Guys I made a booboo with new iMac purchase

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grizelda
Posts: 77
Joined: 17 Apr 2017

14 Jan 2018

Hi there all friends

recently I asked you guys for some guide on which iMac would be best for reason 10 and I thank you all for the help.

I went ahead and bought 21.5in 2017 iMac with 3.7ghz quad core chip, 4gb video card, 512gb ssd and 8gb ram.

At the time I thought I could just do like old iMac and put in the extra ram myself for cheaper but today I just learned that you cannot do this with this imax!!!!!

there is a ifixit kit that can be bought to expand ram but it is technical and i don’t know if I should just sell this one and get one that I can customised the ram myself for easier. cannot return computer as it was custom build off apple site.

Does anyone run reason 10 with 8gb ram on new iMac? Does it work ok?

Thanks to all


Grizel

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joeyluck
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14 Jan 2018

Up until a year ago, I used 4GB of RAM. I now use a MacBook Air with 8GB of RAM and it's plenty for me.

That said, I never heard of that return policy. As I understood it, you could return anything within 30 days. Maybe it's 14 days? Is it beyond that from when you purchased it?

Also, are you sure you can't easily add RAM yourself. Looks pretty straightforward in this video on a 2017 iMac.

grizelda
Posts: 77
Joined: 17 Apr 2017

14 Jan 2018

joeyluck wrote:
14 Jan 2018
Up until a year ago, I used 4GB of RAM. I now use a MacBook Air with 8GB of RAM and it's plenty for me.

That said, I never heard of that return policy. As I understood it, you could return anything within 30 days. Maybe it's 14 days? Is it beyond that from when you purchased it?

Also, are you sure you can't easily add RAM yourself. Looks pretty straightforward in this video on a 2017 iMac.
hi joey, thank you for the reply. it helps me feel a bit better knowing that you only to used that much ram. i am hopeful that the video card 4gb and ssd will help the machine run. thank you for the video link, that is a 27in imac which can have the rams swapped out by the user but the 21.5 is different (which i did not know, stupid me) and cannot be access like this. you can buy kit to do the upgrage ram but have to pull apart whole machine to get to him

madmacman
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15 Jan 2018

joeyluck wrote:
14 Jan 2018
That said, I never heard of that return policy. As I understood it, you could return anything within 30 days. Maybe it's 14 days? Is it beyond that from when you purchased it?
Well, there *used* to be some issues with the return policy of so-called build-to-order (BTO) or configured-to-order (CTO) products by Apple. But I think it should be possible to return them as well, because they are built from standard components after all.

I would give it another try.

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Marco Raaphorst
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15 Jan 2018

grizelda wrote:
14 Jan 2018
Hi there all friends

recently I asked you guys for some guide on which iMac would be best for reason 10 and I thank you all for the help.

I went ahead and bought 21.5in 2017 iMac with 3.7ghz quad core chip, 4gb video card, 512gb ssd and 8gb ram.

At the time I thought I could just do like old iMac and put in the extra ram myself for cheaper but today I just learned that you cannot do this with this imax!!!!!

there is a ifixit kit that can be bought to expand ram but it is technical and i don’t know if I should just sell this one and get one that I can customised the ram myself for easier. cannot return computer as it was custom build off apple site.

Does anyone run reason 10 with 8gb ram on new iMac? Does it work ok?

Thanks to all


Grizel
simply check how much your tracks are using. for my work I stay mostly under 8 gb. although I have 16.

grizelda
Posts: 77
Joined: 17 Apr 2017

15 Jan 2018

Marco Raaphorst wrote:
15 Jan 2018
grizelda wrote:
14 Jan 2018



Grizel
simply check how much your tracks are using. for my work I stay mostly under 8 gb. although I have 16.
marco thanks for your reply. could it be possible for you to tell me how i can check this?

