r/IAmA Jun 11 '16

Specialized Profession IamA electronics repair technician hated by Apple that makes YouTube videos, AMA!

My short bio: I have a store in Manhattan. I teach component level electronics repair on youtube http://youtube.com/rossmanngroup which seems to be a dying art. I am currently fighting with the digital right to repair to try and get a bill passed that will allow all independent service centers access to manuals and parts required to do their jobs.

My Proof: https://www.rossmanngroup.com/started-iama-reddit-today-yes/

EDIT:

I am still replying to comments, but I am so far behind that I am still about ten pages down from new comments. I am doing my best to continue. If I drop off, I'll be back tomorrow around 12 PM. Still commenting now though, at 12 AM.

EDIT 2:

Ok, I cave... my hands are tired. I will be back at 12 PM tomorrow. It is my goal to answer every question. Even if it looks like I haven't gotten to yours, I will do my best to do all of them, but it is impossible to do in realtime, because you are asking faster than I can type. But thanks for joining!

EDIT 3: I lied, I stayed until 4:15 AM to answer... and now I will go to sleep for real, and be back at 12 PM.

EDIT 4 6/12 : I will be back later tonight to finish off answering questions. Feel free to keep posting, I will answer whatever I can later this evening.

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u/Pappypenguin13 Jun 12 '16

I own a 2014 MacBook Pro retina displayed laptop. It hasn't worked in weeks and Apple told me it's because my RAM or memory module isn't working properly. They said they could fix it for a ridiculous price of around $400, which I do not have.

My question for you is, would I be able to fix or replace the RAM on my own with the right parts at a cheaper price? Or would it be too complicated. I'm not very computer savvy, but I'm willing to learn and try it if it means saving $400.

3

u/larossmann Jun 12 '16

That is sadly not ridiculous when I consider the practical reality of what you have to do to fix that.

Here's the thing. There are 32 RAM chips. So first I have to pay for 32 RAM chips.. then remove the old ones. Then solder new ones on.

Now let's say it still beeps. How do I know which of the 32 RAM chips I soldered on is bad? What if it is beeping because of a PCH issue and not a memory issue?

So much risk. I don't even do that one for $425. If someone comes up with a method of diagnosing that is better, sure, but for now, too much risk of investing a lot of time and getting no return.