Other World Computing 2GB Apple MacBook SODIMM DDR2 RAM Kit Review

RAM is one of the things you can add to your notebook computer to make it work better and run faster. If you use a MacBook that runs Boot Camp or uses virtualization software like VMware more RAM can make a big difference in your notebooks performance. Today we are looking at a 2GB PC5300 RAM kit from Other World Computing, read on for all the details.

Gallery

2 images

Benchmarks

Specifications
The OWC 2GB (1024MB x 2) Matched Pair DDR2 PC2-5300 667MHz DIMMs are 200-pin modules that will work for the MacBook, MacBook Pro, Mac Mini and iMac computers from Apple. OWC says that the RAM exceeds Apple/Intel specifications. For full specifications on the OWC 2GB (1024MB x 2) Matched Pair DDR2 PC2-5300 667MHz DIMMs see the specifications section of this review.

Benchmarks & Testing
These modules installed easily into my MacBook and if you are looking to upgrade your MacBook RAM on your own, you can do it. You only need to remove the battery, remove the “L” shaped silver bracket, pull the little metal levers to eject the old RAM modules and push the new modules into the slots. After you reattach the “L” shaped bracket and put the battery back in you are done.

The MacBook I am testing the memory on is an Intel Core 2 Duo 2GHz system. With all my benchmarking applications running on Windows, only I opted to benchmark with Windows Vista Ultimate thanks to Boot Camp. The Windows Vista Experience rating for the OWC RAM modules was 4.5.

For other benchmarks, I used Sandra XII’s memory latency, cache and memory, and memory bandwidth tests. The first test up was the Memory latency benchmark. This benchmark showed a random access speed of 191ns with a speed factor of 52.6o. The linear access time was 30ns with a speed factor of 8.0.

Next test up was the cache and memory benchmark, which showed a cache and memory bandwidth of 8937 MB/s and a speed factor of 23.60. The final benchmark that I ran was the memory bandwidth test with Sandra XII. The Int Buff’d iSSE2 memory bandwidth was 2503 MB/s and the float buff’d d iSSE2 memory bandwidth was 2580 MB/s.

Synthetic benchmarks don’t mean as much to most users as real world use does. In Windows Vista, I could tell with the 2GB of RAM onboard that my programs and applications launched much faster. With 1GB of RAM, that the MacBook shipped with installed it seemed to take forever for Outlook 2007 to launch. I can also have more browser windows and applications open at once without having the notebook slow down.

In OS X, I use VMware Fusion to run Tiger and Vista at the same time because I prefer to use Outlook 2007 for my email. With 1GB of RAM installed in the system Vista was as slow as a person filing taxes that knows he has to pay in. With VMware splitting the amount of RAM between Tiger and Vista, things just weren’t smooth. It took a good 15 seconds for a simple change of the mailbox on Outlook 2007 with 1GB of RAM.

After installing the OWC 2GB (1024MB x 2) Matched Pair DDR2 PC2-5300 667MHz DIMMs the computer RAM much faster under VMware. I could change mailboxes in outlook with lag of only a second at most. Running Photoshop Elements was also faster and the entire system in general ran smoother. If you are using virtualization software on a Mac and not running 2GB of RAM do yourself a favor and whip out your credit card right now. You need the OWC 2GB (1024MB x 2) Matched Pair DDR2 PC2-5300 667MHz DIMMs in your notebook.

Verdict

Conclusion

Pros

• Easy to install with a little skill
• Improves system performance

Cons

• New users may find installation unnerving

Verdict
In the end there are no real cons to the OWC 2GB (1024MB x 2) Matched Pair DDR2 PC2-5300 667MHz DIMMs. Most anyone who has worked around computers can install them, but some will find the thought of opening up their expensive computer frightful. The RAM performs exceptionally well and makes a huge difference in system performance, especially if you are using virtualization software.

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