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When I configured my new iMac, I intentionally left one item unchanged. RAM from Applu are simply very expensive and if only they were from Applu, then I could kind of understand the reason. However, paying an amount approaching eighty thousand crowns for Samsung RAM seems a bit excessive to me. Fortunately, the new iMac 27″ 5K offers the option of user-replaceable RAM, so you can buy RAM for a completely different price and then install it in your iMac in a few minutes. Thanks to this, I was able to add to my iMac 27″ 5K configuration 3,6GHz 10-core tenth-generation Intel Core i9, Radeon Pro The 5700 XT with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and 1TB SSD storage added 128 GB of RAM.

Many people will surely argue that it is not possible to use this much memory in the normal operation of the computer, and even I realize that it is really an extreme amount of memory. But if you can get this memory thanks to the possibility of exchanging it for the same price as it was Apple offers 32GB, then there is not much to think about. Personally, I reached for memories from Samsung, which are of course DDR4 and offer a frequency of 2666Mhz. It is therefore the same memory that you Apple mounts in the iMac if you choose them directly during its configuration. The iMac 27″ 5K offers four slots for operating memory modules, which in my case I will use for four 32GB modules, i.e. a total of 128GB of RAM.

Replacing the RAM itself is very simple. Just turn off the computer, disconnect all the cables from it, and then carefully place it on a table with the display facing down. Of course, it is ideal to cover the table with something that will prevent the display from being scratched. I covered the iMac with the protection it came in and placed it on a duvet that I placed on the table. Thanks to this, I was 100% sure that the display would not be scratched. You can do everything even when the computer is standing still, but it is significantly less convenient. Once you have the iMac lying down, just press the plastic packu, which you will find just above the power supplyoneOnce you close it, the door opens, under which the RAM modules themselves are hidden. They are clicked into sliding slots, which you just press on the sides to gain direct access to the modules.

If, like me, you have a configuration with 8GB of RAM, then you will find two modules with 4GB of memory in the iMac. Once you've pulled them out, just insert 4x32GB of RAM into the four slots and snap everything back together. This is an operation that anyone can do at home and there is no need to visit a service center for it, and it only takes a few minutes. As soon as you turn on the computer, you can immediately see if all the modules are working as they should. Just select the logo in the menuBar Apple and then the option About this Mac and then the option Memory. Here you should see 4x 32GB of RAM.

So that we can look at the effect together, I first measured the computer as it ran out, i.e. in the configuration of an iMac 27″ 5K with 3,6GHz 10-core tenth-generation Intel Core i9, Radeon Pro 5700 XT with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and 1TB SSD and 8GB of RAM. Please note that this is a computer that was only put into basic settings without any data or anything that could affect its performance. This is a brand new, just unpacked iMac. In this configuration with 8GB of RAM, it achieved a score of 7645 points in the Geekbench 5 measurement.

iMac 2020_8GB_RAM

Immediately after the measurement, I turned off the computer, replaced the memory modules, which increased it to 128 GB of RAM, and tested it again immediately after turning it on. The results are therefore not affected by anything, and I performed both tests before I started installing anything on the computer or setting it up to my liking. iMac 27″ 5K with 3,6GHz 10th generation Intel Core i9 10-core, Radeon Pro The 5700 XT with 16GB of GDDR6 memory and a 1TB SSD and 128GB of RAM achieved a score of 9691 points in Geekbench 5.

iMac 2020 128GB RAM

So, as you can see, the difference is really striking. MacOS can use as much memory as you give it, thanks to the fact that it is a UNIX system. The system starts to cache things in the memory, which you then open directly from it, and the computer runs significantly faster thanks to this. Of course, it mainly depends on what applications and files you work with. However, the more space you give MacOS in the operating memory, the more it will use and thus work with the system, files and applications faster.

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