RAM upgrade question.

[JoelIsaiah]

Hey all,

first post here. I have been enjoying reading these forum for awhile now.

I just got a refurbished 2011 27" iMac. It came with 4gb ram (2 slots of 2gb).

I am about to order more RAM from crucial.com.

My question:

What combination would I get the optimum performance from my RAM:

Buy 2 slots of 8gb RAM to fill the two open slots for a total of 20GB RAM. OR, buy 4 4GB to fill all four RAM slots for a total of 16GB.

Do you get better performance if you evenly distribute the ram in each slot? Or would it be fine to just add two 8GB to the two open slots?

Thanks so much!

Joel

 

[MeFromHere]

Hey all,

first post here. I have been enjoying reading these forum for awhile now.

I just got a refurbished 2011 27" iMac. It came with 4gb ram (2 slots of 2gb).

I am about to order more RAM from crucial.com.

My question:

What combination would I get the optimum performance from my RAM:

Buy 2 slots of 8gb RAM to fill the two open slots for a total of 20GB RAM. OR, buy 4 4GB to fill all four RAM slots for a total of 16GB.

Do you get better performance if you evenly distribute the ram in each slot? Or would it be fine to just add two 8GB to the two open slots?

Thanks so much!

Joel

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3011?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4621?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3918

You MIGHT get better performance if you install pairs of equal-size modules. It varies from system to system, and a quick scan of the above URLs didn't reveal a definite answer to me.

Does Crucial offer any model-specific information about maximizing performance?

 

[SR20DETDOG]

If you're usage is exceeding the amount of RAM you have no speed increase from pairing is going to help. Even if you have plenty the difference would most likely be indiscernible, and could be made up for by simply learning how to use programs more efficiently with keyboard shortcuts etc.

I would argue going with 2x 8GB sticks for 20GB would be the best option (this is what I'm planning to do myself) This not only gives you 4GB extra over the alternative but also easily allows you to replace the original 2x 2GB sticks with 8GBs later on for 32GB (and matched pairs).

 

[TouchMint.com]

For those still looking I just grabbed 32gig for $100 shipped.


16GB (2x8GB) G.Skill DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Laptop Memory (F3-1600C10D-16GSQ) $49.99 + Free ShippingProduct link.

DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
Cas Latency 10
1.5V
Dual Channel Kit



[newegg.com]
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...ction-_-cables-_-na-_-na&Item=N82E16820231582

 

[CaptMike]

Hey all,

first post here. I have been enjoying reading these forum for awhile now.

I just got a refurbished 2011 27" iMac. It came with 4gb ram (2 slots of 2gb).

I am about to order more RAM from crucial.com.

My question:

What combination would I get the optimum performance from my RAM:

Buy 2 slots of 8gb RAM to fill the two open slots for a total of 20GB RAM. OR, buy 4 4GB to fill all four RAM slots for a total of 16GB.

Do you get better performance if you evenly distribute the ram in each slot? Or would it be fine to just add two 8GB to the two open slots?

Thanks so much!

Joel

If I remember correctly, the early 2012 Imac is only user upgradable to 16GB

 

[juliazo]

If you're usage is exceeding the amount of RAM you have no speed increase from pairing is going to help. Even if you have plenty the difference would most likely be indiscernible, and could be made up for by simply learning how to use programs more efficiently with keyboard shortcuts etc.

I would argue going with 2x 8GB sticks for 20GB would be the best option (this is what I'm planning to do myself) This not only gives you 4GB extra over the alternative but also easily allows you to replace the original 2x 2GB sticks with 8GBs later on for 32GB (and matched pairs).

Agreed, no need to spring for 32GB right now, since, realistically, you might not need >20GB for the time being. To determine if you do, open up Activity Monitor and keep an eye on the System Memory tab while you do your normal work on the computer. Look for two things:

1) How much free memory you have at any given time - if the "green" slice is consistently small even with 20GB, you can also try not having so many applications running...

2) Page outs - too high a number indicates the computer keeps running out of usable RAM and needs to write data out to the HDD. More RAM will definitely help relieve that.

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If I remember correctly, the early 2012 Imac is only user upgradable to 16GB

The Mid-2011 27-inch iMac unofficially supports up to 32GB (4x8GB). Apple specs say 16GB max (4x4GB), but don't believe everything you read on the interwebs