Mixing RAM?

[chaseardoin7]

I ordered my 27" with 8 GB of RAM. I want to upgrade it myself to 32 GB. If I order from Crucial, do i have to order 32 of their type, or can I mix the Apple RAM with 24 GB of what I get from Crucial?

Thanks!

 

[GGJstudios]

I ordered my 27" with 8 GB of RAM. I want to upgrade it myself to 32 GB. If I order from Crucial, do i have to order 32 of their type, or can I mix the Apple RAM with 24 GB of what I get from Crucial?

Yes, you can mix RAM brands, as long as all RAM meets the required specifications. There's no such thing as "Apple RAM", as Apple doesn't make RAM.

 

[jablko]

RAM comes in matched pairs. This is a good thing because it allows the computer to treat the two sticks as if it were one and effectively doubles the speed it can access the RAM.

So, that 8gb you are getting with your iMac is actually two sticks of 4gb each. Your iMac will only have four slots, and those occupy two of them. Your options are to keep the 8gb from Apple and add 16gb (2x8gb) from a third party vendor for a total of 24gb, or remove the 8gb and replace it with 32gb (4x8gb).

 

[GGJstudios]

RAM comes in matched pairs. This is a good thing because it allows the computer to treat the two sticks as if it were one and effectively doubles the speed it can access the RAM.

This isn't entirely accurate. There is a slight performance benefit in using matched pairs of RAM modules, but it's not that significant.

This will explain the facts: MR Guide to Matched RAM on Intel Macs