Tech Specs of iMac 21.5-inch mid 2010 Intel 3.06ghz i3 cpu

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Level 1

8 points

Tech Specs of iMac 21.5-inch mid 2010 Intel 3.06ghz i3 cpu

The memory specs of the refurbished iMac (above) which I just got a week ago shows that the memory speed is 1067 MHz DDR3. But the tech specs for this year and model of iMac says that the speed of the ram is supposed to be 1333 MHz DDR3. Does this mean that this iMac was refurbished with the slower ram? And if so, does 266 MHz really make that much of a difference? Also, can I upgrade to the higher speed ram?

I asking these questions because I wish to add more ram to the existing 6gb. The present configuration is:

Memory Slots Size Type Speed

BANK 0/DIMM0 1 GB DDR3 1067 MHz

BANK 1/DIMM0 1 GB. DDR3 1067 MHz

BANK 0/DIMM1 2 GB. DDR3 1067 MHz

BANK 1/DIMM1 2 GB DDR3 1067 MHz

I would like to upgrade the memory to 16 GB (fill all the slots) with 4x(4 GB) DDR3 1333 MHz

but if that's not possible for whatever reason, then the other option

is replacing the 2x(1 GB) banks with 2x(4 GB) DDR3 1067 MHz memory modules.

Probably a lot cheaper since I would only need 2 GB of the slower ram to achieve 12 GB of total ram.

But if I could know with some sense of certainty that the faster ram would work, I'd find some way to break the piggy bank. :-)

iMac, macOS Sierra (10.12.6), 21.5-inch 3.06GHz Core i3 mid 2010

Posted on Sep 12, 2017 1:49 AM

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Answer 1

SeaPapp

Level 7

26,492 points

Sep 12, 2017 4:19 PM in response to ToniKurtis

Both 1067mhz and 1333mhz ram is 204 pin and will physically fit in the slots I believe, I've never tried to swap them. If your logic board had been changed it would report as the older model. The OS gets that info from a component on the logic board so I don't believe that to be the case. Whoever "refurbished" it just used older slower ram. Make sure that you buy from a vendor that guarantees it to work such as OWC or Crucial.

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Answer 2

MichelPM

Level 10

81,547 points

Sep 12, 2017 2:30 AM in response to ToniKurtis

You MUST use THE EXACT Spec'd RAM that your model iMac is spec'd for.

Correct and reliable Mac RAM can ONLY be purchased from online Mac RAM sources Crucial memory (crucial .com) or OWC, aka, Other World Computing (macsales.com).

When buying RAM for Macs from Crucial memory, purchase ONLY directly from the Crucial memory website. NOT from some other online source.

Good Luck!

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Answer 3

ToniKurtis Author

Level 1

8 points

Sep 19, 2017 3:52 AM in response to SeaPapp

Thanks for the info. I physically pulled the ram modules from the iMac. The 2x1gb ram had a speed of 1067mhz. The 2x2gb ram were both 1333mhz. So I reinstalled both 2gb ram and left out the slower 2x1gb.

Memory display now looks like this.

Memory Slots Size Type Speed Status

BANK 0/DIMM0 2 GB DDR3 1333 MHz OK

BANK 1/DIMM0 2 GB. DDR3 1333 MHz OK

BANK 0/DIMM1 Empty Empty Empty Empty

BANK 1/DIMM1 Empty Empty Empty Empty

And it says the following:

Your Mac contains 4 memory slots, each of which accepts

a 1333 MHz DDR3 memory module.

Thanks again. I can go ahead and max out the memory on this iMac

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Answer 4

den.thed

Level 10

92,602 points

Sep 12, 2017 5:11 PM in response to ToniKurtis

If it is reporting as a 11,2 model, then it has a Mid 2010 logic board and is a Mid 2010 iMac. It also should have 1333MHz and not 1067MHz RAM. see > iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2010) - Technical Specifications

For quality RAM upgrades, I suggest that you check out > OWC Performance Upgrades for iMac 2010

and/or > www.crucial.com/usa/en/compatible-upgrade-for/Apple/imac-21*5-inch-mid-2010

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Answer 5

SeaPapp

Level 7

26,492 points

Sep 12, 2017 2:53 AM in response to ToniKurtis

Click the Apple menu and select About this Mac, make sure that it says your iMac is an 11,2 and not a 10,1. The ram installed is for an older iMac.

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Answer 6

ToniKurtis Author

Level 1

8 points

Sep 12, 2017 9:04 AM in response to SeaPapp

Yes, my iMac says it's an 11,2. But it also says that the installed 6gb of ram is

type DDR3, speed 1067mhz.

Does slower ram still work on all iMacs or is it just my iMac that it works on ... because it's been refurbished with a slower component? An older logic board perhaps?

That's what I'm thinking.

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Answer 7

ToniKurtis Author

Level 1

8 points

Sep 19, 2017 4:03 AM in response to den.thed

Thanks for the links for buying quality ram. I made the switch from PC to Mac. They're just a better computer. I heard that Kingston ram doesn't work so well with Apple. I know they're expensive but for a few dollars more it's worth having ram designed for Apple computers.

Thanks again. My first time on this forum and you guys are the bomb.

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Answer 8

ToniKurtis Author

Level 1

8 points

Sep 19, 2017 4:06 AM in response to MichelPM

Thanks, I plan to do that.

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