Apple upgrades always tend to be more expensive than their PC counterparts. It used to be that Macs used fairly different components from what PCs used, but these days, the parts inside a Power Mac are pretty much identical to what you'd find in a desktop PC. The video cards are slightly different because of connector differences as well as requiring a different video BIOS, but things like disk drives and memory are virtually identical. Despite the similarity in components, prices are almost always higher than their PC counterparts, even when there's no good reason for it.

Given that we've been strong advocates of a minimum of 512MB under OS X, we figured that it was time to put together a quick guide on the Apple memory upgrades available in the market from vendors other than Apple.

Apple has done their best to ensure that the out-of-box experience with their machines is as stable and as reliable as possible by controlling what parts will work with their systems. Although all current generation Macs use PC compatible DDR memory, Apple adheres strictly to JEDEC specifications and requires very strict adherence to their timing specifications for module compatibility. Apple ensures that all memory modules meet their timing requirements by not POSTing if incompatible memory is installed in the system. So, it is very important that you only use memory that's specifically made for the Mac that you're trying to upgrade.

Because all Macs configure their memory timings based on the SPD that Apple specifies, all memory is configured to have the same timings regardless of what the modules are capable of - in other words, all Mac memory performs the same. It's not possible to overclock the memory bus on Mac platforms either, so the maximum frequency capabilities of the modules don't matter either. All memory vendors these days offer lifetime warranties on their memory, so what it truly boils down to is compatibility and price - which is exactly what this guide is designed to compare.

As expected, all of the memory that we were sent worked perfectly fine with the systems in which they were intended to be used. We confirmed stable operation and performance by running a series of tests including: 1) real world use of the system, 2) Apple's Hardware Test, and 3) Xbench's memory test. There were no anomalies to report, which we expected from the start, since we were only reviewing Mac compatible memory. Since most Macs simply won't POST if you put incompatible memory in them, you're better off just sticking with the Mac memory line from your favorite vendor.

The biggest shocker was how inflated some of the memory prices were, especially the upgrades available from Apple's own store:

The prices above shouldn't be any surprise, as all manufacturers charge an arm and a leg for their direct memory upgrades, yet some users are often afraid to install memory purchased from someone other than Apple. Rest assured that all of the memory reviewed here worked perfectly fine in our test systems, and we will continue to perform long-term testing on all of the modules even after this review is published, and report on any problems that may crop up. You're safe going with someone other than Apple, and you can save quite a bit doing so.

We requested memory for three test systems: a 15" PowerBook G4 (1.5GHz), a 1.25GHz Mac mini and a 2GHz Power Mac G5. So without further ado, let's take a look at what the alternatives are...

PowerBook G4 Memory

Four manufacturers sent us memory for our PowerBook G4 test platform - all memory was 100% compatible and exhibited no issues. We tested on a previous generation 15" PowerBook G4 1.5GHz (the model that was just recently replaced by a 1.67GHz model).

The PowerBook G4 requires a 200-pin PC2700 (DDR333) SO-DIMM; PC3200 DIMMs can be used, but they will just run at PC2700 speeds. As is normally the case with Apple systems, the memory timings are set by the module's SPD, which is the same across all vendors, so all memory sticks perform identically. All of the manufacturers here have a lifetime warranty, so the defining comparison here is based on price:

Although Apple's store pricing on the 512MB PowerBook upgrade is in line with Kingston's pricing, Corsair takes the win here at $84. PDP was also fairly competitive, but much more difficult to find online. If you're looking for 1GB modules, Crucial's upgrade is $90 less than what Apple is asking for.

Corsair

Corsair only submitted 512MB SO-DIMMs:

Corsair Value Select VS512SDS333 (512MB)

The best place that we found the Corsair Value Select SO-DIMMs was at Newegg.

Crucial

Crucial sent in both 512MB and 1GB SO-DIMMs for the comparison. Crucial's website has a very useful tool that makes finding the right memory for your MAC extremely simple. Interestingly enough, despite their relationship with Micron, Crucial's SO-DIMMs use Samsung chips.

Crucial CT368652 (512MB)

Crucial CT368654 (1GB)

Crucial's website was the best place that we found to purchase the memory.

