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How to choose memory - a buyer's guide



Use Our Secure Order Form
or
fax to (250) 385-6267
or
call Tollfree 877-320-0225

RAM BY Manufacturer
Apple
Acer
Asus
Dell
Fujitsu
HP-Compaq
IBM-Lenovo
Panasonic
Sony Vaio
Toshiba
Other Desktop Memory
Other Laptop Memory
Laser Printer Memory
Cisco Router Memory

RAM BY TECHNOLOGY
DDR3 DDR3-1066 to 1800
DDR2 PC2-3200 to PC2-6400
DDR PC2100 to PC3200
SDRAM PC66, PC100, PC133
RAMBus RDRAM PC800, PC1066
EDO & FPM SIMMs & DIMMs
Flash Memory cards: Cellphone, PDA & Camera
High Performance RAM Corsair, Kingston HyperX, Firestix
USB Flash Key Drives, Solid State Disk (SSD) & ReadyBoost

audio& Video Recording
Musical Instrument Sampler RAM
Digital Audio & Video Hardware

STORAGE & Hard Drives
Hard Drive Enclosures & NAS Firmtek SATA, Sonnet
LaCie Peripherals
Hard drives: Seagate, Maxtor, Western Digital, Samsung

Batteries & Power
Laptop Batteries & AC Adaptors
iPod Batteries
Apple Notebook Batteries
NiMH rechargable AA, AAA & Chargers

FORMS
• Secure Order Form
• Secure Quote Request Form
• Credit Application for Gov't, Education & Corporate (PDF)
• Faxable Order Form (PDF)
• Shipping Authorization Form for third party addresses (PDF)

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terms

Prices are in Canadian Dollars, and are subject to change without notice. please Email to confirm price before ordering. GST is extra in Canada, GST & PST are extra in BC & QC, HST in NB, NS & NF.

Use the SECURE ORDER FORM. or fax order form to (250) 385-6267 or call 1-877-320-0225. Make sure to include the make and model of your machine, your full shippping address, phone number, correct email address, the number, expiry date and name on your credit card plus the card billing address and phone if different from shipping address. Payment accepted by VISA or Mastercard or Canadian bank Interac Email Transfer. It must be your credit card and the card billing address and shipping addresses must match. For your protection, we may ask for additional proof of ID to be faxed. Third-party address shipments require faxed confirmation. PayPal accepted with a +3% service charge.

Gov't, Education and Corporate PO's accepted on prior approval of credit only. Download the Credit Application form and fax to (250) 385-6267

Shipping & handling: $9.95 on RAM, $14.95 on other goods in Canada regardless of quantity ordered Most in-stock orders will ship out by noon the next business day for 1-5 day arrival. Special orders may take 5-14 days. Shipping is via Xpress Post FedEx or Purolator at our choice. No PO Boxes for Purolator or FedEx. Please ensure that there is someone at the address during business hours to sign for the package. We do not guarantee delivery time. Shipping time and cost may be higher in NT, NU, YT or remote areas as defined by the courier . An invoice copy will be sent by email.

Shipping is at buyer's risk, Shipping insurance is optional at 1.5% extra on the goods value or by quote. Signature required for insured parcels.

Installation:
Goods are sold under the assumption that you have experience installing in your particular machine. RAM Installation instructions for your specific machine are not included. Refer to your owner's manual or manufacturer's Web site. If you are not confident, please take your machine to a technician for installation. Backup your data before doing any modifications to a machine. We are not responsible for any damage occuring during or after installation of products, nor any incidental or consequential damage or data loss.

Outside of Canada or the USA? We generally sell to North American addresses only. Please Email for shipping costs.
Due to excessive fraud, we do not respond to any commuications from: Indonesia, Malaysia, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Nigeria and certain other countries.


We only sell new, fully warranteed premium quality goods. Full manufacturers' warranty terms apply. Customer is responsible for shipping.

We do not sell used memory, "pulls", remanufactured modules, "B" stock, gray-market goods or rejects. We do not take trade-ins of used memory. Warranty replacement only, no return for refund on: Kingston Memory, special order goods or software. Returns by prior approval only, shipping is not refundable, restocking charge may apply. Read the Terms and conditions of sale.


Use our SECURE ORDER FORM
or
FAX to (250) 385-6267
or call
Tollfree 877-320-0225

There are hundreds of thousands of makes and models of memory...How do I choose the right memory for my computer?

The easiest way is to select a reputable memory seller who tests and guarantees compatibility with your model computer, who offers a lifetime warranty, and a no-cost return (no restocking charges) if it doesn't work. (see the CanadaRAM 7 point protection plan for how we meet and exceed these standards).

Why is this important, isn't memory a commodity anyway? What's the difference as long as it says PC2700?

There are some basic memory specifications across the industry. Take PC2700 for example, this describes a DDR memory module that runs at 333 MHz. Then add DIMM or SODIMM, which describe the physical packaging of the memory. But that is not nearly half of the information you need to know if the RAM will work in your machine or not. Some of the variables are the number of chips on the module, the density of the individual memory chips, the timing, the organization of the chips into banks, rows and columns, and the Serial Presence Detect settings. Your computer will work with only some of the many possible constructions of module.

So quite apart from RAM being a commodity, there are many variations that have to be accounted for.

Thats where we come in. We know memory, we have been supplying it for over 17 years. We have multiple cross-references, which we use to ensure you get the right memory for your machine.

Will my machine perform faster if I buy more expensive RAM?

In general, if two RAM modules are compatible with your machine, they will perform identically, regardless of the price difference. The trick is to ensure that the RAM you are considering is in fact 100% compatible.

