Contents
How much RAM can an early 2009 iMac take?
Memory specifications
| Computer | Memory Type | Maximum Memory |
|---|---|---|
| iMac (Mid 2007) | DDR2 | 4GB (2x2GB) |
| iMac (Early 2008) | DDR2 | 4GB (2x2GB) |
| iMac (Early 2009) | DDR3 | 8GB (2x4GB) |
What RAM is compatible with iMac late 2009?
For iMac (Late 2009), you can use 2 GB or 4 GB RAM SO-DIMMs of 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM in each slot. For iMac (Mid 2010) and iMac (Mid 2011), use 2 GB or 4 GB RAM SO-DIMMs of 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM in each slot.
Can you put faster RAM in an iMac?
Yes according to OWC. However, Macs are notoriously picky about RAM, and while 1600 MHz memory might be compatible with Intel, it doesn’t meant it’ll be compatible with the Apple logic board.
Is there a benefit to having faster RAM on an iMac?
There’s no benefit in going with faster RAM because the speed is limited by what your motherboard supports (the early 2009 iMac has a 1066 Mhz frontside bus.)
What kind of RAM does an iMac use?
So when the ram arrived I installed it into the 2009 iMac even though it was 1333mhz instead of 1066mhz raising it up from 4GB to 8GB the iMac booted and identified the ram correctly and has since been running fine. It has also been upgraded to OSX 10.8.2 from 10.6.8 all without any issues.
Which is better 1333 or 1066 memory in iMac?
Lastly, if you compare the 2 chips you linked you’ll notice that the 1333 memory has a CAS latency of 9, while the 1066 has a lower (better) latency of 7. So you’re trading an imaginary upside for a real downside.
Is the memory on the iMac 8500 backwards compatible?
So you’re trading an imaginary upside for a real downside. The Memory you have noted PC3-10600 is backwards compatible with PC3-8500 as noted here by Crucial “Memory speeds and compatibility” article.