iMac 5K RAM upgrade question

[Hakiroto]

Hi, everyone,

I just ordered a 5K iMac (after wanting a new MacBook and not getting one at WWDC) with 8 GB RAM and I'm looking to upgrade to 16 GB with Crucial. Should I get a 16 GB kit (2 x 8 GB) or should I just buy a single 8 GB and add it to what's there? When I last had an iMac I just bought a 16 GB kit and replaced the 8 GB with that but recall many people just adding that to the base 8 GB and getting 24 GB (but then some people talking about messing up timings, etc.). Also, this is the 18,3 iMac, right? I attached a screenshot from Crucial.

Any suggestions or advice? Thanks!

 

[gian8989]

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/ram-on-2017-imac-5k.2106351/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/best-ram-for-2017-5k-imac.2104382/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/what-ram-to-buy-to-update-new-imac-launched-today.2048694/

 

[NajamQ]

Hi, everyone,

I just ordered a 5K iMac (after wanting a new MacBook and not getting one at WWDC) with 8 GB RAM and I'm looking to upgrade to 16 GB with Crucial. Should I get a 16 GB kit (2 x 8 GB) or should I just buy a single 8 GB and add it to what's there? When I last had an iMac I just bought a 16 GB kit and replaced the 8 GB with that but recall many people just adding that to the base 8 GB and getting 24 GB (but then some people talking about messing up timings, etc.). Also, this is the 18,3 iMac, right? I attached a screenshot from Crucial.

Any suggestions or advice? Thanks!

RAM works in pairs. So either add two more 4GB sticks making it to x4, or add two 8x2 Sticks. Don't mix different RAM brands or capacities.

 

[Fishrrman]

My advice:
Use the new iMac a few weeks before you pay for more RAM.
Then... if you need more, buy more.
You may find it works fine with 8gb.

 

[NajamQ]

My advice:
Use the new iMac a few weeks before you pay for more RAM.
Then... if you need more, buy more.
You may find it works fine with 8gb.

It does indeed. However if you work with large resolutions or run virtual machines, it helps.

 

[Hakiroto]

My advice:
Use the new iMac a few weeks before you pay for more RAM.
Then... if you need more, buy more.
You may find it works fine with 8gb.

Yeah, that makes sense for most cases, despite most people wanting more RAM because bigger numbers are... bigger. For me, though, I've worked with 16 GB every day for a few years now and often hit that limit (dev work with VMs, etc.). Thanks for the suggestion, though.