Einleitung
We're doing a teardown of the newest (and largest) iMac in Apple's line-up -- the 27" Intel iMac! We disassembled this iMac on October 21, 2009.
Want up-to-the-minute updates? Follow @ifixit on twitter.
Check out the super-fast video slideshow of the teardown! It has banjo music!
Was du brauchst
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We spared no expense to bring you the latest and greatest. We have in our studio the biggest iMac money can buy.
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The new iMac dwarfs the 20" iMac we took apart earlier this year.
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The most obvious feature of this new iMac is the new 27" LED backlit display. The display boasts a 2560x1440 resolution, 16x9 full HD.
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Also in the box is a brand new Magic Mouse. We already tore it apart.
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Nine ports. These are identical to the previous revision, but the Mini DisplayPort has a new trick up its sleeve.
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This iMac sports a cool new feature that allows you to display video from external sources on the internal display. Apparently, that's to hook up your Blu-ray player externally since the machine still doesn't include an internal Blu-ray drive.
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Unfortunately, this feature requires an adapter. Where is the adapter? Not in the box. The manual says "Required cables and adapters are sold separately" Not that we're surprised, all you get in the way of cables is a power cable. Yes, Apple thinks cables are from the devil.
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Like earlier iMacs, the RAM slots are hidden beneath an access door at the bottom of the iMac. A Phillips #2 screwdriver makes quick work of the three screws.
Zitat von PhotoTim:
What is the stock configuration of DIMMS? 4x1GB? 2x2GB?
This iMac came with 2x2GB chips.
Zitat von dano3006:
Is this the complete step for accessing the RAM space to add more RAM? (I plan to add 2x2GB more.) That is, just open the access door and there it is?
Yup, just remove the access door and pull the black plastic strip attached to each RAM tray away from the bottom edge of the iMac to eject the chips.
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You can now install a whopping 16 GB of RAM in your iMac! In a very welcome move, Apple doubled the number of slots, enabling you to install four 4 GB PC3-8500 chips.
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Naturally, we just had to see for ourselves. Apple's not kidding, if you have the cash, you really can have 16 GB of RAM in your iMac! 16 GB will set you back $1,400 from Apple, or $400 from us.
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The new iMac features an edge-to-edge glass. This is different from the 4 mm aluminum bezel that surrounded the glass on the previous iMac. Hopefully Apple's got some pretty strong magnets to keep the glass where it belongs. After upgrading the RAM in our iMac, we noticed the glass was slightly out of alignment on one side.
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Two suction cups, two steady hands, and the enormous glass panel lifts up.
Could we replace the original edge-to-edge glass for a Multi-Touch model?!?! Would it be a possible mockup?!?! It would be very nice in Business Shows to present de digital leaflet and keynotes. And at home to be just set it as enormous "tablet". the point is how to make it for a low price?
I own a 27" iMac that has this edge-to-edge glass broken at left side.
Monitor is still intact. I cant exactly understand how to remove this surrounding glass.
Do i need to use the suction cups on the surrounding glass so to remove it from the magnets? Cause on the photo the cups are placed on the Monitor..
Thanks
Zitat von gUrU:
I own a 27" iMac that has this edge-to-edge glass broken at left side.
Monitor is still intact. I cant exactly understand how to remove this surrounding glass.
Do i need to use the suction cups on the surrounding glass so to remove it from the magnets? Cause on the photo the cups are placed on the Monitor..
Thanks
There have been a number of reports on the Apple forums of the glass being broken on the bottom left side. If you have an Apple store nearby, you can ask them to replace the glass (they will have to get the replacement glass shipped to the store), otherwise call Apple support to obtain a replacement machine.
Zitat von gUrU:
Do i need to use the suction cups on the surrounding glass so to remove it from the magnets? Cause on the photo the cups are placed on the Monitor..
Thanks
Actually, in both photos the suction cups are attached to the glass. The display is recessed about .125" below the glass panel, and the two components are not connected. To remove the glass, lay your iMac stand-side down on a table. Stick two suction cups along the top edge of the glass and pull it away from the rear case of the iMac. Rotate the top edge of the glass panel slightly away from the rear case of the iMac to clear the mounting pins, then slide the glass toward the top edge of the iMac to free the flat tabs along its lower edge.
Zitat von cromas:
Is the LCD itself glossy, or just the glass? I am considering getting a 27" iMac but hate the glossy display -- would it be feasible to run it with the glass removed? Maybe sealing the edges with some carefully-placed electrical tape or something...
yes, the display is also glossy
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The LCD panel is held in place with eight T10 Torx screws.
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After the screws are free, pivoting the LCD assembly yields the first glimpse of the treasures that lie beneath.
I keep my tools stuck to a voice coil magnet I pulled from a 3.5" hard disk. I haven't had a problem of screwdriver being *too* magnetized, so far.
