Hello,
I have a few computers that I'm looking to upgrade the memory on and
was looking for a supplier that sells either used or low cost RAM.
Used ram is fine, since most of the time I don't think there is much
of a difference in effectiveness.
The larger question is why it's used memory- systems don't
generally have their memory reduced, rather upgraded unless
the system has failed so badly that the entire thing is
scrapped, and if the damage is that bad, how would they know
if the memory works? If they had a compatible system to
test with, would the memory be sold at a very low cost
instead of being put into one of the compatible systems?
Actually, is there any difference
between used or new RAM?
Yes, new memory is comonplace, while used memory is rarer
(till very old and then not so many people try to sell it
since the time
rofit ratio is so low). This excludes ebay,
but ebay is such a large variable because you can't know for
certain if the seller is even competent to test memory
they're selling, let alone if they actually tested
sufficiently instead of just thinking "the system it was in
ran, it must be good", nevermind if the system even ran it
at the spec'd speed and timings.
So, if anyone on here knows of a company or individual who sells used
or inexpensive RAM, I would greatly appreciate the information.
Thanks,
Chris
The short answer is no, there are none that are just less
expensive without some kind of tradeoff, though sometime
that tradeoff is time spent or unexpected financial risk.
RAM is a commodity item, and beyond certain circles of
friends, website forums or similar isolated groups of
people, in general the world market for it mostly cares
about only the functionality- does it work as it is spec'd
to work.
You might find some memory made with slightly lower quality,
or chips with lower margins, but this stuff is equally
available at regular pricing from many sources like those
found on Pricewatch.com, at major sellers getting great
volume pricing like newegg.com, or even locally at the
larger electronics superstores if you're willing to deal
with rebates.
Other alternate sources tend to be risky except for several
generations old memory- memory for platforms that are near
retirement or replacement age. Otherwise, memory tends to
be reused rather than sold at below market value, providing
it still works properly. There are exceptions like
late-hour sales on ebay, but there's still some risk
involved in this, if nothing else that the seller may
believe the memory is good and through mishandling or a
general incompatibility issue, it may not work on the target
system. Sometimes it is surprising just how much work it
can take to resolve what seems, should have been a simple
transaction.
For example, once I bough memory from the lowest bidder who
delivered a module labeled as PC133, but impossibly so
because the chips themselves are only rated up to 100MHz.
The seller argued "but it says right on the modules that
they're PC133". Someone (seller or a prior party, I didn't
care which) had printed up generic stickers you don't find
on any other memory and slapped them onto PC100 high density
modules- presumably they'd found it difficult to find buyers
for high density memory that only wanted 100MHz generic
modules.
You'd have though it would be easy to just prove this to
them but even with manufacturers spec sheets as evidence,
the credit card company had to get involved.
Moral of the story- sometimes the risk just isn't worth the
savings, not when there are major, reputable companies with
some pretty good deals on memory too. Having a few hundred
dollars worth of parts and value of data/time tied up in a
system then trying to save 10% on the memory is often a
false economy.
If you're just looking for the largest source in one place
(since you didn't even mention what you're looking for
specifically), then that'd probably be ebay. If looking for
something less common in smaller sizes, you might find such
at a computer surplus 'site, but there are many and it's a
bit hard and lengthly to try to make a list when we dont
know what you need, as it's not as though one place has the
kind of full stock that you get with new parts.
