Need to find 32GB RAM for new 27" iMac

corpfan1 · Mar 7, 2013

Going to be ordering my new 27" iMac shortly (I know...get in line...).

Here are the specs.

3.4GHz i7 CPU
8GB RAM (to be replaced)
768GB SSD
680MX 2GB GPU
Apple Care plan
Magic Trackpad

...also adding a Cyberpower 1500 Sine Wave UPS, Parallels and Windows 7 Pro.

So, I have been trying to figure out exactly what RAM to get to add to the new machine.

I am in Canada. So I am looking mostly at NewEgg.ca.

Some things I am not sure about:

a) CL9 vs. CL10 vs. CL11

b) Which RAM is 100% compatible and will work without issue

c) Not sure if I should be looking at "Apple RAM" or "Notebook RAM"

Price is not really a concern as the machine is already costing a pretty penny...just want to get the best RAM I can get that will power things. Looking to spend between $150 and $300 for 32GB (2 x 2 x 8GB sets).

Thanks!

Phazer · Mar 7, 2013

It's sodimm so notebook ram.
As soon as I get my 27" iMac I'm also going to put in 32gb, and I'm buying Corsair Vengeance ram, which is CL10.
The ram that comes stock with the iMac is Hynix CL11.
You could get the cheaper Crucial, which is CL11. It runs at 1.35V, while the stock RAM is 1.5V.
Corsair Vengeance is 1.5V

oldgeezer · Mar 7, 2013

I added 16gb of OWC ram to my 2012 iMac to bring it up to 24gb. Their 32gb memory kit is about $260.

Their ram runs really well in my machine.

corpfan1 · Mar 7, 2013

FreemanW · Mar 7, 2013

This really isn't rocket science

Just go to Crucial, plug in your system in the Memory Advisor Tool, and click through. One and done.

Or, if you have an aversion to things being guaranteed and just working . . . . . . get something at Newegg that isn't necessarily designed for the iMac or on Apple's QVL and then roll your sleeves up and research memory testing software.

corpfan1 · Mar 7, 2013

Where can one find the Apple QVL?

FreemanW · Mar 7, 2013

corpfan1 said:
Where can one find the Apple QVL?

Good question.

Apparently Apple does not maintain a QVL as Google doesn't find one for Mac.

Here is what Apple has to say about late 2012 iMac memory.

All the more reason to go with a vendor (such as Crucial or OWC) that provides a compatibility guarantee with their sale.

If I remember correctly, the memory that came with my iMac and the Crucial I ordered and installed, all were 1.35v and CL11. (I can't find any voltage info on the hynix that came with the iMac)

Nuke61 · Mar 7, 2013

corpfan1 said:
Where can one find the Apple QVL?

Ther isn't one AFAIK. What Apple has put out is here: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3011

But all it says is PC3-12800 (1600) DDR3 SO-DIMM

It seems to me like you're making this more complicated than it needs to be. As others have said, either use the Crucial website and let it pick the ram based on the computer or go to the OWC website... or get PC3-12800 DDR3 ram somewhere else.

http://www.crucial.com/mac/index.aspx

mellofello · Mar 7, 2013

This is ironic because people asked me the same thing when I put 16 gb in my 2010 imac, but what can you do with 32 gb of ram? I opened every program is cs5 and still didn't use all 16 in my 2010.

Nuke61 · Mar 7, 2013

mellofello said:
This is ironic because people asked me the same thing when I put 16 gb in my 2010 imac, but what can you do with 32 gb of ram? I opened every program is cs5 and still didn't use all 16 in my 2010.

I have a Nikon D90 and a photo in RAW format is just over 15 megabytes. Video files are also very large.

corpfan1 · Mar 7, 2013

Totally understand I am making this "more complicated" than it needs to be...but I am also spending $3200 on a machine (have never spent more than $2600 previously), so I just want to get the best RAM I can get for a decent price (don't mind spending a bit extra, but don't want to get ripped off either).

