dr_sanch

Q: Mid-2011 iMac - Upgrading RAM from 4GB to 12GB worth it? How many more years can I get out of this iMac?

I'm considering upgrading my RAM from 4GB to 12GB on my mid-2011 iMac... Should cost less than 100$ but is it worth the investment? How much longer do you think I can get out of this iMac? What's the life-span on these babies?

iMac (21.5-inch Mid 2011), OS X Mavericks (10.9.5)

Posted on Mar 17, 2015 3:26 PM

Close

Q: Mid-2011 iMac - Upgrading RAM from 4GB to 12GB worth it? How many more years can I get out of this iMac?

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

  • by Old Toad,

    Old Toad Old Toad Mar 17, 2015 3:47 PM in response to dr_sanch
    Level 10 (141,311 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 17, 2015 3:47 PM in response to dr_sanch

    A lot depends on what you use your Mac for.  My wife's iMac with 4 GB of memory from early 2009 is going very strong for what she needs it to do.  Upping the RAM to 12 GB will help ensure that it will be able to run Yosemite more smoothly. 

     

    Additional storage can always be added with FW external hard drives if needed.  The 8 GB kit from Crucial.com

    Screen Shot 2015-03-17 at 3.42.10 PM.jpg

    is quite reasonably priced at $66 ˜and is from one of the most respected memory suppliers for Macs out there.  There modules are guaranteed to work.

     

    I have the same aged iMac only 27" and expect it to last me several more years unless Apple comes up with a new desktop that i just "can't live without".  But lots of luck getting that thru the wife.

    OTsig.png

  • by dr_sanch,

    dr_sanch dr_sanch Mar 17, 2015 3:56 PM in response to Old Toad
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 17, 2015 3:56 PM in response to Old Toad

    That's exactly the kit I was looking at... I suppose I use my iMac now more and more for digital photography and editing. Should I see a fairly decent increase in speed? Lightroom is a little laggy right now

  • by rkaufmann87,

    rkaufmann87 rkaufmann87 Mar 17, 2015 4:14 PM in response to Old Toad
    Level 9 (58,746 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Mar 17, 2015 4:14 PM in response to Old Toad

    Your wife must know my wife!

  • by dazed,

    dazed dazed Mar 17, 2015 5:25 PM in response to Old Toad
    Level 1 (9 points)
    Mar 17, 2015 5:25 PM in response to Old Toad

    I have the mid-2011 as some of you do. It comes with 4GB installed with 2 additional empty slots that 'appear' to hold 2GB each. So . . . my question is how is it possible that one can upgrade RAM to 12GB as opposed to 8GB?

     

    Last week, for better or worse, I upgraded my OS to Yosemite from Mtn Lion. While I'm mostly a lightweight when it comes to using my iMac, I'm still finding it to be running slower than usual. From what I'm reading here and elsewhere, it sounds as if it would be a good idea to add more RAM. But I didn't know that I could add more than 4GB. Would I have to use an external hard drive to up the RAM to 12GB?  Since I already have an external drive for running back-ups, aka Time Machine, is it even possible to use a 2nd external hard drive? (I said I was a lightweight.)

     

    I'm also pleased to read that y'all think that the mid-2011s aren't designed to be obsolete in the near future. Call me old-fashioned (no, don't really call me old-fashioned) but I just get steamed by the whole concept of 'planned obsolescence'.

     

    Thanks for any advice y'all might have.

  • by babowa,

    babowa babowa Mar 17, 2015 5:56 PM in response to dazed
    Level 7 (32,117 points)
    iPad
    Mar 17, 2015 5:56 PM in response to dazed

    Here are the specs of one of the mid 2011's (don't know which one you have):

     

    http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/specs/imac-core-i7-3.4-27-inch-alumin um-mid-2011-thunderbolt-specs.html

     

    and here is the info re. the RAM:

     

    Screen Shot 2015-03-17 at 5.52.27 PM.png

     

    So, if you want to stick with Apple's maximums, you could still get a total of 16 GB ( 4 x 4), or leave the current 2 x 2 and add either: 2 x 2, 2 x 4 GB. You should match them horizontally. Or, you can go with OWC's test restults and go with 4 x 8 GB.

     

    Buy them at one of two most recommended vendors: OWC (macsales.com) or Crucial. I've always bought at OWC.

     

    By the way, adding RAM has nothing to do with your hard drive or an external hard drive - hard drives are storage; RAM is memory.

