# Upgrading iMac RAM & Enclosure for SSD internal 8TB needed



## AlphaOmega2010 (Oct 24, 2010)

I have a few questions for you regarding my recent purchase of an iMac from the Apple store. 
I chose the Apple iMac Retina 5K, 27-inch, Mid 2020 - 3.6GHz Core i9, after my 2013 iMac HD fried and refused to turn on. Apple said the HD can't be replaced on that model, only the older models with the CD rom drives, so I just had to bite the bullet and fork out for a completely new iMac. But Apples prices for Ram are extortionate. So I settled for 8GB, and opted to buy 4X32GB elsewhere and slot them into the back of the iMac myself. 
My question RAM related is that I wasn't exactly sure which brand and model matches my iMac, but luckily found this shop in the UK that delivers to me in Ireland, and they recommend the following 2 options (SK Hynix, and Kingston HyperX Impact). 
https://www.mrmemory.co.uk/memory-r...ore-i9#!ddr4-pc4-21300-2666mhz-260-pin-sodimm
Which of the 2 options would you recommend? The 4X32GB SK hynix is considerably cheaper at €697 (incl VAT + del), while the 4X32GB Kingston is €858 (incl VAT + del.)

First things first, in your experience does it look like a legit online site, not a scam. And if safe, will either RAM choice be a good fit for the iMac?

I also opted for the lowest storage at 512GB for 2 reasons. I'm a photographer and typically don't store much if anything on my mac at all. All my Photos/videos and lightroom catalog are stored on a Seagate 5TB portable drive, which allows me to unplug and bring it to show a client on their machines. However the 5TB is almost full (approx 10% left). So I thought I would upgrade the external drive by purchasing an 8TB solid state internal drive, and stick an enclosure on it. 
This is the 8TB Samsung drive I found, 
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B089RD1...si&th=1&psc=1&ref_=d6k_applink_bb_marketplace
But I need some advice on what are my options when it comes to enclosures and cables, at the best price if possible, but still allowing the drive to run off the iMac without slowing down any of the Photo or Video editing I'll be doing.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me. Every post is much appreciated and will go a long way to saving me a small fortune at Apple store prices, which I can invest in much needed photography gear for work. Thanks!


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## Couriant (Mar 26, 2002)

Kingston is a well known brand. I think the other is also a good brand but I haven't had to use them myself.

You are correct, Apple does force you to choose on most of the components for the iMacs as it's built all in and made it difficult to get replaced if you need more space or fix outside of the warranty. I am glad that the memory is assessible or they would lose a lot of followers for the iMacs.

What and how many ports do you have? USB 3 / Lightning?
Something like this should work: https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Premium-Aluminum-Enclosure/dp/B08KZM6G3G


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## AlphaOmega2010 (Oct 24, 2010)

Couriant said:


> Kingston is a well known brand. I think the other is also a good brand but I haven't had to use them myself.
> 
> You are correct, Apple does force you to choose on most of the components for the iMacs as it's built all in and made it difficult to get replaced if you need more space or fix outside of the warranty. I am glad that the memory is assessible or they would lose a lot of followers for the iMacs.
> 
> ...


Hi Couriant, thanks for the reply, and for the help with the questions.

Re: the Kingston vs SK hynix brand, I've googled reviews on Amazon, and the 1 star reviews only seem to apply to damage during delivery or receiving the wrong RAM from the seller. No complaints about the quality of either brand itself. So I'm thinking I can save a few €s by option for the 4X32GB SK brand.

I did receive a reply today from Mr memory customer service about the issues with mixing memory on the new 2020 iMac. They confirmed that indeed there is a problem, and if you mix different RAM you will reduce the clocking speed from 2666MHz to 2133MHz, and lose dual channel mode will deactivate slowing the computer even more.
They recommend the following 2 options:

Option 1)
Upgrade all 4 modules with identical specifications...
Slot 1: New Memory
Slot 2: New Memory
Slot 3: New Memory
Slot 4: New Memory

Option 2)
Install a matched pair and remove your existing memory...
Slot 1: New Memory
Slot 2: Empty
Slot 3: New Memory
Slot 4: Empty

However they failed to answer my question whether I could buy 2X32GB now, and remove the 2X8GB already in the iMac, then at a later date buy the same make and brand with another 2X32GB, would they be matched?
I'll email them again, and if I get a reply I'll update here.

