What RAM to buy to update new iMac launched today?

[PRsolid]

i found this one on amazon i think i going to buy this one OWC

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072MPMMFX/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A2W0TEJ3MK1XP5&psc=1

 

[SaSaSushi]

Witch one did you buy of the Ballistix the 32gb i mean 2 cards of 16gb each or did you go with 4 8gb cards?

I went with two 16GB DIMMS. That would be the only way you could possibly use it in combination with the Apple stock RAM.

How about this one?
whats the diference between this one and the Ballistix one?

https://www.amazon.com/Kingston-Technology-HyperX-HX424S14IB-16/dp/B01BNJL8K2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1497014540&sr=8-1&keywords=Kingston+HyperX+Impact+(HX424S14IB/16)

The Kingston looks just fine spec-wise. It's CL14 so a little bit faster than the Ballistix but also 16 chip DIMMs (8 chips per side).
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i found this one on amazon i think i going to buy this one OWC

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072MPMMFX/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A2W0TEJ3MK1XP5&psc=1

Yeah, I would recommend the OWC highly. It is specifically designed for the 2017 5k iMac so you can't go wrong.

I wish it were available to me locally here in Japan.

 

[Gordovision]

i found this one on amazon i think i going to buy this one OWC

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072MPMMFX/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A2W0TEJ3MK1XP5&psc=1

Personally, I wouldn't buy that, for a few reasons.
1) You're tossing away the stock Apple RAM, which you paid for.
2) You're filling all your slots, just with the upgrade RAM.

For an extra $20 you can get 2x16. That means you're keeping the stock Apple RAM, and though you're filling all the slots, if you need to expand in the future you're just getting rid of the stock RAM (8GB), to put more RAM in (probably 16s).

So, for $279 you're getting 32 GB of RAM. For $299 you're getting 40 GB of RAM. In scenario 1, if you upgrade in the future you're tossing away 16GB of RAM, while in scenario 2 you're tossing away 8 GB of RAM. It's just a $20 difference for scenario 2 (16x2).

 

[MSastre]

I've always used http://www.crucial.com in all my Macs. Never any problems.

 

[briloronmacrumo]

I just picked up the Kingston Hyper X in 32 gb.

Let us know if that works okay. The CAS latency of 14 instead Crucial DIMM's 17 gave me pause.

 

[btrach144]

Let us know if that works okay. The CAS latency of 14 instead Crucial DIMM's 17 gave me pause.

CAS latency doesn't mean much when doing real world work. Sure, having a lower CAS latency might create better benchmarks but those are synthetic tests not representative of the real world.

For Macs, memory is memory. As long as it's 260 pin SO-DIMM DDR4 2400MHz, you're fine. Anything else and you're fretting over 0.01 second.

I ordered the below memory and I'm willing to bet I got the best price ($216, no tax, free shipping) on 32 GB and it'll perform closely to others who paid way more.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1208371-REG/crucial_ct2k16g4sfd824a_32gb_ddr4_2400_mhz.html

 

[Neo999955]

CAS latency doesn't mean much when doing real world work. Sure, having a lower CAS latency might create for better benchmarks but those are synthetic tests not representative of the real world.

For Macs, memory is memory. As long as it's 260 pin SO-DIMM DDR4 2400MHz, you're fine. Anything else and you're fretting over 0.01 second.

I ordered the below memory and I'm willing to bet I got the best price ($216, no tax, free shipping) on 32 GB and it'll perform closely to others who paid way more.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1208371-REG/crucial_ct2k16g4sfd824a_32gb_ddr4_2400_mhz.html

Good price!

 

[briloronmacrumo]

CAS latency doesn't mean much when doing real world work.

My reading of CAS latency tells me speed isn't a practical concern but, as my DIMM knowledge is weak, compatibility is/was my question ( which I failed to clarify in my post ). Thanks for the information.

 

[batman75]

These ones look good to me. What do you think?

https://smile.amazon.com/Kingston-T...=1497041544&sr=8-2&keywords=2400mhz+ddr4+64GB

https://www.amazon.com/Kingston-Tec...7042157&sr=1-1&keywords=64GB+DDR4+2400+SODIMM

 

[SaSaSushi]

Personally, I wouldn't buy that, for a few reasons.
1) You're tossing away the stock Apple RAM, which you paid for.

I must concur. Somehow I missed that the OWC you were considering is 4x8GB.

I would definitely recommend getting 16GB DIMMs, no matter which brand you end up going with.
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I ordered the below memory and I'm willing to bet I got the best price ($216, no tax, free shipping) on 32 GB and it'll perform closely to others who paid way more.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1208371-REG/crucial_ct2k16g4sfd824a_32gb_ddr4_2400_mhz.html

That may end up working fine and I hope it does but it is high density (8 chips, 4 on each side) and I stand by my earlier comment that Apple's 8GB and larger DIMMS are almost certainly low density (16 chips, 8 on each side).
I had kernel panics with high density Crucial on my Late 2013 iMac.

Also, Crucial's own 2017 5k iMac-certified part seems to be low density.

 

[btrach144]

I must concur. Somehow I missed that the OWC you were considering is 4x8GB.

I would definitely recommend getting 16GB DIMMs, no matter which brand you end up going with.
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That may end up working fine and I hope it does but it is low density (8 chips, 4 on each side) and I stand by my earlier comment that Apple's 8GB and larger DIMMS are almost certainly high density (16 chips, 8 on each side).
I had kernel panics with low density Crucial on my Late 2013 iMac.

Also, Crucial's own 2017 5k iMac-certified part seems to be high density.

