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trying to add 2 x 4GB Crucial DDR3 1333Mhz to existing Elpida 2 x 2 GB DDR3 1333Mhz on iMAC 27" mid 2011

trying to add 2 x 4GB Crucial DDR3 1333Mhz PC3 10600 to existing Elpida 2 x 2 GB DDR3 1333Mhz PC3 10600 on iMAC 27" mid 2011. Get 3 beeps from iMAC and wont run when all memory slots full. Runs ok with new memory only or old memory but not both together. I thought I could do this according to Support page


'Maximum memory16 GB Note: For the iMac (Late 2009) models, you can use 2 GB or 4 GB RAM SO-DIMMs of 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM in each slot. For the iMac (Mid 2010) and iMac (Mid 2011) models, use 2 GB or 4 GB RAM SO-DIMMs of 1333 MHz DDR3 SDRAM in each slot.'

iMac, OS X Mavericks (10.9.4)

Posted on Aug 13, 2014 12:11 PM

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11 replies

Aug 13, 2014 1:07 PM in response to ttissi1234

Matched pairs work the best however the RAM you got probably should have been purchased directly from Crucial rather than Amazon. iMacs are very finicky when it comes to RAM, ensure you installed the RAM in the correct slots, if you are not sure the the original RAM should be on one row and the new RAM on the empty row. In my iMac I have 24GB, 2 ea. x 4GB and 2 ea. 8GB and that has been working fine.

Aug 13, 2014 3:12 PM in response to DrDominodog51

Don't mix and match brands of ram



I've run different brands of RAM for years; as long as they comply exactly with Apple's specs, there is absolutely no problem. One should, however, match the RAM horizontally (iMacs 2011 and earlier) or match them vertically with slots 1 + 3 or 2 + 4 in newer iMacs.


My mid 2010 iMac has had 2 x 2 GB original RAM (not sure which brand Apple used at that time as they change suppliers) and 2 x 4 GB RAM from OWC for close to 4 years.


iMac: How to remove or install memory

Aug 17, 2014 10:29 AM in response to ttissi1234

So ... just to update - Thanks to all who posted replies as the combination of guidance eventually solved my issue. I thought I would have one more go to make sure I had tried all combinations of slots for the memory install and hey presto ... Its a mid 2011 machine so should accept the memory horizontally straight into the empty slots but that did not work - I had to add the new memory vertically and move the existing memory to the same config 🙂

Now running sweetly with 12GB instead of original 4 😎


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trying to add 2 x 4GB Crucial DDR3 1333Mhz to existing Elpida 2 x 2 GB DDR3 1333Mhz on iMAC 27" mid 2011

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