Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Is it worth upgrading RAM on new 24” iMac?

jahin17

jahin17

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Aug 3, 2016
819
721
London
So I’m buying the iMac just for general purposes to have a desktop computer at home. Main purpose would be for work, photoshop use, games such as FM 2021 and obviously streaming.

I can get student discount via UNiDAYS so the price of the 256gb version goes from 1,449 to 1,304.

with the price going lower, is it worth it to upgrade the ram as that’ll cost an extra 180. The 512gb version goes down to 1484 which is just 40 pounds more than the 256gb at RRP.

also, upgrading the RAM would mean a delayed delivery time if I’m correct?
 
Advice: Buy as much storage and memory as you can afford. None of these new M1 machines are user upgradeable which means what you purchase is what you will have to live with.

Nowadays, 256GB storage is not enough nor is 8 GB of memory. Go for the 512GB and 16GB if you can afford it. And yes, you probably will have to wait a bit longer, but I think it's worth the wait.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jorobro, ucfgrad93, Runs For Fun and 4 others
chscag said:
Advice: Buy as much storage and memory as you can afford. None of these new M1 machines are user upgradeable which means what you purchase is what you will have to live with.

Nowadays, 256GB storage is not enough nor is 8 GB of memory. Go for the 512GB and 16GB if you can afford it. And yes, you probably will have to wait a bit longer, but I think it's worth the wait.
Click to expand...
If you embrace iCloud storage , you don’t need a max with a lot of storage. 256gb is just fine . I pay Apple only $3 per month for 200gb iCloud storage
 
  • Like
Reactions: trsblader, 4sallypat, Guapa2 and 1 other person
I doubt you will have to wait any longer for an iMac with 16 GB. I have decided to go with 16 GB but only for resale value. I don’t really think I’m going to need it.
 
LucasLand said:
If you embrace iCloud storage , you don’t need a max with a lot of storage. 256gb is just fine . I pay Apple only $3 per month for 200gb iCloud storage
Click to expand...
Also, you can get really fast external SSDs if you need them for future storage needs. RAM is the main thing to focus on upgrading, IMHO.
 
  • Like
Reactions: rosegoldoli
This is what I’m leaning towards but I don’t wanna wait any longer than I have to for release date.
I’m hoping upgraded ram will still deliver on 21st may and then just an external HD if needed.
 
People with base model M1 Macs seem mostly content with 8 gigs. I’d trust their opinion over those who don’t own one.

Now with that said if you can swing for the 16gb, it never hurts.

If you’re willing to deal with external storage, then I’d take the 256 gb drive. With Thunderbolt speed It’s less of an issue than slower connections.
 
  • Like
Reactions: scgf and 4sallypat
I have a M1 MacBook Pro with 8gb and have never had a problem with it.

However, I am certainly going for 16gb for my iMac, as I tend to keep them longer, and am also more likely to do more memory hungry things on it. I'd agree with others who suggest getting 16gb if you can.

I also agree that a large SSD isn't as important as cloud storage and externals are an option which you don't have with RAM.

Having said that, the SSD is very quick on these, so if you do need the storage then it is likely to be a much nicer experience if it is internal, rather than using external storage.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4sallypat
JMacHack said:
People with base model M1 Macs seem mostly content with 8 gigs. I’d trust their opinion over those who don’t own one.

Now with that said if you can swing for the 16gb, it never hurts.

If you’re willing to deal with external storage, then I’d take the 256 gb drive. With Thunderbolt speed It’s less of an issue than slower connections.
Click to expand...

Given how long people tend to keep their iMacs I wouldn’t just think of what is fine today (keeping in mind memory is not user upgradable).

If someone is planning to keep it 5+ years (many people still have older iMacs, they tend to keep them longer than laptops), IMO 16GB is a no brainer.
 
  • Love
  • Like
Reactions: Jorobro and caligurl
nigel415674 said:
Don't even buy this machine. Wait for a better one.
Click to expand...
I just know the iMac Pro apple release in the future is gonna be stupid expensive and I’m not gonna fork out 1.7k for them. Now I’m definitely gonna get the new MacBook Pro when that comes out to replace my current 2017 model.
 
