backpack. It probably depends on how...accident prone you see yourself being with the macbook. My incase + BSE will protect it against anything I've ever done in the past, which is usually just scraping against stuff in my bag. But if you want protection from a fall....look at those other tech cases and such.



-k

Click to expand...

hi,

my gf and i are also looking to upgrade the memory in our macs. i have the same model of macbook as the original poster above, while my gf has the 20" 2.4 ghz imac desktop. both were purchased new in the past month or so.

the link provided by the original poster seems like a great deal.
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other World Computing/53IM2DDR4GBK/

since the comments here are supportive of this specific brand (or most ram in general), i'm probably going to get it since it's very inexpensive. i have 2 questions before i buy, though.

like the op, i noticed that the price has gone down (it's now $99 even). it's a small drop from the original price of $104, but since it went down so quickly, and was reduced in price twice in the past week or two, it sort of set off red flags in my head. i'm probably being paranoid, but a part of me worries whether that site is legit. is there any reason i should be worried? or this simply a matter of the seller slashing prices around the holidays? it just seems funny to me that the seller would need to repeatedly reduce prices of something as necessary as computer memory when it's so inexpensive as it is.

the other question is about compatibility. if you click on the link, it seems that this brand of memory is compatible for both my 13 inch macbook and my gf's 20 inch desktop. but (excuse my ignorance, i'm totally clueless about this stuff) is it typical for the same ram to be compatible for both laptops and desktops? bc when i was doing my online search, it seemed that most brands are only compatible for either laptops or desktops but not both, and for particular models at that.

thanks for any help, guys

I don't mean to hi-jack your thread or anything, but does it matter that some manufacturers have "Mac Memory" that say it was made for Apple computers vs. just your plain old DDR2 PC2-5300 200pin RAM?
EDIT: is one better than the other? or is it just a way for them to charge more?

I was thinking of upgrading my MacBook's RAM to 4GB as well.

Oh, and thanks pbergen for those skins links. =]

2Hit6 said:

I don't mean to hi-jack your thread or anything, but does it matter that some manufacturers have "Mac Memory" that say it was made for Apple computers vs. just your plain old DDR2 PC2-5300 200pin RAM?
EDIT: is one better than the other? or is it just a way for them to charge more?

I was thinking of upgrading my MacBook's RAM to 4GB as well.

Oh, and thanks pbergen for those skins links. =]

Click to expand...

those are good questions as well. unfortunately i have no idea

hopefully someone will respond to your question and mine...

Its just plain old DDR2 5300 RAM... there is nothing special about it.

The only thing that "works with apple" tag does is tell you its been tested to work with an Apple product without issues. (its there to ease the mind of not so tech savvy people, and also to use the Apple name as an excuse to charge more for it)

As with all things, there can always be compatibility issues with hardware. Looks like you have a few different companies from the posts here to know which brands seem to work with no issues. I personally bought Kingston RAM, and it works fine.

You shouldnt have any problems with any RAM you get... whats the worst that can happen? It doesnt work... get your money back.

northside said:

hi,

it seemed that most brands are only compatible for either laptops or desktops but not both, and for particular models at that.

thanks for any help, guys

Click to expand...

Laptop memory and Desktop memory is different, the sizes (physically) are not the same, and for the most part Desktop memory is faster and has a wider range of speeds.

The exception is Apple, since they use LAPTOP (iMac, Macbook/Pro, Mac Mini) parts for everything except the Mac Pro. The Mac Pro is the only one that uses desktop style memory.

When companies toss name brands on there like Dell and HP... whatever.. they are just stating that the RAM is 100% compatible with the manufacturer's Main board/Motherboard of choice. (this is OKAY if you absolutely have no idea what kind of motherboard is inside your Dell, HP, whatever brand X you have. For a while Dell went through lots of different hardware types, so this got confusing for most people). They also use this to upcharge people.

Most tech savvy people know that almost all RAM is compatible with whatever mainboard/manufacturer you use. Its an easy install and if it doesnt work, you can take it back the same day and get another pair. All you have to do, is make sure you are getting the correct speed, correct pin count, and the right generation of RAM (which any of us here should be able to point out for you).

Kalison said:

Its just plain old DDR2 5300 RAM... there is nothing special about it.

The only thing that "works with apple" tag does is tell you its been tested to work with an Apple product without issues. (its there to ease the mind of not so tech savvy people, and also to use the Apple name as an excuse to charge more for it)

As with all things, there can always be compatibility issues with hardware. Looks like you have a few different companies from the posts here to know which brands seem to work with no issues. I personally bought Kingston RAM, and it works fine.

You shouldnt have any problems with any RAM you get... whats the worst that can happen? It doesnt work... get your money back.

Click to expand...

Ok cool. I just wanted some confirmation. It's my first Mac so I was wanted to make sure. That said, I just ordered 2GB x 2 Mushkin RAM -- $99CDN

Mushkin nice!

One of my very favorite brands.