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joeyluck
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15 Jan 2018

madmacman wrote:
15 Jan 2018
joeyluck wrote:
14 Jan 2018
That said, I never heard of that return policy. As I understood it, you could return anything within 30 days. Maybe it's 14 days? Is it beyond that from when you purchased it?
Well, there *used* to be some issues with the return policy of so-called build-to-order (BTO) or configured-to-order (CTO) products by Apple. But I think it should be possible to return them as well, because they are built from standard components after all.

I would give it another try.
Well I know for sure from my recent purchase that you can certainly return a custom order. And it looks like as long as it is within 14 days.
I purchased what was a configured order; a MacBook Air 2.2 GHz i7, 512 GB storage, 8GB RAM.

Again, I do fine with 8GB of RAM. And while it is plenty for me, this however is also the max I could get in the MacBook Air.

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brand
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15 Jan 2018

grizelda wrote:
14 Jan 2018
Hi there all friends
...

there is a ifixit kit that can be bought to expand ram but it is technical and i don’t know if I should just sell this one and get one that I can customised the ram myself for easier. cannot return computer as it was custom build off apple site.

Does anyone run reason 10 with 8gb ram on new iMac? Does it work ok?

Thanks to all
Grizel
Hi,
My 2-cents: Not convinced that it's a booboo. But I know exactly what you mean. I recently got nearly the same build, same machine, BUT I opted for the 16 GB Ram. I am a relatively new Reason user. But the more veteran users who've replied confirmed that 8 works fine. That would put my mind at ease: they've probably done some big size projects. I realized before buying that the Ram on this unit was not expandable, at least by access panel (but why? :? ). So anyway I wanted to max it out as long as I was in there doing the build "just in case". But consider that Props has as minimum requirements: "4 GB RAM (8 GB or more recommended for large ReFills or Rack Extensions)". And for recommended: "8 GB RAM or more." I'm not sure at what point 8 would not be enough, but considering that Props never even mentions 16, even in recommended, I wouldn't lose too much sleep over it. Maybe first see if you're really unhappy with the performance over some time. I think your specs are pretty respectable as is.

If I wanted to get more Ram in this new MAC, I'd probably try to go for the return to Apple route first. That iFixit kit, while it looks like fun, would surely void the warranty. (Would this definitely allow installation of a bigger, or second module that would work?) I might try it after the machine gets older, IF there was a real need.... I'd be a bit nervous about opening up a brand new Mac, and I'm the type who would try it (and maybe break it.) :geek:

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esselfortium
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15 Jan 2018

If it's still possible to exchange it, I would definitely go for the 16GB of RAM. After having used 8GB for a long time, I've found the increase to make a noticeable difference in usability, in that I can do a lot more without the system feeling strained.

The extent of that difference will depend on how you're using your computer, though — I sometimes run a second OS on mine as a virtual machine and use RAM-demanding software there, and that adds plenty of overhead. More RAM is pretty much always a benefit, though, especially if you have interest in using high-quality sampled instruments!

I should also clarify that I was using 8GB of RAM on an older Mac than my current one, so there are additional reasons for performance to be better now, but having 16GB has allowed me to basically never have to think about RAM, ever, whereas before I regularly kept finding myself needing to find ways to cut down on RAM usage to maintain usable performance with the software I was running.
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selig
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15 Jan 2018

esselfortium wrote:
15 Jan 2018
If it's still possible to exchange it, I would definitely go for the 16GB of RAM. After having used 8GB for a long time, I've found the increase to make a noticeable difference in usability, in that I can do a lot more without the system feeling strained.

The extent of that difference will depend on how you're using your computer, though — I sometimes run a second OS on mine as a virtual machine and use RAM-demanding software there, and that adds plenty of overhead. More RAM is pretty much always a benefit, though, especially if you have interest in using high-quality sampled instruments!

