New iMac RAM, SSD and other questions!?

[Fallinangel]

Hello,

My new iMac is going to arrive in a couple of days, but I have yet a couple of questions that need some answering.

But first, here are the specs of my new iMac:
- Intel Core i7 3.4 GHz
- 4 GB SDRAM DDR3 1333 MHz (2 x 2 GB)
- AMD Radeon HD 6970M 2 GB
- 2 TB HDD

1) I'm gonna buy two more 2GB RAM bars in order to upgrade to 8 GB:
1.1. I just need to buy a matching pair of DDR3 notebook SDRAM with 1333 MHz right?
1.2. Doesn't it have to be the same brand as the "Apple" RAM that's already installed?
1.3. Do I have to buy two 2 GB bars, or can I for instance buy two 4 GB bars and get 12 GB in total? Or even just one 4 GB bar, and leave the other one for later upgrade?

2) I'm gonna install a Vertex3 SSD as primary drive (following the infamous ChargedPC guide). Would you buy the 120 GB or 240 GB version?
In the future, I might need to install Windows 7 on it, too (AutoCAD, Rhinoceros, and some light gaming).

3) Currently, my iTunes library (1.5 TB in size) is located on my internal 2 TB Western Digital Caviar Black HDD, an I have a daily backup of the drive on an external firewire HDD.
3.1. How can I move my entire music library, to the secondary 2 TB HDD in my new iMac, without corrupting the file links? My precious playlists have to stay intact.
3.2. I can't use the library migration tool in iTunes, right? iTunes (the app) is going to be installed on the SSD, but there is no room for the gigantesque library.

4) Would you recommend moving my /user directory to the 2 TB internal HDD, or would the iTunes and iPhoto libraries suffice?
The apps stay on the SDD for sure!

Thanks.

 

[stridemat]

Hello,

My new iMac is going to arrive in a couple of days, but I have yet a couple of questions that need some answering.

But first, here are the specs of my new iMac:
- Intel Core i7 3.4 GHz
- 4 GB SDRAM DDR3 1333 MHz (2 x 2 GB)
- AMD Radeon HD 6970M 2 GB
- 2 TB HDD

1) I'm gonna buy two more 2GB RAM bars in order to upgrade to 8 GB:
1.1. I just need to buy a matching pair of DDR3 notebook SDRAM with 1333 MHz right? Crucial Memory scanner will tell you exactly what RAM you need.
1.2. Doesn't it have to be the same brand as the "Apple" RAM that's already installed? Nope
1.3. Do I have to buy two 2 GB bars, or can I for instance buy two 4 GB bars and get 12 GB in total? Or even just one 4 GB bar, and leave the other one for later upgrade?
You can mix and match to your hearts content.

2) I'm gonna install a Vertex3 SSD as primary drive (following the infamous ChargedPC guide). Would you buy the 120 GB or 240 GB version?
In the future, I might need to install Windows 7 on it, too (AutoCAD, Rhinoceros, and some light gaming).
If you have the money, you may as well go bigger now.

3) Currently, my iTunes library (1.5 TB in size) is located on my internal 2 TB Western Digital Caviar Black HDD, an I have a daily backup of the drive on an external firewire HDD.
3.1. How can I move my entire music library, to the secondary 2 TB HDD in my new iMac, without corrupting the file links? My precious playlists have to stay intact.You copy the iTunes library xml (found within the iTunes folder) This will preserve playlists, play count etc.
3.2. I can't use the library migration tool in iTunes, right? iTunes (the app) is going to be installed on the SSD, but there is no room for the gigantesque library.
Unsure what you mean.

4) Would you recommend moving my /user directory to the 2 TB internal HDD, or would the iTunes and iPhoto libraries suffice?
The apps stay on the SDD for sure!
I keep everything on my SSD (inc home folder), apart from music, movies, pictures and the downloads folder.

Thanks.

See in bold.

 

[Bear]

To answer some of your questions...

1) The new memory just has to be a matched pair that is compatible with your system. You can add 2*2GB or 2*4GB to bring your system to 8 or 12 GB. You didn't say what you're using the system for, so I'm not sure if you need the 12GB but then again it's not much money. Some places will tell you what is compatible with your system, Crucial is a good website to check for compatibility.

2) I'm think you'll probably be better off with the 240GB SSD.

3) The iTunes question is covered elsewhere. But it's not hard to do at all.

4) That is a tough call, although I think doing the split is good because that leaves the various caches on the SSD.