Not Compatible

[repsac]

This is just a minor thing. Something stupid I had happen at Wal-Mart the other day.


Recently, my wally world started offering cheap RAM. 1gig for 80 bucks. Maybe it's overpaying, but I thought it couldn't hurt to pick up a stick. Besides, it was cheaper than most I'd seen, so what harm in it?

Picking my stick I head over to the cashier to get them to unlock the little thingy and hand me one. As I come back, the guy looks at me a second and asks me if I use Vista.

Smiling back I respond that sadly I don't use Vista. I suffer with it. This prompted him to blink and cross his arms, saying in a very snobbish (know it all) voice. "Well this won't work with vista. It's not compatible." With that he turned to walk off.



What's worse, I couldn't convince him to unlock the thing. He was dead set that the memory wouldn't work with my computer. Even went so far as to claim that when he worked for Best Buy, they had problems of people who obviously didn't know anything about computers buying stuff and making trouble for the store. He wasn't about to let that happen here.

In the end, I got a manager to get me the part, and he got a nice arse chewing right there at the counter.

Oh, and the memory? It works fine

[sld72382]

Good for you in getting a manager, I would have done the same thing.

I remember a long time ago I read a story from a man on a customer complaint site that a salesperson at a Best Buy refused to sell him memory.... because he had a MAC. The guy tried to tell him it doesn't matter what the O/S is, memory is memory. The salesperson wouldn't back down and said he wouldn't sell it to him "because he knew he would return it." Well the guy requested a manager and the manager backed the salesperson up! The guy left and sent his wife in to buy the RAM, and she was able to buy it with no issues because she didn't mention the type of PC she has, she just requested the memory.

This is the type of person that gives salespeople a bad name, because of idiots like him a lot of salespeople have a tough time convincing customers that they actually know their stuff and are not just mindless drones that are there to push extended warranties. I'm glad I'm out of sales.

[BlaqueKatt]

Good for you in getting a manager, I would have done the same thing.

I remember a long time ago I read a story from a man on a customer complaint site that a salesperson at a Best Buy refused to sell him memory.... because he had a MAC. The guy tried to tell him it doesn't matter what the O/S is, memory is memory. The salesperson wouldn't back down and said he wouldn't sell it to him "because he knew he would return it."

It may work but it voids the applecare warranty.

[sld72382]

Let me guess, because they want to sell you the "official" memory, right?

Don't know if they still do it as well but Dell is/was notorious for pressuring customers to buy "official" stuff like memory, hard drives etc and telling them (lying) that other parts may damage the system.

"Official" in this case just gives them the right to charge an arm, leg and three toes.

BTW, Another thing I can't stand about Dell is that many I come across has an insufficient amount of memory in them, because when people call up to order the system Dell sales reps make the recommendations for more memory sound like an upsell so people will often say "just give me what it comes with." Then when I tell them they need more RAM they say, "but it worked fine before!"

[ArcticChicken]

OK, correct me if I'm wrong, but as I understand it, the OS you use doesn't effect (affect? I can never keep them straight) the type of RAM you buy, it's the Motherboard that matters.

[It's me]

OK, correct me if I'm wrong, but as I understand it, the OS you use doesn't effect (affect? I can never keep them straight) the type of RAM you buy, it's the Motherboard that matters.

Yep, you got it. All that matters is the motherboard. (Well, okay, the O/S can affect how *much* of the installed memory you can actually use, but unless you are doing something like running like Windows 95 on current hardware it's not something you'd ever run into anyway)

BTW: "Effect": make something happen, "affect": influence something else

[Depot Denizen]

It wouldn't void the AppleCare warranty. However, the memory would not be covered in the event something happened.

[Naaman]

Yep, you got it. All that matters is the motherboard. (Well, okay, the O/S can affect how *much* of the installed memory you can actually use, but unless you are doing something like running like Windows 95 on current hardware it's not something you'd ever run into anyway)

Although a couple of years ago things started turning up with "Vista Certified" stickers on them. Now that's fine for graphics cards and mobos but the marketing drones went sticker mad so they ended up on RAM, Monitors, Mice....any packaging that had room for it

I can see where someone who doesn't know about hardware may have gotten confused.

[lordlundar]

OK, correct me if I'm wrong, but as I understand it, the OS you use doesn't effect (affect? I can never keep them straight) the type of RAM you buy, it's the Motherboard that matters.

Sort of. The ram is listed in 3 factors:

The casing: SIMM, DIMM, SoDIMM, MicroDIMM, etc.
The clock speed: for example DDR2 3200
The size: 1GB, 2GB, etc

The ONLY point where the OS has a factor is the size, which for 32-bit systems (XP, Vista) is a 3-4GB cap. 64-bit systems go well past this, but compatibility is a lot less.

All 3 are dependent on the physical design of the board and the chipset.

