timek4
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: How much ram can my iMac take?

Hi all, just bought a iMac a few days ago and I'm just wondering how much ram can it take as I want to upgrade it. It didnt come with a manual, so I don't know.

 

Here's the spec so far

 

Early 2008 20"

 

Processor  2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

 

Memory  2 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM

 

Graphics  ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT 128 MB

 

Software  OS X 10.8.2 (12C60)

 

Thanks for any help in advance

iMac, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2)

Posted on Oct 19, 2012 7:00 AM

by Bodycalming,Solvedanswer
Bodycalming Bodycalming
Level 3 (705 points)
A:

At the top of this page Click the Support Tab, the click the link Manuals then in the Search Manuals field Search for your Mac with somthing like this.... iMac (20-inch Early 2008 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo)

 

I am sure the manual will tell you all you need to know.

Posted on Oct 19, 2012 8:16 AM

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timek4

Q: How much ram can my iMac take?

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Bodycalming,Solvedanswer

    Bodycalming Bodycalming Oct 19, 2012 8:16 AM in response to timek4
    Level 3 (705 points)
    Oct 19, 2012 8:16 AM in response to timek4

    At the top of this page Click the Support Tab, the click the link Manuals then in the Search Manuals field Search for your Mac with somthing like this.... iMac (20-inch Early 2008 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo)

     

    I am sure the manual will tell you all you need to know.

  • by MartinR,Helpful

    MartinR MartinR Oct 19, 2012 8:41 AM in response to timek4
    Level 6 (14,891 points)
    Oct 19, 2012 8:41 AM in response to timek4

    There are two answers: the official Apple answer and the "you're on your own" answer.

     

    1 - For the official iMac max RAM, see iMac Memory specifications and upgrades

     

    2 - For the "your're on your own" answer, everymac.com has a list of the Actual Maximum RAM you can put in every model Mac.  In many cases this is more than the official maximum RAM.

     

    After deciding how much RAM you want to put in your iMac, I suggest going to Crucial.com and use the memory advisor or system scanner to see what RAM modules are compatible with your iMac.

  • by BGreg,Helpful

    BGreg BGreg Oct 19, 2012 8:46 AM in response to timek4
    Level 6 (17,522 points)
    Oct 19, 2012 8:46 AM in response to timek4

    You can install up to 6GB of memory in your iMac, as noted by OWC.  For Mountain Lion, while the minimum is 2GB which you have, 4GB is recommended for performance purposes.

     

    Your system will run a little faster with matched memory, ie 2 x 2GB, as opposed to unmatched, ie, a 2GB and a 4GB. Tests have shown 3% to 5% speed improvement with matched memory, which is due to the Intel architecture's memory access.  However, if the programs you run are real memory hogs, the slight speed advantage of matched memory may be offset by having more memory for your programs to run in.

  • by seventy one,

    seventy one seventy one Oct 19, 2012 9:14 AM in response to timek4
    Level 6 (15,140 points)
    Peripherals
    Oct 19, 2012 9:14 AM in response to timek4

    Hi Timek4,

     

    If it is any encouragement, I have a similar model to you, a touch earlier though.   I recently increased my memory to 6GB via Crucial.com.   It accepted the increase happily and operates better than ever before.

  • by timek4,

    timek4 timek4 Oct 19, 2012 9:21 AM in response to Bodycalming
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 19, 2012 9:21 AM in response to Bodycalming

    Thanks for the info guys, appriciate it!

  • by jduncan2385,

    jduncan2385 jduncan2385 Jun 29, 2015 10:11 AM in response to seventy one
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 29, 2015 10:11 AM in response to seventy one

    can you tell me how much it cost to do the upgrade

  • by rkaufmann87,

    rkaufmann87 rkaufmann87 Jun 29, 2015 10:15 AM in response to jduncan2385
    Level 9 (58,476 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Jun 29, 2015 10:15 AM in response to jduncan2385

    jduncan2385 wrote:

     

    can you tell me how much it cost to do the upgrade

    You can easily find out by visiting either Crucial or OWC's website. Both can quote prices online.