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The LG manufactured LCD panel weighs in at nearly 11 lbs! Then again, it is a massive 27" beauty.
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The resolution is a very impressive 2560x1440. That's the same horizontal resolution as a 30" Apple Cinema Display!
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This display uses In-plane switching (IPS) technology, providing a wider viewing angle and better color reproduction than cheaper Twisted nematic (TN) technology.
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The panel is very glossy. It's great for spying on those behind you, as well as watching movies.
Zitat von Toushi:
Please tell me that display is matte?!!
Definitely not. It's quite shiny, in fact.
If you want a matte screen, you should add your detailed petition at http://macmatte.wordpress.com where there are 600+ detailed petitions.
Zitat von mavis:
haven't seen a matte mac display since... CRTs
Most of the CRT's I've had weren't matte. Thus the reason I had glare shields for most of them :)
Zitat von macavenger:
Most of the CRT's I've had weren't matte. Thus the reason I had glare shields for most of them :)
24" iMacs had matte displays (model identifier iMac6,1) when first introduced (all white)...one of two reasons I haven't upgrade my 6 24"iMacs.
The other reason Bluetooth full size keyboards (model A1016, white) are only available today with a USB cord. I don't have the specs on the new cabinet width, but the 24" iMac: is nearly 23" wide. A 17" wide, full size keyboard is too big to put in front of a 27" iMac?
Progress?
I agree on the lack of a numerical pad--disappointing. I wonder how long until someone does an indepth review of that display? LED IPS displays are $$$ especially if this one renders color as well as some of the other high displays. That makes the price of this machine so much more reasonable.
Zitat von Diggsby:
RGB LCD with LED backlight. It is not an OLED display, which is a common source of confusion (OLED vs LCD, LED backlight vs CCFL).
Hmmm ... my origin question was not too clear.
I meant to ask:
1. if the LED backlight uses "RGB/tri-color" LEDs or just "white" LEDs (as in the MacBooks).
2. if the LED backlight on the edge of the display or the back of the display.
LG makes a 1920x1200 17.1" LCD panel, LGD01b3, with RGB LED backlight, edge-lit. The LGD01b3 display has a wide color gamut, high contrast with vivid colors but suffers from non-even backlight color (I call it "wild gamut" because I can never get the color profiling right).
Cannot find any info on this LM270WQ1 LCD panel and was hoping that the Teardown guys can tell if the backlight uses RGB LEDs and if the panel was edge-lit.
This LCD panel is IPS and if it also uses RGB LED, then the iMac 27" is really a price break through!
But on second thought, went through the specs and never see "wide gamut" being mentioned -- so likely at this price point, it is likely just a white-LED backlight.
Zitat von kyle:
Definitely not. It's quite shiny, in fact.
Can you please clarify if the actual screen underneath is also glossy? Not matte? If I take off the glass, will I basically have a matte iMac? Thank you in advance!
Zitat von tokyogiants:
Can you please clarify if the actual screen underneath is also glossy? Not matte? If I take off the glass, will I basically have a matte iMac? Thank you in advance!
The glass and the LCD itself are both highly glossy.
Zitat von andrew:
The glass and the LCD itself are both highly glossy.
Thank you! One last question... Is there any way that I can take off the glass on the glossy LCD without ruining the monitor? Thanks!!!
Please disregard the previous question. I just don't know enough about monitors and I dread buying a Mac with a glossy screen.
OK, I still don't think we have a definitive answer as to how the new displays are actually "lit". Has it been confirmed whether the screens are edge-lit or back-lit?
Also, regarding some recent display anomalies... I've been involved in a few discussions over at Ars Technica [URL=http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2009/1...]here[/URL] and [URL=http://episteme.arstechnica.com/eve/foru...]here[/URL].
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This isn't nearly as pretty as the front, but there's some things worth noting here.
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There are four cables that connect the LCD to the iMac:
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DisplayPort
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Temperature sensor
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LED backlight
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LED backlight sync
Re: Mini DisplayPort, you write:
> you'll need to have your iMac powered on if you want to
> display from an external video source.
This means "powered on and running OSX", right?
So, this iMac won't become a decent second display if the logic board goes south, or after quad 2.66GHzs are no longer "fast enough" to read email on?
I'm wondering the same thing. No one has done a run through of how using the display port as input works, yet.
Zitat von reynhout:
Re: Mini DisplayPort, you write:
> you'll need to have your iMac powered on if you want to
> display from an external video source.
This means "powered on and running OSX", right?
So, this iMac won't become a decent second display if the logic board goes south, or after quad 2.66GHzs are no longer "fast enough" to read email on?
What is "led backlight sync"?
