iMac Pro’s RAM is upgradeable only by Apple or Authorized Service Providers

Although it was initially believed that iMac Pro cannot be upgraded post-purchase due to its completely sealed design, we’ve learned that the machine’s 2,666 MHz ECC RAM is actually upgradeable by Apple itself or one of their Authorized Service Providers.

The small hatch in the back of previous iMac models which permitted customers to get inside and upgrade any RAM is gone now. Still, your nearest Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider can open up your computer and swap out the RAM chips without voiding your warranty.

Rene Ritchie of iMore has learned about this after reaching out to Apple.

“Any service center, Apple or independent, can upgrade the RAM on iMac Pro post-purchase,” he wrote on Twitter. Rene couldn’t tell if customers can bring in their own RAM chips or if the RAM has to be sourced directly from Apple. The latter would spell bad news for cash-strapped buyers.

Apple’s magic RAM has always been prohibitively expensive for no apparent reason: as an example, they charge $800 to upgrade your 32 GB iMac Pro to 64 GB of RAM, or $2,400 to boost the RAM to 128 GB.

Authorized technicians should also offer third-party RAM and some may let you bring in your own RAM.

At any rate, a smart shopper might want to grab the least expensive $4,999 iMac Pro with 32GB of memory and upgrade the RAM at a later date and time.

No other post-purchase upgrades are possible.

For instance, you cannot upgrade the storage, graphics or the main processor in your iMac Pro. That shouldn’t prove particularly problematic given that Thunderbolt 3 and external GPU support in macOS High Sierra let you add more graphical power on demand by purchasing an eGPU enclosure along with a faster graphics card.

Image courtesy of Marques Brownlee