Upgrading the iMac Pro Ram Gouge

[Trebuin]

So people have read that the iMac Pro can have the ram upgraded, just not by us. I actually talked with Apple about six month ago about this very subject & here's what I learned:

1) Teardown enthusiasts can upgrade their own ram at the cost of risking warranty violation
2) Apple will upgrade the ram at Apple RAM cost (you buy their RAM still)
3) A third party authorized apple service center will upgrade your ram by your choice of either Apple provided RAM or:

You can BRING YOUR OWN RAM & have the authorized third party service center install it. Your warranty will be retained. The RAM will only carry the RAM's manufacturer's warrant & you will have to have RAM related issues serviced by a third party after the install. Apple will replace it with the original quantity installed upon purchase unless you upgrade through apple. So if I upgrade 32GB RAM to 128 on my own & it flakes out, If I take it to Apple, they will replace it with 32GB Apple RAM. The authorized third party will pull the RAM & ask you what to do...that's where you can have it sent in to be replaced on your own & bring the replacement to be installed.

For where I live, "Core Care of Rocklin" provides this service. Apple sent me there when I needed my macbook's battery replaced but I still needed to keep access to the laptop. Core Care did their test, ordered the battery, & called me back to supply the MacBook when they were ready to install it. 1 hr turnaround. That's what third parties can do for you. The cost of replacing RAM will be probably $70-150 plus the cost of the RAM.

So how do you find an authorized third party service center? Just ask Apple support & they will provide you the list of nearest authorized service centers. To know they are good, they will always run a diagnostics report & submit it to Apple & give you a copy. This is what Apple does as well when they do their work.

So what are the risks?
1) it costs a service center service payment
2) They crack the screen open so you risk dust between the glass & the LCD
3) The entire Motherboard needs to be pulled out so you risk damage. Humans are imperfect. I once had a Dell Laptop returned from the service center with the trackpad broken. I couldn't fix the motherboard, but I could tear it apart myself to find that they forgot to plug the trackpad back in...one of over a dozen connections.
4) Compatibility issues: not all RAM is equal & you could have issues. Have them do a full memory test before giving it back. 2017 iMac owners learned this when using Kingston's low CL ram...they learned that if you mix it, the RAM down clocks.


I hope this helps & have a great day!

 

[driftless]

Thanks. I am just going to order that RAM that I need for the next three years.

 

[Trebuin]

Thanks. I am just going to order that RAM that I need for the next three years.

I did the same...If I ever need to max it out, I'll upgrade then, which will probably be outside of the warranty period.

 

[Fishrrman]

I can't believe that anyone might be foolish enough to spend 5,000+ on an iMac Pro, then pry it apart (and void the warranty) to install additional RAM...

 

[MH01]

I can't believe that anyone might be foolish enough to spend 5,000+ on an iMac Pro, then pry it apart (and void the warranty) to install additional RAM...

For a pro machine , it should be user serviceable . Previous iMacs made it easy enough.

When you pay for a pro machine, it should be have added perks like replaceable parts, cause that is very important in workstations .

 

[Trebuin]

For a pro machine , it should be user serviceable . Previous iMacs made it easy enough.

When you pay for a pro machine, it should be have added perks like replaceable parts, cause that is very important in workstations .

It's a shame that Apple defined the pro iMac as made to order for life. For big companies or government like mine, they order & don't update anymore. Once the warranty expires, the retire them, regardless of the capability of the system. At work, I'm having to exchange a 16 core raided high performance system from about 2012 out with a 5400rpm i5 laptop as an "Upgrade." Mine's the last machine to swap & I can tell you that mine is now the fastest...no 5 min wait to log in for me yet.

But I agree with you, any of these should have user upgradability. I think the only reason Apple resists that is to make more money. If you upgrade machines, you can stretch the life up to around 10 years, as you can see with the cheese graters. This isn't ideal for making money.

What Apple needs to realize is that the upgrading user base is smaller than they think. Businesses will still buy replacements, but at least those of us who like to upgrade still can.

Edit: The only other thing I can think of is Apple is reducing production costs by removing extra parts such as hatches & screws that would be needed for upgradability. Someone proposed an idea of cutting a hatch for the memory...that's a good one if done right. It would be worth a business upgrade to provide a back case swapping service. You buy the back, it ships to you, you have it replaced locally, & send in your old one. Heck, Apple should charge for that service.

 

[MH01]

It's a shame that Apple defined the pro iMac as made to order for life. For big companies or government like mine, they order & don't update anymore. Once the warranty expires, the retire them, regardless of the capability of the system. At work, I'm having to exchange a 16 core raided high performance system from about 2012 out with a 5400rpm i5 laptop as an "Upgrade." Mine's the last machine to swap & I can tell you that mine is now the fastest...no 5 min wait to log in for me yet.

