More Mac memory, worth it?

[JasonM]

Im sure the answer will be yes, but allow me the question, so, in 2015 I bought a used mid 2011 21.5 inch iMac, its been great, no issues, our own Mac guru Rob ( Filterlab ) installed a SSD 1tb in it a few years later and Ive had no problems and it works fine for my needs, it is stuck on a previous IOS version though but as I say, no big deal, it does what I need it to do, I have been vaguely looking at getting a newer one but not sure why given the above but you know what its like, however, looking at the specs in about my Mac I have noticed I could double the installed RAM to 16GB quite cheaply, is there any point? Would I notice it?
Thanks.
Jase.

[reggie747]

I suppose a lot depends on what you actually use the Mac for.
It certainly won't do it any harm, if as you say, the memory is cheap enough.
My limited view opinion is given that it's an older machine would possibly suggest it won't be a night and day improvement, so I'd probably not bother.

[vulcangascompany]

Now the RAM is on the boards and you can't upgrade later I always buy some extra RAM. You can always use cloud based storage or eternal Hds for more storage but you're stuck with RAM. It all depends on how long you plan to keep the Mac, if you plan on it lasting more than 5 years pay a bit more for upgraded RAM.

[theancientmariner]

If you're currently using a 2011 model and that's fine for your needs then there seems little point in doubling the memory on a new purchase. As has already been said, it does very much depend on what you plan on using the computer for and unless you're doing 3d computer modelling or gaming, I can't see the need for any more than 8Gb memory on a home based computer.

(incidentally, doubling the memory on a new iMac quite cheaply, that's not the Apple I used to know!)

[Onelasttime]

Now the RAM is on the boards and you can't upgrade later I always buy some extra RAM. You can always use cloud based storage or eternal Hds for more storage but you're stuck with RAM. It all depends on how long you plan to keep the Mac, if you plan on it lasting more than 5 years pay a bit more for upgraded RAM.

If you're currently using a 2011 model and that's fine for your needs then there seems little point in doubling the memory on a new purchase. As has already been said, it does very much depend on what you plan on using the computer for and unless you're doing 3d computer modelling or gaming, I can't see the need for any more than 8Gb memory on a home based computer.

(incidentally, doubling the memory on a new iMac quite cheaply, that's not the Apple I used to know!)

I think you've misunderstood the question, which is (as I understand it), would it be worth doubling the RAM to 16GB on his current 2011 iMac not on a new model.

I would say, yes, it is worth it for the sake of £30 or whatever the cost is now. I did the same on our similar age iMac a few years ago and it definitely sped things up. It's only my wife who uses it now for web browsing and writing, and compared to my new MacBook, it's still really bloody slow. I occasionally jump on to do some scanning but have to do the Photoshop stuff on the MacBook or I'll end up shouting at it.

Give the extra RAM a whirl. There's nothing to lose really.

[theancientmariner]

I think you've misunderstood the question, which is (as I understand it), would it be worth doubling the RAM to 16GB on his current 2011 iMac not on a new model.

It seems that I have and if the upgrade is only £30 then I agree, nothing to lose.

[JasonM]

Cheers, yes, it’s adding to the existing, I’ll give it a go.

[sundial]

RAM upgrade on older iMacs is straightforward, relatively inexpensive, and takes less than 30 minutes. I upgraded two of my previous iMacs' RAM and there are You Tube videos showing how to complete same. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8Sj10wYXAI

Cambridge based "Solder Fix" could also quote for an iMac RAM upgrade https://www.solderfix.co.uk/about_us. No soldering involved. And yes, it's a worthwhile upgrade.

[dice]

The short answer is yes, do it.

Slightly more nuanced - it depends on your use case. If you generally have Chrome open with a dozen tabs and nothing more, you may see only a slight speed increase when switching tabs. If you load "heavier" applications though you could see improved load time as well as a "snappier" experience.

[JasonM]

Thank you, I’ve ordered the sticks so will update in a few days.

[guli]

Yes, never enough especially on an older machine!

[mmgg1988]

Late to the party but I doubled the RAM in my 2020 iMac and had a noticeable effect when opening/using multiple applications. It was a 20 minute job to remove the specific panel on the back and swap the old modules out for new ones.

[RustyBin5]

Upping memory on a Mac isn’t a simple plug and play operation. Make sure you know what you’re doing or get a tech guy to do it .

[Phil Lee]

Upping memory on a Mac isn’t a simple plug and play operation. Make sure you know what you’re doing or get a tech guy to do it .

It is with the 2011 model. There’s a door on the bottom of the case that gives access to the RAM slots.

[JasonM]

Well, that was easy, ordered 2 x 8GB of ram and watched some You tube videos to install, I did have 4 x 2gb in there and was going to take them all out and just have the 2 x 8, this is because on the Apple site it says that the max this 2011 IMac can have is 16GB, however, the YouTube video had the guy put in 32GB in the same machine and was working flawlessly, a lot of the comments backed this up so I left 2 of the 2 in, I now have 20GB up from the original 8GB and Im certain I can see a marked improvement. I may go the full beans 32GB at some point.
Thanks for all the comments.
Jase.

[SimonH]

Well, that was easy, ordered 2 x 8GB of ram and watched some You tube videos to install, I did have 4 x 2gb in there and was going to take them all out and just have the 2 x 8, this is because on the Apple site it says that the max this 2011 IMac can have is 16GB, however, the YouTube video had the guy put in 32GB in the same machine and was working flawlessly, a lot of the comments backed this up so I left 2 of the 2 in, I now have 20GB up from the original 8GB and Im certain I can see a marked improvement. I may go the full beans 32GB at some point.
Thanks for all the comments.
Jase.

I have the same vintage iMac which has 32Gb RAM fitted and an SDD drive and it's still a quick machine. The only issue with it is being stuck at High Sierra increasingly apps no longer support it, and realistically it will probably die at some point hence buying a Macbook M2 air off SC recently.

[dkpw]

Well, that was easy, ordered 2 x 8GB of ram and watched some You tube videos to install, I did have 4 x 2gb in there and was going to take them all out and just have the 2 x 8, this is because on the Apple site it says that the max this 2011 IMac can have is 16GB, however, the YouTube video had the guy put in 32GB in the same machine and was working flawlessly, a lot of the comments backed this up so I left 2 of the 2 in, I now have 20GB up from the original 8GB and Im certain I can see a marked improvement. I may go the full beans 32GB at some point.
Thanks for all the comments.
Jase.

Nice one. And when Apple and other software producers stop supporting the last version of the MacOS "allowed" on your Mac, you can install a superb Linux distribution such as Ubuntu or Debian, and continue to use what is and will continue to be an entirely viable and powerful computer.

That's my plan for my 2012 MacMini which is now stuck on 10.15.7 Catalina. It still does 99% of what I need but Office 365 no longer updates and Whatsapp won't run. Those limitations will only increase as time goes on - built-in obsolescence is expensive.

For most people, unless you're doing high-end video editing, gaming or something else which requires heavy processing oomph, most computers from the last 10 years will more than suffice.