Is there something wrong with my MBP? Crashing issues..

Question

So mine has crashed at LEAST once a week, meaning it completely freezes, no force quit, etc.. last time it happened was when I was capturing footage from my camcorder.
I'm just curious how often your guys' MBPs last before crashing and if it's something to worry about if it crashes 1-2 times in a week.. I've only had it for about a month now, so maybe it's just some unlucky things happening..
Usually it's not when I'm doing nothing, so I figured perhaps I was pushing the computer too hard.
Times that it's crashed (that I remember):
Capturing footage from my camcorder, camcorder ran out of batteries stopping the capture, everything froze.
On Firefox surfing the web.
On Maya working on a project.
And sometimes it crashes after I leave it sitting. I'll come back and I can't move the mouse or do anything.
I got the laptop about a month ago. You guys think I should take it in to the Apple Store? If so, what should I tell them/should I ask them for a replacement? I ordered it off MacMall, and I've never been into the Apple store customer service so I don't really know how to go about it.
Also, I installed 2x 2GB RAM by myself, is there any chance this could be part of the issue? It's DDR3 ram, and is definitely compatible, and it says 4GB installed in my "About This Mac", so I'm not sure if that would be the problem.
It's probably better that I replace it if it IS abnormal before I have it for too long, I would think. I just don't know if it's something I need to worry about.
Message was edited by: Rizzice

Answer 1

These machines in themselves are usually pretty good, with the occasional aberration. Let's hope you do not have a rogue.
Looking at the problems there seem to me (as a guess) two problems: incomplete processes and memory. The two may be related. The camera problem I would dismiss as simply that -- batteries run out and the Mac is trying to complete an impossible process: expecting data, data never arrives.
The Firefox problem may be something external: a badly coded page; something the browser (or Mac) was not equipped to handle (a plug-in for example) and this could put a strain on RAM.
Maya, I am not familiar with, but it is (if I remember rightly) graphics-oriented and that can be memory intensive).
Which all comes down to the RAM you bought. Without knowing what it is or where it came from, or your experience in installing it, that in itself could be a problem. You need to make sure that it is properly seated for one thing, that it is the correct type (although the information here suggests that you are on the right track) and that it is OK.
You might also want to think about posting a crash log here (find these in Console) as someone -- not me -- might be able to pinpoint a cause.