When you say, it's lucky the RAM is still accessible, you're right, but I'm guessing at this rate they will probably remove that capability in next year's iMac (or later), because they already made it impossible to replace the HD. The iMac models older than my 2013 iMac it was possible to replace the HD. They were the iMac that still had the CDROM. But because everything had to be aesthetic and super thin, they annoyingly made everything (except RAM - for now) inaccesible! Super annoying!

Re: the link to the enclosure you posted. When you asked about the USB & Thunderbolt ports. Here are the specs acc to Apple: https://www.apple.com/imac/specs/
You can see 4XUSB-A ports and 2XThunderbolt3-USB-C ports
Is the Thunderbolt 3 faster than the connection to the USB 3.1 gen2 ports? I'm asking because, if I can run the Samsung internal drive +enclosure off one of the thunderbolt ports, that will leave all 4 USB ports free to use for other work or connections.
If not, that's OK, I'll still have 3 USB ports free which I've managed with in my old setup on my 2013 iMac which had no thunderbolt ports.
One other question re the enclosure you linked on the US amazon site. In the specs it doesn't list any external power cables or plugs. So am I correct in assuming that the Samsung + enclosure will draw all the power it needs from the USB port (or Thunderbolt port - if that's possible) and it doesn't need to be plugged into the mains? Because with my current setup, the Seagate 5TB portable drive takes power from the iMac, but I have a Seagate Expansion 10TB (backup drive) to use with my Crashplan backups, but annoyingly the larger Expansion drive needs to be plugged into the mains to run. It doesn't take it's power from the imacs USB port.
If I'm going to use the Samsung 8tb internal HD + enclosure I need it to be flexible (like my 5TB Seagate portable HD, so I can bring it with me to a client (eg meeting in a cafe or on a train etc with no power sockets available) and show them work on their machines without needing a mains socket to plug into for power.

Also, is that enclosure only available on the US amazon site? I'm always wary of buying anything electronic from the US because of possible compatibility issues, or needing to buy adapters etc. If its not available to buy in the UK or a nearby EU amazon site, then will there be any possible compatibility issues you can forsee if I buy it from the US site? Even things like issues at customs, or ending up with being slapped with import heavy duties or anything?


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## PeterOz (Dec 29, 2020)

AlphaOmega2010 said:


> 2013 iMac HD fried and refused to turn on. Apple said the HD can't be replaced on that model


Have you still got this machine


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## AlphaOmega2010 (Oct 24, 2010)

PeterOz said:


> Have you still got this machine


I do, although it's beyond repair I wager. If I turn it on, at the password stage if I press any key, or even move the mouse, it freezes, then the screen goes black, and I had to long press the on/off button on the back to switch it off.


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## PeterOz (Dec 29, 2020)

I know it is a bit off topic to what you asked but you did mention it.
You can boot an imac off an external drive. Works well.
You can upgrade the drive in that model. Change HDD. I have done it on a 21"
The clip shows how. Instead of a metal tool I used an old plastic membership card - Like a credit card.
May be worth looking at so you can have a back up. Or boot from external drive.

For your 2020 imac Ram Scan this is the uk site it will scan your imac and advise on ram


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## Couriant (Mar 26, 2002)

You should always buy them in pairs and the same make/model to avoid any issues like decreasing the speed and going to single channel and not dual.

In theory, you should be fine in removing the 8GB modules and adding the 32GB modules in its place. Just make sure you push the memory in snuggly... or you won't see the memory (I did that on my wife's new iMac recently... lol)

Thunderbolt (also known as USB-C) is more faster than USB-A so you would want to use devices that need data read/write speeds to the maximum.