WARNING: be very careful when disconnecting the big flat cable from the motherboard. It doesn't take much to pull it when you try and disconnect the 4 cables, and it might tear/damage the socket on the motherboard. Happened to me :P
I found the flat cable (display to motherboard) easier to remove (and, more importantly, to replace) if I first removed the tape from the back of the display and disconnected the cable from that end instead of from the end that connects to the motherboard.
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Ever wonder what was behind that monolithic black display? Here you go: 27" of display-less iMac. (Actually, we're pretty sure the 27" measurement is completely meaningless now that the display is gone.)
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Notice how the stand is pivoted fully upward. Without the added weight of the LCD panel, there's not nearly enough force against the spring to maintain the normal neutral buoyancy.
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The hard drive occupies the center of the unit, while the optical drive and fan are clearly visible on the right.
I'm quite irritated with Apple for not providing a slot for a second 3.5" drive. They're the masters of Tight Squeezes; they clearly could have shuffled things around slightly more to add a second drive bay.
A gorgeous media computer like this simply craves twin terabyte drives running in RAID.
Zitat von doctordon:
So how many fans does this iMac have? The final image with the parts arranged neatly looks like it has three.
Yes, there's three fans total. One for the CPU, one for hard drive, and one near the optical drive.
I second that! That would be an awesome screen background.
Zitat von XIII:
Thatd be great to have a High-resolution full-on photo of the internal at the resolution of the new 27" iMac for a background wall paper.
it would look so b@d@ss to have that as a desktop wallpaper sort of like an XRay image
Hops.
I just upgraded my brand new iMac 27"'s processor from I5 to I7 2.8 GHZ, but must have done some mistake by re mounting it, and the screen keeps black, and makes one beep every 3 seconds.
Any suggestions?
[quote|Manuel Agus]Hops.
I just upgraded my brand new iMac 27"'s processor from I5 to I7 2.8 GHZ, I cant get the CPU thermostat to work, and I don't even find the connector for it.
Step 16
Which one is the GPU and which one is the cpu? the radeon red color is not thereT_T
I noticed that the picture doesn't show any Kapton tape on either end of the Airport cable. Is that the way the iMac came or was the tape removed before the picture was taken?
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Two T10 Torx screws hold the hard drive in place.
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Once they're removed, the hard drive easily pivots up and out of the system.
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There isn't really room in here for a second drive, but you could certainly swap this one out yourself. You could hypothetically install an SSD, but this seems like such a good a media computer that it would be a shame to limit it to current SSD capacities.
Zitat von CrimsonS:
You say that there isn't room for another drive; does that also go for 2.5" SSDs? Are there extra SATA ports on the logic board for more than the single drive anyway?
You could fairly easily replace the optical drive with a 2.5" hard drive or SSD. We sell an enclosure that enables you to install a SATA drive instead of the optical drive. There are no extra available internal ports that we noticed.
Hi Luke,
To confirm, this enclosure is compatible with the latest Quad-Core i7 27" iMac, correct? Also, do you know of any external enclosures where I could use the superdrive once removed? Or can you recommend an external DVD burner to purchase as a replacement once the internal one has been replaced by an SSD drive?
bradwill -
If i install a SSD instead of the optical drive, could i boot up OSX from the SSD and use the internal 3,5 HDD for media Stuff?
Zitat von luke:
You could fairly easily replace the optical drive with a 2.5" hard drive or SSD. We sell an enclosure that enables you to install a SATA drive instead of the optical drive. There are no extra available internal ports that we noticed.
What model WD 1TB is this one? the Caviar Black or the RE4 model?
Zitat von joe:
That should work just fine. You would just select the SSD in Startup Disk as soon as you get the drive in there with OS X installed.
There should be a 3.5" drive with both an SSD and a high capacity HDD on it (dual SATA). The SSD wouldn't need to be that big, say 32 or 64GB , since the most active files and swap space would reside there. I guess it would only apply to the iMac though.
Given how much the SSD in my MBP has sped things up, I almost feel installing an SSD in a new iMac is a necessity.
Zitat von TonyWong:
You would have to downgrade the internal Hard Disk to less than the size of the optical bay HD or use the optical bay HD as the boot drive for Time Machine backups.
The Time Machine backup disk must always be larger than the disk it backs up from, AFAIR.
Nope, you can choose what you backup, and if it fits, it'll do it.
Zitat von CrimsonS:
You say that there isn't room for another drive; does that also go for 2.5" SSDs? Are there extra SATA ports on the logic board for more than the single drive anyway?
You can maybe use SATA port multiplier and, from photos, I would say that there is enough space for 2,5" SSD behind GPU heat-pipes ? right ? (although maybe it is not best idea to put SSD close to heatpipes :D)
Zitat von franquinet:
What model WD 1TB is this one? the Caviar Black or the RE4 model?
