New iMac: Only 8GB RAM? 🤯

[stgall]

I'm trying to understand why Apple would ship the new 27-inch iMac with only 8GB RAM as standard across the range. It's not a base-level machine like the 21-inch version, and 8GB is the bare minimum for consumers, let alone the "prosumers" this machine is aimed at. Surely for developers, visual professionals etc, 16GB is a more sensible base level.

What am I missing?

As a comparison, the updated MBP comes with 16GB standard when you buy the 10th-gen Intel processors. The RAM is also faster – 3733MHz vs the 2666MHz in the new iMac. Do iMac users not need RAM or something??

 

[0128672]

Probably because on the 27” users can easily upgrade their own RAM, and it’s a way to keep the standard config cost down.

 

[EugW]

8 GB is good. On the 27", pay US$75 extra for high quality third party name brand RAM, and you're already up to 24 GB which is fine for most people. Or else you can pay $150 extra to get up to 40 GB which is fine for 99.5% of users.

OTOH, for the entry level consumer, 8 GB is just fine, and will remain fine for several years to come.

 

[stgall]

OTOH, for the entry level consumer, 8 GB is just fine, and will remain fine for several years to come.

Agreed, but these aren't really entry-level machines, especially once you're past the base config with the 256GB SSD.

So I guess you're both right and it must be an upgradability thing. But expecting users who buy the non-base variants to upgrade to get a mere baseline experience seems like an odd choice to me (especially if it's to keep headline costs down).

 

[EugW]

Agreed, but these aren't really entry-level machines, especially once you're past the base config with the 256GB SSD.

So I guess you're both right and it must be an upgradability thing. But expecting users who buy the non-base variants to upgrade to get a mere baseline experience seems like an odd choice to me (especially if it's to keep headline costs down).

Nah, I think 8 GB is perfectly fine for 80% of the population.

 

[ignatius345]

I'm glad they didn't make 16 standard. Apple's RAM prices are notoriously high, and since this is one of the only remaining Macs with user-upgradable memory, any purchaser with productivity needs is going to order a mess of RAM on the spot to pop in immediately upon getting the machine.

 

[Biro]

As a comparison, the updated MBP comes with 16GB standard when you buy the 10th-gen Intel processors. The RAM is also faster – 3733MHz vs the 2666MHz in the new iMac. Do iMac users not need RAM or something??

Now THIS is an excellent observation. I'd really like to know why Apple didn't go for the faster RAM in the iMac. It would have been appreciated by most buyers of the 27-inch model. The only possible reason that comes to my mind is that perhaps Apple wants to emphasize the differences between the last Intel iMacs and the first ARM iMacs. Which, again to my mind, is B.S.

 

[AlexGraphicD]

Nah, I think 8 GB is perfectly fine for 80% of the population.

If that's the case, then why did the MBP comes with a standard 16gb ram instead of 8?

I'm glad they didn't make 16 standard. Apple's RAM prices are notoriously high, and since this is one of the only remaining Macs with user-upgradable memory, any purchaser with productivity needs is going to order a mess of RAM on the spot to pop in immediately upon getting the machine.

Nah, Apple could very easily afford to make 16gb standard on all iMac models without raising the prices. Did they raise the prices at all for removing fusion drive and making SSD standard?

 

[EugW]

If that's the case, then why did the MBP comes with a standard 16gb ram instead of 8?

Cuz it's soldered, and it's a "Pro".

The Air only comes with 8 GB RAM, and that's fine.

Nah, Apple could very easily afford to make 16gb standard on all iMac models without raising the prices. Did they raise the prices at all for removing fusion drive and making SSD standard?

They have to draw the line somewhere, to maintain that profit margin for their investors.

Limiting the iMac to 8 GB makes perfect sense. It basically has zero impact on end users wanting to increase their 27" iMac RAM, because it has user accessible memory slots. Third party RAM is cheap these days.

This is really much ado about nothing.

 

[Biro]

The Air only comes with 8 GB RAM, and that's fine.

But even the base Air now comes with faster RAM. Why not the iMac?

 

[EugW]

But even the base Air now comes with faster RAM. Why not the iMac?

Not sure, but I don't really care either. The effect of that difference in RAM speed is near negligible in most scenarios.

 

[nick9191]

It would be lovely if the iMac came in similar configurations and pricing but with 16GB RAM as standard. However, Apple has a self defined requirement to make a certain profit margin on each Mac they sell. We don’t have to like that fact but we do need to be aware of it. More RAM would mean either cheaping out on another component or higher prices.

Personally I’m glad it’s the RAM, since this is easy and cheap to upgrade yourself. If higher end Apple Silicon Macs still come with 8GB of soldered RAM and an upgrade from Apple is still expensive just to get to 16GB then this would be a much less compelling purchase. But I think Apple are aware of that and that’s why they offer 16GB RAM as standard on most of the soldered Macs that are in the same price range as the 27” iMac.