Here is a link for the Amazon UK site: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cable-Matters-Aluminum-External-Enclosure/dp/B07PBD1K4M/ - doing a search for *thunderbolt hard drive enclosure 2.5 *will give you other results.

AS to not replacing the Hard Drive, there is no money to getting that replace for Apple, they are just forcing you to buy a new machine. The components are removable but they won't tell you that. Plus there is a cable for the monitor right behind it that attaches to the board so if you didn't know that and removed the screen to get to the components, you would certainly have broken that cable and Apple will not fix that either.


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## managed (May 24, 2003)

I can vouch for Hynix ram, it's a well known brand.

Unless Apple have done something odd with the ram slots I think you could use the existing 2x8GB with new 2x32GB sticks, then you could get another 2x32GB sticks later if you feel the need.

EDIT: Mixing them will make them all run at the slowest stick's speed though.


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## AlphaOmega2010 (Oct 24, 2010)

PeterOz said:


> I know it is a bit off topic to what you asked but you did mention it.
> You can boot an imac off an external drive. Works well.
> You can upgrade the drive in that model. Change HDD. I have done it on a 21"
> The clip shows how. Instead of a metal tool I used an old plastic membership card - Like a credit card.
> ...


Bloody hell! So the apple seller's customer support WAS lying! Aw well, too late now, the new iMac is ordered. But as you say I can keep the old one as an emergency backup.

Just curious about one thing. I worked for a client (National photo archive, and the National Gallery of Photography) on a project, and I got to work in their print labs where I saw their setup. They had 2 iMacs side by side, and they were able to work on both at the same time. They would use one screen for the archive of Photos in Adobe Bridge, and they can drag items into the other screen where they ran Adobe lightroom and photoshop.
Is that setup possible with my broken iMac if I attach it somehow to the new iMac when it arrives? Or do I need to replace the fried HD first?


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## AlphaOmega2010 (Oct 24, 2010)

managed said:


> I can vouch for Hynix ram, it's a well known brand.
> 
> Unless Apple have done something odd with the ram slots I think you could use the existing 2x8GB with new 2x32GB sticks, then you could get another 2x32GB sticks later if you feel the need.
> 
> EDIT: Mixing them will make them all run at the slowest stick's speed though.


Turned out that I was mistaken about the generic brand of RAM on that site. The brand isn't named on the site, I just opened the image beside the specs and saw SK hynix on the RAM. I inquired with the sales, and it seems that they only used that as a place holder image. The brand they actually use to sell generic RAM is Crucial.

All the reviews I've read of Crucial, so I was going to order it, until I discovered a local store that sells it cheaper, and I don't have any shipping costs since I can collect it from the shop. So seems I get a better brand than originally expected, and a better price!


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## AlphaOmega2010 (Oct 24, 2010)

Couriant said:


> You should always buy them in pairs and the same make/model to avoid any issues like decreasing the speed and going to single channel and not dual.
> 
> In theory, you should be fine in removing the 8GB modules and adding the 32GB modules in its place. Just make sure you push the memory in snuggly... or you won't see the memory (I did that on my wife's new iMac recently... lol)
> 
> ...


Great, thanks for finding the UK store selling it. It says the enclosure supports 2.5" SSD or HDD (not 3.5") up to 9mm. I think that means it's compatible with the Samsung SSD drive, am I correct?

Also, I don't see any mention of a power cable, so I'm assuming it doesn't require power from the mains, it can get all the power it needs via the thunderbolt USB-C cable, is this correct too?


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## Couriant (Mar 26, 2002)

3.5" are the Hard Drives that computers use (5400RPM?) 2.5" is normally for laptops but can be put in desktops with additional hardware.

If there is no AC adapter, then yes the power will come from the machine.


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## managed (May 24, 2003)

I have a friend in Ireland and I know the shipping charges can be quite high, so I'm glad you found a local shop that sells the Ram.


