I am attempting to fix my 2009 iMac. It is outdated, but it was a pretty good computer with a core-i7 processor that I think still has some value. It has a display problem due to a bad inverter board.
One reason I am fixing this computer is that it has a nice 1440P display that can also be used as a display for other computers. I tentatively planning on buying a very powerful mini-PC.
I ordered an inverter board for just $20. The following video explains the installation.
Since I have to open the case, I am also upgrading the storage. Getting an SSD should make a big improvement in the performance and make it feel more like a modern computer.
I have decided to use the roughly same parts that are used in this video because I know that they are likely to work. I ordered a 960 GB Kingston SSD for just $40.
I debated on whether to get a newer, faster, and more costly SSD. The 2009 iMac uses Sata II instead of Sata III, and I read someplace that if you buy a Sata III drive, then you need to get one that is backward compatible. The only SATA III drive that I could find that claimed backward compatibility was a 2 TB Samsung drive which was a good deal at $99. However, I didn't want to spend the extra money in case this old computer runs into problems that I can't fix. I would be throwing good money after bad.
As of this year, the cost of SSD drives is so low that regular hard drives are mostly obsolete. For mass storage, you can get really large hard drives cheaper, but for everyday usage you are much better off going with an SSD.
No comments:
Post a Comment