Can I upgrade memory and hard drive?

[lozata]

I just purchased my first Mac yesterday, the 20 inch, 2.66 ghz 2 gb/ 320 hd (I think those are the specs) and I am already wishing I would have done the 24 inch with 4 gb/ 640 hd... Don't think I can return/exchange because I goofed when purchasing... so what I would like to know is how difficult is it to upgrade memory or storage?

I plan on doing a lot of photoshop so I'm not sure I have enough memory or space. I'm totally computer illiterate when it comes to these terms so I'm not even sure which it is that I need more of, the memory or the storage.

Is buying an external hard drive an option? If so, what do you recommend?

 

[hh83917]

I just purchased my first Mac yesterday, the 20 inch, 2.66 ghz 2 gb/ 320 hd (I think those are the specs) and I am already wishing I would have done the 24 inch with 4 gb/ 640 hd... Don't think I can return/exchange because I goofed when purchasing... so what I would like to know is how difficult is it to upgrade memory or storage?

I plan on doing a lot of photoshop so I'm not sure I have enough memory or space. I'm totally computer illiterate when it comes to these terms so I'm not even sure which it is that I need more of, the memory or the storage.

Is buying an external hard drive an option? If so, what do you recommend?

Upgrading memory is easy on iMac, just follow the instruction in the manual. Upgrade hard drive is possible, but it will break your warranty. You may ask Apple if they can upgrade it for you then it might not break warranty.
External hard drive is an option. You go with some fast firewire800 drives if you wish and use the faster drive as the scratch drive for photoshop.

 

[theDUB]

Maybe whoever you bought it from will let you trade up. Have you asked?

 

[lozata]

Maybe whoever you bought it from will let you trade up. Have you asked?

No, I haven't asked. I just bought it last night from an Apple store. I wish my salesperson would have pushed me harder (how often can one say that? ) to purchase more than just the first thing I saw that I liked.

I think I would have to pay a restocking fee to return it and upgrade, and I don't want to deal with that hassle.

 

[stars_fan]

No, I haven't asked. I just bought it last night from an Apple store. I wish my salesperson would have pushed me harder (how often can one say that? ) to purchase more than just the first thing I saw that I liked.

I think I would have to pay a restocking fee to return it and upgrade, and I don't want to deal with that hassle.

They aren't on commission so why do they care what you purchase.

When I picked up my new iMac the guy was trying to talk me into the base 24and even had the genius tell me I would be fine.

 

[Mookout]

No, I haven't asked. I just bought it last night from an Apple store. I wish my salesperson would have pushed me harder (how often can one say that? ) to purchase more than just the first thing I saw that I liked.

I think I would have to pay a restocking fee to return it and upgrade, and I don't want to deal with that hassle.

Heya mate

If I were in your position I'd just ask politely if you could speak to the manager where you bought it.
Tell him your sitch nicely and I bet you could swap it for the 24inch.

If it were the other way and you wanted to downgrade he mightnt go for it, but you're talking about a fair bit more dosh for them, so why wouldn't they go for it?

Upgrading the memory from 2 to 4gb is real easy. Upgrading the storage will be a huge pain.

good luck mate

 

[Gregintosh]

I know some stores, like Best Buy, will waive the restocking fee in some cases if you are trading up. Maybe the Apple Store manager will be nice enough to do the same for you, especially if you also buy AppleCare (good value anyway!) or something extra on top as part of the deal.

Otherwise, rather than pay the restocking fee (which is $179 I think, if you bought it at $1199), buy some extra memory and an external hard drive. That could work out even better for you because if your hard drive ever crashes, you won't lose your important files. The only thing you'll be missing is the size, which doesn't sound like it was a priority anyway from your posts.