New iMac BTO, I need help (RAM, SSD questions)

[Sageoen]

Hello all,

I have been waiting for the iMac for a while now and I have a few questions:

First of all, I want to get a 27" i7 with best GPU available.

My questions are:

1) should I get the apple SSD? (if no, where should I buy another one and is it hard to install on my own, I don't care about time, I mean difficulty).

2) should I upgrade the ram? 8gb? 16gb? and is it worth it?

If you are curious as to the use of the machine, it'll be for image editing, sound mixing (high quality WAV files) and some gaming.

Thx for your replies!

 

[alust2013]

SSD is your choice. If you do get one, I'd probably go apple, given that opening the case will void the warranty.

RAM, upgrade elsewhere. I'd probably buy 2x4GB more for 12GB total. That should be plenty for what you want to do.

 

[DeaconGraves]

(1) Upgrading the SSD requires removal of the glass front of the iMac. There are plenty of guides online (iFixit.com). I won't comment on difficulty because that depends on the time you have, your experience with working on computers, and how comfortable you are in taking apart your iMac. (For me personally, I'd prefer to get the SSD factory-installed, but a lot of people on here would disagree with me). I highly recommend getting an SSD regardless of whether you buy it from Apple or elsewhere.

(2) RAM upgrade depends on what you're using the computer for, but I think an 8 GB upgrade is a smart move. DON'T buy your RAM from Apple though. RAM upgrades are easy to do (Apple itself provides instructions) and you can find cheaper RAM elsewhere (crucial.com).

 

[deedas]

Woah! You have to take the front glass to upgrade the ssd!?!

Looks like I'll have to BTO, I'll wait a month or so to see if anything has changed with them though. I can wait.