I hate to burst your bubble but the memory just arrived and it's high density ram. B&H uses a stock image.

So I still got the best price ($216) and high quality memory. #Winning

 

[Robbo1]

So I still got the best price ($216) and high quality memory. #Winning

Nice score-- unfortunately B&H is now out of stock and don't expect more for one to two weeks.

 

[SaSaSushi]

I hate to burst your bubble but the memory just arrived and it's high density ram.

No burst bubbles here, thanks.

I didn't pay that much more for the higher end Ballistix which will be arriving this morning.

Here's hoping that neither of us has any issues.

 

[ZipZap]

How significant is this? I thought any reputable brand should perform as expected - standard ram type - what is specific about iMac that could cause issues more than any other computer?

Is it possible last gen-iMac had more trouble because it was rated for 1867 instead of the standard 1866?

My late 2014 iMac would not sleep properly with Crucial. I had to buy OWC.

 

[SaSaSushi]

For Macs, memory is memory. As long as it's 260 pin SO-DIMM DDR4 2400MHz, you're fine.

This is just not true. The iMac is notoriously finicky where RAM is concerned.

By the way, I corrected my post above. Low density means more chips per side. Historically, the iMac has particular issues with high density DIMMs.

 

[btrach144]

This is just not true. The iMac is notoriously finicky where RAM is concerned.

By the way, I corrected my post above. Low density means more chips per side. Historically, the iMac has particular issues with high density DIMMs.

Make up your mind, you're losing your credibility. I've built many PCs by hand and RAM is largely RAM. Crucial is a trusted brand. It's not the 90s anymore.

Guess we'll have to disagree.

 

[Floris]

4 - 204-pin PC3L-14900 (1867 MHz) DDR3 SO-DIMM.

Suggest Mac Specialist for memory OWC or Crucial.


https://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other World Computing/1867DDR3S08S/

260.
204 was a typo.

 

[btrach144]

This is just not true. The iMac is notoriously finicky where RAM is concerned.

By the way, I corrected my post above. Low density means more chips per side. Historically, the iMac has particular issues with high density DIMMs.

Also, you say the OWC memory is designed for the iMac, which can't be true as OWC didn't receive iMacs to test and develop their memory in time. They simply selected memory, which fit Apple's specs and gave it a $10 mark up.

 

[Floris]

Also, here's a thread i had with some stuff, just linking so i dont repeat myself, lol
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/imac-2017-expandable-memory.2048636/

crusial seems to have confirmed ram, owc has confirmed ram, and kingston dm me on twitter saying they are testing before they say 'this hyperx stuff' but the hyperx stuff at 11ns works (should work).
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Also, you say the OWC memory is designed for the iMac, which can't be true as OWC didn't receive iMacs to test and develop their memory in time. They simply selected memory, which fit Apple's specs and gave it a $10 mark up.

I have screenshots of the live chat saying they on 5th and 6th did not confirm it, and the 6th late at night they have confirmed it to work. I guess they were lying

 

[lesserpanda]

Just checked the website that Ballistix Sport LT 32GB Kit (2 x 16GB) DDR4-2400 SODIMM BLS2K16G4S240FSD is not compatible with Retina 5k 27-inch 2017

 

[SaSaSushi]

Make up your mind, you're losing your credibility.

I am? Darnit.

It had been a while (3 years) since I upgraded the RAM on this machine I'm soon replacing.

I am not going to do the work for you. Search these very forums for issues of high and low density RAM in iMacs (and other Macs) and you shall find enlightenment. I speak from personal experience.

If you get low density RAM from a reputable maker like Crucial, Kingston, Samsung, Hynix, etc you are unlikely to have problems. What you said about "as long as it's 260-pin PC4-19200 SODIMM you're fine" is incorrect in my experience.

High density and/or no-name brand cheap RAM is a recipe for kernel panic disaster or a failure to boot at all.

Also, you say the OWC memory is designed for the iMac, which can't be true as OWC didn't receive iMacs to test and develop their memory in time. They simply selected memory, which fit Apple's specs and gave it a $10 mark up.

How do you know what OWC received for testing? Are you an employee? Do you have some inside information the rest of us aren't privy to?
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Just checked the website that Ballistix Sport LT 32GB Kit (2 x 16GB) DDR4-2400 SODIMM BLS2K16G4S240FSD is not compatible with Retina 5k 27-inch 2017

Crucial/Micron will list ALL parts that it does not specifically market for the iMac as "incompatible". That doesn't mean it won't work.

 

[lesserpanda]

I see what you mean but not sure if one wants to risk it.
This is the result from their website anyway

 

[SaSaSushi]

I see what you mean but not sure if one wants to risk it.

I already have. My 2x16GB Ballistix arrived this morning. Now if only the iMac would get here.

I shall report on my results. If it doesn't work I will return it so it's not that much of a risk.

I have read reports of working Ballistix RAM in the previous 5k iMac on Apple's own forums so fingers crossed.

 

[Floris]

I hate to burst your bubble but the memory just arrived and it's high density ram. B&H uses a stock image.

So I still got the best price ($216) and high quality memory. #Winning
View attachment 703224

Let me know how this memory works for you - looking forward to buying crusial myself and wouldn't mind investing up to 250 for 32gb to turn it into 40gb total.. let me know how stable it is.

 

[yadmonkey]

I don't know about high and low density RAM, but both the Crucial and OWC RAMs are single-ranked. Found this option at BH:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1233407-REG/crucial_ct2k8g4sfs824a_16gb_2_x_8gb.html

Looks like it exactly matches the specs of the other two mentioned above, no?