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Upgrading RAM iMac 27'' 2012

G

gentlechainsaw

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 16, 2015
19
0
Last night I received my certified apple refurbished 27'' iMac

Specs:
Processor 3.4GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 (Turbo Boost up to 3.9GHz)
Cache 6MB shared L3 cache
Memory 8GB (two 4GB) of 1600MHz DDR3 memory; four user-accessible SO-DIMM slots; supports up to 32GB
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX graphics processor with 2GB of GDDR5 memory
Storage1 1TB Fusion Drive
Display 27-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology; 2560-by-1440 resolution with support for millions of colors
Wireless 802.11n Wi-Fi wireless networking2; Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology
Connections and Expansion SDXC card slot, Four USB 3 ports, Two Thunderbolt ports, Mini DisplayPort output with support for DVI, VGA, and dual-link DVI (adapters sold separately, 10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45 connector)
Click to expand...

I want/need to upgrade my RAM since I will be using this machine for video editing.. and since the max is 32GB I was wondering what some of you might suggest I do.

Is it wise to buy the RAM myself (assumed cheaper option) and install it myself? If so, is this a tedious process? Would it void my 90 day warranty/would it void my applecare when I purchase it? Am I better off going to an Apple store and buying their RAM/having it done there professionally?

I plan to upgrade to the full 32GB. I mean... why not, right?

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
 
It is actually very simple to upgrade the RAM on 27" models (there is an access panel on the back), so by all means do it yourself and save the money. Just make sure you get the right RAM for it.
 
redheeler said:
It is actually very simple to upgrade the RAM on 27" models (there is an access panel on the back), so by all means do it yourself and save the money. Just make sure you get the right RAM for it.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I will have to do some research since I am not sure as to what RAM is "the right RAM", but I am sure that is not hard to find.

Any brand name RAM suggestions or anything like that? / Any idea on whether or not it voids warranty? From my understanding it does not.
 
gentlechainsaw said:
Thanks. I will have to do some research since I am not sure as to what RAM is "the right RAM", but I am sure that is not hard to find.

Any brand name RAM suggestions or anything like that? / Any idea on whether or not it voids warranty? From my understanding it does not.
Click to expand...

Forgot to mention it won't void the warranty. Apple considers RAM in the 27" models to be user-replacable.

As for the brand I find Crucial to be cheap and reliable. However, any 204-pin 1600 MHz DDR3 RAM should work.
 
Changing RAM does not void warranty.
You can buy Crucial or OWC RAM for example.
You must buy SODIMM DDR3 1600MHz modules, like these on Crucial.

And don't waste your money with 32GB... Buy 2x8GB: you will have 24GB, which is a lot...

And if one day you see the memory pressure indicator in orange or red, buy more, but I seriously doubt it...

Read this thread for example.
 
Alesc said:
Changing RAM does not void warranty.
You can buy Crucial or OWC RAM for example.
You must buy SODIMM DDR3 1600MHz modules, like these on Crucial.

And don't waste your money with 32GB... Buy 2x8GB: you will have 24GB, which is a lot...

And if one day you see the memory pressure indicator in orange or red, buy more, but I seriously doubt it...

Read this thread for example.
Click to expand...

Thank you, I appreciate the insight. I am going to start looking into this.
 
gentlechainsaw said:
Looks great, thanks again. I wonder what the price difference is with this and Apple.
Click to expand...
It is the same standard DDR3 SODIMM RAM... The 8GB which were in my iMac were Micron... Micron, who sells his chips to end users on... crucial.com ;)

The real question to be asked is: why people still buy RAM to Apple (when it is not soldered of course) for twice the price???
 
Alesc said:
And Crucial service is perfect, you'll see! Very fast shipment...
Click to expand...

Mine is due tomorrow with the FREE postage. :)

24GB - That will make my email reading much faster :) ( Meister macrumors Demi-God )
 
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