27 inch iMac ram upgrade question.

Question

27 inch iMac ram upgrade question.

I am expecting a new 27 inch iMac tomorrow, and I plan on upgrading the ram. I have watched the videos on how to upgrade the ram; and in some videos they mix the existing Apple ram and the new ram. I am transitioning from the PC world and I would like to know if this is a common practice. I plan on installing 16 gig Corsair Vengeance ram, which is supported by Apple in the 2017 27 inch iMac. Should I mix the ram, or only use the Corsair Vengeance ram? Any and all replies are greatly appreciated from a Mac newbie.

iMac

Posted on Dec 27, 2017 12:16 PM

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Answer 1

den.thed

Level 10

91,558 points

Dec 27, 2017 1:02 PM in response to Community User

JTE101 wrote:

Should I mix the ram, or only use the Corsair Vengeance ram?

Either way, make sure you buy Mac compatible RAM with the correct spec's.

iMac memory specifications - Apple Support

FWIW macsales.com OWC and Crucial are both highly recommended Mac RAM suppliers.

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Answer 2

babowa

Level 9

78,568 points

Dec 27, 2017 1:32 PM in response to Community User

I also suggest using OWC (macsales.com) or Crucial. With the newer Macs, the RAM is arranged in four rows vertically and usually matched in rows 1 + 3, and 2 + 4 (if different RAM is used). If you simply add RAM, just insert it in the empty slots; if you want to install all new RAM, then they will populate all slots.

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Answer 3

Kappy

Level 10

362,007 points

Dec 27, 2017 12:25 PM in response to Community User

Mixing mfgrs. isn't really a problem unless you prefer using matched pairs.

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Answer 4

babowa

Level 9

78,568 points

Dec 27, 2017 7:31 PM in response to Community User

I started getting my RAM there after reading others' recommendation and, more importantly, have found that they work very closely with Apple and will test their stuff with Apple devices aside from offering a lifetime warranty on it. I feel more comfortable if they say it'll work - they'll take care of it if it doesn't for some reason. And, they are Mac-centric.

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Answer 5

rkaufmann87

Level 10

148,494 points

Dec 27, 2017 7:38 PM in response to Community User

JTE101 wrote:

Thanks to you and everyone else that replied. Based on your advice and some further research, I am going to return the Corsair and I have ordered some ram from macsales. Thanks again for all the replies.

Your welcome.

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Answer 6

den.thed

Level 10

91,558 points

Dec 27, 2017 8:04 PM in response to Community User

Good choice, you're welcome!

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Answer 7

Mar 13, 2018 1:55 PM in response to babowa

Thanks to you and everyone else that replied. Based on your advice and some further research, I am going to return the Corsair and I have ordered some ram from macsales. Thanks again for all the replies.

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Answer 8

rkaufmann87

Level 10

148,494 points

Dec 27, 2017 1:14 PM in response to Community User

Return the Corsair RAM! iMacs are VERY sensitive to using quality RAM, most experienced users on these forums only use OWC (www.macsales.com) or Crucial (buy it direct) RAM because both vendors provide high quality products at reasonable prices. While some users have had success with Corsair RAM in their iMacs many have not so it's not worth risking it.

Mixing the RAM is okay, however please install in matched pairs.

You can find video instructions on how to install the RAM on OWC's website.

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