If apple can provide release day delivery with upgraded ram then I’ll deffo go for it. Storage wise I think 256gb should suffice and if worst comes to worst, I’ll just buy an external HD for other stuff.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Shawn Llewellyn and SuperMatt
LucasLand said:
If you embrace iCloud storage , you don’t need a max with a lot of storage. 256gb is just fine . I pay Apple only $3 per month for 200gb iCloud storage
Click to expand...
Yes I ordered a base iMac (8GB & 256GB) which is more than adequate for my use.
8GB Unified Memory runs circles around my 2018 32GB i7 Mini, 16" 16GB MBP, and 2019 base iMac.

256GB storage is more than enough for me as I have access to unlimited Google Drive cloud storage + network attached storage (NAS) on my work server / cloud.
 
You only get one chance to do the upgrade. I would say absolutely yes to the 16 GB, if you can afford it, especially if you plan to keep the machine for more than a couple of years.

SSD, by comparison, can be added externally. There's no substitute for more RAM.
 
I have the latest Intel MacBook Pro 13" (four TB ports model that is still being sold) and I have put it up against a friend's M1 dito on several occasions. It's impressive how much faster the M1 machine is on every benchmark we have tried together.

One thing that he tells me though is that he regrets going for only 8 GB of memory. The performance is perfectly fine even with 8 GB. But even with moderate use the computer is making heavy use of page files, basically using the SSD as extended RAM. Since the SSD is so fast, the performance loss by doing this is barely noticeable under typical use. However, it will wear on the SSD (which isn't replaceable). For this reason and for future proofing I'd recommend going for 16 GB of memory.
 
I wanted a 16GB drive and 1TB SSD. I'm replacing a late 2013 MBP and decided that since I rarely even moved it, I could save some cash and change out to the new iMac instead of waiting for the new 16" M1 MBP which will be at least double the price with similar specs. My iPadPro can provide portability when needed. While I agree with the iCloud storage assessment, which I currently subscribe to, I also wanted upgraded 1TB storage for the things I want to stay local. Our internet isn't that reliable in this area and I prefer to maintain control by storing valuable documents and photos on a local machine. My shipping is estimated to be May 10-12. Ordered at 8:05am EST.
 
bob24 said:
Given how long people tend to keep their iMacs I wouldn’t just think of what is fine today (keeping in mind memory is not user upgradable).

If someone is planning to keep it 5+ years (many people still have older iMacs, they tend to keep them longer than laptops), IMO 16GB is a no brainer.
Click to expand...
we're replacing 2011 iMacs (we did add memory)
 
  • Wow
Reactions: 4sallypat
I have a base M1 mini that I bought for $599.00 (figured what the heck). I use it for work in my office and it's pretty fast. 8 GB of RAM is fine for general web browsing, Pages, Keynote, Numbers type work but I would pony up the extra $200.00 for 16GB if I were spending that much for a new iMac.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DanTSX
Based on the unified nature of how the RAM, GPU memory and SSD all work together (and borrow resources as needed), if it came down to a choice between more RAM vs a bigger SSD, I think I'd opt for the bigger SSD (this is IF cost were a consideration). I did get the 16GB option but also the 2TB SSD, but if I had to choose one or the other, it would have been the bigger SSD. Don't think in terms of separate RAM sitting on it's own little boards. This integrated "unified" RAM and the ability of this M1 chip to use resources from the RAM, GPU and/or SSD seemlessley as need makes this a whole different animal.

www.forbes.com

Don’t Upgrade The RAM In Your New Apple iMac, Do This Instead

Skip the extra RAM and upgrade this one component immediately when you order your new 24" iMac.
www.forbes.com www.forbes.com
 
  • Like
Reactions: BrentT and 4sallypat
Upgrading RAM and storage has pushed my UK delivery back to end of June - early July! Yikes! Got me wondering if there will be any performance improvement on the 24 iMac compared to the Mac Mini? Any opinions? I may simply get the Mac Mini as a temporary measure if similar performance. Guess we won’t know until there are some real world tests!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back