It's a Caviar Black, model WD1001FALS.
Zitat von kovacm:
You can maybe use SATA port multiplier and, from photos, I would say that there is enough space for 2,5" SSD behind GPU heat-pipes ? right ? (although maybe it is not best idea to put SSD close to heatpipes :D)
I'd like to try the following:
SATA 1: 120GB OCZ Vertex SSD
SATA 2-> port multiplier
1: 120GB OCZ Vertex SSD
2: SATA to eSATA and thread out cable from iMAC
Then put the SSDs in software RAID 0 and still have a nice eSATA port coming out...
Of course this would require the SATA controller to support port multipliers, any idea what chipset it is??
Zitat von franquinet:
What model WD 1TB is this one? the Caviar Black or the RE4 model?
It is a 1TB Seagate.
This article was written about the "Late 2009" edition. The Mid 2010 update now has the option for both a Serial ATA Drive + a Solid State Drive. How do both of these drives fit into the enclosure? Has there been substantial changes to the internals to allow this? Can you add the second after purchase?
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Disconnecting antennas and removing the AirPort Card.
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A single T6 Torx screw secures the standard PCI-e wireless board to the custom board it's mounted on.
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Even after removing the silver EMI shield, it's challenging to read the main Wi-fi chip. It's an Atheros AR9280.
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The two identical chips near the antenna connectors are SiGe Semiconductor 2593A20 power amplifiers.
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A few screws later, and....
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The power supply is out.
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Oooh, pretty colors!
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Both the blue and red parts are capacitors. Unfortunately they didn't have enough markings on them for us to identify their capacitance.
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Their Capacitance is 27.5 for both reds, the one blue against the board is 15, and the other two visible blue ones are 20. (all in micro-farads)
Zitat von djfriar:
The tech specs for the 27" iMac say it can be up to 365W, so I suspect the Quad Core variant has an even larger power supply.
I think Apple may be talking input power, while we're talking output. An input of 365 watts and output of 310 watts is 85% efficiency, which is typical for a good power supply.
Whatinhell is the second board by the PS? It's definitely something not seen before.
Zitat von NikkiWraith:
Whatinhell is the second board by the PS? It's definitely something not seen before.
I believe that's the backlight board for the display.
Why did you ignore the Electrolytic Capacitors and their values?
These caps are the components most prone to failure.
This is especially true of PS built in the latter part of the 2000 decade. Somewhere around 2006 - 2008 the electrolytic capacitor supply chain was flooded with caps with a built-in failure mechanism due to being made with incomplete data from industrial espionage gone wrong. My Late 2009 iMac PS failed and its capacitors showed the physical signs of this failure mechanism. Replacing caps is easy and cheap. I had a VISIO Television that had the bad caps and failed. It cost $15 to repair a TV that originally cost just under $1,000.
I understand these guides are community driven but can we please maintain some kind of professionalism with these guides. I think creating a bullet point for "ooh, pretty colors!" doesnt really ecapsulate a proper step to any guide. ifixit originally was made to be a facsimile of internal Apple repair PDFs. and they dont use "ooooh the pretty colors" anywhere.
This teardown is 14 years old... You should be able to find the information you need by browsing through the other guides iFixit has for this machine, or looking around elsewhere on the internet.
Also where are the screw points for the dissasembly. all I see is "a couple of screws later" what is that!?
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The Bluetooth board is in the corner of the computer, grounded to the case. We began the removal procedure by disconnecting the blue antenna cable.
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The board is one of the few components held in place by a T8 (as opposed to T10) Torx screw.
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This may be the most underwhelming component in this iMac, the 8x SuperDrive.
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The fact that there is no Blu-ray drive in here is a bag of hurt.
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C'mon Apple, iMacs in 2005 had 8x SuperDrives. The SuperDrive just doesn't seem so super anymore.
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The good news is, it's a standard 12.7 mm, slimline SATA optical drive. The drive Apple should have included is this Panasonic UJ-135 Blu-ray drive.
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Apple lacks software support for playing copy-protected Blu-ray movies, so if you install a Blu-ray drive, you'll have to boot into Windows to enjoy the show.
Zitat von Toushi:
Are there any slot loading blu-ray drives we can replace this with?
Yup, the Panasonic UJ-135-A will work just fine.
Zitat von kyle:
Yup, the Panasonic UJ-135-A will work just fine.
Can this trik be done also on a iMac 24" - 2007 (2.4GHz) ?
Blu-ray display 1080p. What is the experience indeed of watching a movie with that black bar tags? And wait I am not considering here in "FullScreen" Youtube, mobile DTV, iTunes Movies and DVD "Super" Drive. All of that might seems very "distorted" by the 2560x1440 resolution. The ATI will have to work a lot to upscale all of this.
