Being a retired automotive technician and Nascar team member I can relate to your frustration with all the questions related to these iMac upgrades. I am a member of many forums where I share my years of knowledge with others about cars, racing, 3d printing, and professional drones. My experiences, education, and wisdom were hard-earned and didn't come cheap. Some of the constant questions I get asked seem like simple solutions to me but I have to remember I am advising people who may have never even heard of OBD2 systems, Marlin firmware, the calibration of a gimbal, or camber settings at Daytona. Most of the time it all comes down to translation barriers. An example would be a question related to the 'hot end' of a 3d printer. A hot end or extruder emits the heated and melted resins or plastics to a 'build plate' or heated bed. So you can see how confusion could be a factor when talking to someone about a topic they know very little about when a heated bed is also called a hot plate, or build plate. People will confuse a hot end with an extruder and it makes for a difficult diagnosis. Acronyms also make it tough for many. Over time I have developed a huge tolerance for ignorance of the topics I am educated in.
The reason I wanted to reply to this post is due to how it comes off. I am trying my best to understand the aggravation you suffer from having to answer the same questions over and over but simply can't. You must remember that we are trying to learn from you and your years of experience with these machines. We want to understand but what seems like a simple task to you could be tons of frustration for us.
Your statement "This is not an iMac repair thread" is only correct to a point. This is a repair/upgrade thread. Most people who have come to this thread are seeking information and help. So many are wanting to repair their iMac while upgrading also and the provided information helps to repair our machines. I haven't seen any questions related to USB ports or Bluetooth not working. Most all of the questions are related to the information you are providing and or mistakes being made while performing the upgrade. While you may feel the provided information is adequate, some may find it confusing. In my experiences, I have had some forum members finding it difficult to navigate through the forum itself making it near impossible to lead them in the right direction.
The main reason I chose to give this a try was the challenge. I enjoy challenging problems. I had this old system sitting in the back of my building that was in need of a GPU. I figured I would upgrade while repairing it. It seemed simple enough. Choose a card from the list you provide, grab the correct ROM file from your provided list, flash the vBios, install the new GPU, and turn on the machine. In my case, it hasn't been this simple. I am sure I will figure out my problem but there are many who won't. You state that hundreds have performed this upgrade with no problems but I am sure that hundreds have also had many issues. I can say this with confidence from reading this post and seeing the aggravation you have from answering the tons of questions.
Like you, I spend many hours answering questions on forums but I knew the risk before I shared my credentials with the world of the internet. One person I helped took more than 8 months to learn from me how to flash his car's controller. He and I spent many hours typing but I am happy to say his car is now back on the road. I could have given up on him but he couldn't afford the cost of repairs nor could he purchase a new car so I was very happy to spend the time to help him. At times I found it very frustrating for both of us but more so for him.
I do want to thank you and all those who have worked hard with helping people upgrade their machines. Your knowledge of these products seems to be plentiful and I thank you for sharing it with me and others. Please just remember that what seems like a simple solution to you, is a real headache for most. Where we may need your expert advice with our iMac, you may seek our help with something we know more about. Also, sometimes too much information can be very confusing. I try to keep things simple so anyone can understand.
My wife and I both agree that it is difficult to express emotion through a keyboard. Some will come off as rude or maybe angry when in fact they are laughing or just smiling. If I have misread your emotion in this post please forgive me. Being patient, kind, and having true concern for other's problems will take you further in life than any amount of money.
