How many people's 24" iMac is still running strong?

[icemantx]

Early 2009 iMac chugs along...

I have an early 2009 24" iMac 2.93 GHz Core2Duo that has seen a few upgrades over the years. Ram Upgraded to 8GB. HDD upgraded to 2TB and created a DIY Fusion with 256GB Crucial M4 SSD in the DVD slot.

With the DIY fusion, apps open with 1 or 2 bounces and breathed new life into the iMac. The biggest attaction of a new 2013 iMac is the increased screen size and resolution. However, the cost of a new 27" one is hard to swallow and the fact that there is no real DIY upgrades besides RAM is concerning. Being that I upgrade ever 6 years or so, it would be nice to be able to upgrade the internal drives at least as opposed to relying on external drives cluttering up my desk.

For now, the 24" keeps me going.

 

[fhopper]

My maxed out BTO mid '07 is still perfect but being replaced when my new 27" shows up tomorrow. I will retire it to my wife's desk and give her '08 mini to my grandkids.

 

[talmy]

The thread that's still running strong!

Over two months since my last post, and both the 2009 and 2008 models are still running strong. My big question is, will this thread outlast the iMacs?

 

[s0nicpr0s]

There's this thing called an ethernet cable...

Truth be told, putting in a new hard drive and reinstalling the OS fixed all of my issues.

And I know what an ethernet cable is... But I wasn't going to run a wire through my fiancees mother's house so that I could be connected to the internet for 30 minutes.

 

[YMark]

I have an '08 that runs great when I don't get the gray screen of death. This used to happen once a month or so, now it is happening every few days and sometimes several times a day. Aggravating as hell.

I want the new 27" with SSD but I'm afraid to pull the trigger due to the screen issues I keep reading about. Maybe it's overblown, I'm not sure.

 

[mscriv]

Well, Mavericks is running great on my 08 24" iMac, but I did have to replace the video card last month when it suddenly began running hot. I did the repair through Apple and it was very reasonable. $170 for a new ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro is much better than the cost of a new machine. With my self installed SSD I really think this machine will last another year or two. It even installed the new iMovie and I've already put together a video with it. Lots of people reported problems with this, but things are working well for me.

 

[Spink10]

I just purchased 3 07/08 24" iMacs for $50 ea - I am amazed how well they perform. Can these be mounted to the wall? Also one may need a new HD soon. Where are people getting the guide for replacing HD ifixit?

 

[benjai]

So I just found out that my 2007 alu 24" iMac takes 6gb of ram; more than the official 4gb! Just pulled out a 2gb and replaced with a 4gb and off it went. I can't believe I just found out after all these years...

Although tbh, I haven't noticed much difference. The biggest change was when I put in an SSD and the machine flies now.

 

[Brian33]

I just purchased 3 07/08 24" iMacs for $50 ea - I am amazed how well they perform. Can these be mounted to the wall? Also one may need a new HD soon. Where are people getting the guide for replacing HD ifixit?

Wow, great deal! My Early 2008 24"-er (with upgrades) is still my daily-user machine. I still love this screen.

From memory, I'm pretty sure the Early 2008 model can be VESA mounted, but I haven't looked into it.

When I opened mine up it used an iFixit guide and it was excellent for the job.

 

[capecod5947]

I still have mine and wont give it up for anything

Not even for a new Ferrari!
My 24 is a great little computer, I do all my web coding on it. Its got all the stuff on it that I want.
I can go on forever about it, but the main thing is that it has the old Mosaic screensaver and our new 10.9 Macs do NOT have it.
Take good care of your 24s as they are great.

 

[rgarjr]

I have a 2009 3.06GHz, 8GB RAM, and a 640GB HD. I've been wanting to open her up and install a 4TB HD on it.

 

[MartinAppleGuy]

Mine is still great. Got it on March 2009.

How long do you expect to get out of it?

 

[dgr401]

My late 2006 2.16 still going great. I mostly use it for internet when my wife is using the 27". I do use Aperture on it to play with different techniques, it doesn't mess up my real library on the 27". Running Lion.

 

[Golemgamer]

Jan 09'

January 09' and still running great. The wireless mouse crapped out after about a year, but the computer itself is fine. I hope it runs another 5 years!

 

[thedeske]

Having a little fun today. One of my old imacs (late2006 24 dual 2.16) returned to the office. It seems to run fine, but the DVD drive is toast (Pun)
This was my main mac in 07-08 and I wonder how the old 250 HD will hold up given it's age. The screen has a few subtle dust lines and it's a little yellowish compared to the new one here.

After getting 10.7.5 on it I decided to see if migration assistant would pull info from a Mavericks 10.9.1 clone over USB. This obvious downgrade didn't seem possible, but I'm watching progress as I type this. I'll be in shock if the apps run when it's done. We shall see

 

[Karvel]

Got a 2006 Core Duo 1.83 17" iMac still running strong now.

 

[Tumbleweed666]

My 2009 is still running nicely, it got a new lease of life when I wiped it and upgraded it to Mavericks before resale it runs quicker than before the upgrade (its with a relative which is how I know). The SuperDrive failed but a cheap external works fine.

 

[KENTW]

Early 2009 24" - Been a real problem the last 12 months

Have the dreaded Graphics Card overheating issues. I use SMC running full blast to stop the thing from crashing.... I realize that complex bits of kit like this can go wrong but its Apples stubborn refusal to acknowledge the issue that upsets me.... there are a million threads that describe the same behavior in early 2009 24 inch iMac's... To be honest, i am nearly ready to order a new 27 with SSD, I am just finding it hard to part with my money with the knowledge Apple are not looking after customers.

 

[Gloops]

The video card in my 24" 2008 iMac has just started a slow death (overheating / crashing). It's the 512MB 8800 GS, which apparently had problems from the get go, so I suppose I'm lucky it's lasted as long as it has.

Now I'm going to have to bite the bullet, upgrade and decide between a 21.5" (too small) or 27" (too large). The 24" 16:10 display was the optimal size for me.

 

[rgarjr]

Have the dreaded Graphics Card overheating issues. I use SMC running full blast to stop the thing from crashing....

Which graphics card do you have on it?

 

[KENTW]

Which graphics card do you have on it?

It's the GeForce GT 120, i think the GT 130 has the same issue too.

 

[rgarjr]

It's the GeForce GT 120, i think the GT 130 has the same issue too.

Do you do heavy lifting on the graphics to overheat it?

Sure glad mine doesn't have those cards, I have the Radeon 4850 and no issues. But yeah that kind of sucks that they won't acknowledge there's a major issue with those cards.

 

[KENTW]

Do you do heavy lifting on the graphics to overheat it?

Sure glad mine doesn't have those cards, I have the Radeon 4850 and no issues. But yeah that kind of sucks that they won't acknowledge there's a major issue with those cards.

No heavy lifting..... known issue with Apple not providing proper support for these cards since Snow Leopard!

 

[billymac2]

iMac 24"

I purchased my iMac in 2007 or 2008 (who remembers back that long). It's still running fine. I had to replace the back up drive already but have the original HD.

 

[trsnrtr]

My 2009 24" 2.93 GHz with 8 GB RAM runs like a champ. No intention of replacing it yet.