Shopping for DDR2 Memory

[SRW]

Crucial has a 2GB DDR2 kit(Two 1GB PC2-5300 DIMMs) for $25.99 plus $3.99
shipping, for a total of $29.98:
http://www.crucial.com/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=13C795F8A5CA7304

Newegg has, what appears to be, the same Crucial 2GB DDR2 kit for $17.99
with free shipping, for a total of $17.99.
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146526

Is there a catch; why is the same(?) kit so much cheaper at Newegg?

 

[CBFalconer]

Crucial has a 2GB DDR2 kit(Two 1GB PC2-5300 DIMMs) for $25.99
plus $3.99 shipping, for a total of $29.98:
http://www.crucial.com/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=13C795F8A5CA7304

Newegg has, what appears to be, the same Crucial 2GB DDR2 kit
for $17.99 with free shipping, for a total of $17.99.
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146526

Is there a catch; why is the same(?) kit so much cheaper at
Newegg?

Check for ECC versions and their prices. Then you have a much more
reasonable buy.

 

[RobV]

Crucial has a 2GB DDR2 kit(Two 1GB PC2-5300 DIMMs) for $25.99 plus
$3.99 shipping, for a total of $29.98:
http://www.crucial.com/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=13C795F8A5CA7304

Newegg has, what appears to be, the same Crucial 2GB DDR2 kit for
$17.99 with free shipping, for a total of $17.99.
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146526

Is there a catch; why is the same(?) kit so much cheaper at Newegg?

Don't know, but this has happened many times over the years. Sometimes
buying from Crucial is cheaper than buying from Newegg, sometimes it's
the other way around. Newegg probably have a lot of stock that they
want to get rid of and you're the winner if you buy now from Newegg. A
few months from now, it may be the other way around.

 

[JR Weiss]

Crucial has a 2GB DDR2 kit(Two 1GB PC2-5300 DIMMs) for $25.99 plus $3.99
shipping, for a total of $29.98:

Newegg has, what appears to be, the same Crucial 2GB DDR2 kit for $17.99 with
free shipping, for a total of $17.99.

Is there a catch; why is the same(?) kit so much cheaper at Newegg?

No catch; happens a lot. Mfgrs would rather sell in quantity to retailers.

 

[John Doe]

Crucial does not adjust their 'site prices as timely as Newegg

How about 4GB of Crucial memory for $20 AR instead?

Rebate expires in 3 days though, better order now

Speaking of Newegg and rebates, if you really want to learn about
rebates. Find a product with a rebate. List 100 reviews per page.
Search the pages for "rebate". Every time you see a positive comment
about a rebate, notice that the silly poster has owned the item for
less than one month and obviously has not actually received the
rebate. Notice that everyone who mentions the rebate and has owned
the product long enough to have received one has a negative opinion
about the thing.

Besides trying hard to avoid honoring a rebate, the most likely
reason for offering a rebate is to prevent returns.

 

[John Doe]

On average, I've saved over 40% using rebates.

I helped define that usage of the word "save".

If you don't want any part of that, great, it means others have a
better opportunity.

You might have had a better opportunity only if I bought the thing
and didn't apply for a rebate, or if I bought the item and didn't
feel like messing with the rebate issuer when they denied the
application or they just never sent the rebate. But I usually skip
to the next product whenever I see a mail-in rebate offer, giving
the item no further consideration. That method saves lots of time
and hassle in the long run.

I have received Crucial rebates, am confident enough to try it
again... and have.

I just looked at crucial memory with a rebate on Newegg, as advised
above. The results are precisely the same as I said they would be.
Apparently your review isn't one of them, Kony.

Owned for less than one week:

Pros: Not expensive, especially after the rebate.
Cons: One of the two banks failed within a week. Can't return it
to newegg since I already sent in the rebate form. I'll probably
send it back directly to Crucial.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...=False&VendorMark=&Keywords=(keywords)&Page=2

 

[larry moe 'n curly]

Crucial has a 2GB DDR2 kit(Two 1GB PC2-5300 DIMMs) for $25.99 plus $3.99
shipping, for a total of $29.98:
http://www.crucial.com/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=13C795F8A5CA7304

Newegg has, what appears to be, the same Crucial 2GB DDR2 kit for $17.99
with free shipping, for a total of $17.99.
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146526

Is there a catch; why is the same(?) kit so much cheaper at Newegg?

