Meaning of "Configurable to..." in Technical Specifications?

[Ben777]

Hi,

Questions about iMac 2012.

I opened Technical specifications from "About this Mac".

Some specifications has added "Configurable to..." info. For example:

Memory

• 8GB (two 4GB) of 1600MHz DDR3 memory
  Configurable to 16GB.

Will iMac 2012 take in 2x8 GB with no problem?

Also:

Processor

• 2.7GHz
  2.7GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor (Turbo Boost up to 3.2GHz) with 6MB L3 cache

• 2.7GHz

2.9GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor (Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz) with 6MB L3 cache
Configurable to 3.1GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 (Turbo Boost up to 3.9GHz).

How is it "configurable to 3.1GHz quad-core Intel Core i7? Does it mean simply "buy new porcessor card and put your iMac through surgery"?

Thanks in advance!

 

[jerwin]

At the time of purchase, these macs could be configured with all sorts of options. Post sale, upgrading requires, at the very least, major surgery.
The exception is the 27 inch imac, which has user accessible ram slots

 

[mreg376]

So you've been a MacRumors member for over five years and you didn't know that "configurable" on the Apple website means options available at the time of purchase?

 

[Ben777]

So you've been a MacRumors member for over five years and you didn't know that "configurable" on the Apple website means options available at the time of purchase?

How should I know? I never had this question before. And I didn't buy this iMac, it came to me used.

I just opened my iMac specifications straight from "About this Mac" in year 2018, and it says "Configurable to..." Why should I automatically know this applies to the moment of buying 6 years ago? Now I know.
[doublepost=1542056216][/doublepost]

At the time of purchase, these macs could be configured with all sorts of options. Post sale, upgrading requires, at the very least, major surgery.
The exception is the 27 inch imac, which has user accessible ram slots

Thanks!