3 ms·

I get your point, and Apple doesn't price RAM cheap, but it's worth noting that any RAM doesn't equal any other RAM. There's a ton of ram types with varying pe

I get your point, and Apple doesn't price RAM cheap, but it's worth noting that any RAM doesn't equal any other RAM. There's a ton of ram types with varying performance levels, and in apple's case it's RAM with direct and performant access from the graphics card (unified memory).

kjkjadksj 2y ago
I’d much rather have had serviceable ram modules than sightly faster ram to the gpu I will never fully flex with macos software anyhow. Speaking as someone saddled with one of these computers.
angoragoats 2y ago
Every M-series Mac has shipped with completely standard LPDDR4 or LPDDR5(X) memory chips. While these can be a bit more expensive than socketed non-LP DDR DIMMS, we're talking maybe 10% more expensive, not 1000% more expensive (which is what Apple charges for upgrades vs standard retail price for DIMMs). Apple's marketing department would be happy for you to think otherwise, but the "secret sauce" of their high memory bandwidth is completely due to having more memory channels built into the SoC than a standard x86 CPU.
throwaway48476 2y ago
RAM is literally a JEDEC standard.
- astrodust 2y ago
  You're not buying a standard, you're buying a module with particular packaging and specifications, all of which have a huge impact on production cost.
  - throwaway48476 2y ago
    RAM cost is predominantly the cost to produce the silicon, which is a standard and interchangeable. Apple uses multiple sourcing as well to lower their cost.
Wytwwww 2y ago
Isn't the memory in the Surface Laptop 7 (and presumably other comparable Qualcomm/x86 laptops) quite a bit faster? Of course MS overcharges on upgrades as well... because they can. Can it really have anything to do with cost, though? I wouldn't be surprised that the slotted RAM in laptops that support it and which Lenovo/Dell/etc. sell pretty cheap ir as or more expensive than the "Apple Magic Unified Max Marketing RAM" wholesale?
Tuna-Fish 2y ago
The fancy part is how it is attached. The memory modules themselves are one of the cheapest kinds of commodity ram. The cost to Apple for going from 16GB to 32GB is less than $40. So of course it's priced at $400.

kjkjadksj 2y ago

I’d much rather have had serviceable ram modules than sightly faster ram to the gpu I will never fully flex with macos software anyhow. Speaking as someone saddled with one of these computers.

angoragoats 2y ago

Every M-series Mac has shipped with completely standard LPDDR4 or LPDDR5(X) memory chips. While these can be a bit more expensive than socketed non-LP DDR DIMMS, we're talking maybe 10% more expensive, not 1000% more expensive (which is what Apple charges for upgrades vs standard retail price for DIMMs). Apple's marketing department would be happy for you to think otherwise, but the "secret sauce" of their high memory bandwidth is completely due to having more memory channels built into the SoC than a standard x86 CPU.

throwaway48476 2y ago

RAM is literally a JEDEC standard.

astrodust 2y ago
You're not buying a standard, you're buying a module with particular packaging and specifications, all of which have a huge impact on production cost.
- throwaway48476 2y ago
  RAM cost is predominantly the cost to produce the silicon, which is a standard and interchangeable. Apple uses multiple sourcing as well to lower their cost.

Wytwwww 2y ago

Isn't the memory in the Surface Laptop 7 (and presumably other comparable Qualcomm/x86 laptops) quite a bit faster? Of course MS overcharges on upgrades as well... because they can. Can it really have anything to do with cost, though? I wouldn't be surprised that the slotted RAM in laptops that support it and which Lenovo/Dell/etc. sell pretty cheap ir as or more expensive than the "Apple Magic Unified Max Marketing RAM" wholesale?

Tuna-Fish 2y ago

The fancy part is how it is attached. The memory modules themselves are one of the cheapest kinds of commodity ram. The cost to Apple for going from 16GB to 32GB is less than $40. So of course it's priced at $400.