I bought a late 2009 iMac with 8 G RAM. It started slowing down with occasional freezes. I installed 8 G more and it would not boot. It wouldn't even try to boot. Just a black screen.
I removed the new RAM and the iMac booted and ran as normal.
Then I read this when looking for help:
"Only the 27-inch iMac and Mac Pro allow for RAM upgrades after purchase."
Is there a workaround for this?
iMac, macOS 10.13
Modern iMacs don't allow for RAM upgrades after purchase. (No Apple Silicon Macs do.)
All of the Late 2009 iMacs (21.5" and 27") do. Both have four RAM slots that you access via a hatch on the edge of the case. The official limit is 16 GB of RAM. If you have a 27" Late 2009 iMac with a Core i5 or i7 processor, those can take up to 32 GB of RAM. I would recommend getting RAM only from Other World Computing or from Crucial – and using their guides to select RAM for your specific iMac model – as Macs can be picky about RAM.
With respect to the link you provided, that was to a review of the the 27" 2020 iMac. Starting in 2012, when Macs got really thin, all 21.5" iMacs had either (a) two sealed-in RAM slots, or (b) soldered-in RAM. When that 27" iMac came out, the most recently released 21.5" iMacs had sealed-in RAM slots. The article was accurate for the time, but not for all Macs from all time periods.
Modern iMacs don't allow for RAM upgrades after purchase. (No Apple Silicon Macs do.)
All of the Late 2009 iMacs (21.5" and 27") do. Both have four RAM slots that you access via a hatch on the edge of the case. The official limit is 16 GB of RAM. If you have a 27" Late 2009 iMac with a Core i5 or i7 processor, those can take up to 32 GB of RAM. I would recommend getting RAM only from Other World Computing or from Crucial – and using their guides to select RAM for your specific iMac model – as Macs can be picky about RAM.
With respect to the link you provided, that was to a review of the the 27" 2020 iMac. Starting in 2012, when Macs got really thin, all 21.5" iMacs had either (a) two sealed-in RAM slots, or (b) soldered-in RAM. When that 27" iMac came out, the most recently released 21.5" iMacs had sealed-in RAM slots. The article was accurate for the time, but not for all Macs from all time periods.
iMac are very picky and you need to only use Mac compatible RAM modules.
see > https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/iMac/DDR3_21.5_27
macOS 10.13 High Sierra should run fine on 8GB of RAM unless you are using Pro App's.
see > See if your Mac needs more RAM with Activity Monitor - Apple Support
Slow downs and occasional freezing could indicate a more serious problem, like a failing Hard Drive.
to test the Hard Drive you can get and use > https://binaryfruit.com/drivedx/support
The article you posted was specific to the 2020 Macs. Use this Support Article to see the specifications of the RAM that is needed for your computer. You can only use the exact type of RAM specified.
What are the specs for the new RAM?
What is the RAM manufacturer?
Do iMacs allow for RAM upgrades after purchase?
