The RAM Diaries

ByMike Moffit

In the wake of the holiday season, as the folks out there enjoy their brand new Mac products, one question I am frequently asked is, “can I upgrade or add more memory?”.

Let’s take a look at the MacBook Pro. The short answer is no. If you have already purchased a MacBook Pro, (Mid-2012 Retina and beyond) you will be unable to alter the memory or RAM configuration post-purchase. However, with that said there are some current-gen models that do allow pre-purchase RAM configuration. These models include the 13” MacBook Pro (Non-Touch Bar) and the 13” MacBook Pro (w/ Touch Bar), both upgradeable to 16GB of RAM pre-purchase. But, in this circumstance, it should be noted that the current-gen 15” MacBook Pro’s come stock with 16GB RAM, no more and no less!

In the case of upgrading an older generation model MacBook Pro, the Mid-2012 non-Retina models are the only Apple-supported MacBook Pro that offer an end-user RAM upgrade option up to 16GB.

Lets shift focus over to the iMac. Virtually all across the board, the 27” iMac can be upgraded to a higher RAM configuration pre & post-purchase. The 21.5” iMac is a different story, however. Unfortunately, these models that are still supported by Apple are not end-user RAM configurable. These, along with the lineup of Macbook Pro’s, Macbooks, and MacBook Air’s have onboard RAM, meaning the RAM is built directly onto the Logic Board, making it impossible for end-user upgrades.

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    Looks like Mother Nature cannot seem to make up her mind here in beautiful Vermont. This weekend I took a stroll to our co-op in Burlington bundled up in the heavy winter layers to brave the frigid temperatures, and this morning I walked to my car in a flannel and a light jacket and felt the warmth of that looming spring sun on my face. It’s been a chilly one this year, but spring is right around the corner and it will certainly be fun getting in some turns on the mountain in a t-shirt. Soon!

    And speaking of that winter chill, I had the unfortunate experience of leaving my (new!) iPhone 6s Plus in my vehicle on one of the colder evenings last week for longer than I’d like to admit. Once I remembered and rescued it from its icy prison, I recalled the words of our friend and technician here at Small Dog Electronics, Nate Persing, who once said in a previous issue of Tech Tails regarding cold temperatures and devices, “Let the device sit for at least 30 minutes before powering back on.” After waiting thirty minutes to ensure the device was properly adjusted to the room temperature, I held my breath, held that power button, and voila! That Apple logo boot screen was a welcomed sight to behold.

    Just a few more months until that idyllic Vermont summer weather here in Waitsfield. Countdown those days!

    We have some good articles for you this week, and just to remind you readers out there, we technicians are always happy to answer any questions and accept any feedback you might have about these Tech Tails articles. Don’t hesitate to reach out.

    As always, thanks for reading. Stay groovy!

    Connor McGinnis
    connormcginnis@smalldog.com

  • Reset Your Mac’s System Management Controller

    So your Mac is acting wonky and you have tried rebooting. And you’ve even tried reseting the PRAM (Note: Before resetting PRAM or the SMC, back up your whole system on an external drive with Time Machine Backup App. To do this, first turn off your Mac. Next turn on your Mac and hold down the Command+Option+P+R keys, at the same time.)

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    Process of elimination it is a form of diagnostics. If a PRAM or SMC reset doesn’t fix your issues, you might want to see a ACMT (Apple Certified Macintosh Technician) because your Mac could have a hardware failure.

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