I should also clarify that I was using 8GB of RAM on an older Mac than my current one, so there are additional reasons for performance to be better now, but having 16GB has allowed me to basically never have to think about RAM, ever, whereas before I regularly kept finding myself needing to find ways to cut down on RAM usage to maintain usable performance with the software I was running.
+1
I have 16 MB now and never see issues I can attribute to lack of RAM.
Selig Audio, LLC

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brand
Posts: 131
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Location: New Jersey, US

15 Jan 2018

Fully agree that more ram is better. But what if the machine can't be returned at this point? What about this?: ask Apple about a "repair". They can surely (for a price) upgrade the ram? Then the warranty would still be in force, I would guess. Maybe better than the DIY route for a shiny new Mac. Could ask anyhow...

Just to say on the iFixit option: When I open up a machine, I have to make peace with myself that I might break it. Accidentally breaking a new iMac? Now that would be a booboo! :shock:

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EnochLight
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15 Jan 2018

selig wrote:
15 Jan 2018
esselfortium wrote:
15 Jan 2018
If it's still possible to exchange it, I would definitely go for the 16GB of RAM...
+1
I have 16 MB now and never see issues I can attribute to lack of RAM.
Holy crap! 16 MB? What's it like in 1989? :D :lol: :lol:

jk

@OP: I agree with selig and esselfortium - 16 GB is the way to go, IMHO.
Win 10 | Ableton Live 11 Suite |  Reason 12 | i7 3770k @ 3.5 Ghz | 16 GB RAM | RME Babyface Pro | Akai MPC Live 2 & Akai Force | Roland System 8, MX1, TB3 | Dreadbox Typhon | Korg Minilogue XD

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joeyluck
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15 Jan 2018

grizelda wrote:
15 Jan 2018
Marco Raaphorst wrote:
15 Jan 2018


simply check how much your tracks are using. for my work I stay mostly under 8 gb. although I have 16.
marco thanks for your reply. could it be possible for you to tell me how i can check this?
Open 'Activity Monitor' located in Utilities on macOS. From there, click on 'memory'

FrankJaeger
Posts: 302
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15 Jan 2018

I have a mid 2012 Macbook Pro single core 2.3Ghz i7 processor with 8Gb of ram running Reason 9.5 and have never run into the computer too slow message. My computer doesn't have anywhere near the specs of yours. Things have gotten a little more complicated since I bought Omnisphere and Komplete 11 with my DSP hitting 3 bars sometimes but you have PLENTY of processing power in your iMac.
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moneykube
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15 Jan 2018

you could sell the rights of booboo...
Screen Shot 2018-01-15 at 4.46.15 PM.png
Screen Shot 2018-01-15 at 4.46.15 PM.png (61.96 KiB) Viewed 4066 times
with sales you could buy a new computer :lol:
https://soundcloud.com/moneykube-qube/s ... d-playlist
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Joe Kold
Posts: 6
Joined: 10 Jan 2018

17 Jan 2018

8 gigs is more than enough, unless you want to have all kind of software open at the same time as Reason. My Reason Got a little slow with my 8 gigs, then upgrade to 32 gigs. Did not make a difference at all [emoji4]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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tumar
Posts: 385
Joined: 17 Jan 2015

17 Jan 2018

CPU is the king here, not RAM. I have iMac 27" with 24 gb ram (it was easy and cheap to upgrade). Now I write these words on my Macbook Pro with 16 gb ram - Firefox with few tabs ans OS takes 6.4 gb of RAM. I can't even imagine to have main computer with 8 gb only, especially if I buy it for few next years (and few next versions of the OS) in mind.

However, Apple computers have a nice feature called "compressed memory" which can be helpfull:
https://www.lifewire.com/understanding- ... -x-2260327

Another thing - your iMac has very fast ePCIE SSD drive, so swap is really quick.

Go to Activity Monitor and check Page Outs, maybe your iMac is quite fine with 8 gb:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201538

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miscend
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17 Jan 2018

I have 8GB RAM on my MBP and I have never maxed out the RAM usage.

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O1B
Posts: 2037
Joined: 26 Jan 2015

18 Jan 2018

Be sensible - not minimal - a recurring theme on this forum:
Upside: Confidence in living with less. Downside: Arrogance in living with less.

