RAM upgrade for 27" iMac.

[Northroad52]

I want to upgrade the RAM on my 27" 2020 iMac for faster photo editing. It currently has 16GB(8GB X 2) and I want to double that. OWC has an 8GB X 2 package that would fill the other 2 slots and give me 32GB total, but they say all the cards should be the same brand. Do I need to replace the existing ones too? If I have to do that I'll just save a little more and get the 64GB(16GBX4) package. Thanks in advance.

 

[IWT]

I want to upgrade the RAM on my 27" 2020 iMac for faster photo editing. It currently has 16GB(8GB X 2) and I want to double that. OWC has an 8GB X 2 package that would fill the other 2 slots and give me 32GB total, but they say all the cards should be the same brand. Do I need to replace the existing ones too? If I have to do that I'll just save a little more and get the 64GB(16GBX4) package. Thanks in advance.

I believe that the following articles will confirm that you can mix brands:

7 RAM Myths and Misconceptions That Really Aren't True

What happens if you mix RAM size? Or completely mismatch RAM modules? Is it good or bad? Here are several RAM myths that need to die!

www.makeuseof.com

Can I use 2 different brands of ram in my 27" iMac?

I bought an iMac about a year ago and had the ram upgraded by the seller in 2 of the slots.(this has 4 slots total) They swapped 2 2GB out for 2 4 GB making the total 12 GB ram. They put in transcend brand ram. I do a lot of heavy editing, so I would like to upgrade the 2 other slots from 2...

forums.macrumors.com

Install memory in an iMac

Get memory specifications and learn how to install memory in iMac computers.

support.apple.com

What I'm reading is that mixing brands should be all right, mixing capacities may result in some slowing:

Quote: From what Im gathering, you get the BEST performance if you only use 2 sticks or 4 sticks of the same capacity. IF you get 2 different capacities, even if you slot the pairs in the same DIMM slot, you will get a reduction in speed. Unquote. Taken from:

Mixing Ram capacities in different DIMMs … - Apple Community

discussions.apple.com

I have one further point to make. Undoubtedly, having more RAM will improve intense editing and the like; But RAM is not the ONLY consideration. For example, going from 16 to 32GB is likely to speed things up, but going further to 64GB may not bring any further benefit if your Mac's Processor and Graphics aren't up to the job.

It would be helpful if you posted the full specs of your iMac.

Ian

 

[Raz0rEdge]

No, you don't have to match brands or size. As long at the memory is meant for that machine it should have the right characteristics and it'll be fine.

There was definitely a time (like 30 years ago) when mixing and matching RAM brands and sizes had a lot of issues, but not anymore..

 

[massalt]

My 2015 27 iMac came with two 4's. I added two 8's of a different brand and it worked fine for years. It is important to have them mounted in a certain order for the system to see them all. I found a video on YouTube that described in detail how to do it.

 

[massalt]

My 2015 27 iMac came with two 4's. I added two 8's of a different brand and it worked fine for years. It is important to have them mounted in a certain order for the system to see them all. I found a video on YouTube that described in detail how to do it.

PS The Mac OS manages memory so well, I'm not certain you will see much of a difference. Ask the photo editing guys, but I'm not sure that 64 would be much faster than 32.

 

[Raz0rEdge]

It's not a matter of faster memory, but 64GB is needed for certain workflows, especially if you are doing a lot of RAW processing. Whereas 32GB will work in most cases.

For my workflow, 32GB is vital, but others might be totally fine with 8GB or 16GB.

 

[nickyr]

My 2017 27" iMac has 32GB of RAM which I find more than enough for MOST of my photo editing.

It handles the raw files from my Fujifilm GFX100 well enough. I only really notice any slowing down when stitching and then editing multi-shot panoramas.

I'll still be getting a Mac Studio though!!

 

[Northroad52]

I believe that the following articles will confirm that you can mix brands:

7 RAM Myths and Misconceptions That Really Aren't True

What happens if you mix RAM size? Or completely mismatch RAM modules? Is it good or bad? Here are several RAM myths that need to die!

www.makeuseof.com

Can I use 2 different brands of ram in my 27" iMac?

I bought an iMac about a year ago and had the ram upgraded by the seller in 2 of the slots.(this has 4 slots total) They swapped 2 2GB out for 2 4 GB making the total 12 GB ram. They put in transcend brand ram. I do a lot of heavy editing, so I would like to upgrade the 2 other slots from 2...

forums.macrumors.com

Install memory in an iMac

Get memory specifications and learn how to install memory in iMac computers.

support.apple.com

What I'm reading is that mixing brands should be all right, mixing capacities may result in some slowing:

Quote: From what Im gathering, you get the BEST performance if you only use 2 sticks or 4 sticks of the same capacity. IF you get 2 different capacities, even if you slot the pairs in the same DIMM slot, you will get a reduction in speed. Unquote. Taken from:

Mixing Ram capacities in different DIMMs … - Apple Community

discussions.apple.com

I have one further point to make. Undoubtedly, having more RAM will improve intense editing and the like; But RAM is not the ONLY consideration. For example, going from 16 to 32GB is likely to speed things up, but going further to 64GB may not bring any further benefit if your Mac's Processor and Graphics aren't up to the job.

It would be helpful if you posted the full specs of your iMac.

Ian

Here's a screenshot with the specs. It is very slow when editing photos with the Topaz plug ins for Lightroom. It currently has 2X 8GB DIMM's and I'd like to just get 2 more 8GB for a total of 32. I was just worried that mixing brands would cause a problem.

 

[Sewell26]

Here's a screenshot with the specs. It is very slow when editing photos with the Topaz plug ins for Lightroom. It currently has 2X 8GB DIMM's and I'd like to just get 2 more 8GB for a total of 32. I was just worried that mixing brands would cause a problem. View attachment 35766

Have a look here iMac Memory RAM Upgrades Up to 128GB

 

[Archigos]

You can feel free to mix brands between the two sets, but do not mix the sets themself. For example, my 2017 27" iMac has 2x4GB, plus 2x16GB for a total of 40GB. The 2 4GB came with the system and are one brand, the 2 16's were bought on Amazon and are a different brand from the 4's.