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For those looking for RAM upgrades for the Retina iMac

K

kendrickhphoto

macrumors member
Original poster
Jan 20, 2011
97
0
Amazon currently has the Crucial RAM that works with the Retina iMac on sale more than usual right now. I had 32GB of this installed in my Late 2013 and it worked great.

If you're looking add 8GB (4GB x 2) for a total of 16GB -

Apple - Doesn't offer a 4GB x 4 option - 8GB x 2 = $200
OWC - 4GB x 2 = $99.79
Crucial - 4GB x 2 = $76.32

If you're looking for 16GB (8GB x 2) for a total of 16GB -

Apple - 8GB x 2 = $200
OWC - 8GB x 2 = $197.99
OWC - 8GB x 4 = $395
Crucial - 8GB x 4 = $272.98

Amazon is the one fulfilling the order and it is prime eligible. I am in no way affiliated with any of these companies, just passing along the savings. I am not saying one is better than the other either, I've just had good experience with Crucial RAM in my Macs in previous years.

Also, if you have the Chase Freedom, Discover IT or the like card that is offering 5% cash back in online shopping or directly through Amazon that could bring your total cost as well.

Crucial with 5% cash back (effective prices) -

8GB - $72.50
16GB - $129.67
32GB $ $259.33

**Disclaimer: Amazon charges tax in certain states now so those prices aren't always final**
 
Last edited:
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Thank You very much for the info, going to order Crucial 32 as usual. You saved 10-15 minutes of my time to search for the memory chips. I got Crucial in my 3 iMacs and had no problem with these memory chips. Also I heard that Apple uses their chips.

Once again thanks and good luck. :)
 
Thanks for posting these. I wasn't sure which types of RAM would work inside of the model.

I opted for the 8GB upgrade for a total of 16GB in the iMac. It should be plenty for the lifespan of the computer.
 
Used the same Crucial series in 2 different 27s (Late2012)
It was 190 for 32 at one point in mid 2013. Still not a bad price
considering the last years bump.
 
I have 16gigs of 1333mhz from another apple machine that will fit with the RiMac... Will I see much of a difference between that and 1600mhz?
 
SCMedic said:
I have 16gigs of 1333mhz from another apple machine that will fit with the RiMac... Will I see much of a difference between that and 1600mhz?
Click to expand...


It depends on what you're doing but I think you'll be hard pressed to find a difference between the two. I think benchmarks will show a slight difference but not much else.
 
kendrickhphoto said:
It depends on what you're doing but I think you'll be hard pressed to find a difference between the two. I think benchmarks will show a slight difference but not much else.
Click to expand...

Pretty much right in line with my thinking. I guess I'll save $140 and use the old ram. Thanks!
 
Upgrading RAM

Hi,

I have ordered a 5K iMac with 8GB ram with the intention to upgrade it myself. Does all four ram chips have to be matched or is safe to stick in 2x8GB in addition to the supplied 2x4GB for a total of 24GB?

Any performance loss compared to four matched chips?

Thanks!
 
AndersM said:
Hi,

I have ordered a 5K iMac with 8GB ram with the intention to upgrade it myself. Does all four ram chips have to be matched or is safe to stick in 2x8GB in addition to the supplied 2x4GB for a total of 24GB?

Any performance loss compared to four matched chips?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

You can but it's not usually recommended by most people. I'd probably ask Apple what their policy is on mixing the RAM. You could also just take out the RAM if you needed to take it in for service.
 
AndersM said:
Hi,

I have ordered a 5K iMac with 8GB ram with the intention to upgrade it myself. Does all four ram chips have to be matched or is safe to stick in 2x8GB in addition to the supplied 2x4GB for a total of 24GB?

Any performance loss compared to four matched chips?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

My late 2012 iMac has been running on 24GB since the day it arrived. No issues. At the time I got 16GB crucial ram added to the 8GB it came with. Cheaper back then, I think $75 for the extra ram.
 
Thanks for posting this kendrickhphoto! Much appreciated!!

I just ordered 32 GB through Amazon. I'm 99% certain that I will be ordering the iMac 5K with i7 and M295X. I'm just waiting until we have more data on the performance of the M295X. (Like many others here.)

I'm certain it will be great and I will immediately order the new iMac once I'm satisfied with the data. Now, my 32 GB memory upgrade will be waiting when the iMac arrives. And if the unexpected happens and I decide not to order an iMac 5K, then I have up to 30 days to return the unopened memory to Amazon.

For me, it was $296 after CA tax. Still a great deal!

Thanks again!
Bryan
 
Bryan Bowler said:
Thanks for posting this kendrickhphoto! Much appreciated!!

I just ordered 32 GB through Amazon. I'm 99% certain that I will be ordering the iMac 5K with i7 and M295X. I'm just waiting until we have more data on the performance of the M295X. (Like many others here.)

I'm certain it will be great and I will immediately order the new iMac once I'm satisfied with the data. Now, my 32 GB memory upgrade will be waiting when the iMac arrives. And if the unexpected happens and I decide not to order an iMac 5K, then I have up to 30 days to return the unopened memory to Amazon.