Zitat von Toushi:
Are there any slot loading blu-ray drives we can replace this with?
A stand alone Blu-ray might be in the works, similar to the external usb/firewire devices for the MacBook Air.
Built in, they really are a "bag of hurt", as Steve pointed out.
What about putting a SSD drive in here instead
Zitat von kyle:
Yup, the Panasonic UJ-135-A will work just fine.
The web site says 12.7 mm while the original drive says 12.5 mm. Small difference, but could be a problem closing the case or aligning the disc in the slot.
Zitat von BradMacPro:
The web site says 12.7 mm while the original drive says 12.5 mm. Small difference, but could be a problem closing the case or aligning the disc in the slot.
I think they were just a bit lazy with the measurements here.. look at the image of the superdrive and google the code. I'm pretty sure that it is actualy a 12.7, not .5 (i've NEVER seen a 12.5 drive.. anywhere), so it will be a perfect fit.
I recommend the UJ-235A over the 135 they mention in the article too, as it can burn blu-ray discs at 4x.
Zitat von iTems:
I think they were just a bit lazy with the measurements here.. look at the image of the superdrive and google the code. I'm pretty sure that it is actualy a 12.7, not .5 (i've NEVER seen a 12.5 drive.. anywhere), so it will be a perfect fit.
I recommend the UJ-235A over the 135 they mention in the article too, as it can burn blu-ray discs at 4x.
iTems, you're right, that's a typo. It is indeed a 12.7mm drive, so there's no difference between the SuperDrive and Panasonic's slim Blu-ray drives. If you want to burn Blu-ray (and have a bigger budget), the UJ-235 drive should work fine as well.
Hey Luke,
Just installed Panasonic's UJ-235A into my mid 2010 27" iMac & it accepted a disc but that's all it's doing. Clicking 'About this Mac' then 'More Info' & the drive is detected - OS X recognises it & lists all its capabilities but can't see it in Finder, VLC or any other program. The keyboard eject button doesn't work. Tried getting the disc out using the 'drutil eject' command. The drive makes a noise like it's going to eject, but doesn't.
Have you, or anyone else, installed this drive & had any luck using it.
Any suggestions would appreciated.
Thanks! Paul
imacs in 2003 had superdrives too!
Is it possible to put a 1TB WD laptop hard drive here instead? I would think you would need some sort of mounting apparatus.
I accidentally slipped in a SD memory card into the superdrive thinking it was the SD slot. Does anybody know it would be possible to take apart the superdrive?
Zitat von Danny Huynh:
I accidentally slipped in a SD memory card into the superdrive thinking it was the SD slot. Does anybody know it would be possible to take apart the superdrive?
The guide to remove the optical drive can be found here. Please do not use this teardown as a repair guide, as there are many many steps missing. As explained at the top of the page, "Teardowns provide a look inside a device and should not be used as disassembly instructions." A guide for opening up your optical drive can be found here. Hope that helps!
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Apple made good use of the extra available space to include large, quiet fans with lots of low speed blades.
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Removing the massive logic board requires two hands. With the RAM cavity opened underneath the iMac try to help pushing the logic board with the thumb towards the upper part (towards the isight camera), to ease the release of the logic board.
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Apple finally added an SD card slot to the iMac. This may be one of the most inexpensive features Apple could have added, but should prove very useful. Now we can throw away all our USB SD readers!
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Just one T8 screw secures the slot to the case. The chip is labeled GL137A.
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Removing the Infrared (IR) sensor needed to use the Apple remote.
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In the second picture we are removing the central wiring harness and lifting out the logic board.
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This computer has more linear feet of wire than any iMac we've ever taken apart.
A nice deconstruction as always.
Hahaha step 23 had me in stitches... the Apple logo now serves as a secret antenna for wifi.
How sly of Apple.
Just a thought... My Unibody Macbook Pro has a fairly enclosed design where is the wifi antenna inside?
I think its a shame that Apple have neglected the stunning internal design of the early iMac G5s!... they were a work of art inside.
But now... theres all this cable and clutter... I wouldnt mind if they made the imac less tapered on the back (it'd still be the thinnest and most stunning all-in-one) if they would make better cooling and repairing easier with the internals better laid out.
IMHO.
Still love the new iMac tho!
Zitat von lemas1:
A nice deconstruction as always.
Hahaha step 23 had me in stitches... the Apple logo now serves as a secret antenna for wifi.
How sly of Apple.
Just a thought... My Unibody Macbook Pro has a fairly enclosed design where is the wifi antenna inside?
If it's anything like the original Macbook Pros, which I used to be a technician for, they wrapped the antennae cables around the edges of the screen. Since those screens are now 100% glass, I wouldn't be surprised if they left the wires there since it's the only part of the system not made of aluminum!
