Additional RAM

[McChallenged]

I am at a loss I purchased two 16 GB of RAM to increase the RAM to 32 GB on my 2020 iMac I have decided I’d rather have 64 RAM than 32 RAM Do I keep the 32 GB I have and buy another two 16 RAM for $135 giving me a total of 64 RAM and install all four 16 GB of RAM into the RAM housing?

 

[costica1234]

Just make sure that you buy identical 2x16 GB sticks to the ones you have in order to preserve both speed and dual channel. By identical I mean that even the manufacturer of your RAM has to be the same. It's tricky with OWC since they use RAM from either Micron or Hynix! Crucial, on the other hand, uses memory only from Micron.

 

[wilberforce]

I am at a loss I purchased two 16 GB of RAM to increase the RAM to 32 GB on my 2020 iMac I have decided I’d rather have 64 RAM than 32 RAM Do I keep the 32 GB I have and buy another two 16 RAM for $135 giving me a total of 64 RAM and install all four 16 GB of RAM into the RAM housing?

Yes. This is what I did.
1. Most important: all four RAM sticks must be the same size (in your case, 16GB)
2. Preferably: all four RAM sticks are identical (brand, chips, and part #). Having them all identical ensures there is no question that they will perform optimally.

If they are not identical (the 2020 iMac is very picky about this), it is still OK, but you need to install them in order A-A-B-B. I personally, and others, have confirmed this retains full RAM speed and dual channel.
But the most important thing is that they must all be the same size (if not, RAM performance is degraded).

 

[McChallenged]

Just make sure that you buy identical 2x16 GB sticks to the ones you have in order to preserve both speed and dual channel. By identical I mean that even the manufacturer of your RAM has to be the same. It's tricky with OWC since they use RAM from either Micron or Hynix! Crucial, on the other hand, uses memory only from Micron.

Thank you for your response and advice

 

[McChallenged]

Yes. This is what I did.
1. Most important: all four RAM sticks must be the same size (in your case, 16GB)
2. Preferably: all four RAM sticks are identical (brand, chips, and part #). Having them all identical ensures there is no question that they will perform optimally.

If they are not identical (the 2020 iMac is very picky about this), it is still OK, but you need to install them in order A-A-B-B. I personally, and others, have confirmed this retains full RAM speed and dual channel.
But the most important thing is that they must all be the same size (if not, RAM performance is degraded).

I am so grateful for your advice and your precautionary counsel You have no idea what a RELIEF it has been to read your response!

 

[Spk1]

Yes. This is what I did.
1. Most important: all four RAM sticks must be the same size (in your case, 16GB)
2. Preferably: all four RAM sticks are identical (brand, chips, and part #). Having them all identical ensures there is no question that they will perform optimally.

If they are not identical (the 2020 iMac is very picky about this), it is still OK, but you need to install them in order A-A-B-B. I personally, and others, have confirmed this retains full RAM speed and dual channel.
But the most important thing is that they must all be the same size (if not, RAM performance is degraded).

Um, I don't think so, as far as slots go. I bought 2 x 8GB RAM from OWC, saw the issues of using the original Apple RAM and bought 2 more sticks of 8GB. Installed the first set in 2 and 4 slots and the second batch in 1 and 3 and have both dual channel and optimal speed.

To be fair, the RAM thread gets confusing, but my read (and results) was my configuration worked for speed and dual channel.