Most distributors keep their prices high when they sell directly to
consumers because retail channels tend to abandon distributors when
they start to compete against them.

I bought the same memory for about $5 more at the local Fry's, and the
modules were made by Samsung:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3405/3193922374_dc9771d704_b.jpg

The speed timings were like 6-6-6-18, but they tested fine at 5-5-5-15
(unlike some of OCZs rated for 5-5-5-15), and I don't know anyone who
got a dud. With other brands and Crucial Ballistix, usually at least
one person I know would report a defect. I've also had good luck with
Crucial modules containing Micron chips, provided those modules were
rated to work at 1.8V and did not have heatsinks on them.

 

[larry moe 'n curly]

How about 4GB of Crucial memory for $20 AR instead?
http://www.frys.com/product/5530560
Rebate expires in 3 days though, better order now although
Crucial rebates at Fry's have been common over the last few
weeks, a new rebate might appear on the 16th, or might not.

People I know who bought them have reported zero bad bits (unlike the
case with those $15 AR 4GB Corsair TwinX modules -- almost half found
duds), but I was worried at first because the Micron chips on them
didn't have standard Micron part numbers printed on them but were
instead marked "8TE17 D9HNP":

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3437/3194031162_7e9a4d7cc4_o.jpg

However Crucial told me that they were regular MT47H128xxxxxxx chips,
even though they couldn't explain why the the markings differed or
prove that the quality was identical.

 

[larry moe 'n curly]

Crucial has a 2GB DDR2 kit(Two 1GB PC2-5300 DIMMs) for $25.99 plus $3.99
shipping, for a total of $29.98:
http://www.crucial.com/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=13C795F8A5CA7304

Newegg has, what appears to be, the same Crucial 2GB DDR2 kit for $17.99
with free shipping, for a total of $17.99.
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146526

Is there a catch; why is the same(?) kit so much cheaper at Newegg?

Distributors don't like to compete against their retailers because
that tends to make retailers drop them in retaliation.

I bought some of those modules for about $5 more, and I don't know of
anybody getting duds. Oddly, most were made by Samsung:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3486/3193185777_e2fd71cafb_b.jpg

 

[Flasherly]

On average, I've saved over 40% using rebates. If you don't
want any part of that, great, it means others have a better
opportunity. I have received Crucial rebates, am confident
enough to try it again... and have. Pay more if you like,
but it's worked well for me and others on average.

They work, true, but it's with the stipulation, on average, you need
be ready to tear into some butt;-- if you haven't had to, yet, Fat
City's mayor handed you the key to the city, and you're charmed. Or,
you're just pushing your luck. It can be discouraging, and I've mixed
feelings after having torn into more than a few of rebaters, many of
whom come out of Arizona. Perhaps encouraging, although I wouldn't
know other than to suspect, are present laws that may favor a more
prosummer approach to falsehoods regarding rebate dealings. In any
event, even after rebaters have tried to bamboozle me with tricky
second qualifications, supposedly, I didn't follow -- such as longhand
printing, faxes, copies, and multiple re-submittals, etc. -- which, at
this juncture, I simply won't stand for;-- A threat of contacting
legal recourses makes my intent perfectly clear -- on average, and
that the problem is, that they're dragging their butts. Another thing,
depending on the material source, is to calling store manager,
corporate offices, or even an actual stores' respective rebate
services, should that dept. exist. Add them up, mix in a cup of
patience, some tolerance for stacks of rebate paperwork trails, don't
forget not to set the temperature too high;- and last, when pulling
out systems built on rebates, don't be surprised should some
occasionally look like it.

 

[Jon Danniken]

You might have had a better opportunity only if I bought the thing
and didn't apply for a rebate, or if I bought the item and didn't
feel like messing with the rebate issuer when they denied the
application or they just never sent the rebate. But I usually skip
to the next product whenever I see a mail-in rebate offer, giving
the item no further consideration. That method saves lots of time
and hassle in the long run.

What hassle? You fill out a form, cut off a UPC code, and stuff an
envelope. Takes maybe, oh, a minute. Maybe two if you take your time and
scan the whole mess before it's sent.

