Upping the RAM on the new iMacs for FCPX at DVinfo.net

Andy Scott · March 18th, 2013, 07:50 PM

Hi

I am about to purchase a new iMac 27", Quad Core i7 - 3TB Fusion Drive, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX 2G GDDR5 and wondered if upping the RAM from 8GB to 32GB was a must? Can anyone using these new machines with Final Cut Pro X tell me whether they "singing" or not?

Also what do you think about the Apple Care Protection plan - is it easy money for Apple or is it well worth the expense as one can be expected to be ringing them often? I suspect forum's such as this will solve more of my problems than the "care line". I will not be travelling around with my imac and so the need to be able to repair it globally is not a concern. Your thoughts?

Andy

Paul Wood · March 19th, 2013, 04:24 AM

Andy,

I would certainly increase the RAM, but maybe not by using Apple, as its quite expensive - Crucial or another OEM vendor will be much cheaper, and its easy to fit yourself. FCPX likes as much RAM as possible, and you will notice the difference.

As regards Apple Care, my experience is that it is worth the expense - my 27¨iMac suffered an optical drive failure after 9 months, and it was replaced free, along with a new screen - as a percentage of the total purchase cost, it quite cheap.

Many of course say its not worth the money, but if you are lucky and nothing happens, treat as an insurance policy!

John Nantz · March 20th, 2013, 02:44 AM

Andy - There are a few things that might make a difference.

1. First, is there a Apple store with a Genius Bar within easy access? If there is, this helps a lot. Since my first two new computers - a Commodore 64 and a PC 286-6 (turbo-ed to -12!), I've only had used computers and never had a warranty on them.

Switched over to Apple computers and I've been using the Genius Bar and my son-in-law for support. Fortunately, there has only been two repair problems: one with my MacBook White 1,1 that required a replacement of the keyboard due to cracking of the plastic (done for free but just outside the warranty period because there were so many others with the same problem), and the replacement of the bottom case (under the keyboard) that was done by me with the support of someone who had taken MacBooks apart before. I have to admit that my son-in-law has been a major help with a number of things, both with upgrades (hard drives) and OS software issues.

2. Second, what is the cost of parts in New Zealand? Several years ago when I hitchhiked around New Zealand the cost of imported items like cars and camera gear was really terrible. Money was on the Pound, Shilling, Pence system then (don't know if it still is) and a Mustang cost 3X what it did in the USA. Ditto Nikon gear. Hopefully the cost of imported items has moderated a bit. Not being a computer "guru" I try to be as self reliant as I can and use the Internet search engines and Other World Computing (OWC) as a resource. Your post here would certainly classify as trying to figure this out yourself. OWC has great Apple support although they also do PCs (I think). Several Internet sites have step-by-step videos of how to do things like add memory, change a hard drive (or install a SSD), etc.

The i7 would be light-speed ahead of anything I'm using. Fortunately, what I have is user-friendly to work on but the laptop just after the newest one I have (2008) is not.

Some places have Apple-Mac clubs and they can be a good resource. There is one near me but they are better on applications and the OS but not so much on the mechanical side. Networking to find other people in your area who are more hands-on with the innards is helpful too.

At least these would be some considerations to take into account.

By the way, for what it's worth, I hitched a ride as a crew member on a sailboat across Cook Strait from Picton to Wellington. That was a great ride. The skipper's crew was in the pub too long and he needed help.

Phil Gadd · March 24th, 2013, 09:24 AM

I Increased mine to 24gb ram ( i7, 680mx, 1tb fusion), got 16gb from crucial mixed with 8gb apple ram..

A WORD OF WARNING..

This spec i.e. 680mx and FCPX has issues including system freezes.. check out the apple forum (30pages)

https://discussions.apple.com/thread...art=0&tstart=0

Ed Roo · March 24th, 2013, 04:40 PM

Take a look at the iFixit.com website to see how an iMac comes apart. Decide how comfortable you are making a repair after looking at how it is built.

Andy Scott · April 1st, 2013, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phil Gadd

I Increased mine to 24gb ram ( i7, 680mx, 1tb fusion), got 16gb from crucial mixed with 8gb apple ram..

A WORD OF WARNING..

This spec i.e. 680mx and FCPX has issues including system freezes.. check out the apple forum (30pages)

https://discussions.apple.com/thread...art=0&tstart=0

The good news is that this seems to have now been rectified with the latest update of FCPX 10.0.8. Yes the thread was very informative and was of great concern but the response so far is that all is up and running again. It was a very interesting read. Thanks Phil

Phil Gadd · April 2nd, 2013, 01:32 AM

been using 10.0.8 for a few days and its definitely running smoother, not one crash so far thankfully.