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## PeterOz (Dec 29, 2020)

AlphaOmega2010 said:


> Just curious about one thing. I worked for a client (National photo archive, and the National Gallery of Photography) on a project, and I got to work in their print labs where I saw their setup. They had 2 iMacs side by side


They would of had a second monitor. Mac use to sell (may still do) a monitor that looked just like a mac.
You can always buy a second monitor - not mac 27 -32" and use it the exact same way.
Or buy a mac monitor From Here in UK for £4,599.00. I know people who have Imac + 2 monitors
Working like you say and internet/emails etc on thrid monitor


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## AlphaOmega2010 (Oct 24, 2010)

PeterOz said:


> They would of had a second monitor. Mac use to sell (may still do) a monitor that looked just like a mac.
> You can always buy a second monitor - not mac 27 -32" and use it the exact same way.
> Or buy a mac monitor From Here in UK for £4,599.00. I know people who have Imac + 2 monitors
> Working like you say and internet/emails etc on thrid monitor


That's a ridiculous price for one single monitor! It's more than I paid for my iMac! 
So if it's a case that I can't use my old iMac as a 2nd monitor attached to the new one, then I'll just do as yourself and @Couriant advise, and just keep it in case of an emergency, and run the macOS off an external USB drive.


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## PeterOz (Dec 29, 2020)

AlphaOmega2010 said:


> That's a ridiculous price for one single monitor!


Not if your the one selling them


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## AlphaOmega2010 (Oct 24, 2010)

Couriant said:


> You should always buy them in pairs and the same make/model to avoid any issues like decreasing the speed and going to single channel and not dual.
> 
> In theory, you should be fine in removing the 8GB modules and adding the 32GB modules in its place. Just make sure you push the memory in snuggly... or you won't see the memory (I did that on my wife's new iMac recently... lol)
> 
> ...


I emailed Samsung support on the off chance they might be able to help, and asked if their 8TB internal SSD drive will be compatible with any of the enclosures to use as an external drive connected to the USB or Thunderbolt ports in the iMac, and they seemed to be saying no.

I'll quote their message for you to see yourself. 


> As we already explained, this is an internal drive, which requires a SATA III port, in order to to be used effectively.
> We do not recommend to use the SSD 870 QVO as external drive. We cannot guarantee that it will work properly and even, if the SSD will detected by your system.
> 
> If you need an external drive for a storage purpose, we recommend to use external drives from Samsung, such us:
> ...


Is this just another case of customer support either not knowing enough, or else lying to me, like when I asked Apple if they were able to replace the fried HD telling me no, just so that they can sell a new iMac to me?


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## Couriant (Mar 26, 2002)

As to the monitor, it is retina 6K and 32" so I would think that's normal... haha also seeing vesa mounts reminded me of this video and (one of) the reasons I don't like Apple's after sales support.

You can connect both machines together via lightning/usb-c and use both at the same time. They may also had a monitor that looks like the iMac:










These are the Thunderbolt display, though apple discontinued them for the ones you see now.

I would say for what Samsung has mentioned, I would believe them, so it would be trial and error if you want to try that.


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## AlphaOmega2010 (Oct 24, 2010)

Couriant said:


> I would say for what Samsung has mentioned, I would believe them, so it would be trial and error if you want to try that.


Now I'm worried about the internal drive +enclosure option. It will be a very expensive mistake, as the SSD drive costs over £600! Who could I ask, if Samsung themselves don't even seem to know, that would know for sure before commiting that much previous money from my business into something that might not work?


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## PeterOz (Dec 29, 2020)

A drive being internal or external in a caddy should make no difference. I use externals in caddys.
I think what Samsung are not saying is to run an 8TB you will most likely need external power as well.
The usb cable would most likely NOT carry enough power.
If you have 5TB that you know works. Buy another 5TB - (Tried and tested by you already)
Just curious how are you backing up your current 5TB and how do you plan to backup your new
5/8TB


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## PeterOz (Dec 29, 2020)

You asked earlier about extra screens 
Have a look at this how to pick a screen for mac


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