I need to grab a SODIMM for a project. It's available new from amazon, mr memory and I'm sure many others.
It's also available in massive abundance on Ebay for cheaper because it was a very common Spec for big laptop manufacturers. (8GB SODIMM, DDR3, 1600)
I know cheap isn't always good, but in this case I can't think of anything obvious that might stop me buying used RAM, other than physical damage.
Am I being naive, or are there other things I should be considering before ordering?
Ram is one of the things, that have no reason not to work properly second hand... I mean CPUs can be overclocked to crazyness and burn out, GPUs can mine Bitcrap and burn down, motherboards can break for trillion reasons, fans... don't buy second hand fans... HDD as well, they are always at risk. Ram is not. There is almost nothing, other than incompatibility or physical damage, that can render a ram stick unusable...
As usual pick you seller carefully with decent feedback.
I totally agree with @psycho_666
This is the only reason other than incompatibility for why RAM wouldn't work second hand IMO. Whether it was damaged due to something like a faulty PSU of the idiot tried to force the RAM module(s) in the wrong way, who knows. But you'll probably be fine buying second hand RAM, provided it's from a trusted user with fairly good ratings.
When I built my first ever PC, that was my downfall, I was on an incredibly tight budget and to say the least, I learned that lesson the hard and painful way.
Personally I'd never buy any hardware that's second hand, but I'm paranoid that it would be damaged. However if I was a lot more logical, and I did my homework looking at reviews and the sellers online, seeing if 'z' seller has a lot of good customer feedback, then that's probably just as good as new IMO. - As @bimbleuk has already pointed out, pick your seller carefully.
Other than what has already been pointed out, I have nothing to add other than my personal opinion. I mean RAM isn't that expensive when it's new anyway, would you really be saving that much? - Keep in mind I've never looked up the price(s) of second hand hardware.
RAM can wear out or fail just as much as a CPU or GPU, in fact of those three I've only had RAM fail. Having said that it's just like buying anything second hand, so long as you get it from a reputable source and it's not DOA then it's probably going to be just fine. I've used and abused loads of second hard hardware, it's not inherently crap.
I just got done posting in another thread talking about Ebay and while it is fun to look at what is on the site I sure as heck won't buy much of anything on there related to tech. I guess the only thing I'd buy in regards to electronics would be from real companies that happen to sell on there like say Toys R Us.
Thanks guys. It would appear that most people think about this the same way I do. Time to find a bargain!
not to mention manufacturers usually provide life long warranty.
You can buy it from EBay, just ensure the seeker has a return policy. No return, no sale for me. People are usually good about returns on that stuff
I had to buy used ram one time for a server of mine. I got it as a graduation gift from the IT department at my high school. Sadly the ram it used wasn't in production. But there sure were plenty of old retired servers like that one that I wa sable to buy a decent upgrade for not terrible price. So yeah I would again especially server ram
i bought used ram on this forum and craigslist and never had a problem. ram can go bad, but it rarely ever does. make sure the person has a return policy and isnt a scammer and you should be ok.
I bought Ram once on Ebay the seller sent me Buffered ECC RAM when i needed Unbuffered. I attempted to send it back but that didn't happen as they no longer exsisted the month later when it finally got to me, they had 99% positive reviews too.
I agree with this. RAM, like CPUs, CAN be overclocked and can burn out after a period of use like any component so just be aware.
I ended up finding Kingston RAM brand new for super cheap so it's all good!
@psycho_666 You forgot the PSU, yeah never ever ever buy a PSU second hand or refurbished because not only is it unknown weather it will just die tomorrow but it could take your hole system with it and if left unattended and your really really unlucky your home and all your worldly possessions to boot via uncontrolled exothermic reations...
Demonstrated by our lovely Austin Evans https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGqZkOveLb8&feature=youtu.be&t=1m18s
RAM is definitely a good ebay buy. Consumer oriented ram isn't always a ton cheaper than retail, so its not always as much of a savings, but not bad. There are certain things that are more questionable, but RAM is fine. Most people don't overclock RAM, and really its hard to kill RAM.
Most good aftermarket RAM has lifetime warranty. It's probably the safest PC component to buy used.
I just bought a used 8gb kit of so-dimm for my laptop off of eBay. Workin' great.
So, yes, I would buy used ram on eBay. :)
Yeah go for it man, rams pretty tough.
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