Mac memory?
 

Quick question - a guy wants to sell me a couple of sticks of Crucial Memory. The package makes a point of saying they're "Mac compatible".

Do Macs use some different sort of memory than PC's? Would I be likely to find out they don't work in my Dell laptop?

Dells use different memory than other Dells. You need to figure out exactly what kind of memory you need before you buy anything. To figure out what you need you can use the Crucial system scanner.

Macs, in my experience, tend to be a little pickier about RAM than PCs so RAM that's listed as "Mac compatible" in theory at least meets the specs required by Apple. It should work in any machine that uses that type of RAM fine though. I've repurposed a lot of RAM from my Macs into other machines just fine over the years.

The memory is likely to be a standard 204 pin SO-DIMM. The speed (1066, 1333 etc.) needs to be compatible.

Check newegg.com for comparisons.

Stuff labelled as “Mac compatible” generally means “more expensive because people who buy Apple are used to higher prices”.

But it should be off the shelf stuff.

Mac user here: the above site works great. Input your computer model, etc. and it will tell which works.

Ram is cheap, buy it new from them. I upgraded to 2X4gb=8gb and one of the sticks was defective. One email and got replacement in 48 hours. Total cost for upgrade was something like $75???

:D Yeah. I've dealt with Mac fanboys before.