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Final word on 27" iMac memory

A

AppleFan360

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Jan 26, 2008
2,217
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I've done a search here and can't seem to get a solid answer regarding a memory upgrade for a late 2013 27" iMac.

I ordered 27" iMac with the i7 chip, 780 video, 8 GB of memory and Fusion drive.

I want to put another 16 GB of memory in the iMac for a total of 24 GB.

From what I've been reading, some brands don't work well with the installed Apple Ram. Other brands work for some people but not for others.

Right now I'm looking at Crucial on Amazon and it seems to be the correct RAM but some of the comments say that it doesn't work in the late 2013 27" iMac. Others say it does.

Here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200382&pf_rd_i=507846

It's a great deal and according to Apple's website, it IS the correct RAM.

Does anyone have any recommendations on what RAM I should be using and absolutely will work with the 2013 27" iMac?

Thanks.
 
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Should work

If you search the reviews from your link (click on reviews - then you'll see a 'Search Customer Reviews' box in the right column ... and enter 2013 imac in the search ... you'll find several 5 star reviews saying that the product works for them.

Also, because the item is sold by Amazon themselves, the return policy seems to be no-hassle if you have a problem.

Alternatively, many of us recommend OWC / macsales.com for memory and more as they guarantee that their products will work in the model specified.
 
I always buy my ram from OWC...if i have any issues what so ever I can get a hold of someone immediately and they'll take care of it.
 
What's weird is the different part number "CT" that you see with late '12 / late '13 / and what is showing up in your Amazon link for the 2 x 8gb ram kit.

One review from you link in Amazon mentions that the person asked Crucial about it and that it's the same module, but just gives different product numbers.

I got the kit for my late '12 direct from Crucial on black friday for $158 +tax w/ a free 32gb usb drive.
 
Thanks for the feedback. I went ahead and ordered the RAM from Amazon to see what happens. It's not big deal if I have issues. I will simply resolve them with Amazon if necessary. I think I can live with 8GB of memory for a few days. :) Will follow up and let you guys know what happens.

Thanks again!
 
Chris Blount said:
Thanks for the feedback. I went ahead and ordered the RAM from Amazon to see what happens. It's not big deal if I have issues. I will simply resolve them with Amazon if necessary. I think I can live with 8GB of memory for a few days. :) Will follow up and let you guys know what happens.

Thanks again!
Click to expand...

I ordered some as well. Thanks for the link!
 
Chris Blount said:
Thanks for the feedback. I went ahead and ordered the RAM from Amazon to see what happens. It's not big deal if I have issues. I will simply resolve them with Amazon if necessary. I think I can live with 8GB of memory for a few days. :) Will follow up and let you guys know what happens.

Thanks again!
Click to expand...



Chris,

Could you post your feedback once you have the ran installed? I ordered the same iMac as you except with 16gb of Apple ram, my machine should arrive between 1/9 and 1/11/2014. Thanks for posting the Amazon link!

----------

Is any one using this ram from Amazon on late 2013 iMac? If so have you had any issues with fit or performance?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...pf_rd_i=507846
 
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Here is the package that came from Amazon for $139. Looks like the right RAM. Will find out next week when I install it.
 

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My RAM came today and I installed it. System started up and reports 24GB RAM.

Geekbench scores slightly increased (from 3873 to 3968 for Single-Core Score, and from 14729 to 14824 for Multi-Core Score).

The real test will be using my iTunes library, which was beach-balling the machine before (about 2TB of content and 200,000+ items).

The only real difficulty I had in the installation was opening the RAM door. I followed the instructions (and they're not that complicated) but the door just wouldn't open up. It came up just a millimeter or so in the center. I called Applecare just to see if there was some trick. Turns out there was — take it to Apple Store. :rolleyes: Instead, I just used a small plastic bone tool that I had to go around the door perimeter and loosen it up.

I had to really push hard to get one of the modules seated, but it was really simple once the door came off.
 
apple_iBoy said:
My RAM came today and I installed it. System started up and reports 24GB RAM.

Geekbench scores slightly increased (from 3873 to 3968 for Single-Core Score, and from 14729 to 14824 for Multi-Core Score).

The real test will be using my iTunes library, which was beach-balling the machine before (about 2TB of content and 200,000+ items).

The only real difficulty I had in the installation was opening the RAM door. I followed the instructions (and they're not that complicated) but the door just wouldn't open up. It came up just a millimeter or so in the center. I called Applecare just to see if there was some trick. Turns out there was — take it to Apple Store. :rolleyes: Instead, I just used a small plastic bone tool that I had to go around the door perimeter and loosen it up.

I had to really push hard to get one of the modules seated, but it was really simple once the door came off.
Click to expand...

Happy to hear your ram is installed and working well. If I understood your initial post, the ram you purchased was Crucial Ram from Amazon? If so is this the part number you received CT2K8G3S160BM? Did the ram indicate where it was made,USA or China...some reviews I read indicated the China modules seemed to be a bit better fit than the USA. I do understand the Crucial modules are a bit tight,according to Crucial they require 30-40 pounds of force to properly seat the modules.
 
