New iMac, how much RAM?

[Uncle Julian]

I'm purchasing a BTO 27 inch imac this next week. It will be my first Apple computer purchase and would like it to last upwards of 5-8 years and fulfill my needs. Due to the build specifications, it's near impossible to upgrade for an end-user and I'm just questioning myself on the RAM choice.

Standard is 8GB (2 DIMM's) while the next option is 16GB (2 DIMM's).

Now if the upgrade option was broken up into 3 DIMM's I would probably jump on it without hesitation. 16GB seems over kill, but I'm worried 8GB might become a bottle neck later on. I will have bootcamp on this machine, if that matters.

I don't do hardcore photo shop or video editing stuff, mostly school work, gaming, browsing, etc. In my self-built desktop, I run 3 x 2GB (6GB) of g.skill ram overclocked to 1648 MHz, and on any given day of use I sit at about 60-80% memory usage. What are your suggestions?

edit, I'm leaving the stock processor i5 3.2 - 3.6 GHz, but upgrading to 680mx gpu

[Cyanotical]

i remember building a computer that had 128MB of RAM, it was way overkill at the time


i would get 8, that mac will be unsupported long before 5-8 years rolls around

[Lefeng]

RAM is very easy to replace on an iMac. I'm not sure about the new redesigned model, but on mine I just open a panel on the bottom of the display. Here's what I recommend: Get the standard 8GB and remove it. Purchase two 8GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM sticks from another, cheaper source and install that instead. Now sell the original two 4GB sticks that you removed and you'll save a ton of money once all is said and done.

[Uncle Julian]

Sorry Ugru, but as stated the new one requires some specialized equipment to take apart which I'm not planning on doing.

[chazus]

RAM is very easy to replace on an iMac. I'm not sure about the new redesigned mode

Both the new iMac, and new iBooks, are nearly impossible to upgrade. There have been a number of articles lately, regarding how pissed people are.

As the other person said, you'll likely replace the system before 5 years are up, so 8gb ought to be good.

Sadly, Apple is the king of consumer gouging. I'm betting going from 8gb to 16gb is what, $200 more? When the actual part only costs maybe 40?

Personally, I'd say don't get a Mac. Spend half the money, get a better computer, and call it a day :P But you're probably set on it, so... I'd go with the 8gb and you ought to be good. It's more than anything needs, unless you're doing video/graphic editing pretty much.

[clevin]

Dont keep a Mac that long. You CAN... they hold up better than most Windows boxes, but plan on selling it in about 3 years and getting a new one. Why? Because, at least for laptops, you can get about 60-70% of the new price from the 3 year old machine. So, say you're spending $1500 now. In 3 years you probably will be able to get $1000 or so (maybe $900). That means you could sell this one, buy a new one and your incremental cost is about $500. Now, consider that the price difference in RAM alone (from 8g to 16g) is probably $200...

So, look around on ebay and amazon at 3 year old iMacs. If the same phenomenon holds for them, plan on selling and upgrading every 3 years. If the iMacs don't hold that much of their value or you're simply deadset on getting 5-8 years out of the machine get 16g. You probably wont need it now an may never but the incremental cost over 5+ years is trivial ($200/5 years... $40/year.)

[Cyanotical]

well, you can't really keep a Mac around that long, Apple orphans old models very quickly compared to just about everyone else, look at the value of powerpc imacs, i have one, i literally cant GIVE it away, and im not joking, nobody wants to take it

[clevin]

well, you can't really keep a Mac around that long, Apple orphans old models very quickly compared to just about everyone else, look at the value of powerpc imacs, i have one, i literally cant GIVE it away, and im not joking, nobody wants to take it

Don't be ridiculous. The PPC Mac you have is at least 8 years old - in what universe is 8 years 'very quickly'? Of course no one wants an 8 year old machine running an old processor architecture. How much is an 8 year old Dell worth? IN fact, how much is a 3 year old Dell worth??

Apple tends to support machines for a long time but what they don't do is hold back new features just because old machines can't support them. For example, Airplay needs Quicksync support to run efficiently - without it the CPU load skyrockets. So Airplay in 10.8 is not supported older machines. However, 10.8 itself works fine on them. Some people would say that if Apple couldn't do Airplay on all of their machines they shouldn't have done it. I think that's idiotic.

[Cyanotical]

Don't be ridiculous. The PPC Mac you have is at least 8 years old - in what universe is 8 years 'very quickly'? Of course no one wants an 8 year old machine running an old processor architecture. How much is an 8 year old Dell worth? IN fact, how much is a 3 year old Dell worth??

