An iMac G4 SSD can significantly benefit from a solid-state drive upgrade. The swivel-necked LCD display model of G4 iMac computers (like all earlier iMac models) used an IDE-Parallel ATA hard drive. IMac IDE - PATA SSD Model Upgrades G4 LCD iMac SSD Changes to the interior included metal shielding that was covered with foil tape shielding making upgrades of the SATA II 3.5 mechanical drive still possible but added more time-consuming, painstaking dissassembly steps to get at it. Later incarnations of the plastic white iMacs incorporated Intel CPU processors and Apple iSight web camera. Since the Read/Write speeds of any modern SSD can vastly outperform the SATA I or SATA II interface, you needn't purchase a state-of-the-art SSD who's performance would be limited by the slower (but backward compatible anyways) interface. With just 3 screws to loosen along the bottom of the iMac, removing the back panel is a very easy task, and the drive itself is then readily accessible and removable in just a few minutes. Though limited to running OSX 10.5.x there's still a fair amount of them in use. The original G5 iMac - the thick, white plastic model was the first iMac to support (initially) a SATA I hard drive and can benefit greatly from a readily available, low-cost value SSD drive when paired with a 2.5" to 3.5" adapter or drive converter.
#External solid state drive for imac upgrade#
A 3.5" to 2.5" SATA converter / adapter bracket may needed, but adds only $15-$25 to a solid-state iMac drive upgrade purchase. OWC Technologies provides a range of all-in-one upgrade toolkits for all aluminum and glass-front iMacs made after 2008. Access to the iMac's 3.5 inch drive bay now involved removing the front LCD display glass, ideally done gingerly and armed with special suction-cups to properly lift the glass away without undue stress or pressure on any one side or corner. You'll be able to fully leverage the affordable and very fast off-the-shelf SSD drives drives currently on the market.
The drive interface advanced to 6GBps SATA III.
Higher end and built-to-order Apple iMacs may already incorporate an onboard SSD module (512 Gigabyte or 1 Terabyte) pre-configured as a Fusion drive for optimal performance in tandem with Apple's internal hard drive.Īs Apple transitioned from white plastic to slimmer iMac designs, they moved to an all metal enclosure. There's also a thermal sensor replacement that's involved to keep the fans running at appropriate speeds. It requires the right tools and techniques to remove and replace the front display glass correctly. However, disassembly is delcate and tricky. No drive converter / adapter is required.
#External solid state drive for imac mac#
The transition to a smaller hard drive also became feasible as laptop drive capacities progressed to 1 Terabyte, 1.5TB and 2TB capacities and beyond.Īny modern 7mm-9mm modern SATA III 2.5 inch Mac compatible solid-state drive is suitible for a drop-in replacement or drive upgrade in some of these particular Macs. The drives changed form-factor from the thick, bulky 3.5" standard hard drive sizes down to laptop size SATA III 2.5" drives. Its suprisingly small logic board and other component size reductions made an ultra-slim aluminum iMac possible. The current version of Apple's iMac desktop computer is a razor thin design. Shopping for the best SSD drive for iMac desktops? Breathe new life into an aging iMac computer with these recommendations for the best Apple compatible iMac SSD drive upgrade options.