Add me to the list of those who added their additional RAM prior to the first bootup. If there is something wrong with the machine aside from the RAM that isn't going to change by adding memory.
This is the expected result. If something were wrong with you RAM or your iMac it would not matter when you installed the RAM.
Ye gods! Is this what counts as rational reasoning these days? No sense whatsoever of thinking ahead or hedging against potential risks? Never asking "what if?"...
A small proportion of Macs, RAM upgrade - or
any product - will be faulty or dead on arrival. More often than not you'll be lucky, but, unfortunately, getting a lemon is far from rare.
If you try the Mac first and there's a problem, any problem, then you know the fault is with the Mac as shipped with Apple, and it can go straight back to Apple as DOA - no diagnosis needed (or advisable) beyond "is it plugged in and switched on". You don't even have to break the seal on the new RAM!
If you try the Mac, find no problems, then add the RAM and immediately start finding problems then its more likely than not that either the new RAM was faulty or you fitted it wrong.
If, however, you fit the RAM first and there's a problem then the
first thing you'll need to do is to take the RAM out again and replace the original to eliminate the new RAM as the source of the problem. Even if its a fault that
clearly has nothing to do with the RAM - say a faulty screen or dead loudspeaker - you'll need to do that
anyway before returning the machine. If you phone support and tell them you have third-party RAM then swapping out the RAM will be the first serious thing they ask you to do after the basic "turn it off and on again" stuff.
...and although changing the ram in a 5k iMac is pretty easy, its still a bit fiddly, with clips that could be broken, chips that could be zapped by static etc. Not something that you should be doing more often than necessary.
That is why you should boot without the new RAM first - unless anybody can come up with some
technical reason why not booting until you have fitted the new RAM is better. So far, I just see people trying to rationalise their own impatience and lack of caution.
Now, if you're feeling lucky and want to be impatient when it comes to your own machine then fine. Worst case is you have some extra hassle - nobody's going to die. But going on the internet and
recommending your course of action? Seriously, folks.
I suggest you run the new iMac for at least one or even two weeks before upgrading the RAM.
You are, of course, correct - although maybe a bit over-the-top if the machine is for domestic/personal use. Certainly any machine destined for any sort of "mission critical" role should ideally be tested for an extended period before being deployed... and then
again after any major upgrade. Actually, this may be related to why Apple
can get away with it's ridiculous RAM prices - business customers don't want the added work/cost of installing and testing third-party RAM, and one would
hope that Apple test machines before shipping.
I can easily forgive users for not performing a 72 hour soak-test on their new, personal Mac before
and after upgrading the RAM (
mea culpa, for starters) - but at least starting it up and trying the basics before fitting the upgrade should be a no-brainer.
