iMac Aluminum 24" - upgrade to 1 TB HDD and 4 GB RAM - Step by Step Photo Guide

[danimir]

Hi there!

I've managed to upgrade my iMac Aluminum 24" to 1 TB hard drive and 4 GB RAM back in November '07 As I wanted to share my experience with the Mac community, I've made a detailed step by step guide with photos available at the following web page:

http://www.amfiteatar.org/content/view/155/78/lang,en/

Good luck with the upgrade!

Danny

 

[Rhodan]

Interesting, thanks for the guide. How do you find the performance of the 2.8, is it worth it ?

 

[danimir]

performance of 2.8 Extreme

I love the performance of 2.8 Extreme and I believe it's sure worth the money. Compressing a full length DVD movie to MP4 takes approx. 15-20 minutes, while I'm doing other stuff as well, also running WinXP through VM Ware Fusion in parallel! The machine doesn’t stall for a sec!

 

[je1ani]

IMO if you have $2000 cash to burn don't get a 2.8 and get a Mac Pro It will piss on a 2.8

 

[Consultant]

Cool guide!

IMO if you have $2000 cash to burn don't get a 2.8 and get a Mac Pro It will piss on a 2.8

Some people like all-in-one, besides RAM for Mac Pro is more expensive.

 

[HLdan]

IMO if you have $2000 cash to burn don't get a 2.8 and get a Mac Pro It will piss on a 2.8

That's really silly coming from someone that has the 2.8 iMac. At any rate assuming your were kidding it will cost more than just $2000 for a Mac Pro plus display.

 

[je1ani]

That's really silly coming from someone that has the 2.8 iMac. At any rate assuming your were kidding it will cost more than just $2000 for a Mac Pro plus display.

Unfortunately I bought the iMac before I even tried a Mac Pro 2299 vs 2499

 

[danimir]

the most bang for the buck

I prefer all-in-one iMacs, compact, slim, no cables, no mess, and they’re soooo stylish …

Also, I believe that a Mac Pro with 1 TB hard drive, 4 GB RAM, and a decent display would cost a waaaayyy more than what has cost me to DIY upgrade an iMac 320 Gb hdd, 1 Gb ram. You’re paying just for the Mac Pro "box” $2499 with only 1 GB ram and 250 Gb hdd, plus a 23” display is $899, then add the ram and hdd upgrade to it, and you’re taking close to $4000… sure, it runs lots faster with two CPUs in it, but such expense is not justifiable for an average or even some power users…

Therefore, I believe what I did with DIY upgrading my iMac is definitely the most bang for the buck within the user category

))

 

[overcast]

You do not have to install Tiger first with the Leopard upgrade DVD. Simply go to restore from Time Machine backup in the installer options. Click through the menus until it asks you for an image. Instead of loading an image, return back to the initial screen warning you that it requires Tiger. The option to continue will no longer be greyed out.

 

[danimir]

thanks for the tip

Thanks! I didn't know that - I've actually ended up installing Tiger, then Leopard upgrade DVD I've got in the package (that took some time)!