But I agree with you, any of these should have user upgradability. I think the only reason Apple resists that is to make more money. If you upgrade machines, you can stretch the life up to around 10 years, as you can see with the cheese graters. This isn't ideal for making money.

What Apple needs to realize is that the upgrading user base is smaller than they think. Businesses will still buy replacements, but at least those of us who like to upgrade still can.

My only problem with choosing the options up front is that there is no serviceable parts, so you spend even more money to have one thing go wrong 3+ years down the track ad the whole thing gets thrown out. Poor long term investment ..... quite risky actually

 

[Trebuin]

My only problem with choosing the options up front is that there is no serviceable parts, so you spend even more money to have one thing go wrong 3+ years down the track ad the whole thing gets thrown out. Poor long term investment ..... quite risky actually

It’s not as bad as you think. I’m waiting for a tear down to show the CPU is upgradable

 

[nambuccaheadsau]

If you can afford an iMac Pro you don't have to worry about the cost of the memory. Simple.

 

[MH01]

It’s not as bad as you think. I’m waiting for a tear down to show the CPU is upgradable

Not really. Cause the case is not accessible . So, you will void your warranty just by opening it up.

This time round I wager the CPU is soldered .

Hope I am wrong

 

[SecuritySteve]

If you can afford an iMac Pro you don't have to worry about the cost of the memory. Simple.

Not really. I bought one and was in serious turmoil over the cost of the memory. I had planned an expense of 2k for the 128 GB option in my model to pre-price the value. I was shocked when it turned out that Apple was charging the equivalent of 800$ / stick of RAM (3.2k in total). I seriously considered dropping down to the 64 GB range, but I really need the RAM and so I forked it over, hoping I would recapture the offset in a resale at some point when a real modular Mac Pro comes out.

Just because we can afford something doesn't mean we're entirely happy to pay it.

 

[bplein]

Not really. I bought one and was in serious turmoil over the cost of the memory. I had planned an expense of 2k for the 128 GB option in my model to pre-price the value. I was shocked when it turned out that Apple was charging the equivalent of 800$ / stick of RAM (3.2k in total).

The price of quality ECC RAM (from Crucial.com for example) is $500 per 32GB, not sure why you think that for the first time in history that Apple would sell it to you for market price.

In fact, since they charge $800 per 32GB for non-ECC (iMac for example), it's less of a markup than one expects from Apple. Also note that the ECC RAM used in the cMP is also $800 per 32GB. So there was no reason to be shocked, they weren't going to make it cheaper for RAM on the iMac Pro than for the Mac Pro or the regular iMac for that matter.

 

[SecuritySteve]

The price of quality ECC RAM (from Crucial.com for example) is $500 per 32GB, not sure why you think that for the first time in history that Apple would sell it to you for market price.

In fact, since they charge $800 per 32GB for non-ECC (iMac for example), it's less of a markup than one expects from Apple. Also note that the ECC RAM used in the cMP is also $800 per 32GB. So there was no reason to be shocked, they weren't going to make it cheaper for RAM on the iMac Pro than for the Mac Pro or the regular iMac for that matter.

I expected markup to be sure, but going from $500 to $800 seemed a bit excessive (60% markup). Also to compare it to the cMP is a bit disingenuous since that machine is quite old, and you can get more RAM for less these days as the technology has naturally advanced.

 

[oneMadRssn]

For warranty claim purposes, how is Apple going to know whether the RAM was user upgraded or upgraded by an authorized third party service center?

I don't think any of this is new. Apple has always had some fine print saying user-upgrades voided warranty, even on the older Macbooks and Mac Mini that had proper RAM dimms.

I have never had an issue making a warranty claim on an upgraded computer - they never ask who performed the upgrade, and if they did, I would just say "I don't know. It is still covered by AppleCare, so please tell me how you can fix it."

 

[Trebuin]

For warranty claim purposes, how is Apple going to know whether the RAM was user upgraded or upgraded by an authorized third party service center?

I don't think any of this is new. Apple has always had some fine print saying user-upgrades voided warranty, even on the older Macbooks and Mac Mini that had proper RAM dimms.

I have never had an issue making a warranty claim on an upgraded computer - they never ask who performed the upgrade, and if they did, I would just say "I don't know. It is still covered by AppleCare, so please tell me how you can fix it."

It’s actually filed in the report that goes to Apple saying the ram was upgraded. Basically it’s a diagnostics & service report.

