(c) Cirina Catania

DIY: Upgrade Your iMac’s Memory


I recently purchased an iMac 5K and love it, but the memory at the Apple store was expensive, so I opted to get the least amount available (8GB) and purchased an additional 64 GB from OWC (MacSales.com).

It was surprisingly easy to upgrade, took less than 5 minutes of my time, saved me lots of money and increased the total memory over and above what Apple sells even at their max (32 GB).

Here are the steps:

Purchase new compatible memory.  This is 64GB from MacSales.com
Purchase new compatible memory. This is 64GB from MacSales.com

1. Unplug your iMac and remove the door to the memory (located on the back of the computer). (I used a screwdriver to push the latch open.)
Pop open the access door in the back of your iMac.
Pop open the access door in the back of your iMac.

2. Remove the currently installed memory chips.

Angle on the old memory (8GB)
Angle on the old memory (8GB)

Pull out the old memory chips.
Pull out the old memory chips.

3. Replace them with the newly purchased OWC chips, , in this case 4×16 GB, being careful to push them gently into place.

16GB memory chip from OWC (MacSales.com)
16GB memory chip from OWC (MacSales.com)

Step-3_push-new-memory-into-slots-gently_IMG_0551

New memory in place - 64GB from OWC (MacSales.com)
New memory in place – 64GB from OWC (MacSales.com)

4. Close the door, replug everything connected to your iMac and voila! (So easy, even a PrEditor like me can do it!)

Close the access door and restart your iMac!
Close the access door and restart your iMac!

5. Gloat about how much memory you have and watch your applications become screaming fast.

Gloat about how much memory you now have!
Gloat about how much memory you now have!