I'm guessing most people saying 8 never had 16. IMO, there is an appreciable difference between 8 and 16. Are we really insinuating that 16 is overkill? Does anyone here have experience with 16?

Before this new mac age (permanent HD and RAM), I updated 2 MBPs -'08 and '11- from 8 to 16. There is a big difference between the two: If you run ONLY one, two reason,files - sure ... 8's Great.

BUT - running' 8 Safaris (windows), 3 Recycles , 2 Qktime Movies, iTunes, 7 RSN files, etc - 16GB ram.

Try it out. As you 'pile on', there's a nice delay while switching screens, if I'm not mistaken.
I couldn't imagine making music without the flexibility of using my computer for other things.

househoppin09
Posts: 536
Joined: 03 Aug 2016

18 Jan 2018

Another thing that no one has pointed out is that large sample-based instruments eat up tons of RAM. So if you're mainly making synth-based music, you may get by fine with 8 GB, but if you plan on using lots of high-quality sample libraries (e.g. virtual instruments for Kontakt or anything like that), you need at least 16 GB and possibly more. Of course, this depends on the specifics--one virtual grand piano in Kontakt should be fine even with 8 GB, but if you want to start layering lots of different sample-based virtual instruments, particularly in orchestral work, you're quickly going to overshoot the limits of what 8 GB (or even 16 GB) can handle.

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miscend
Posts: 1955
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19 Jan 2018

Look you can measure RAM utilisation and figure out if it’s bottlenecking performance by using Activity Monitor or any other similar utility, when running your most demanding projects. For the vast majority of users 16 GB will be a waste. Even for serious high end gaming (very few games actually benefit from 16GB of RAM). The only exception is if you’re doing film scores and you’re running projects with dozens of tracks of 100 gigabyte piano libraries.

Personally even on songs projects with over 50 plus tracks I’ve never maxed out the 8GB of RAM. CPU resources are the main bottleneck on my end not memory.

If I were the OP I would upgrade the RAM or replace the iMac only if were cost effective. RAM prices have more than doubled in the past two years. I would wait for prices to fall to their regular level and then upgrade.

grizelda
Posts: 77
Joined: 17 Apr 2017

23 Jan 2018

miscend wrote:
19 Jan 2018
Look you can measure RAM utilisation and figure out if it’s bottlenecking performance by using Activity Monitor or any other similar utility, when running your most demanding projects. For the vast majority of users 16 GB will be a waste. Even for serious high end gaming (very few games actually benefit from 16GB of RAM). The only exception is if you’re doing film scores and you’re running projects with dozens of tracks of 100 gigabyte piano libraries.

Personally even on songs projects with over 50 plus tracks I’ve never maxed out the 8GB of RAM. CPU resources are the main bottleneck on my end not memory.

If I were the OP I would upgrade the RAM or replace the iMac only if were cost effective. RAM prices have more than doubled in the past two years. I would wait for prices to fall to their regular level and then upgrade.
hello sir and to all others

thanks for this reply and the many others I got from other very experience people on this board. you all are amazing

so, for complicate reason (hehe!) I could not return the iMac as it was bought by friend using apple discount just before he left store. now that he is gone I can return it but will get the reduced price refunded which is pointless. it is too late now!

howevers. I now have upgraded to reason 10 (didn't know that 8.5 wouldn't work on high Sierra lol) and got everything setup. as I am type this I have my second biggest reason track open which has a lot of plugs and RE and about 20 tracks. I also have Logic Pro X open (no project loaded just a drum programmer) and also safari to type this post and also my email. of the 8gb I have, 6.5gb Is currently being used and my project is on 3 bar DSP but no cracks pops stutters or errors!

I agree to your advice miscend - I will wait and just see how this computer/rams go with my usage and buy the ifixit kit if I really need it. this processor is 3.6ghz quad core i7 and seem to being good and very fast. the ssd seem to make a huge diff also.

thank you everyone for the supports!

grizel

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