Zitat von lemas1:
I think its a shame that Apple have neglected the stunning internal design of the early iMac G5s!... they were a work of art inside. But now... theres all this cable and clutter...
Yes, seriously!
http://files.macbidouille.com/mbv2/news/...
A swansong for the G5, I guess ;)
Zitat von Diggsby:
Yes, seriously!
http://files.macbidouille.com/mbv2/news/...
A swansong for the G5, I guess ;)
Yes, it is/was a beauty to behold, but that was largely due to the fact that there were several "user installable" parts. For example, midplane board, hard drive, RAM, etc. Funny thing is that people still needed help simply installing RAM! Apple rethought this strategy, because subsequent iMac models did away with this clean internal design (and so many user-installable parts).
Zitat von Jeremy D:
I'll take that flame bait, but not hook, line and sinker...
First of all, you must be easily amazed, because Apple has always had higher premiums on their components. They can only leverage their monopoly on stuff like NAND flash memory prices.
Not a "magic" WD hard drive, but neither are the Seagate drives (their other drive supplier). Apple generally maintains more strict product tolerances from vendor for things like RAM latency, hard disk burn-in and MTBF. This usually means Apple staff "qualifies" goods before getting them into your hands. This adds to cost--esp if Apple has their own special recipe of firmware to drop onto drives (e.g. server-grade drives).
Ok, I'll stop there.
All Mac users missed the myriad adverts touting "2TB hard drives only $179!", because we're ignorant Mac zealots.
You can go back to building your frankenstein PC--complete with blinky blue/green/red UV-lighted case mod and we'll stick with our stupid Macs.
Maybe you should remove this site from your bookmarks and/or Google search history, too? Oh, wait... you're a web troll--it's your job to categorically dismiss "stupid" Mac users.
I guess your mission is accomplished. &&!&!
well, im sorry that you feel that way, mac was the best personal computer, of the 1980's and early 1990's and i do agree that the technology is ususally a step behind the standard, and a higher price than what it's worth, but "Mac Zealots" is kind of an overstatement, sure some people like macs, some people love macs, and some people hate macs, but for my self, i am a PC, and a Mac, I've been doing PC work since the 486, but the mac always has and still has an advantage over a PC, (My Core 2 Quad PC would out-perform any mac mini, any day) but PC's have something macs will never have, (open development, expandability, most 3rd party hardware and software, and for the longest time, a standard CPU archetecture) and macs have something PC's will never have (a rock solid, and secure OS, a sleek style, look, and computing power higher than that of an equaly speced pc)
[quote|macs have something PC's will never have (a rock solid, and secure OS, a sleek style, look, and computing power higher than that of an equaly speced pc)[/quote]
The term PC does not mean windows bud. You forgot about linux, mainly, Ubuntu. Rock solid OS, OPEN SOURCE software that is community maintained, and the speed to run circles around any mac of equal spec, all with a flexibility and low price of building a PC one part at a time. YOU can choose exactly what goes in it.
Zitat von Chris Green:
... but "Mac Zealots" is kind of an overstatement, sure some people like macs, some people love macs, and some people hate macs, but for my self, i am a PC, and a Mac...
@Chris - the intent of my post was to take the pi$$ out of what appeared (to me) to be Mac flame-bait from. "Mac zealot" was a self-depricating reference to steal Joe C's "thunder" if/when using said term himself.
The point is that life is not as black and white as "I'm a Mac"/"I'm a PC"--as Joe C insightfully points out in his later post re: "PC" definition. Apple's and Microsoft's ad campaigns try to stoke this outmoded argument. We know how common it is for people to work on Windows PC at the office and Macs at home.
But "PC" statistically refers to Windows PCs (given the slight market share Linux has).
(Reasonably) technically savvy users reading/posting to this site should be somewhat aware of how versatile, lightweight and supported different flavors of Linux can be--compared to Macs and/or Windows PCs.
Nevermind . . . this a waste of everyone's time. Sorry for the trivial distraction. Thanks Joe C. Happy New Year.
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Speakers! Big speakers.
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We tested the sound before we disassembled it, and were quite impressed. Apple has super-sized the iMac's audio in proportion to the increased screen size.
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While the speakers are in the bottom corners of the iMac, Apple has wisely placed the microphone at the top (near the iSight). That should make it possible to use the internal audio setup for video chats.
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With the logic board removed, we gain access to a couple of more fans.
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We removed their screws and rotated each fan out of the computer.
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I can has heat dissipation? To keep the iMac cool and happy, Apple's included six temperature sensors, three fans, and two gigantic heat sinks.
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To put the massive size of the heat sinks in perspective, check out the relative size of the USB ports on the bottom left of the board.
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Notice the PRAM battery on the logic board (circular silver disc) for storing date and time when the power is disconnected. When changing the battery be careful to not to force the plastic top that holds the battery into place.