Jon

 

[larry moe 'n curly]

Speaking of Newegg and rebates, if you really want to learn about
rebates. Find a product with a rebate. List 100 reviews per page.
Search the pages for "rebate". Every time you see a positive
comment about a rebate, notice that the silly poster has owned
the item for less than one month and obviously has not actually
received the rebate. Notice that everyone who mentions the rebate
and has owned the product long enough to have received one has a
negative opinion about the thing.

I just looked at crucial memory with a rebate on Newegg, as advised
above. The results are precisely the same as I said they would be.
Apparently your review isn't one of them, Kony.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...=False&VendorMark=&Keywords=(keywords)&Page=2

I didn't find an obvious relationship between negative reviews and
length of ownership. Here are the reviews of the 50 or 100 customers
(out of 265, total) who claimed to have had this product the longest:

http://tinyurl.com/9hqmeg


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...=False&VendorMark=&Keywords=(keywords)&Page=1

50 oldest 100 oldest all

5 eggs: 84% 81% 84%
4 eggs: 14% 15% 10%
3 eggs: 0% 1% 2%
2 eggs: 0% 1% 1%
1 egg: 2% 2% 3%

Are the differences among the groups significant?

OTOH I wouldn't trust reviews of RAM, especially not the positive
reviews, because very few customers test their RAM thoroughly.

 

[John Doe]

John Doe wrote:

I didn't find an obvious relationship between negative reviews and
length of ownership.

I'm talking about rebates.

 

[John Doe]

:

What hassle?

The problems many people have with rebates.

Newegg > Home > All Reviews

Filter Results:
rebate
desktop memory
sort by ownership length
100 per page
newegg purchasers

The following negative experiences with rebates are from less than
half of one page out of 40 pages, all owned the memory for over one
year.

"I did everything they asked and then they denied my rebate, simply
saying I was not eligible"

"sent out the rebate the day I got the ram following all the proper
procedures, never heard back"

"I never received my rebate"

"Only got one of my rebates, even after contacting them"

"Have been waiting over 3 months for my rebate"

"This is awesome, do not have to deal with lengthy rebate bullcrap
just to be turned down and frustrated"

"Never sent me the rebate"

"I was denied on the rebates"

"still waiting for the mail-in-rebate which i turned in over 4
months ago"

"I've sworn off many-a ram manufacturer because of rebate issues"

"did all the right things... Online verification showed that I was
being sent a check. Never came"

"In each case they said the paper work was sent in to late. This was
not the case"

"I was scammed here"

You fill out a form, cut off a UPC code, and stuff an envelope.

Meaning you can no longer return the product. I think that's the
main reason for offering a rebate, to prevent returns (with
exceptions).

Takes maybe, oh, a minute. Maybe two if you take your time and
scan the whole mess before it's sent.

The rebate agreement explicitly states that it's their sole
discretion to accept or deny your rebate application. They can
easily say your application was lost in the mail. They can easily
say you did not include everything required. Even certified mail
doesn't prove you enclosed what they require.

When you buy something based on a rebate, you enter into a fool's
agreement.

 

[larry moe 'n curly]

Speaking of Newegg and rebates, if you really want to learn about
rebates. Find a product with a rebate. List 100 reviews per page.
Search the pages for "rebate". Every time you see a positive
comment about a rebate, notice that the silly poster has owned
the item for less than one month and obviously has not actually
received the rebate. Notice that everyone who mentions the rebate
and has owned the product long enough to have received one has a
negative opinion about the thing.

I just looked at crucial memory with a rebate on Newegg, as advised
above. The results are precisely the same as I said they would be.
Apparently your review isn't one of them, Kony.

Owned for less than one week:
Pros: Not expensive, especially after the rebate.
Cons: One of the two banks failed within a week. Can't return it
to newegg since I already sent in the rebate form. I'll probably
send it back directly to Crucial.


I'm talking about rebates.

Me, too. There's usually a 15-30-day limit for submitting rebates, so
reviews from people who've owned the products longest are post-rebate,
and they probably show no higher incidence dissatisfaction. So
where's your proof?

 

[larry moe 'n curly]

\
\
Could it be the difference between 'Value Grade' and 'Superior Grade'?
No.

Or OEM unmarked high density memory vs genuine manufacturer low density?

