Teardown of Apple's low-end iMac reveals non-upgradeable soldered RAM
Hours after Apple released its low-cost 21.5-inch iMac on Wednesday, a teardown of the all-in-one desktop reveals users will be unable to easily upgrade system memory as the compute's RAM modules are soldered onto the logic board.
In a follow-up to its teardown of Apple's latest iMac model, Mac reseller Other World Computing found the $1,099 machine comes with soldered-on memory, meaning users are stuck with the 8GB of RAM installed at the factory.
That Apple chose not to include upgradeable memory is not surprising given the new iMac's internals are largely borrowed from lesser machines like the MacBook Air. Even the Online Apple Store hints at the non-upgradeable feature, saying the cheapest iMac comes with "8GB memory," while other models break out the specification by noting "8GB (two 4GB) memory," referring to two 4GB DIMMs.
While memory is not a configurable option, the new model can be fitted with a 1TB hard drive for an extra $50, while an additional $250 buys a 1TB Fusion Drive or 250GB SSD.
Apple introduced the low-end computer earlier today as "the perfect entry-level Mac desktop." In making the machine affordable, it seems the company does not want to encroach on more expensive iMac models, especially the $1,299 21.5-inch version that now fills a mid-tier role in Apple's lineup.
With Apple cutting $200 off the previous least expensive iMac model, authorized Apple resellers are already offering better deals on the computer, which comes with a 2.7GHz Core i5 CPU, 1TB HDD and discrete Nvidia GeForce GT 640M graphics chip. As seen in the most current AppleInsider Price Guides, the model is going for $999 after $70 mail-in-rebate (PDF) through MacMall.
In a follow-up to its teardown of Apple's latest iMac model, Mac reseller Other World Computing found the $1,099 machine comes with soldered-on memory, meaning users are stuck with the 8GB of RAM installed at the factory.
That Apple chose not to include upgradeable memory is not surprising given the new iMac's internals are largely borrowed from lesser machines like the MacBook Air. Even the Online Apple Store hints at the non-upgradeable feature, saying the cheapest iMac comes with "8GB memory," while other models break out the specification by noting "8GB (two 4GB) memory," referring to two 4GB DIMMs.
While memory is not a configurable option, the new model can be fitted with a 1TB hard drive for an extra $50, while an additional $250 buys a 1TB Fusion Drive or 250GB SSD.
Apple introduced the low-end computer earlier today as "the perfect entry-level Mac desktop." In making the machine affordable, it seems the company does not want to encroach on more expensive iMac models, especially the $1,299 21.5-inch version that now fills a mid-tier role in Apple's lineup.
With Apple cutting $200 off the previous least expensive iMac model, authorized Apple resellers are already offering better deals on the computer, which comes with a 2.7GHz Core i5 CPU, 1TB HDD and discrete Nvidia GeForce GT 640M graphics chip. As seen in the most current AppleInsider Price Guides, the model is going for $999 after $70 mail-in-rebate (PDF) through MacMall.
Comments
On the one hand this seems shitty for pretty everyone that would read this site but so few customers ever update any components in their system, especially those that are deciding to opt for the lowest-end model. If that's an issue then pay for the next one up which I think is a better deal, but if you're opting for the 21.5" model you still have a RAM access issue that makes non-starter for even the majority of people reading this site.
Right. I don't think Apple customers tend to worry about upgrades as much as the tinkerers, hobbyists and hackers that gravitate to PCs.
This cheap, budget priced iMac is obviously not meant for anybody who would ever be doing anything that requires more than 8 GB of RAM, so 8 GB of RAM is plenty for this machine. I'm surprised that Apple is even shipping it with 8 GB and not 4 GB.
dont forget that with mavericks OSX, the RAM is pretty much doubled.
This should have been an $899 machine.
That may or may not be true. Mavericks ran just as slow as Mountain Lion on my 2007 iMac with 4GB of RAM. I couldn't have more than 3 apps open at a time to keep the spinning beach ball for appearing every time I did something in Safari.
Quote:
dont forget that with mavericks OSX, the RAM is pretty much doubled.
Maybe Apple is looking down the road towards Broadwell in this machine.
One other thought, Safari for Yosemite should be a massive improvement in performance so maybe this machine won't feel so bad for its primary usage. Even on iPad, Safari for iOS 8 is vastly improved if a bit buggy. So it is possible to see acceptance for this machine, especially if it goes on sale agressively.