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The processor is socketed, but there's a "Warranty void if removed" sticker above one of the heat sink's screws.
You mean this thing has a generic-sized portable graphics card that can be swapped with something else? Brilliant. Should have shipped with a 1GB card at least.
Zitat von AeronPeryton:
You mean this thing has a generic-sized portable graphics card that can be swapped with something else? Brilliant. Should have shipped with a 1GB card at least.
I really hope so. The graphics card it the only thing that is stopping me from getting one right now!
Great work Guys, and done with lightning speed just after the release. Hats off and looking out for The Apple Tablet That Will Rule Them All, grin
Does the 21.5 inch model also use a socketed CPU? I have a low-power quad core (Q9550S) waiting for a worthy home...
Zitat von TakkU:
No. This iMac uses a different socket than the i5 or i7. If you want a quadcore iMac, just buy one ;)
There are quad core chips out there that are not i5s or i7s. I am just as curious what is the socket type, if it is a LGA 755 type I could see the potential to put in a Q9550S.
Zitat von trance2:
There are quad core chips out there that are not i5s or i7s. I am just as curious what is the socket type, if it is a LGA 755 type I could see the potential to put in a Q9550S.
I so want to drop in a Q9550 into my new iMac. If it weren't for that warranty voiding sticker.. Anyone want to try? In theory it should work. Works in my Hackintosh just fine.
Zitat von Toushi:
Is it possible to drop in a quad core later? I am thinking about getting this one and dropping in the quad later when I have the money.
Can we put a extreme i7 in the quad core model??? and how about a ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4870 X2 in place of the existing 4850 card??
Come on guys, show us what's under the heatsinks, that would be great, i want to upgrade my cpu, but i want to see it first
Zitat von Toushi:
Is it possible to drop in a quad core later? I am thinking about getting this one and dropping in the quad later when I have the money.
Oh, a wonderful idea! I'd love to see the iFixit folks give this a try and report on the change in performance. Then they could sell us the proper CPU and provide the instructions for accomplishing the task.
Concerning C2D Quad-core replacements:
After looking at the CPU specs in detail for the E7600 and E8600 C2D parts and comparing them to the various available C2Q parts, it seems to require one of the 45nm QxxxxS parts to even have a chance of working, with the Q9505S or Q9550S being the most likely of the higher-end ones. The power regulator specs/etc. are different for the non-S parts.
I'd be happy to try it, pretty sure the worst thing that will happen is that it won't boot due to lack of C2E (Stop-Grant) support or confusion about having 4 cores instead of 2. It could also come up but refuse to recognize the other 2 cores.
Zitat von Erich Boleyn:
Concerning C2D Quad-core replacements:
After looking at the CPU specs in detail for the E7600 and E8600 C2D parts and comparing them to the various available C2Q parts, it seems to require one of the 45nm QxxxxS parts to even have a chance of working, with the Q9505S or Q9550S being the most likely of the higher-end ones. The power regulator specs/etc. are different for the non-S parts.
I'd be happy to try it, pretty sure the worst thing that will happen is that it won't boot due to lack of C2E (Stop-Grant) support or confusion about having 4 cores instead of 2. It could also come up but refuse to recognize the other 2 cores.
Hmm. Is a Q9550S CPU the only thing that you are lacking?
"View high resolution shots of the front and back."
Sorry, but those "front" and "back" links are dead. Please update with new links. Those are very important photos. Thanks.
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Removing the GPU daughterboard.
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Our low-end 27" model ships with an ATI Radeon HD 4670 graphics processor packing 256MB of GDDR3 memory.
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The sheer quantity of labels on the back of the graphic card daughterboard is overwhelming. What were they thinking?
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(It's obvious that Apple's engineers didn't design that daughterboard. It's a standard card used in a number of products.)
it's possible to remove graphic card and replace it with the same but 512mb vram?
So is that still a laptop card, or like the proc, are we getting desktop class cards now?
Zitat von ibrian:
Please add pictures with the heatsinks removed both for the GPU and the Logic Board
I agree! You never take the heatsinks off! Come on!
Does anyone know what size the counter-sunk screw are securing the GPU heatsink? I snapped one over the weekend doing a teardown to redo the thermal paste.
Thoughts on what you do if the case for the Pram battery gets disconnected slightly?
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Is this an antenna leading into the back Apple logo? We think it is...wonder why?
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The Apple logo is no longer just for looks, it now has a job to do. Earlier aluminum iMacs had an aluminum front and a plastic back. In contrast, this iMac features an all-aluminum enclosure, which is great for looks, but terrible for Wi-Fi. The Apple logo is the only plastic area on the back of the iMac, and Apple has integrated an AirPort antenna into that space.