For me, it was $296 after CA tax. Still a great deal!

Thanks again!
Bryan
Click to expand...


Awesome glad I could pass along the savings.

You can use the RAM as well. I've returned RAM before that I purchased through Amazon and it was used and I didn't have any problems.

What other computer are you considering instead of the iMac?

I had a late 2013 maxed out iMac that I got rid of to get a base nMP and I'm going to be replacing the nMP with the Retina iMac. The nMP is an awesome machine and completely silent but I've had a bunch of issues with the LG 34UM95. That monitor is actually being returned right now.

The late 2013 with 32 GB of the Crucial RAM scored 16700 in GeekBench and the nMP with 32 GB of Crucial RAM is right around 14700. I do a lot of photography and some video and I'm also a developer for my day job. The nMP I really want is the 6 Core with D700s but I can't justify that much for the computer when I'm typically on a 1 year upgrade cycle anyways.

I will be doing a lot of tests between the two machines since my Retina iMac is exactly $10 cheaper than my nMP config. I don't know if you're considering a nMP as well but if you want to see anything in terms of putting them together just let me know and I'll see what I can do.
 
kendrickhphoto said:
Awesome glad I could pass along the savings.

You can use the RAM as well. I've returned RAM before that I purchased through Amazon and it was used and I didn't have any problems.

What other computer are you considering instead of the iMac?

I had a late 2013 maxed out iMac that I got rid of to get a base nMP and I'm going to be replacing the nMP with the Retina iMac. The nMP is an awesome machine and completely silent but I've had a bunch of issues with the LG 34UM95. That monitor is actually being returned right now.

The late 2013 with 32 GB of the Crucial RAM scored 16700 in GeekBench and the nMP with 32 GB of Crucial RAM is right around 14700. I do a lot of photography and some video and I'm also a developer for my day job. The nMP I really want is the 6 Core with D700s but I can't justify that much for the computer when I'm typically on a 1 year upgrade cycle anyways.

I will be doing a lot of tests between the two machines since my Retina iMac is exactly $10 cheaper than my nMP config. I don't know if you're considering a nMP as well but if you want to see anything in terms of putting them together just let me know and I'll see what I can do.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the offer to share your observations between the two! I looked closely at the nMP, but have decided that the iMac 5K is a much better bargain. Sure, the upper end rMPs are incredible machines, but I just can't justify the giant increase in costs.

It sounds like I'm a lot like you. I do an enormous amount of photography (both at home and abroad) and I also do a lot of video editing on FCPX. All of my FCPX work is 1080p, but in a couple of years, I might be moving to 4K with my video work.

At home, I have a mid-2010 27" i7 iMac. Upgraded video card and 16 GB of RAM. It's showing its age. For the road, I own a 15" rMBP, 16 GB RAM, and 512 GB SSD. I love that machine! In fact, I love it so much, I often find myself using it at home versus my mid-2010 iMac. That's also why I'm so excited about the new iMac 5K. I've been dreaming about this machine ever since I got my hands on a rMBP.

I'm 98% certain the M295X is going to be great in the new iMac, but like I said before, I'm just waiting to hear some real world reports. I also want to see how accurate this awesome display is, and whether or not it can be calibrated. Once these two questions are answered and I'm satisfied, then my order is going in. If for some reason something surfaces that makes it a no-go, then I am not considering another machine at this time. I will just sulk and wait until the next iMac revision comes along and if my concerns are addressed, I will order at that time. However, with that being said, I don't anticipate any problems now and I'm pretty darn certain I will be ordering one very soon!

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts! It's great to discuss these things with like-minded people.

Bryan
 
Hoping you guys can help me out here...

I am about to order a new 5k iMac

I want 32GB of memory total. That is what my current 2012 27" iMac has.

Not certain how Apple configures the ram modules in their machine. In other words, 2 of this size and 4 of another.

What is the basic configuration of RAM I should order on my iMac and then when going to Crucial, what is the configuration of RAM I need to order to bring it up to 32GB?

If anyone wants to include links to the exact crucial memory I will need, that would be appreciated.

...and thanks in advance
 
NJRonbo said:
Hoping you guys can help me out here...



I am about to order a new 5k iMac



I want 32GB of memory total. That is what my current 2012 27" iMac has.



Not certain how Apple configures the ram modules in their machine. In other words, 2 of this size and 4 of another.



What is the basic configuration of RAM I should order on my iMac and then when going to Crucial, what is the configuration of RAM I need to order to bring it up to 32GB?



If anyone wants to include links to the exact crucial memory I will need, that would be appreciated.



...and thanks in advance
Click to expand...


The cheapest way to do it, which is what most people are doing is to order the iMac with the standard 8 GB. That's going to give you 2 - 4 GB sticks from Apple. Then order two of the 16 GB kits from Crucial.

The other way you can order it is by going with 16 GB from Apple which is 2 - 8 GB sticks and then ordering one 16 GB kit but that comes out to $340. If you order all 32 GBs from Amazon it comes out to $272.
 
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
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