Purchasing a imac...what about memory and SSD drive?

JSG

I'm looking to buy a 27" imac to use illustrator, photoshop and lightroom.  I want to get one with an SSD drive so I believe I need to order directly through apple vs micro center's imacs in stock?  My question is about RAM.  I know I need to upgrade to at least 16GB, or if I can afford it I'd like to have 32GB.  Ram is expensive to add through apple.  Can I? Should I just order the computer with the SSD drive through apple and then have Micro center add the extra memory?  I'm guessing that would be less expensive? Does that void the warranty from apple?  

TSTonyV

Hello @JSG! Welcome to the Community. 

While we can certainly install memory, as an Apple Authorized Service Provider we actually have to use parts approved and/or sourced directly from Apple and you wouldn't have to worry about voiding your warranty. For a brand new iMac, we would be ordering memory from them and since we have to abide by their pricing, it wouldn't be any cheaper. In fact, it could be more expensive to add it after the fact, than configuring it that way in the first place. 

That said, installing memory in the 27" iMacs is quite easy to do. It's really as simple as popping open a back panel, then slotting the memory in, so it's something you could even do yourself. Apple has an overview here:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201191

We do sell "Mac memory" off the shelf, which you could purchase and add in yourself. It would be cheaper than us ordering it directly from Apple: https://www.microcenter.com/category/4294961539/mac-memory