CAN I RUN 32GB DDR3 1333mhz RAM ON MY MID 2011 IMAC? I THOUGHT ITS ONLY 16GB?

Oct 20, 2018
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I've seen YOUTUBE Video after YOUTUBE video with people dropping in 32GB Ram and the tech people I've heard said all 64BIT systems can take 32GB Ram. Yeah, but will it recognize & run 32 GB Ram? Again, I have a Neolithic Apple iMAC MID 2011 with ye olde 4GB Ram (2+2 sticks) which shuffles through my Word & PowerPoint programs. I would perfer 32GB but I don't want to waste the money.

Also, can you discuss SPEED? My understanding about RAM is that LATENCY (e.g. CL9) determines SPEED but that the BANDWIDTH (DDR3 1333mHz) determines performance.
My chip set is ICE AGE 'Sandy Bridge' and the CPU is as equally 'old & frail' (Intel i5 QuadCore). Could I run a CL10 1600mHz Ram or do I need to stay with CL9 1333mHz. Finally, what does that figure 10600 mean as I've seen higher numbers running 1333mHz chips
 
When I was 7 and my brother was 8, my mother would constantly warn us that if we ever rolled our eyes upward, they would lock in the back of our heads and we would go blind.

FIFTY EIGHT YEARS LATER, my mother made a mind-blowingly stupid observation about Mueller and the Russian Investigation, we both rolled our eyes upward.. and when she commanded us to 'STOP THAT', we proceeded to knock over chairs and lamps while screaming: 'WE'RE BLIND!!! WE'RE BLIND!!! If only we had listened to our mother...

See: Moon, Brad 'How to Install More Ram in yer Imac" Forbes 230829FEB2016 (and I am paraphrasing) The Sandy Bridge Chip Set and the QuadCore i5 2400S on my Mid 2011 iMac (12.i) both support 64bit operations, meaning they can go up to 32GB ram. The previous mid 2010 iMac (11.2) had the Clarksdale Chip Set and the i3 Dual Core chip, meaning it only supported 32 bit processing and could only access up to 3.X GB DDR3 1333mhz PC3 10600 ram. Apple prides itself with its CONSERVATIVE estimates (Unlike the Republicans and their laughable estimates of how the Tax CUT for the 1% will benefit anyone but Trump and his ilk). Apple is like my Mother...whatever stats they give you, you sneer 'Help, Help, I've rolled my eyes to the back of my head and now I'm blind..."

To also answer myself, NO!!!! You can only slap in Ram that is spec'd by both the Chip Set and CPU. Sandy Bridge can only handle 1333mhz/sec data transfer rate and PC3/10600/MB/sec Total Bandwidth. You bump up to a faster data transfer rate or larger Total Bandwidth and you'll wack yer Latenancy & Timing (currently CL9=9+9+9+24). I am a really smart dude and I should hang out with myself more...