Opening 27' iMac, need to upgrade ram

[iRukiri]

I'm purchasing the new i7 quad core iMac next week and I want to upgrade the ram myself and save money! I know that apple charges way to much for ram that's why I want to do it myself, however it's an all in one and I don't want to break it either..

I want to upgrade the standard 4GB to 8GB 2X4.

If there is already another topic like this and how to upgrade the imac let me know!

- Rukiri

[robbieduncan]

It's a user-accessable upgrade as per this Apple document (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3918). I imagine there is a very similar diagram supplied with the machine itself.

[iRukiri]

Thanks, really helped^^

Now to look for cheap ram..

Edit:

Would this work?
http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-CMD8GX3M4A1600C8-Dominator-PC3-12800-1600MHz/dp/B002M3LLYM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1263159369&sr=1-2

[JimDut]

Hi,

No thats the wrong memory.

Please see these links:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3912

http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/listparts.aspx?model=iMac%202.8GHz%20Quad-Core%20Intel%20Core%20i7%20%2827-inch%20-%20DDR3%29%20Late%202009&pl=Apple&cat=RAM

[cjmillsnun]

http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/iMac/DDR3_21.5_27

This is the memory you want for the 27" iMac.

[MacHamster68]

tough the iMac is using one of the most expensive ram available
my mate who has one and asked me to get him the right ram for his new iMac, because he did want to have it upgraded to the max 16gb and he did want crucial , he thought i was kidding when i told him the price of just over £600 which is ~$1000

but still a lot cheaper then if you upgrade direct when you order the iMac with 16gb then apple is charging £1145 extra which is ~$1700
but funny thing if you only order it with 8gb then apple is charging only
£163 if you choose 4x2gb
£491 if you chose 2x4gb
he got angry now because he did not chose the cheap 8gb option when ordering , because i told him it would be sufficient for what he does on the iMac , i mean looking up ebay and watching the odd youtube musikvideo and chatting had been the most demanding things he did on a computer in the last 10 years
ok i understand him it sounds better in a chatroom if you can tell people "i have a iMac 27" i7 with 16gb ram "then if it has only 4gb
and i give him anyway only max 4 month then he sells it again because he found something more interesting ...maybe i buy the iMac of him as he's already talking about how nice the macbook pro 17" is

[i7QuadCoreMania]

I am going to vouch for Crucial, I have upgraded the ram in the i7 and my Dell Mini 10v with crucial the lifetime warranty is peace of mind.

I ordered my i7 with 4gigs and replaced both modules with 4 2gig crucial, I know it's not necessary, but I wanted all matching modules, probably would never need to upgrade to 16gb unless it's really really cheap.

I ran the apple hardware test twice after the upgrade and it passed with fly colors.:D

[bizack]

There's absolutely no need to have matching modules. Matching pairs, yes. Matching modules, no.

I am going to vouch for Crucial, I have upgraded the ram in the i7 and my Dell Mini 10v with crucial the lifetime warranty is peace of mind.

I ordered my i7 with 4gigs and replaced both modules with 4 2gig crucial, I know it's not necessary, but I wanted all matching modules, probably would never need to upgrade to 16gb unless it's really really cheap.

I ran the apple hardware test twice after the upgrade and it passed with fly colors.:D

[Mike Macintosh]

It's a user-accessable upgrade as per this Apple document (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3918). I imagine there is a very similar diagram supplied with the machine itself.I would also like to add that although this helps, its good to have a visual representation as well to help out, and as you can see it's quite easy.

http://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/imac_late_2009/
*Edit: wrong vid before sorry

[Camzor]

If I ordered my computer stock, what does it contain? 2x2GB, I assume? Would Best Buy then sell the two others that I need (in store, not online), or will I need to also replace the two that came with the computer?

[epheterson]

It's very important that you get SODIMM, better known as laptop memory. These are the short sticks, not the full length.

Also, check out newegg.com, often much cheaper than many other retailers.

Apple has a page of specific criteria to check before ordering. You'll have fair warning if you order a stick that doesn't meet this criteria: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3912

[epheterson]

If I ordered my computer stock, what does it contain? 2x2GB, I assume? Would Best Buy then sell the two others that I need (in store, not online), or will I need to also replace the two that came with the computer?

You have four slots, so you can leave the two 2GBs in and get two more (2GB or 4GB) sticks. You can do this yourself, without Best Buy and it will be (much) cheaper to order online than go to Best Buy.

[i7QuadCoreMania]

There's absolutely no need to have matching modules. Matching pairs, yes. Matching modules, no.

I already said I know it's not necessary, besides, I can resell my stock modules to pay for the crucial ones it replaced.:rolleyes:

In my mind I rather pay a little more to have all the ram chips from same manufacturer/exact matching chips.

[MacHamster68]

I already said I know it's not necessary, besides, I can resell my stock modules to pay for the crucial ones it replaced.:rolleyes:

In my mind I rather pay a little more to have all the ram chips from same manufacturer/exact matching chips.

i total agree , in terms of ram its always good to go for quality instead of cheap

crucial ram has a good reputation ,and delivers fast if you order via their website
but kingston ram has a good reputation too ,and thats what i use in my mac's
corsair ram has a good reputation too

ok i don't use the value ram packs
and all of the above are offering a lifetime warranty
btw ocz ram is also worth looking at

[xboxbuckeye]

Total newbie question on Apples with upgrading RAM - I am assuming this does not void your warranty / Apple care?

[peskaa]

Total newbie question on Apples with upgrading RAM - I am assuming this does not void your warranty / Apple care?

Unless you break anything, it doesn't void coverage.

[msw123307]

I recently bought this from Amazon for my 27"....should arrive this week. I actually bought 2 GB sticks separately for $94, but they don't offer that anymore. But this 4 gb set for $99 is still a deal compared to 99% of places.

http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-CT2KIT25664BC1067-204-PIN-PC3-8500-SODIMM/dp/B001KUL012/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1263227582&sr=8-2

[RomeoPapaKilo]

Of course, changing the hard drive is a doddle! :D

http://www.vimeo.com/2252036

[iRukiri]

I ordered my iMac the other day, arrives Tuesday. I'm gonna buy apple care though for all my Mac products.