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ATC

macrumors 65816
Apr 25, 2008
1,185
433
Canada
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.

My early '09 24" iMac is still running fine although I've had the display replaced twice (once under warranty). My advice, skip the iMac and either wait for the refreshed mini or if budget allows get the nMP. Investing in a good display that you'll keep for years and having a standalone system is the way to go IMO.
 

ventuss

macrumors 6502
Oct 9, 2011
372
19
My early 2008 24" iMac is running fine, but I had to replace the HDD and the display is yellowish and has some dark spots. I considered to changing the screen, but it is expansive and this one is not so bad.
 

nickyboy4

macrumors newbie
Jan 2, 2014
1
0
Just got my first mac which is a 2009 imac 24, i swapped my iphone 5 for it as i fancied a change from windows computers. This has a 1tb hard drive, superdrive and 8gb of memory, i'm finding it hard getting my head round stuff at the moment but don't regret getting it and it works flawlessly!
 

AndrewMRiv

macrumors regular
Oct 29, 2013
151
0
At my school, all of the Macs in the classrooms and in the Library are 2009 24" iMacs and they all run REALLY well.

I was surprised because they have all been used and abused by many students for years. They are dirty on the outside from all of the use, but they outperform the 2011 Windows all in one PCs at the school.
 

carriesn

macrumors newbie
Oct 23, 2008
15
0
My 2007 imac is running strong-- maxed out at 6 gb and rocking a 128 gb SSD. Have a 3 TB external and no noticeable lag except when working with iPhoto. Screen is dimming slowly though.

Way faster than my 2011 imac at work-- amazing what a SSD can do.
 

wazgilbert

macrumors regular
Jan 15, 2007
203
19
UK South
Our family is still rocking a mid-2007 24" imac.

I secretly hope it will die so I can go buy a new 27"

Mine started to show signs of a meltdown with mega-slow switching between users and random hangs that needed a re-boot, so we did exactly that ;)

Then I did a clean install of 10.9.1 and magically the 2007 24" shows signs of a magical recovery! It did have a 2Tb drive that I installed when the original 320gb died, and I attributed this to hot HDD death syndrome and ran iMacFanControl ever since - it was definitely a big difference, but I have swapped in an old 500gb TM drive as it seemed a waste for a machine that will be just odd jobs browsing and DVD player for the bedroom!
4gb of 3rd party RAM that I put in the day I collected it.
 

jvette

macrumors 6502
Dec 29, 2007
264
0
Mid 2007 extreme here and working like new with nothing ever done to it. Has a few dark streaks in the screen you see on a white background but this thing just won't quit. It has been the best computer I have ever owned and is now 7 years old so I think I got my moneys worth out of it. I just yesterday ordered a new 2013 Imac.
 

Josh125

macrumors 6502
Apr 28, 2008
310
44
Katy, TX
Our 2008 finally died this morning. It starts the boot process and then freezes at the gray screen and has a question mark over a folder. I imagine the HD failed.
 

RainMeister

macrumors member
Sep 16, 2008
41
0
My 2007 2.4Ghz core 2 duo 24" iMac is still running strong. I bumped the RAM early on to 4GB, and a few years ago upgraded to a 1TB HD. Nothings broken on it, including the original optical drive.

This is quite amazing for a 6 year old computer. The Velocity Micro PC I had prior to this iMac died after a little over 3 years, while the Dell that preceded it died before it's 5th birthday.

Most of the programs I run on it operate quickly enough except for Photoshop and Lightroom, which suffer lags to processing commands. With Maverick being the last OS upgrade available for my iMac, it's probably time to replace with a new 27" iMac.
 

sgtbob

macrumors regular
Sep 10, 2008
112
0
Kansas
Early 2008 iMAC 24"

Bought the unit in 2008 - it has been a workhorse and is still going strong. I upgraded to 4 GB RAM about 4 years ago and had it into the shop once for a repair (video card?), but other than that, it is the same unit. I installed Mavericks last Fall and that works great. It works so well, that I am reluctant to consider a new one - wish they would again manufacture the 24" unit. This is my first MAC and I'll never go back to a PC - I spent so much time 'tweaking' them, that I became a real Apple fan.:)
 

