Increase the RAM

i want to increase my iMac RAM (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019) Serial Number: C0***WDW



Present 8GB Ram want to increse to 32GB

is it possible???



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Posted on Oct 3, 2020 01:58 AM

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Posted on Oct 3, 2020 04:50 AM

Only certain models of the 21.5 iMac can be upgraded and then only by a Technician (or at least someone that knows what he is doing) it is not a user upgrade and from what I have heard can be very expensive. Here is a link that you can use to see if yours can be upgraded Install memory in an iMac - Apple Support

The biggest question that you can ask is it worth it? Even tho it is only a year old depending on the price and model it might be worth in getting a 27 inch with a basic 8 Gig installed and by Ram from another source and do it yourself.

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Oct 3, 2020 04:50 AM in response to it107

Only certain models of the 21.5 iMac can be upgraded and then only by a Technician (or at least someone that knows what he is doing) it is not a user upgrade and from what I have heard can be very expensive. Here is a link that you can use to see if yours can be upgraded Install memory in an iMac - Apple Support

The biggest question that you can ask is it worth it? Even tho it is only a year old depending on the price and model it might be worth in getting a 27 inch with a basic 8 Gig installed and by Ram from another source and do it yourself.

Oct 3, 2020 09:24 AM in response to it107

Welcome!


To add to TJisret's comment about "expensive," I asked a local service shop (US Inland Northwest region) what he charges to do RAM upgrades for a sealed 21.5-inch iMac and he said they have to charge a minimum of two hours labor at US$75/hour to perform the upgrade.That is another $150 on top of the cost of RAM and reseal kit. Plus, if you are doing this because your computer feels "slow," there is a strong chance that would be a waste of money.


If your want 32GB RAM because you computer is:


    • slow to boot, and
    • slow to open apps,


that is likely not a RAM issue but rather the slow mechanical hard drives Apple installed in 21.5-inch Macs from 2012 through 2019. On performance tests they score SLOWER that the mech hard drives Apple installed in entry-level 2011 21.5-iMacs. Even the Fusion drives (hybrid) are not all that fast


So if you can tell us why you would like to increase RAM, this conversation might take a different solution path.


For real speed and flexibility you need a 27-inch iMac so the RAM is user upgradeable—as Roger wisely points out—and the biggest factory solid-state drive you can afford. The later is what make an an iMac speed demon. The 1TB factory SSD in my 2017 iMac 5K posts read/write speeds over 20X faster than our 2011 iMac with a factory mech drive.

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Increase the RAM

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