Apple tends to support machines for a long time but what they don't do is hold back new features just because old machines can't support them. For example, Airplay needs Quicksync support to run efficiently - without it the CPU load skyrockets. So Airplay in 10.8 is not supported older machines. However, 10.8 itself works fine on them. Some people would say that if Apple couldn't do Airplay on all of their machines they shouldn't have done it. I think that's idiotic.

except that PPC has been orphaned for quite a while, and the OP is planning on keeping this for 5-8 years

and actually, 8 year old dells are still going, look at how many optiplex 200 series towers and mini towers are still out there in full daily use, and i bet i can install the latest win/linux OS on them

legacy support is a big deal, that's partly why vista was hated so much

apple only supports models about 4-5 years old, which is very early in terms of LTS, most of this though is due to OS X, im sure you could put windows or linux on your imac once apple drops you

[Exodeus]

12-16 gb imo

[clevin]

except that PPC has been orphaned for quite a while, and the OP is planning on keeping this for 5-8 years

and actually, 8 year old dells are still going, look at how many optiplex 200 series towers and mini towers are still out there in full daily use, and i bet i can install the latest win/linux OS on them

legacy support is a big deal, that's partly why vista was hated so much

apple only supports models about 4-5 years old, which is very early in terms of LTS, most of this though is due to OS X, im sure you could put windows or linux on your imac once apple drops you

You're not dealing in reality. You're dealing in some antiapple fantasy in your head. The reason your PPC machine is useless to new people isn't because Apple drops support (a lie) but because they went through a processor technology change - something that's VERY rare. Get over it.

Unless you feel that Apple will move from Intel there's no transition similar to the PPC to Intel one you experienced.

Vista... um... isn't Apple. Try running Windows 8 on your 8 year old Dell. It might work, but the experience will suck. Oh and 10.8 will install just fine on the early Core Duo Intel boxes from Apple.


As for the OP wanting to keep a computer for 8 years, I dealt with that above. He/she shouldn't. It's far more cost effective to upgrade every three years since Apple computer hold their value well for that time. Keeping PCs (any kind) for 8 years also means you're being less productive for the back half of that time... the machine is much slower and less capable than a new one. This is more true in laptops and all in ones like the iMac, less so in towers where you can more easily upgrade things over time.

[Moggie]

Both the new iMac, and new iBooks, are nearly impossible to upgrade. There have been a number of articles lately, regarding how pissed people are.

They got a 27" iMac which users can easily upgrade their RAM. It's the 21.5" iMacs which users cannot upgrade. There's a little slot on the 27" in back that can pop open. iBooks don't exist. =P MBPs aren't too difficult to upgrade, though I'd have to look at the roommates to see to actually know the details. 8 GB will more than meet most any demands, so just stick to that. If you really want, then order your RAM (not the overpriced pos apple kind) from an external source to the...32? GB it can hold if you feel really compelled.

PPC was just dated. Of course nobody wants one nor is there much, if any resell value for them. Your iMac should last 5-7 years before it gets long in the tooth then you can update that. Same holds true for any Windows box, so the argument for longevity isn't exclusive to just Apple.

[Iamanerd]

Why bother with buying a Mac at all? Save yourself half the cost and build a damn hackintosh if you really want the OS, otherwise go Windows and save a lot of money and have more customization with your parts. I never understood why people spend redicilous amounts of money on Mac's.

[Deleted]

Didn't they start soldering the ram in on Macs? I'm sure I read an article about them doing it...

Hackintosh is the way to go. Macs are extremely overpriced, you could save over $1000 just building a normal PC and boot OSx onto it, have the joys of having a proper windows partition also, not having to go through bootcamp.

[Cyanotical]

You're not dealing in reality. You're dealing in some antiapple fantasy in your head.

i could say the same about you, but in a proapple way

The reason your PPC machine is useless to new people isn't because Apple drops support (a lie) but because they went through a processor technology change - something that's VERY rare. Get over it.

i well aware of the change, and there is still support, i can still find PPC based BSD and linux distros, but apple has dropped support, does drop support and will drop support, this is not a lie, its a fact, all companies do, but apple does this far sooner than most other companies

Unless you feel that Apple will move from Intel there's no transition similar to the PPC to Intel one you experienced.

they may be switching to ARM

Vista... um... isn't Apple. Try running Windows 8 on your 8 year old Dell. It might work, but the experience will suck. Oh and 10.8 will install just fine on the early Core Duo Intel boxes from Apple.

i can, and have, windows 8 in fact runs really well on old hardware, and actually, makes the computer feel much better than before

As for the OP wanting to keep a computer for 8 years, I dealt with that above. He/she shouldn't. It's far more cost effective to upgrade every three years since Apple computer hold their value well for that time. Keeping PCs (any kind) for 8 years also means you're being less productive for the back half of that time... the machine is much slower and less capable than a new one. This is more true in laptops and all in ones like the iMac, less so in towers where you can more easily upgrade things over time.

3 years? most gamers upgrade about every 4-5 years, and home users every 7-9 years, apple products do not hold value better than other computers, and laptops? apple still has battery problems, as well as quality over time issues, their stuff looks pretty in the store, but it does not hold up over time, power cables break, solder comes loose, batteries swell, and upgrades are a pain

i dont hate apple, but it's very hard to defend them, it's like a rat trying to justify why he is staying on the sinking ship

[Deleted]

iMac? Is that the fancy laptops bolted to a desktop stand?

[Cyanotical]

iMac? Is that the fancy laptops bolted to a desktop stand?

pretty much, it's an all in one computer

[Deleted]

pretty much, it's an all in one computer

Ah sweet just looking at site now. I doubt a laptop gpu they come with will be any good in 1 years time, let alone 5-8.