 

[bplein]

I expected markup to be sure, but going from $500 to $800 seemed a bit excessive (60% markup). Also to compare it to the cMP is a bit disingenuous since that machine is quite old, and you can get more RAM for less these days as the technology has naturally advanced.

This is the lowest markup RAM that Apple sells. How am I being disengenuous again? The ECC RAM in the Mac Pronhas a similar markup over Crucial’s pricing. And the pricing on all other products of theirs has a higher markup (where you can calculate it).

In other words, you expected it to be as cheap as amazon.com.

 

[Glockworkorange]

So people have read that the iMac Pro can have the ram upgraded, just not by us. I actually talked with Apple about six month ago about this very subject & here's what I learned:

1) Teardown enthusiasts can upgrade their own ram at the cost of risking warranty violation
2) Apple will upgrade the ram at Apple RAM cost (you buy their RAM still)
3) A third party authorized apple service center will upgrade your ram by your choice of either Apple provided RAM or:

You can BRING YOUR OWN RAM & have the authorized third party service center install it. Your warranty will be retained. The RAM will only carry the RAM's manufacturer's warrant & you will have to have RAM related issues serviced by a third party after the install. Apple will replace it with the original quantity installed upon purchase unless you upgrade through apple. So if I upgrade 32GB RAM to 128 on my own & it flakes out, If I take it to Apple, they will replace it with 32GB Apple RAM. The authorized third party will pull the RAM & ask you what to do...that's where you can have it sent in to be replaced on your own & bring the replacement to be installed.

For where I live, "Core Care of Rocklin" provides this service. Apple sent me there when I needed my macbook's battery replaced but I still needed to keep access to the laptop. Core Care did their test, ordered the battery, & called me back to supply the MacBook when they were ready to install it. 1 hr turnaround. That's what third parties can do for you. The cost of replacing RAM will be probably $70-150 plus the cost of the RAM.

So how do you find an authorized third party service center? Just ask Apple support & they will provide you the list of nearest authorized service centers. To know they are good, they will always run a diagnostics report & submit it to Apple & give you a copy. This is what Apple does as well when they do their work.

So what are the risks?
1) it costs a service center service payment
2) They crack the screen open so you risk dust between the glass & the LCD
3) The entire Motherboard needs to be pulled out so you risk damage. Humans are imperfect. I once had a Dell Laptop returned from the service center with the trackpad broken. I couldn't fix the motherboard, but I could tear it apart myself to find that they forgot to plug the trackpad back in...one of over a dozen connections.
4) Compatibility issues: not all RAM is equal & you could have issues. Have them do a full memory test before giving it back. 2017 iMac owners learned this when using Kingston's low CL ram...they learned that if you mix it, the RAM down clocks.


I hope this helps & have a great day!

Nice write up—thanks!
[doublepost=1513744201][/doublepost]

For warranty claim purposes, how is Apple going to know whether the RAM was user upgraded or upgraded by an authorized third party service center?

I don't think any of this is new. Apple has always had some fine print saying user-upgrades voided warranty, even on the older Macbooks and Mac Mini that had proper RAM dimms.

I have never had an issue making a warranty claim on an upgraded computer - they never ask who performed the upgrade, and if they did, I would just say "I don't know. It is still covered by AppleCare, so please tell me how you can fix it."

I had a problem on a previous iMac under Apple Care. The genius did ask me, out of the blue, where I got my RAM. He also told me if it was a RAM issue, I would need to go to the manufacturer.

Thankfully, wasn’t a RAM issue in the end.

 

[oneMadRssn]

I had a problem on a previous iMac under Apple Care. The genius did ask me, out of the blue, where I got my RAM. He also told me if it was a RAM issue, I would need to go to the manufacturer.

Thankfully, wasn’t a RAM issue in the end.

Yea, that's pretty normal I think. Of course I don't expect Apple to warranty the upgrades I made, and if the issue related to those upgrade then they won't fix it. But I have never had them flat-out deny all warranty service because I had an upgrade.

I had a 15" Macbook Pro back in the day, on which I upgraded the RAM and hard drive, that had a logic board issue. Not only did Apple do the repair, they put my upgraded RAM and hard drive back into the computer after doing the logic board repair.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

So people have read that the iMac Pro can have the ram upgraded, just not by us. I actually talked with Apple about six month ago about this very subject & here's what I learned:

1) Teardown enthusiasts can upgrade their own ram at the cost of risking warranty violation
2) Apple will upgrade the ram at Apple RAM cost (you buy their RAM still)
3) A third party authorized apple service center will upgrade your ram by your choice of either Apple provided RAM or:

You can BRING YOUR OWN RAM & have the authorized third party service center install it. Your warranty will be retained. The RAM will only carry the RAM's manufacturer's warrant & you will have to have RAM related issues serviced by a third party after the install. Apple will replace it with the original quantity installed upon purchase unless you upgrade through apple. So if I upgrade 32GB RAM to 128 on my own & it flakes out, If I take it to Apple, they will replace it with 32GB Apple RAM. The authorized third party will pull the RAM & ask you what to do...that's where you can have it sent in to be replaced on your own & bring the replacement to be installed.