  • by KiltedTim,

    KiltedTim KiltedTim Mar 17, 2015 7:01 PM in response to dr_sanch
    Level 9 (55,946 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 17, 2015 7:01 PM in response to dr_sanch

    My 2011 iMac runs very nicely with 12GB of RAM. The biggest bottleneck is the hard drive speed. Actually, it didn't seem bad until I got a MacBook Air with an SSD. First SSD I've ever had. Wow, does it make a difference...

     

    Still, I expect to get a few more years out of my iMac without problems.

  • by blackdogaudio,

    blackdogaudio blackdogaudio Mar 17, 2015 7:22 PM in response to KiltedTim
    Level 3 (687 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 17, 2015 7:22 PM in response to KiltedTim

    Seconding your findings...I noticed a substantial performance improvement by adding 8GBs of additional RAM (sourced from OWC) to my mid-2011 iMac's factory-supplied 4GBs but it's still not as responsive as my 2014 MBA with only 4GBs of RAM. I'm sure my MBA's SSD explains much of the difference.

     

    Technology moves on...

  • by Old Toad,

    Old Toad Old Toad Mar 18, 2015 8:57 AM in response to dr_sanch
    Level 10 (141,311 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 18, 2015 8:57 AM in response to dr_sanch

    You should see a slight improvement in editing but if there's a lot of processing involved that's done by the CPU which hasn't changed.

     

    As KiltedKim pointed out the hard drive can be a bottle neck.  Having a SSD as your boot drive will make an very, noticeable improvement in performance, i.e. booting, opening applications and files, etc.

  • by dazed,

    dazed dazed Mar 18, 2015 10:56 AM in response to babowa
    Level 1 (9 points)
    Mar 18, 2015 10:56 AM in response to babowa

    Here is a screen print that might help explain (to y'all, not me) of the specs for my iMac.

    Screen Shot Hardware Overview 2015-03-18 .png

    And then  . . . this is where my confusion starts to enter the picture:

     

    Screen Shot of Mac Memory 2015-03-18.png

    So are y'all saying that each of the 2 empty slots can accept more than 2GB? From looking at the screen, I had assumed, I guess falsely, that each of the 2 empty slots could only accept 2 GB, Thus I could only end up with a maximum of 8 GB.

     

    The iMac is all that I have and I don't anticipate getting anything else like a MBA or whatever. I'm on a fixed income aka a pittance of a pension. Thus my concern for keeping the puppy I got going for as long as possible.

     

    [Yes, I do know that RAM is not the same as storage. Someone in this discussion had mentioned hard drive for -  - - oops, they did say storage not RAM. Sorry. And I also know that technology moves on. I'm happy for running water, electricity, and all kindsa stuff, including simple things like toilet paper.]

     

    Anyway, sidebar aside, y'all are saying that I can get additional memory that would equal MORE THAN a total of 8GB as Apple seems to indicate. Correct?

  • by babowa,

    babowa babowa Mar 18, 2015 11:09 AM in response to dazed
    Level 7 (32,117 points)
    iPad
    Mar 18, 2015 11:09 AM in response to dazed

    Apple doesn't "indicate" that 8 GB is all you can put in - that graph just shows that they put in 2 x 2 GB. Here are the tech specs from Apple for your model:

     

    https://support.apple.com/kb/SP623?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US

     

    It shows very clearly that Apple supports up to 16 GB or 4 sticks of 4 GB each.

  • by dazed,

    dazed dazed Mar 18, 2015 11:49 AM in response to babowa
    Level 1 (9 points)
    Mar 18, 2015 11:49 AM in response to babowa

    I see, I totally misunderstood mostly based on their silly drawing. Thanks for your help.

  • by babowa,

    babowa babowa Mar 18, 2015 2:05 PM in response to dazed
    Level 7 (32,117 points)
    iPad
    Mar 18, 2015 2:05 PM in response to dazed

    So, now that we have that out of the way - you do not have to put in the maximums: you can leave your 2 x 2 and add 2 x 2 or 2 x 4 (that is what I did for a total of 12 GB) - as long as you match them horizontally. Here are further instructions from Apple:

     

    Screen Shot 2015-03-18 at 2.03.46 PM.png

     

    from here:

     

    https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT1423#1

     

    Buy them at either OWC (macsales.com) or Crucial - both offer lifetime warranties and are the most recommended for Mac RAM.