Ram: 2GB vs 2x1GB

Question

Hello,
I have a late 2007 Blackbook with the standard ram (2x512). I am looking to upgrade.
I am not a power user so think that 2GB is good enough instead of maxing out to 4GB.
So my question is whether I should just get one 2GB module to replace one of the current 512 modules? This would give me a total of 2.5GB without the benefits of paired modules.
Or should I get a 2x1GB kit? This would be less total RAM but would be paired.
The prices for the two options are about the same.
Also, any recommendations on brands other than Crucial? Kingston? PNY? Mushkin? Edge?
Thanks in advance!
Ciao,
Rodrigo

Answer 1

Writhing.shad0w wrote:
Generally speaking, these 'cheaper' RAM sticks will work just fine, but the reason they're cheaper, or 'valueram' or whatever the particular company calls it, is because most of the time they aren't full size.
By that, I mean that yes, they have 2GB worth of RAM chips on there, but they are all not 100% functional, leading to somewhere between 1.5GB-2GB on the stick. Is that really worth saving a couple bucks? You may get a full stick, but you may not.
That's about as funny as the guy who claimed different brands of memory would "fight it out with each other" if used in the same system. As someone in the electronics industry, that's likely the strangest and most incorrect statement I've ever heard here.
If a single bit doesn't pass power-on self test, a MacBook should fail to boot. It doesn't quarantine bad bits or segments like a hard drive. 2GB means 2^31 bytes. 1GB means 2^30 bytes. No more or no less. Memory manufacturers do include back-up rows/columns, but only use them to replace entire rows that fail during initial testing. Functionally this means only the amount of memory listed is accessible by the computer.
Much value style RAM saves with assembly in countries with cheaper manufacturing. Maybe the boards come from second tier suppliers. Sometimes it is almost identical but the manufacturer wants to address different price segments; think GM with almost the same car sold as Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick, etc. In the large majority of cases, the lifetime warranty policy is the same between a company's standard and value memory products.