Why can't it be much simpler?

Why can't their just be a list of what works and what doesn't somewhere? Either by Apple or by users that have things running smoothly?

Personally, I am leaning towards the Corsair Vengeance or Kingston HyperX or any Crucial. Just not sure yet.

Remember again, I am in Canada and don't want to pay extra shipping plus duty plus taxes, etc... on something just to order it from OWC or Crucial directly.

Thanks for all the help! This is my 1st Mac and I want to get it right.

minus182 · Mar 8, 2013

Go with OWC, they have been around for quite some time and I never have had issues with their RAM.

They ship pretty fast too. And they have responsive and great after sales (and pre sales) support.

If you're still not convinced, they specialize in Macs.

Giuly · Mar 8, 2013

If you're installing four new modules, I'd say go with the Kingston HyperX Plug'n'Play, as it's both the fastest available and the fastest RAM that's supported by the iMac. Also, supposedly this will by the last RAM you will install, so getting the greatest makes sense.

AndiS. · Mar 8, 2013

corpfan1 said:
I also heard that Kingston HyperX is good and is CL9 - would this be compatible? Would the heat spreaders cause any issues?

----------

Would any or all of these be compatible?

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233265

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104317 (aware this is out of stock right now)

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148614

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231580

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820144593

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233362

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148609

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231631

Anyone running any of these smoothly?

Is there an advantage of one over another besides price?

I'm running this one

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104317 (out of stock)

It's 100% compatible and very fast. I bought 16GB of the HyperX RAM last week, after considering the Corsair Vengeance for a long time. While some people are running the Corsair fine in their iMacs, other users have reported issues.

The HyperX also runs faster than the memory Apple uses, at least on paper according to Geekbench - in actual use I couldn't make out a difference, but others might, depending on their applications.

macdaddy001 · Mar 8, 2013

Try canadaram.com

YOu can try canadaram.com they are out of Victoria BC. They have great support and ship quickly and have a section specific for Mac. I have used them several times to get for my Imac, powerbook, and macbookpro.

schrobro08 · Mar 8, 2013

Bad crucial experience

My late IMAC 2012 i7 fusion gtx 680 crucial experience has been awful. I used the tool on their website to determine which ram i need to use. I kept the stock 8 gigs and added the 16. Ever since I've put it in my computer has not run smooth. Won't wake up or start half the time. Randomly turns on at 5 in the morning after pushing the power button 8 hours earlier. I've tried every combination with just the crucial ram in and it still gives me issues. Now I'm currently just using the stock 8 gigs and have 16 gigs of ram sitting here.

Time to figure out how this return process works and if they will refund me.

corpfan1 · Mar 8, 2013

Ahhh...really? Darn...

Ordered the Corsair.

http://www.bestdirect.ca/products/240438/CORSAIR/CMSX16GX3M2A1600C10/

Price was just too good compared to the almost double HyperX.

Hope there are no issues!

Can you point me to any threads with issues?

Thanks!

AndiS. said:
I'm running this one

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104317 (out of stock)

It's 100% compatible and very fast. I bought 16GB of the HyperX RAM last week, after considering the Corsair Vengeance for a long time. While some people are running the Corsair fine in their iMacs, other users have reported issues.

The HyperX also runs faster than the memory Apple uses, at least on paper according to Geekbench - in actual use I couldn't make out a difference, but others might, depending on their applications.

corpfan1 · Mar 8, 2013

Managed to cancel my order...phew.

Gonna seek out the HyperX.

Thanks!

elev8d · Mar 8, 2013

corpfan1 said:
Managed to cancel my order...phew.

Gonna seek out the HyperX.

Thanks!

Can you let us know how the install goes and what performance changes you notice with the HyperX (8GB to 8GB stock comparison) and if you notice any temperature change? If it goes well for you, I might also shy from Crucial to try this RAM.

elev8d · Mar 8, 2013

Giuly said:
If you're installing four new modules, I'd say go with the Kingston HyperX Plug'n'Play, as it's both the fastest available and the fastest RAM that's supported by the iMac. Also, supposedly this will by the last RAM you will install, so getting the greatest makes sense.

