Question from Donna: I have a 27 inch mid-2011 iMac with 4GB of RAM. It’s running MacOS Sierra.
I’m thinking about taking it to the Geeks Squad and having them to upgrade the RAM to 8GB.
I was talking to them about it a few days ago and they said a RAM upgrade would help a lot since it started running slower after the upgrade to MacOS Sierra.
But the thing is they also quoted me a small fortune for making the upgrade.
My question is would the speed increase from an extra 4GB of RAM speed up the system enough to justify the expense?
Rick’s answer: Donna, the short answer to your question is yes, I do believe adding an extra 4GB of RAM to your iMac would make enough difference in system speed to justify the expense.
Apple’s stated system requirements for MacOS Sierra call for at least 2GB of RAM to run that version of the operating system, but I can tell you that 2GB is the absolute bare minimum.
4GB is certainly better, but the user experience is a lot better still with 8GB given the way most people use their Macs these days.
You said the Geek Squad quoted you a small fortune to upgrade your iMac’s RAM.
Well, truth be told you can upgrade it yourself and save a bundle. It really isn’t all that hard. Just follow the steps below:
1 – Visit Crucial.com with your iMac and run their awesome System Scanner tool.
The System Scanner Tool will scan your iMac’s hardware configuration and tell you exactly which RAM modules you need to purchase in order to complete the upgrade.
2 – Purchase the RAM modules recommended by Crucial’s System Scanner tool.
If you wish you can simply order the new RAM modules from Crucial since you’ll be on their website already.
Alternatively, you can write down the specs for the RAM you need and purchase it from Amazon and (possibly) save some money.
3 – Once you have the new RAM modules in hand, follow the instructions in this video to perform the upgrade:
That’s all there is to it. Not too bad, right?
And now, one final thought…
If you do end up having the Geek Squad upgrade the RAM in your iMac instead of doing it yourself, you might want to consider having them replace the hard drive with an SSD while they’re at it.
While a RAM upgrade is certainly in order here, upgrading to an SSD at the same time will really put your iMac in the fast lane!
Upgrading the RAM in your iMac is a very easy task but replacing the hard drive with an SSD is pretty complicated since you have to almost completely disassemble the machine.
That’s why I recommend that you have the Geek Squad install the SSD for you (if you choose to have one installed of course).
Bonus tip #1: I also recommend that you install something like Avast Free Mac Security to keep your iMac free of malware.
Bonus tip #2: Want to make sure you never miss one of my tips? Click here to join my Rick’s Tech Tips Facebook Group!
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