The best rule of thumb is if it fits without breaking and meets the clock speed, it will work.

And as for the Apple RAM? guess what? It's the same type of RAM you can buy from other companies, just the price is jacked up.

Although a couple of years ago things started turning up with "Vista Certified" stickers on them. Now that's fine for graphics cards and mobos but the marketing drones went sticker mad so they ended up on RAM, Monitors, Mice....any packaging that had room for it

With monitors, the marketing blurb is that is has the DHCP in it to play copy protected content, similar to HDTVs, and the mice is that it has the functional drivers.

Do I belive it? Of course not. Most likely they were evaluating something important, the sup got praise hungry and sent a letter to each peripheral manufacturer saying "IT WORKS IN VISTA!!!!!" so they could slap a sticker on it and ship it out.

Heck, my sister is running Vista with my old 19" flat panel and that was made before Vista launched.

[Naaman]

With monitors, the marketing blurb is that is has the DHCP in it to play copy protected content, similar to HDTVs, and the mice is that it has the functional drivers.

But...but...but...

Bloody marketing department.

IF the monitors have the DHCP in it then it's HD compliant, nowt to do with Vista.

And given that the large majority of computer owners are happy with the standard "2 buttons and a wheel" USB mouse which windows can use natively....

Hmm, I need a mindless shootie game now.....back later

[JLRodgers]

The ONLY point where the OS has a factor is the size, which for 32-bit systems (XP, Vista) is a 3-4GB cap. 64-bit systems go well past this, but compatibility is a lot less.

That's my only complaint and the reason why I haven't upped my system to 4gb (it has to be upgraded in pairs [2 sticks]) I think it can take more than that though....

Anyway, I wanted the 64bit vista.... but when like 90-95% of the software I use doesn't have 64 bit versions (or outright say "32 bit") I wasn't going to risk it.

[Kiwi]

That reminds me of the time a couple of christmas's ago, I went into furture shop for some christmas presents.

I had a list in my hand, I wanted a gamers keyboard, noise cancelling headphones, wireless mouse, and mp3 player (kyle does not like apple and as it was a present... who am I to argue!)

I start at the mp3 stand start peering through the glass when a guy comes up to me, I state my price range and that I want anything that isnt an ipod.....wrong thing to say

I get a 15 minute lecture on how STUPID people dont like ipods and they are the best product and he cant help me if Im going to bascially be a narrowminded imbecile. This was after I had stated at least 3 or 4 times, that this is a GIFT and the person who doesnt like apple... he said that I should get them an ipod to educate them.....

I told him I would think about it, and he left thank god. Then a different worker came up and helped me buy everything I needed, and he got the commission for it to. I couldnt believe I had to argue with an employee about buying something, I was basically handing him a sale.... but oh no, apprently im too stupid to buy a present.

[lordlundar]

But...but...but...
Hmm, I need a mindless shootie game now.....back later

Sweet! I broke a brain.

YES!

I'm so happy.

[Gurndigarn]

It wouldn't void the AppleCare warranty. However, the memory would not be covered in the event something happened.

And the first thing they will tell you if you need work done is that it's the memory. (At least, that's what the salesmen told me. Actually what they said was "and keep your original memory cards, so you can swap it back in if you have problems so that Apple won't assume the problem is with the non-approved memory."

4 megs, about $130 if you didn't want the Apple Seal of Approval (TM)(SM)(C)(R). About $350 with the seal. Or something like that.

[Difdi]

I went to CompUSA once to buy a new ethernet cable. My maximum broadband internet speed was 3mbps. The store sold a variety of ethernet cables, with various maximum rated speeds and intended purposes.

Since my maximum speed was slower than their slowest cable was rated for, I decided to buy the slowest (cheapest) one.

As I was pulling my selection off the display rack, a clerk showed up and asked me if I was finding everything ok. Upon seeing I was buying ethernet cable, said clerk decided to make sure I was buying the "right kind".

While I was shopping by speed, the actual labeling was by purpose. And the clerk absolutely would NOT allow me to buy a patch cable. To the extent that when I tried to take it to the register and pay for it, he pulled it out of my hands.

It took going through two levels of manager before I reached someone who would allow me to buy a 10mbps cable to use with a 3mbps connection, rather than insisting my choices were a 100mbps or to leave the store empty handed.

I've done network technician work before, I've installed both wireless and hard wired home networks before a number of times. I used to work in an IT capacity installing and maintaining an ethernet network. At the time the incident happened, I could recite the ethernet specification from memory. I know exactly what the differences between Cat5 and Cat5e cable are. But the clerk (and his immediate manager) simply didn't care. I couldn't buy the "wrong" cable because it was their Duty to make sure I bought the right one. It almost goes without saying the "right" cable they were pushing cost four times what my selection cost. I very nearly got thrown out of the store for my insistence that I knew what I was doing and did not want a Cat5e cable.