The computer sets the speed that the RAM is run at, not the RAM module. So installing faster than specified RAM usually makes no difference, the computer will simply run it at its standard speed. So there's no real reason to purchase higher than specified RAM. (Keep in mind that purchasing slower than specified speed RAM may not work at all, or may force the machine to slow down, and this is not recommeded.) On occasion, we will supply you with faster than specified RAM on your order, if the price is the same, the faster RAM is in stock and the faster RAM is compatible.

The exception is overclocking and motherboards that are capable of automatic memory buss optimizing. In the case of overclocking, the computer owner is manually changing their machine by adjusting it to run at faster than normal buss speeds. This has some inherent risk of instability, crashing, overheating and component failure if not done correctly. When overclocking, buy RAM that is rated for the maximum speed you intend to clock the memory buss at.

Some PC motherboards have optimization technology built in to take advantage of faster RAM. This is not often an increase in clock speed, but a reduction in Latency. Latency is the length of time that a RAM chip must 'recharge' after a memory operation, before being ready to take another operation. The latency, or down time, represents wasted time for the computer's processor if it has to wait for the RAM. Low latency RAM is more expensive, but it can give a modest speed boost to the computer, IF the motherboard is built to take advantage of lower latency (faster turnaround) timing. All the RAM in the machine typically has to be capable of the lower latency. Macintosh computers and most laptop computers do not have this ability; it is mostly found in PC motherboards starting with the Intel 865 and 875 motherboards that use DDR RAM.

How much RAM do I need?

This depends a lot on the operating system you are using, and the type of work you do (the programs you run, the size of your data sets, and the number of programs that you need to have open at one time.)

When the mount of work you are doing exceeds the amount of available RAM, you machine is forced to swap working memory on and off the hard drive. This slows the performance of the computer. Ideally, you want to always have more available memory than the total of all the programs and files you have open.

For Windows XP and Macintosh OS X, the operating system itself doesn't reach full speed untill you have 512 Mb or more of memory. Add to that your programs' requirements, and you should be looking at between 1.0 and 1.5 Gb of RAM ideally. Graphics (Photoshop, desktop publishing and illustration), digital audio and digital video use very large data sets, so 2 Gb or more RAM is usual for these. Please email or call us to discuss your requirements.

Will installing RAM void my manufacturer's warranty?

No, virtually every computer manufacturer allows you to install your own RAM, with no impact on your warranty, as long as you choose compatible RAM, and don't do any damage to the machine while installing.

One note: If you are sending in a computer for warranty service, it is a good idea to de-install your upgraded RAM and/or hard drives. Increasingly, warranty service is done by swapping the machine for another, so you stand a good chance of getting a different machine back without your upgrades! Also an excellent reason to have a complete backup of your data before sending in a machine for service.

Shoud I buy the RAM from the computer manufacturer? Isn't it better to have factory RAM?

In a word, No. None of the computer manufacturers build their own RAM, they buy it from RAM manufacturers like Samsung, Hynix, Micron and Siemens just like we do. So there really is no such thing as 'factory' RAM. However there is agood reason not to order extra RAM with your new computer -- the computer manufacturers use RAM as a way to boost profit on the sale of the machine, and they charge anywhere from 150% to 300% more for the memory than we do. Also, when you buy RAM with the machine, you get only 1 or 3 years warranty, compared to our lifetime warranty. SO, buy your computer with the minimum amount of RAM, and then call us.

 

Email your inquiry
or use our SECURE ORDER FORM
or FAX Orderform to (250) 385-6267
or call Tollfree 1-877-320-0225

Request a quote with our
Quote Request Form

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© 1997-2008 CanadaRAM Ltd. a division of
Quill Services Ltd.,
488-F Bay St.,
Victoria BC Canada V8T 5H2
Phone (250) 382-6227
Fax (250) 385-6267
Established 1988,
Better Business Bureau Accredited Business since 1994

Finalist, BBB 2005 and 2006 Torch Awards

 

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Email your order or FAX Orderform to (250) 385-6267
or use our 128-bit encrypted Secure Web Order Form

or call Tollfree 877-320-0225
(Pacific time zone. Please leave a voicemail 24/7 or if we are on the line with other customers)

Don't see what you are looking for? Email us or use our quote request form

We feature Kingston, Crucial, Certified, Techworks, Buffalo and Corsair memory: We also offer guaranteed generic RAM - please Email for a quote.

We only sell new, fully warranted premium-quality RAM that meets or exceeds manufacturers' specifications and that has been tested for compatibility. Full RAM manufacturers' warranty terms apply. We do not sell used memory, "pulls", remanufactured modules, "B" stock or rejects. Read the Terms and conditions of sale.

Availability and price can change without notice. Email for up to date prices

Privacy Statement: Any information submitted to CanadaRAM will kept confidential and used only for CanadaRAM business communications. Your Email address will not be sold or given to any others. Our order form is secured by SSL and 128 bit encryption. Customer data is not kept on publicly-accessible servers. Better Business Bureau Online Reliability Program - click to verify CanadaRAM Ltd.'s status Any questions or concerns? email administration@canadaram.com

Dealer for: Xerox/Tektronix, HP, Canon & Epson colour printers, Hewlett-Packard laser printers and plotters, Samsung, Brother, Xerox and Xante laser printers, Linksys, DLink, SMC, Asante & Farallon Networking, Tritton, LaCie, Maxtor, Seagate, Western Digital & Fujitsu hard drives, Sony, Sharp, NEC, Viewsonic & Mitsubishi monitors, Sonnet CPU upgrades, LG, Pioneer, LiteOn & Sony CD Recorders, Edirol, Alesis, Access, M-Audio, Numark, ESI digital audio hardware, Ensign POS, Adobe, Quark, Microsoft, Symantec, Colorvision, Steinberg, Native Instruments, Waves, Propellerheads software.