Fanboi co. punts half-price Mac mini memory

Mac-centric parts supplier Other World Computing (OWC) has begun offering memory upgrades for Apple's new Mac mini at less than half of Apple's build-to-order price. Apple's memory-upgrade prices border on the extortionate. Apple charges $150 for the two 2GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAMs needed to bump the Mac mini up to 4GB. OWC …

[Nick Collingridge]

Come on, get with the game...

So what's new? Are you REALLY that naive?

Third party memory suppliers have ALWAYS offered cheaper memory upgrades than computer manufacturers. Crucial are a great supplier as an example and already list the new Mac Minis - their prices are £12.99 for 1GB, £22.99 for 2GB and £45.99 for 4GB (inc postage). All you need to do is put in a little bit of effort to break the thing open and slot the memory in yourself.

[Anonymous Coward]

New news? No news?

Or just "let's rehash the press release and go to the pub"?

$65 is exactly the same price as Crucial are offering for 4Gb for the new MacMini.

Mainstream high-rep vendor? Or "Never 'erd of 'em" vendor? Given the hassle of getting into a Macmini, I think I know which I prefer.

[Anonymous Coward]

S'ok really

This sounds like reasonable 'viral marketing' in which a product has formally endorsed upgrade path or an informal community inspired upgrade path.

Sounds good to me :)

[R.E.H.]

Slow news day?

Mac Mini uses DDR3 RAM.

Company sells DDR3 RAM.

Quick, stop the presses!

[Anonymous Coward]

so let me get this right...

I buy a computer and i need to practically smack it with hammer to put stuff in it - i dont know what planet apple tards live on - but i am glad i am not on it...

paris, cos even shet is not *that* dumb

[Juan Inamillion]

Nice plug for a nice company

I have to say that piece is pretty much a plug for iFixit, who seem to be getting their feet wet in the upgrade kit market. However, I've used their guides many a time for years and damn fine they are too. Nice bunch of people.

Apple's RAM upgrades have always been extortionate, but adding them in at point-of-sale was often the only way a retailer could get any sort of profit on Apple kit, margins being 'waffer thin' (sic).

Personally I think the Mac mini's are lovely bit of kit...

[Paul Smith]

If they'd suggested Crucial...

..they couldn't have come up with such a childish title though.

[David Wilkinson]

This is not common knowledge .

Anyone who builds their own systems, repairs systems or is in general a hardware geek is going to know that memory and hard drive upgrades are often grossly overpriced when buying a new system.

But there are really a large number of otherwise sophisticated computer users who of people have never priced memory online, and would have no clue to how to upgrade their hardware.

The plug for iFixIt is well deserved. Everytime I have to take apart a Mac I get instructions from that site.

When you have to remove 70-92 screws to get replace a hard drive its nice to have 17 pages of directions and a screw guide that where you can tape the various screws.

[Anonymous Coward]

re: Come on, get with the game...

Although I certainly agree that this is broadly the case, I was a little surprised by the price Apple charges for shipping a Mac Pro with more memory than standard.

To go from 3GB RAM (3x1GB) to 6GB (3x2GB), Apple charges £120 - to buy 3x2GB sticks from Crucial (I single this company out, only because I like them and find them competitive) is £121.89. Okay, if you upgrade yourself, you would have 3x1GB sticks to do as you will, but if memory serves me right this is rather more competitive than Apple normally charges.

If one buys from the Apple HE Store, the price drops to a fraction about £100 for this memory upgrade.

[Sam Radford]

Drinks are on me

I got into my Mac Mini with nothing more elegant than the bottle opener of my pen knife. Thankfully, I had the presence of mind to refrain from emptying the bottle until the memory was fitted. Otherwise a case of double amnesia might have resulted!