BESLC said:
Happy to hear your ram is installed and working well. If I understood your initial post, the ram you purchased was Crucial Ram from Amazon? If so is this the part number you received CT2K8G3S160BM? Did the ram indicate where it was made,USA or China...some reviews I read indicated the China modules seemed to be a bit better fit than the USA. I do understand the Crucial modules are a bit tight,according to Crucial they require 30-40 pounds of force to properly seat the modules.
Click to expand...
The part number on the RAM I got from Amazon is CT2C8G3S160BM. It's made in the United States. Will find out next week how well it fits.

----------
apple_iBoy said:
My RAM came today and I installed it. System started up and reports 24GB RAM.

Geekbench scores slightly increased (from 3873 to 3968 for Single-Core Score, and from 14729 to 14824 for Multi-Core Score).

The real test will be using my iTunes library, which was beach-balling the machine before (about 2TB of content and 200,000+ items).

The only real difficulty I had in the installation was opening the RAM door. I followed the instructions (and they're not that complicated) but the door just wouldn't open up. It came up just a millimeter or so in the center. I called Applecare just to see if there was some trick. Turns out there was — take it to Apple Store. :rolleyes: Instead, I just used a small plastic bone tool that I had to go around the door perimeter and loosen it up.

I had to really push hard to get one of the modules seated, but it was really simple once the door came off.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info and you bring up and interesting thought. I opted for store pickup for my new iMac. I was thinking maybe having them install the Crucial RAM before I leave the store. Think they will do it?
 
Chris Blount said:
The part number on the RAM I got from Amazon is CT2C8G3S160BM. It's made in the United States. Will find out next week how well it fits.

----------

Thanks for the info and you bring up and interesting thought. I opted for store pickup for my new iMac. I was thinking maybe having them install the Crucial RAM before I leave the store. Think they will do it?
Click to expand...

Chris,

When did you order your iMac and when is the expected delivery? I ordered on 12/31, the order still shows processing with expected delivery between 1/9 and 1/11.

I would think the Apple store would install your ram. In my area they have always been helpful.

I have been holding off on the ram purchase from Amazon to clarify compatibility, I will order now. I will be going to 32gb from 16 installed from Apple.

Looking forward to hearing how your new system is running.

Bill
 
My part number is CT2C8G3S160BM. I'm not sure if it was made in China or USA (it probably said so on the module sticker but that's tucked away inside my computer now).

One of the chips went right in and seated fine. The second one really didn't want to go — I could see it wasn't all the way in, but I couldn't pull it out easier either. So I just gave it a good hard push and it clicked into place.
 
BESLC said:
Chris,

When did you order your iMac and when is the expected delivery? I ordered on 12/31, the order still shows processing with expected delivery between 1/9 and 1/11.

I would think the Apple store would install your ram. In my area they have always been helpful.

I have been holding off on the ram purchase from Amazon to clarify compatibility, I will order now. I will be going to 32gb from 16 installed from Apple.

Looking forward to hearing how your new system is running.

Bill
Click to expand...
I ordered on 12/30 and it says it should be at the store on 1/9.

Ordering your BTO with 16gb is a good idea. Going to 32gb now makes it easy. I really didn't have any need for 32gb at this time. I just like the fact that we can do the upgrade at all. I'm coming from a late 21.5" iMac. It really sucks that Apple removed the capability to upgrade the memory on the lower end iMacs.

Yes, will definitely report back here.
 
Went and picked up my iMac from the Apple store yesterday and transferred everything from my old iMac to the new. The new iMac had 8GB.

Today I installed the 16GB I got from Amazon (as shown above) for a total of 24GB.

The installation was flawless. I really didn't need to put a lot of force on the modules. I just pushed until it clicked and that was it. Very easy! I actually had to push harder to get the darn door back on the iMac.

I did a before and after Geekbench in both 32 and 64 bit mode.

32 Bit - Before memory upgrade: 13488...... After: 13891
64 Bit - Before memory upgrade: 15046.......After: 15768

As you can see, I gained some points on Geekbench.

So far so good. Looks like the memory from Amazon is a perfect fit. No brute force during installation at all.
 
I too purchased and installed the Crucial Ram from Amazon. I installed the ram even before initial power on for the new iMac.

Installation was very easy ,taking about 5 minutes. System booted right up and is running great with 32gb ram.

The Crucial Ram from Amazon is fully compatible and a great price. I would recommend the ram to anyone wanting to upgrade their late 2013 27" iMac.
 
Some fool on here created a whole thread about how his Crucial memory bought from Amazon didn't "fit" or was a millimeter out of spec, lol. Then he couldn't produce pictures of it actually not fitting in the slot, lol. But instead of just returning the memory he created a massive argument about how the module didn't fit.

Sure some physical dimensions are not the same between manufacturers, but that's because that dimension is probably irrelevant to the operation/fit of this style of memory. Ie it doesn't matter.

----------
BESLC said:
I too purchased and installed the Crucial Ram from Amazon. I installed the ram even before initial power on for the new iMac.

Installation was very easy ,taking about 5 minutes. System booted right up and is running great with 32gb ram.

The Crucial Ram from Amazon is fully compatible and a great price. I would recommend the ram to anyone wanting to upgrade their late 2013 27" iMac.
Click to expand...

Would you do us a favor and post pics of the fitment? lol
 
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