iMac and Installing RAM

[SuperKid]

Is it easy to install ram in a Mac without voiding any like warranty and stuff you get with it? Just looking at buying the 27" mac and I will start with 4GB memory because I will then choose the 3.4ghz i7 27" imac then and upgrade memory later.

EDIT: btw is apple care worth it??

Matt.

[techbeck]

Is it easy to install ram in a Mac without voiding any like warranty and stuff you get with it? Just looking at buying the 27" mac and I will start with 4GB memory because I will then choose the 3.4ghz i7 27" imac then and upgrade memory later.

EDIT: btw is apple care worth it??

Matt.

Looks easy to me. :)

[SuperKid]

Looks easy to me. :)

That is actually very easy, but does it void any warranty you get with Apple or anything? :)

[techbeck]

That is actually very easy, but does it void any warranty you get with Apple or anything? :)

From what I read, just upgrading the memory doesnt void the warranty. If you were trying to replace/uprade the processor...then that would since it would require you to disassemble a lot of the iMac.

[SuperKid]

From what I read, just upgrading the memory doesnt void the warranty. If you were trying to replace/uprade the processor...then that would since it would require you to disassemble a lot of the iMac.

Ah ok thanks for help :)

[REM2000]

Ive never had a problem with my own ram when taking a machine to be repaired. The RAM Slots especially on the iMac are user accessible with the instruction manual informing the user on how to perform the upgrade, if it wasn't in the manual then i might have been a little more hesitant.

Its worth doing, i got a 21" and the first thing i done was to upgrade it to 16GB RAM, it really fly's

Applecare is really worth it, it covers pretty much everything and with the iMac being all in one, trying to make the repairs yourself can be tricky and leave the machine less than perfect, i.e. trap dust behind the screen etc..

I always go for applecare and Apple have always been really good if I've ever needed a repair.

[Glassed Silver]

a) Upgrading the RAM on an iMac - well IMHO they are the easiest to upgrade machines out there...

b) Voids warranty? - Nope, wouldn't be that easy if it were. :)

c) Apple Care worth it? - I'd go with it! That's some money well spent there! (Y) (Also increases your resale value quite well in case you sell it before the 3 years end! (Y))

Glassed Silver:win

[chrispinto]

I unboxed my iMac and upgraded from 4Gb to 12Gb before I even turned it on for the first time. Simple process indeed.

[cooky560 Veteran]

It's an easy (and very worth while upgrade), with the original 4gb I found myself running out of ram every few days and having to restart, now it's not an issue

[PNWDweller]

I have done upgrads on both iMacs that I have. The 1st had Applecare and I used it a lot with them due to HDD failures (2), and 1 Superdrive failure. 100% of all fees were paid in the shop, so over the 2.5 years I had it, it was well worth every penny.

My current system was replaced under Applecare (hit their threshold for major component failures with a logic board on it's way out), with the one I have now (mid-2010 iMac). I boosted the memory to 8gb and it runs fine.

The shop that I took the other iMac in never said anything about the RAM concerning warranty or otherwise. In your Apple manual that comes with the machine, it even tells you how to upgrade it if you decide to do that. ;)

[PyX]

b) Voids warranty? - Nope, wouldn't be that easy if it were. :)

c) Apple Care worth it? - I'd go with it! That's some money well spent there! (Y) (Also increases your resale value quite well in case you sell it before the 3 years end! (Y))

b) Exactly. Apple worked hard to make it so easily upgradeable, they want people to do it.

c) I?m not extremely sure about this whole Apple Care issue. For a laptop, I would take it right away because it has way more chances of breaking if you always bring it around with you. But for a fixed computer that always stays in place and everything, just abuse it for the first 30 days, and try to detect the defects by yourself. It?s covered. And I?m even wondering if it?s not covered for 90 days instead of just 30.

Or better, check the features of your credit card and if it extends the warranty for one year, put the purchase on your credit card. Some of them will indeed extend the warranty for one whole year if the basic warranty from the vendors lasts less than 5 years.

[UncleSpellbinder]

OWC has memory for mid 2010/2011 iMacs with a lifetime warranty. 16 gigs (4 x 4.0GB 1333MHz DDR3 SO-DIMM PC10600 204 Pin) for $99.97 with FREE first class USPS shipping: http://eshop.macsale...g/1333DDR3S16S/

[DeadEndAccount]

IMHO get AppleCare - I have it both for my iMac and MacBook Pro - and both I intend on keeping for at least 4 years before I even think about upgrading. It is one of those things - you don't think you need it until you actually need it and by then it is too late when faced with a $500 bill to pay for a part to be replaced.

[benthebear]

Get AppleCare.

I bought an iMac G5 in 2005, and to this day, I'm kicking myself for not extending the warranty for it. Several months after the one year expired, the iMac would randomly freeze and crash. It eventually got to the point where it wouldn't come on at all. I had it looked at by an authorized Apple repair tech, and they quoted me at about $1,000 USD to get it fixed. I think AppleCare was about $180 back then, and that would have covered everything, and then some for two more years.

So I went back to my Vista machine.

As others have stated, RAM upgrades are user serviceable, so you won't void the warranty doing so. Well, unless you decided to take suction cups to the screen, and proceed to rip out its insides.

[metal_dragen Veteran]

OWC has memory for mid 2010/2011 iMacs with a lifetime warranty.

Lifetime warranties on RAM are pretty common as long as you are buying a decent name brand - Crucial, Corsair, Kingston, PNY, etc. all offer lifetime warranties on their RAM.