I'm looking at the owc ram
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other World Computing/1600DDR3S32S/

It looks identical to HyperX and cheaper. Both are 1600MHz DDR3. Am I missing something?

Giuly · Mar 8, 2013

elev8d said:
I'm looking at the owc ram
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other World Computing/1600DDR3S32S/

It looks identical to HyperX and cheaper. Both are 1600MHz DDR3. Am I missing something?

No, it's not identical. The OWC and the Corsair are CL11, the Corsair is CL10 and lots of people used to experience problems with it, the Kingston HyperX Plug'n'Play is the fastest with CL9 and has worked flawlessly for everyone who tried it.

You can order it here from the US where most sellers ship to Canada for a reasonable fee, or here from Canada for CDN$129.45 + CDN$4.99 shipping.

elev8d · Mar 8, 2013

Giuly said:
No, it's not identical. The OWC and the Corsair are CL11, the Corsair is CL10 and lots of people used to experience problems with it, the Kingston HyperX Plug'n'Play is the fastest with CL9 and has worked flawlessly for everyone who tried it.

Thanks for the explanation, I had never heard of Cas Latency before...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAS_latency

From what I'm reading, it seems like the improvement is not noticeable.

Nuke61 · Mar 8, 2013

elev8d said:
Thanks for the explanation, I had never heard of Cas Latency before...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAS_latency
From what I'm reading, it seems like the improvement is not noticeable

When memory was much slower than it is today, it could make a noticeable difference. But memory is so fast (1600 MHz) that it makes almost no difference.

Here's a quote by another user who tried different CAS speed ram and then benchmarked his computer... take a look at how little difference there was on the Geekbench test by the CL9 HyperX ram vs the stock CL11 ram. Save yourself the headaches and just get the Crucial or OWC ram.

I just got home from the Apple Store with my 27" w/Fusion and 680MX iMac and I'll be getting the OWC ram - 32 gigs.

I just installed 32GB of Kingston HyperX RAM DDR3 1600 CL9 1.5v, in my 2012 27" iMac. It's been running 100% stable, even after stress testing it with Compressor 4 compressing several 1080P videos. So far there has been no noticeable problems.

Ram shows up as 1600 MHz DDR3 in about this mac.

Here is my computer stats;
2012 27" iMac - 3.4 GHz i7
768GB Apple SSD
680MX 2GB

---------------------------
Geekbench 2.4.0 Results!
---------------------------

(HyperX 32GB, 4X8GB)
32 bit - 13,173
64 Bit - 14,422

(HyperX 16GB, 2X8GB)
32 bit - 13,039
64 bit - 14,246

(Stock Apple RAM 8GB, 2X4GB)
32 bit - 12,996
64 bit - 14,170
Last edited by stroop; Jan 9, 2013 at 12:52 PM.

corpfan1 · Mar 8, 2013

Was able to cancel and order the HyperX. 32GB on it's way.

Now I can relax, everything is ordered...and the waiting begins.

Thanks to everyone for the input!

ed45 · Mar 9, 2013

schrobro08 said:
My late IMAC 2012 i7 fusion gtx 680 crucial experience has been awful. I used the tool on their website to determine which ram i need to use. I kept the stock 8 gigs and added the 16. Ever since I've put it in my computer has not run smooth. ...

I have the same iMac, and followed the same process with Crucial that you did, and ordered a 16GB Ram Kit, part number CT3650282. It's described in the invoice that came with it as:

"Upgrade for a Apple iMac 3.4Ghz Quad-Core Intel Core i7 (27-inch Late 2012) Sy 2-8GB Kit of 2 CT8G3S160BM.Y16F."

Is that what you ordered and received? (I haven't installed it yet.)

Thanks for the info.

Ed

Need to find 32GB RAM for new 27" iMac

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