For where I live, "Core Care of Rocklin" provides this service. Apple sent me there when I needed my macbook's battery replaced but I still needed to keep access to the laptop. Core Care did their test, ordered the battery, & called me back to supply the MacBook when they were ready to install it. 1 hr turnaround. That's what third parties can do for you. The cost of replacing RAM will be probably $70-150 plus the cost of the RAM.

So how do you find an authorized third party service center? Just ask Apple support & they will provide you the list of nearest authorized service centers. To know they are good, they will always run a diagnostics report & submit it to Apple & give you a copy. This is what Apple does as well when they do their work.

So what are the risks?
1) it costs a service center service payment
2) They crack the screen open so you risk dust between the glass & the LCD
3) The entire Motherboard needs to be pulled out so you risk damage. Humans are imperfect. I once had a Dell Laptop returned from the service center with the trackpad broken. I couldn't fix the motherboard, but I could tear it apart myself to find that they forgot to plug the trackpad back in...one of over a dozen connections.
4) Compatibility issues: not all RAM is equal & you could have issues. Have them do a full memory test before giving it back. 2017 iMac owners learned this when using Kingston's low CL ram...they learned that if you mix it, the RAM down clocks.


I hope this helps & have a great day!

Just a quick note apples LCD bonded to the glass in their current computers (this is a massive help for anti-glare) getting dust between the 2 is impossible.

 

[SecuritySteve]

This is the lowest markup RAM that Apple sells. How am I being disengenuous again? The ECC RAM in the Mac Pronhas a similar markup over Crucial’s pricing. And the pricing on all other products of theirs has a higher markup (where you can calculate it).

In other words, you expected it to be as cheap as amazon.com.

As I said, I expected markup. I did not expect this much markup. That is all. Perhaps my historic knowledge is incorrect, but the current markup for Mac Pro RAM should be way higher today than it was when it first came out, since Apple insists on selling it as if it were new hardware.

Also I'm not here to get into a shouting contest. I underestimated the markup quantity in my original pricing, and the rest of the components fell within my expectations except the RAM.

 

[Earl Urley]

Cost of DDR4 RAM should decrease over time.

There's four slots for RAM, biggest RAM can only be 32 GB.

Replacing RAM requires opening the screen, you would need custom tools and custom VHB (Very High Bond) strips to reassemble, which requires Apple or AASP to work on it.

 

[bplein]

Cost of DDR4 RAM should decrease over time.

There's four slots for RAM, biggest RAM can only be 32 GB.

Replacing RAM requires opening the screen, you would need custom tools and custom VHB (Very High Bond) strips to reassemble, which requires Apple or AASP to work on it.

Until iFixit or someone else does a tear down we won’t know how easy it will be to upgrade RAM at home. As far as the glass/monitor bonding, it’s currently no big deal on the iMac unless something has changed. But again we’ll have to see.

 

[bxs]

Cost of DDR4 RAM should decrease over time.

There's four slots for RAM, biggest RAM can only be 32 GB.

Replacing RAM requires opening the screen, you would need custom tools and custom VHB (Very High Bond) strips to reassemble, which requires Apple or AASP to work on it.

There could also be heat sinks required for the RAM modules.

 

[Earl Urley]

There could also be heat sinks required for the RAM modules.

Nope just EMI shielding placed over the chips on the inner set of RAM DIMMs. The slots are just like the ones inside the Mac Pro cheese graters.

Opening the iMac Pro is about the same as opening a 2015-2017 Retina iMac 27-inch, pizza cutter all around the screen except near the top camera, pry the LCD off with spudgers, disconnect three cables

Then when finished slamming in your RAM, peel off vestiges of VHB strips, apply new VHB strips, carefully line up LCD and seal it back up

 

[bxs]

Nope just EMI shielding placed over the chips on the inner set of RAM DIMMs. The slots are just like the ones inside the Mac Pro cheese graters.

Opening the iMac Pro is about the same as opening a 2015-2017 Retina iMac 27-inch, pizza cutter all around the screen except near the top camera, pry the LCD off with spudgers, disconnect three cables

Then when finished slamming in your RAM, peel off vestiges of VHB strips, apply new VHB strips, carefully line up LCD and seal it back up

Earl: Thanks and I sincerely hope you're right about this. Good info....