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After such a tedious teardown, you can't blame us for just piling everything up into one ginormous heap of parts.
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However, curse our guilty conscience, being the nice and awesome professionals we are, we felt an urge and a slight sense of responsibility to do it right.
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The final layout picture for all to see. Enjoy!
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If you're feeling this teardown wasn't enough to satisfy your craving, indulge yourself in the Magic Mouse teardown, courtesy of your friendly neighborhood iFixit.
Hi, I recently change the logic board of one of this imacs, and never starts MacOS... Always stay in the apple logo... And It's extremely hot on left side (powersupply)... Some ideas?
I rebooted with ALT but begin a Firmware upgrate proccess
Update1: The repair COMMAND+R Works, open the Disk Utility the Machintohs HD doesn't mount... Serial info problem??
UPDATE2: Finally with blank board serializer I put the serial info and works great
Mr Drap -
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21 Kommentare
Zitat von elurker:
Cannot wait for the mac mini server teardown.
We're not planning on doing a teardown of the Mac mini server (we're already done three teardowns this week), but our friends over at macminicolo.net did a teardown of the new mini.
Awesome pics... I'm craving one of these iMacs, big time.
It wasn't mentioned: what's the brand of the internal HD?
Apple western digital/seagate depending on the location
hi
i wnat to know if i can't remove the foot of the new imac 27 to travel with this
Zitat von hiimbob:
apple screen isn't lcd it's led
It's an LED-backlit LCD.
Can anyone confirm if it would be possible to feed a SATA cable into the Memory Door area, thus allowing the cable to exit via the memory door opening? I can't tell from the pictures if there is enough room to get the cable into that area and then out the door. Obviously with the door removed the cable would feed out so it's more a question of getting the cable into that area. Then I could modify the door to allow the cable to feed out while still remaining closed.
Apple has the option for both a Serial ATA Drive + a Solid State Drive. How do both of these drives fit into the enclosure? Can you add the second after purchase?
That would be interresting to know. Sounds like it would be quite easy to add this SSD later.
Just curious if anyone has ever taken apart an iMac and used it's guts to create another pc without the internal display?
Paul,
That's an interesting idea (forget the internal display and use the rest in another case with a stand-alone display connected through the Displayport/Thunderbolt port). Just so happens I have an iMac with bad internal video (black screen, only two LEDs on motherboard lit). I'll try plugging in a Displayport display I have here and, if the unit actually works, I'll start the disassembly and re-packaging using a spare PC case I have in my garage. Nice project idea!
Thank you for details and wit.
• Step 5 - yah, I found the magnet that's in the upper LH corner by accident (I use it to hold documents with a paperclip when I need to reference them when typing..).
• Step 7 - Yes, the screen is VERY glossy! Contrary to some beliefs re: placement of a desk, I tried placing my desk such that I'm facing the door, but my back is to a window.. turns out that I don't miss out on seeing what's going on outside after all.
is there anyway I could order all of the components to a 2015 imac retina 5k and install them into a 2010 27 inch model?
I'm trying to remove the stand but my screws got stripped. Is there's anyway to take the stand off from the inside??
Pnoise…did you have any luck with this…
hello,
I have an old mid 2010 iMac 27” i7, which I upgraded with a SSD. It works perfectly but I have problems in data transfer. I want to know if I can use one of the internal SATA ports (that of the Super Drive or another spare one) to come out with a USB 3 port. Thank you for your Help
I'm missing unboxing step what is inside etc.
Thanks for nice work !
Jasiu - Antwort
Brilliant teardown. Couple of points;
1. Is there a "spare" SATA connector, and what would it take to add an external port ? From your earlier posting I think there's room on the back panel.
2. Cable management - and this has always been a bugbear on the whole iMac range - why not cut a slot in the stand to feed all cables through for neatness ?
3. Have you tested the HDMI input, and what does it look like ? Would you watch TV on this with the addition of a USB tuner ?
4. Let's see it go back together...:-)
Seriously, fantastic teardown. I showed the Mrs and she hit me, yelling NO, NO... go figure...
moldor - Antwort
Hi brothers,
On your pictures, is it a 24" faicng the 27.1" ?
SuperTiti - Antwort
I too am wondering if an eSATA port can somehow be added. To me, that's the biggest thing that's missing from the latest Macs. I've heard about the forthcoming Apple/Intel Light Peak optical interface but nothing is going to beat native SATA for an external storage interface (no bridge/translation necessary).
derektom - Antwort
Yep! There it is! Bigger, wider and brighter!
Vrumm - Antwort
The comparison shots show a 20" Early 2009 iMac next to the new 27" iMac.
Luke Soules - Antwort
Thanks ! So, as an owner of a 24" I think a 27" won't be that great change I was expecting...
SuperTiti - Antwort