AppleCare or More RAM?

For my upcoming birthday, my mom has promised me $200 to spend as I choose. I decided that I either want to get AppleCare for my MacBook, or upgrade to 3GB of RAM from OWC.

I've read in a lot of consumer magazines that extended warranties are usually not worth the extra money, but having had to take my MacBook in for a fan problem (later revealed to just be a faulty power supply), I wonder if the AppleCare isn't a good investment. I've got till July to get the AppleCare, and it's only $183 with my student discount, so I could definitely cover it with the $200, but at the same time, the 1GB of RAM I have now is kinda limiting me in my Photoshop work and my other day to day tasks.

So, should I take the plunge and get the AppleCare, or should I invest in the RAM upgrade instead?

AppleCare. If something ever goes wrong, you'll wish you had the extra 2 years of service. AppleCare is a must for laptop owners. RAM is dirt cheap, I thought I saw a 4GB kit for $80 last week.

applecare would be my vote as well.

ram is cheap these days and im sure you can come up with some way to make a few bucks to get some ram sometime soon

cheap RAM here http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/MacBook/DDR2/

applecare, priced batteries lately,glad i had it they just replaced mine.

I went for Applecare - even at £200.00

4gb is about 70$. buy that yourself

Depends on if you'll be able to afford AppleCare before time runs out to buy it. If so, I'd get the RAM. If you can't afford AppleCare prior to the time running out then I'd get it now.

kgeier82 said:

4gb is about 70$. buy that yourself

Click to expand...

Where did you see it for $70? (yes, lazy)

I got AppleCare with my Mac, and have invoked it three times.

Then I got AppleCare for my wife's Mac, and have invoked it once. Well, okay that was a warrantee thing that technically didn't fall under the AppleCare, but it would potentially fall under that later, and she and I are covered for the next two years.

I did upgrade my RAM from 1GB to 2GB, but that only cost me $90 or so, and with price cycles you will be able to get RAM for way less than you can ever get AppleCare. You can shop for RAM. You cannot shop for AppleCare, and it's a no-brainer really. At least for those who went "Oh, I'll get the RAM or some other doo-dad and risk the AppleCare" and ended up with some failure that Apple will be happy to repair....

For $700. Or sell you a new Mac.

Derek McNelly said:

I've read in a lot of consumer magazines that extended warranties are usually not worth the extra money

Click to expand...

The key word there is "usually."

Laptops are sufficiently expensive and unreliable that extended warranties are a good idea. Not the same as something like a refrigerator that will likely last for ten years without problems, or an answering machine that only costs $20 to replace.

AppleCare it is then!

Here's hoping my phone doesn't crap out on me before I can get that, because then I have a whole different animal to deal with.