WallToWallMacs

macrumors regular
Jan 26, 2014
166
0
Around a year ago I gave a extended family member my old iMac 20" 2.66Ghz circa April 28, 2008 - the only things changed was putting in a larger hard disk (from the standard 320GB to a 1TB) and upgrading the memory to 4GB. Almost 5 years later and the computer is going strong with the new owners running Marvericks 10.9.1. IMHO these days I'd say that when it comes to the iMac the thing most likely to die will be the hard disk or any moving parts before anything else - if you're going for an iMac with a pure SSD solution (especially with the new 3D transition adopted by Samsung) then it'll be just a matter of keeping an eye on the fan and making sure you have a surge protector.
 

dylin

macrumors 6502a
Jun 10, 2010
663
52
California
Greetings,

Long pc user and soon to be 2012 iMac owner. I don't understand the big deal that Mac's has last 3 or more yrs. My first Compaq in 1998 lasted till 2004 and my current Dell since 2004. Both were upgraded due to new technology and not wear or tear. BTW, only changed one HD in 14 yrs (lucky I guess).

While it's nice to know that Mac's last for yrs, pc's do also.:D

Yea, i know what you mean. Dont get me wrong or anything guys, but it all depends on how you take care of your stuff. i still have my old HP desktop from 2003, up and running.... running windows XP though. haha. Going to convert it to ubuntu in soon and give it to my parents as a web browsing comp.
 

talmy

macrumors 601
Oct 26, 2009
4,727
337
Oregon
Yea, i know what you mean. Dont get me wrong or anything guys, but it all depends on how you take care of your stuff.

Certainly a major factor. Before my current 4 year old Mac mini server I ran a Dell computer as a server for 8 years with no issues. AFAIK it's still running. My (4 year old) iMac has an external monitor attached, a Dell 2001FP that's now 10 years old. No problems with either. In fact our oldest Dell monitor is 13 years old and our daughter uses it. And I'm still using 24 year old Northgate OmniKey keyboards.
 

ATC

macrumors 65816
Apr 25, 2008
1,185
433
Canada
Trying to breathe new life into my early '09 24" iMac (iMac9,1). I've already maxed out RAM and consensus now seems to point to buying an appropriate SSD and replace the 640GB internal drive.

I don't know much about drives and what's considered suitable for this iMac. Anything to look out for or specifically look for in an SSD?

One drive that always seems to get positive reviews is the Samsung 840 Pro. Would that work to replace the standard built-in HD in this particular iMac?
 

dylin

macrumors 6502a
Jun 10, 2010
663
52
California
Certainly a major factor. Before my current 4 year old Mac mini server I ran a Dell computer as a server for 8 years with no issues. AFAIK it's still running. My (4 year old) iMac has an external monitor attached, a Dell 2001FP that's now 10 years old. No problems with either. In fact our oldest Dell monitor is 13 years old and our daughter uses it. And I'm still using 24 year old Northgate OmniKey keyboards.

24 year old keyboard? it hasn't started deteriorating yet? haha jk

I hope to get another 2 or 3 years out of my HP, before the hardware literally can't keep up with the software.
 

mscriv

macrumors 601
Aug 14, 2008
4,923
602
Dallas, Texas
One drive that always seems to get positive reviews is the Samsung 840 Pro. Would that work to replace the standard built-in HD in this particular iMac?

I put a Samsung 840 in my 08 24" iMac and it's been awesome. There's no doubt that it has extended the life of the machine.
 

ATC

macrumors 65816
Apr 25, 2008
1,185
433
Canada
I put a Samsung 840 in my 08 24" iMac and it's been awesome. There's no doubt that it has extended the life of the machine.

Excellent, thanks. Now to get over my anxiety of opening up the iMac and follow that iFixit video.
 

sgtbob

macrumors regular
Sep 10, 2008
112
0
Kansas
Samsung 840 PRO

My iMAC early 2008 24" system with a 500 GB hard drive is working fine, but I am interested in the solid state drive described above - specifically the Samsung 840 PRO. I went to the Samsung site, but after entering my Model iMac8,1 none of those I looked indicated they would work with my iMAC.

If a solid state unit is to be considered, should the replacement solid state unit be at least 500 GB to equal my current drive? Price now enters into my thinking since this becomes pretty pricey at this level. Any insights appreciated.

Bob
 
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