Meh, 8GB should be fine for a long time, especially for someone opting for the cheapest iMac. If there was a 4GB model, I would have an issue.
In a couple of years 8GB will feel like 4GB today.
I don't understand why people keep complaining about the CPU in this machine.
This is basically a current MacBook Air in a non-notebook form, attached to a 21.5" monitor. Apart from the hard drive (which can be upgraded to a fusion drive or flash drive), this is identical hardware to the recently updated MBA which runs all of the iLife and iWork applications well enough.
For the main audience of this particular computer (schools, businesses), this CPU is quite adequate.
I have a four-year old Mac mini server with 8GB RAM and it runs Mavericks fine today, and it'll run Yosemite fine when the latter OS is released this fall. Also, I have last year's MacBook Air -- also with 8GB RAM -- and it too runs Mavericks fine.
Neither one of my machines would be a suitable tool for professional video editing or CAD work, but then again, I don't do that sort of stuff and neither do the people who will be buying this new entry-level 21.5" iMac.
Saying that this machine is pathetic is completely out of touch with reality. Apple sells way more MacBooks than desktop Macs, and a huge percentage of those notebooks are MacBook Airs. Therefore, this Mac is quite suited for a certain (and plentiful) segment of Mac users.
Memory compression in OS X does not double your RAM. It compresses inactive application memory to free up more RAM to your active application. So if you are playing Diablo III on a 8 GB machine with tons of apps open, OS X will try to compress the memory of the other applications to free up as much of that RAM to the game. It does not compress Diablo III's memory to make it fit 16 GB in 8 GB of space. Also, memory compression only occurs under certain conditions, not constantly.
This cheap, budget priced iMac is obviously not meant for anybody who would ever be doing anything that requires more than 8 GB of RAM, so 8 GB of RAM is plenty for this machine. I'm surprised that Apple is even shipping it with 8 GB and not 4 GB.
I believe Apple is going forward to set 8GB as standard for all desktops. I wonder when the price of single 8GB ram for desktop will drop to a reasonable range.
This machine is so pathetic. Not so much the RAM but rather the processor chosen for the machine. Soldered in RAM is actually a good thing for reliability, coupling it with a slow poke of a processor isn't a good thing at all.
Maybe Apple is looking down the road towards Broadwell in this machine.
One other thought, Safari for Yosemite should be a massive improvement in performance so maybe this machine won't feel so bad for its primary usage. Even on iPad, Safari for iOS 8 is vastly improved if a bit buggy. So it is possible to see acceptance for this machine, especially if it goes on sale agressively.
I think for the sort of workloads this machine is targeted at, the 5400 rpm hard drive is more likely than the CPU or RAM to be a performance bottleneck.
On the one hand this seems shitty for pretty everyone that would read this site but so few customers ever update any components in their system, especially those that are deciding to opt for the lowest-end model. If that's an issue then pay for the next one up which I think is a better deal, but if you're opting for the 21.5" model you still have a RAM access issue that makes this non-starter for even the majority of people reading this site.
Back in the day, computer manufacturers (including Apple with the power mac) made a big deal about RAM expandability, and always advertised the maximum amount of memory the user could add after purchase. Even if you weren't looking for bottom-of-the-barrel performance, it made sense to buy cheap and upgrade RAM later because RAM prices would inevitably come down. Have RAM prices more or less stabilized?
Have RAM prices more or less stabilized?
On the contrary, they fluctuate because DRAM has become completely commoditized. I bought 2x8 GB DDR3 SODIMM in late 2012 for $66 total. Today it's at $140.
Due to the push for speed, RAM is also the most difficult component to design on the motherboard, and the highest IO power consumer. This leads to technical constraints. For example, Intel's mobile chips are often limited to 1 DIMM per channel at the highest speeds.
Apple learned nothing from the 5c, going cheap won't cut it.
What's pathetic are the posters here hammering Apple for this. It's a low-end Mac. Get over it. People here on this forum for some reason think that what's best for them surely should be the standard for everyone else. Not.
I can count on one hand the number of people I've known that have ever upgraded the RAM on their PC's since they purchased them. It's the norm, not the exception.
8GB is fine for the folks the market the iMac is meant for. As long as Apple doesn't do this to their higher-end models, I couldn't care less.
"If" Apple does decide to do this to the higher models, they better price the memory competitively or there will be a rebellion. From a reliability standpoint, I think soldering it to the board is a good idea simply because it eliminates yet another potential issue caused by the interface connection.