March 18th, 2013, 07:50 PM	#1
Andy Scott New Boot Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Auckland, NEW ZEALAND Posts: 6	Upping the RAM on the new iMacs for FCPX Hi I am about to purchase a new iMac 27", Quad Core i7 - 3TB Fusion Drive, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX 2G GDDR5 and wondered if upping the RAM from 8GB to 32GB was a must? Can anyone using these new machines with Final Cut Pro X tell me whether they "singing" or not? Also what do you think about the Apple Care Protection plan - is it easy money for Apple or is it well worth the expense as one can be expected to be ringing them often? I suspect forum's such as this will solve more of my problems than the "care line". I will not be travelling around with my imac and so the need to be able to repair it globally is not a concern. Your thoughts? Andy Last edited by Andy Scott; March 19th, 2013 at 12:06 AM. Reason: Documentary

March 19th, 2013, 04:24 AM	#2
Paul Wood Major Player Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Madrid, Spain Posts: 485	Re: Upping the RAM on the new iMacs for FCPX Andy, I would certainly increase the RAM, but maybe not by using Apple, as its quite expensive - Crucial or another OEM vendor will be much cheaper, and its easy to fit yourself. FCPX likes as much RAM as possible, and you will notice the difference. As regards Apple Care, my experience is that it is worth the expense - my 27¨iMac suffered an optical drive failure after 9 months, and it was replaced free, along with a new screen - as a percentage of the total purchase cost, it quite cheap. Many of course say its not worth the money, but if you are lucky and nothing happens, treat as an insurance policy!

March 20th, 2013, 02:44 AM	#3
John Nantz Trustee Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Seattle WA Posts: 1,252	Re: Upping the RAM on the new iMacs for FCPX Andy - There are a few things that might make a difference. 1. First, is there a Apple store with a Genius Bar within easy access? If there is, this helps a lot. Since my first two new computers - a Commodore 64 and a PC 286-6 (turbo-ed to -12!), I've only had used computers and never had a warranty on them. Switched over to Apple computers and I've been using the Genius Bar and my son-in-law for support. Fortunately, there has only been two repair problems: one with my MacBook White 1,1 that required a replacement of the keyboard due to cracking of the plastic (done for free but just outside the warranty period because there were so many others with the same problem), and the replacement of the bottom case (under the keyboard) that was done by me with the support of someone who had taken MacBooks apart before. I have to admit that my son-in-law has been a major help with a number of things, both with upgrades (hard drives) and OS software issues. 2. Second, what is the cost of parts in New Zealand? Several years ago when I hitchhiked around New Zealand the cost of imported items like cars and camera gear was really terrible. Money was on the Pound, Shilling, Pence system then (don't know if it still is) and a Mustang cost 3X what it did in the USA. Ditto Nikon gear. Hopefully the cost of imported items has moderated a bit. Not being a computer "guru" I try to be as self reliant as I can and use the Internet search engines and Other World Computing (OWC) as a resource. Your post here would certainly classify as trying to figure this out yourself. OWC has great Apple support although they also do PCs (I think). Several Internet sites have step-by-step videos of how to do things like add memory, change a hard drive (or install a SSD), etc. The i7 would be light-speed ahead of anything I'm using. Fortunately, what I have is user-friendly to work on but the laptop just after the newest one I have (2008) is not. Some places have Apple-Mac clubs and they can be a good resource. There is one near me but they are better on applications and the OS but not so much on the mechanical side. Networking to find other people in your area who are more hands-on with the innards is helpful too. At least these would be some considerations to take into account. By the way, for what it's worth, I hitched a ride as a crew member on a sailboat across Cook Strait from Picton to Wellington. That was a great ride. The skipper's crew was in the pub too long and he needed help.

March 24th, 2013, 09:24 AM	#4
Phil Gadd Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: liverpool, England Posts: 143	Re: Upping the RAM on the new iMacs for FCPX I Increased mine to 24gb ram ( i7, 680mx, 1tb fusion), got 16gb from crucial mixed with 8gb apple ram.. A WORD OF WARNING.. This spec i.e. 680mx and FCPX has issues including system freezes.. check out the apple forum (30pages) https://discussions.apple.com/thread...art=0&tstart=0

March 24th, 2013, 04:40 PM	#5
Ed Roo Major Player Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Columbus USA Posts: 312	Re: Upping the RAM on the new iMacs for FCPX Take a look at the iFixit.com website to see how an iMac comes apart. Decide how comfortable you are making a repair after looking at how it is built.

April 2nd, 2013, 01:32 AM	#7
Phil Gadd Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: liverpool, England Posts: 143	Re: Upping the RAM on the new iMacs for FCPX been using 10.0.8 for a few days and its definitely running smoother, not one crash so far thankfully.