The 21.5-Inch iMac No Longer Allows For RAM Upgrades

While the new 21.5-inch iMac may be sexy and powerful, MacLife has reported that the machine unfortunately lost one of its most loved features: upgradable RAM. This happened because the new iMac is pretty darn thin, giving it little extra room internally. Apple had to custom design RAM sticks for the iMac and then solder them to the motherboard, making the RAM impossible to remove without damage. The 27-inch iMac, on the other hand, will feature upgradable RAM as Apple’s website lists the 27-inch beast as having four “user-accessible” SO-DIMM slots.

Apple has compensated for the loss of upgradability as all iMacs now ship with 8GB of RAM standard. For most users, that is more than enough RAM needed for daily tasks. If needed, customers can configure their 21.5-inch iMac to 16GB of RAM.

If you’re unaware, the new line of iMacs was announced today at Apple’s iPad mini press event. This new machine features Intel Ivy Bridge CPUs, high-resolution displays and Apple’s new Fusion Drive technology. The iMac starts at $1199 and will ship beginning next month.

Andrew is a geek, Apple enthusiast, blogger and coffee lover from Chicago.