Upgrading RAM

[Leukeh]

So, I've often been told it's impossible to upgrade a Mac, especially an iMac... but when I bought my iMac a year and a half ago, the Apple shop screwed me over, won't go into detail, and gave me a free 256mb RAM upgrade. They did it while I ate Subway in the store next door. So obviously, you can. Or at least they can.

So what would someone do if they wanted to upgrade their RAM? Would they have to take it to the shop and have them do it, or would they be able to buy the RAM and do it themselves?

 

[KoDorSean]

So, I've often been told it's impossible to upgrade a Mac, especially an iMac... but when I bought my iMac a year and a half ago, the Apple shop screwed me over, won't go into detail, and gave me a free 256mb RAM upgrade. They did it while I ate Subway in the store next door. So obviously, you can. Or at least they can.

So what would someone do if they wanted to upgrade their RAM? Would they have to take it to the shop and have them do it, or would they be able to buy the RAM and do it themselves?

when you were told its impossible to upgrade your mac i would guess they were more talking about the chip/motherboard/graphics card.. when it comes to memory its very easy to upgrade. I used to own an Imac and all you do is take the screws out on the back pop off the back piece and pop the memory in. so long story short you can do a memory upgrade yourself with no issues.

 

[Leukeh]

Ah... ok thanks!

So why is it you can't upgrade the other specs? And can you upgrade a Mac Pro? Space can't be too much of an issue there...

 

[Kash]

You can definitely upgrade a Mac Pro. You can add hard drives, optical drives, video cards, RAM, swap processors, etc.

The iMac is harder because of one main reason: design. In order to make a computer that slim, Apple uses notebook components. So instead of a traditional motherboard and processor, you have a logic board where the processor is soldered on, much like a notebook computer. Also having to do with design is trying to get it open to upgrade anything. With the RAM, it's easy, just have a slot in the back. The hard drive is a pain to get to, and everything else is pretty much off-limits since it's all hard-wired.

Since Apple knows the iMac is a pain to open, the company has made it so that as soon as you open the sucker, your warranty is void (except for the RAM upgrade). Apple simply doesn't want to deal with customers complaining that their computers won't fit back together after performing a hard drive upgrade. Plus, Apple has been known for building systems that are closed to those who like to tinker with the insides.

 

[GulfVetSAF]

Great deals on ram... at NewEgg.com, I just bought 2 GB at $109 whereas Apple wanted $350. Also, you can do a google search "changing ram on my mac" there are a few videos out there that show you how. Here's a link with instructions.