Kingston

Kingston sent both 512MB and 1GB modules:

Kingston KTA-PBG4333/512 (512MB)

Kingston KTA-PBG4333/1G (1GB)

The 1GB modules had a protective covering as you can see above, to protect the fragile memory die that appears to be left exposed underneath. This type of packaging helps improve power delivery to the memory.

Your best bet for finding low prices for Kingston memory is through a price comparison engine.

PDP

PDP sent both 512MB and 1GB samples:

PDP PSA512G4PB (512MB)

PDP PSA1GG4PB (1GB)

PDP was the only manufacturer to use BGA packaged memory, which offers better power delivery as well as the ability to hit higher frequencies. Obviously that doesn't matter for Mac memory, since you are stuck at DDR333 speeds in the PowerBook, but it is interesting to see PDP stray from the pack here.

Unfortunately, finding these parts in stock anywhere online proved to be quite difficult. Your best bet is to try PDP's website and search all of their listed vendors.

Mac mini Memory

The Mac mini comes equipped with only 256MB of memory, so memory upgrades for it are a must. Apple doesn't offer aftermarket memory upgrades for the mini. The pricing listed below is their upgrade pricing at the time of ordering - if you don't buy the upgrade when you order, you're out of luck for support from Apple. Luckily, five other companies are able to fill the void - performance, warranty and compatibility are all the same between these folks, so let's look at pricing.

The Mac mini only has a single 184-pin memory slot, so we're only looking at single stick configurations. The mini will accept both PC2700 (DDR333) and PC3200 (DDR400) DIMMs, but they will only run at PC2700 speeds.

Once again, Crucial comes out on top actually being cheaper than Apple's upgrade at $72. For a 1GB module, Mushkin takes the cake here at $190.

Crucial

Crucial CT431638 (512MB) / Crucial CT431637 (1GB)

Kingston

Kingston KTA-G4333/512 (512MB) / Kingston KTA-G4333/1G (1GB)

Mushkin

Mushkin PC2700 512MB / 1GB

OCZ

OCZ didn't have a line specifically for the mini, but their G5 modules worked just fine. The one problem with OCZ's G5 module is that it has a heatspreader, making it a very tight fit in the mini.

PDP

PDP PSA512G4 (512MB) / PDP PSA1GG4 (1GB)

Power Mac G5 Memory

While both the PowerBook and mini could use more memory, the Power Mac G5 is designed for memory upgrades. With most models having a full 8 DIMM slots, expansion is not only permitted, but encouraged by the design. You have to install DIMMs in pairs, so all DIMMs that were submitted were done as such. Keep in mind that most of these dual channel upgrade kits are advertised as the total memory size, not individual module size. So, if a module is labeled as a part of a 1GB package, it's most likely only a 512MB stick.

Once again, warranties and performance are identical between all contenders, so the comparison boils down to price. Apple offers aftermarket upgrades for the G5 through their store; however, their prices are extremely inflated, so we're here to present the alternatives.

PDP actually offered the best price at $168 for a 1GB upgrade, but finding the DIMMs may take a little bit of work. We had relatively good success with our online shopping partner, shopping.com.

For the 2GB upgrade, prices varied quite a bit ranging from as little as $382 to as much as $683 (not counting Apple's $800 upgrade). Mushkin takes the win at $382 for the 2GB upgrade.

Corsair

Corsair TWINX CMX512-3200C2PT (2 x 512MB)

Like OCZ, Corsair also uses a heatspreader on their Mac DIMMs, which makes them a tighter fit in systems like the iMac G5. Corsair's heatspreader is thinner than OCZ's, so it's not as much of a problem. The DIMMs will fit - it'll just be snug.

Crucial

Crucial CT322476 (2 x 512MB) / Crucial CT357475 (2 x 1GB)

Kingston

Kingston KTA-G5400/1G (2 x 512MB) / Kingston KTA-G5400/2G (2 x 1GB)

Mushkin

Mushkin 1GB PC3200 Dual Pack (2 x 512MB) / Mushkin 2GB PC3200 Dual Pack (2 x 1GB)

OCZ

OCZ PC3200 1GB Dual Channel (2 x 1GB)

PDP

PDP PSA1GG5K (2 x 512MB) / PDP PSA2GG5K (2 x 1GB)

Transcend

TS512MAPG5400K (2 x 512MB) / TS1GAPG5400K (2 x 1GB)