OEM memory is more likely to be the better quality stuff because the
genuine manufacturers tend to sell their best memory to them and dump
their reject chips ("UnTesTed" -- UTT) onto the secondary market so
lesser memory module makers can solder them to circuit boards and
stick fancy heatsinks and lights on them.

 

[Jon Danniken]

The rebate agreement explicitly states that it's their sole
discretion to accept or deny your rebate application. They can
easily say your application was lost in the mail. They can easily
say you did not include everything required. Even certified mail
doesn't prove you enclosed what they require.

When you buy something based on a rebate, you enter into a fool's
agreement.

My experience is that over the last half-dozen years or so that I have
submitted rebates, I have gotten most all of them back. Probably somewhere
around 30 or 40 sent in, with only two or three that didn't come back.

Jon

 

[Flasherly]

My experience is that over the last half-dozen years or so that I have
submitted rebates, I have gotten most all of them back. Probably somewhere
around 30 or 40 sent in, with only two or three that didn't come back.

Jon

I've also gotten them from class-action settlement suits, residual
results from solvency. The exact amount or what was bought from a
company, I'd have forgotten. That I was still on the records, years
later, was pretty amazing.

 

[John Doe]

John Doe <jdoe usenetlove.invalid> wrote:
....

Those who find frequent failures seem to be dealing with the shady
rebate houses or not adhering to the terms of the rebate,

I thought you said the fool's agreement was easy to understand,
kony.

Whether to mess with rebates depends on what your time is worth
(real or imaginary). Your experience does not fit all, kony.

as there is too much discrepancy between their results and the
results of others who find it rare to not receive rebates.

Newegg > Home > All Reviews

Filter Results:
rebate
desktop memory
sort by ownership length
100 per page
newegg purchasers

The rest of the first page, continued from my other post.

"No Rebate after 1 year !!!"

"Both times I sent in rebate offer they seem to be lost in the mail"

"never got my rebate back"

"Resubmitted rebate for the second time"

"i hate mail-in-rebates!"

"Waiting 10 weeks for a rebate check is a pain, and the rebate site
being down half the time is not confidence-inspiring"

"The rebates took about half a year to get back"

"mail-in rebates are a pain"

"Highly tuned, overclockable, fast, no rebates to think about"

"Had to fight for my rebates"

"REBATES SUCK"

"Since I mailed in the rebate already this is non-refundable
junk...I will never buy any item with a rebate again"

 

[John Doe]

So at that point the customer had to either mail it to Newegg or
to Crucial. If sent to newegg, then newegg either sends a
replacement or issues a refund.

After you cut the UPC code out of the box, you cannot return the
product to the seller. You are babbling clueless, kony.

Anything is possible, but I prefer a straightforward deal.
Applying for a rebate and therefore voiding the opportunity to
return a product is all part of a fool's agreement.

Newegg > Home > All Reviews

Filter Results:
rebate
desktop memory
sort by ownership length
100 per page
newegg purchasers

The first page out of 40:

"I did everything they asked and then they denied my rebate, simply
saying I was not eligible"

"sent out the rebate the day I got the ram following all the proper
procedures, never heard back"

"I never received my rebate"

"Only got one of my rebates, even after contacting them"

"Have been waiting over 3 months for my rebate"

"This is awesome, do not have to deal with lengthy rebate bullcrap
just to be turned down and frustrated"

"Never sent me the rebate"

"I was denied on the rebates"

"still waiting for the mail-in-rebate which i turned in over 4
months ago"

"I've sworn off many-a ram manufacturer because of rebate issues"

"did all the right things... Online verification showed that I was
being sent a check. Never came"

"In each case they said the paper work was sent in to late. This was
not the case"

"I was scammed here"

"No Rebate after 1 year !!!"

"Both times I sent in rebate offer they seem to be lost in the mail"

"never got my rebate back"

"Resubmitted rebate for the second time"

"i hate mail-in-rebates!"

"Waiting 10 weeks for a rebate check is a pain, and the rebate site
being down half the time is not confidence-inspiring"

"The rebates took about half a year to get back"

"mail-in rebates are a pain"

"Highly tuned, overclockable, fast, no rebates to think about"

"Had to fight for my rebates"

"REBATES SUCK"

"Since I mailed in the rebate already this is non-refundable
junk...I will never buy any item with a rebate again"