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eagandale4114

macrumors 65816
Original poster
May 20, 2011
1,011
1
Here you guys go.
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Source.
First seen by 9to5.
 

tubbymac

macrumors 65816
Nov 6, 2008
1,074
1
That's the most beautiful logic board layout I've ever seen in a desktop. I like how the display comes cleanly off which should make it much easier to deal with than the last generation iMac. We no longer have to worry about getting rid of the dust between the glass and the display when we open the iMac 2012 model up.

The hard drive looks very easy to access as well. That's a very good sign. Now we just have to wait to see what type of fan issues / temperature sensor workarounds are needed if we want to replace the hard drive ourselves.

I really want to buy one and replace the HD with my own SSD!
 

jornjur

macrumors newbie
Oct 8, 2012
25
0
That's the most beautiful logic board layout I've ever seen in a desktop. I like how the display comes cleanly off which should make it much easier to deal with than the last generation iMac. We no longer have to worry about getting rid of the dust between the glass and the display when we open the iMac 2012 model up.

The hard drive looks very easy to access as well. That's a very good sign. Now we just have to wait to see what type of fan issues / temperature sensor workarounds are needed if we want to replace the hard drive ourselves.

I really want to buy one and replace the HD with my own SSD!

So which one are you buying?
 

tubbymac

macrumors 65816
Nov 6, 2008
1,074
1
Also Appleinsider: http://forums.appleinsider.com/t/154707/redesigned-imac-gets-teardown-treatment-hours-after-launch

At least the RAM is not soldered on the PCB:D
Cpu is also removable!

Wow this may be the first iMac in a while where we might be able to replace the HD, the RAM, and the CPU ourselves. Quite shocking coming from Apple, really.

HD looks really straightforward to replace, but the RAM and the CPU involve taking out the logic board. That will be a pain as usual, but at least it's possible. I love the new iMac already :)
 

tubbymac

macrumors 65816
Nov 6, 2008
1,074
1
So which one are you buying?

Can't decide between the 21.5 or 27 inch model yet. I need to wait for reviews to see how each handles gaming.

What about the Ram?

RAM from the pictures looks like standard DDR3 SODIMM chips. Looks like it requires removal of the logic board to replace the chips yourself though, so that would be a pain.

is it easy to remove the screen?

Screen most likely is just held in by magnets like last year's model. Probably just need suction cups like before to remove the screen. Display cable looks like it attaches near the middle of the logic board from what I can see in the pictures. So it's probably lift the screen with suction cups until you get a few inches of clearance, and then reach in and disconnect display cables and wifi cables like previous iMac model before fully detaching screen.
 

minik

macrumors demi-god
Jun 25, 2007
2,107
1,538
somewhere
I repaired quite a few iMac at work. Judging from the images, this generation looks very straightforward to me.
 

wmy5

macrumors 6502
Oct 27, 2012
328
51
upstate NY
Wow! this is huge news!!!!!!!!:)

I may go with a straight 1tb 7200 now

What do you think?

Maybe HDD replacement is the most tricky one. As in 2011 model, Apple add a temperature sensor pin to the SATA connector, so you probably can't add a HDD bought in the market.
 

Mad Sativa

macrumors member
Jun 21, 2012
44
0
Maybe HDD replacement is the most tricky one. As in 2011 model, Apple add a temperature sensor pin to the SATA connector, so you probably can't add a HDD bought in the market.

thanks wmy, probably the same:mad:
 

tubbymac

macrumors 65816
Nov 6, 2008
1,074
1
Upon closer inspection of the pictures it looks like the ram is sticking partially out near the middle of the computer where the iMac is the thickest. This could be very good news. It looks like you can probably wiggle your fingers in between the gap between the ram and the hollow cavity beneath the ram. This would mean that the ram might be replaceable without removing the logic board. From the pictures, it looks like you just have to disconnect one cable that is wrapped around the ram, and you need to remove the central fan to give yourself enough space to get your hands on the ram.

If this is true, that means the HD and the RAM are both easily accessible!
 

tubbymac

macrumors 65816
Nov 6, 2008
1,074
1
Good news is SSD used in new iMac is the same as rMBP and MBA. I'll get 256GB from eBay or OWC and install by myself.

Might be true in the 27 inch model, but from the teardown pictures above the 21.5 inch model does not use the same "blade" style SSD as the rMBP and MBA. In fact the 21.5 inch model appears to use a standard 2.5 inch laptop hard drive.

CORRECTION: One of the pictures shows what looks to be a blade style connector for an Apple SSD. Tough to tell from the picture if it is indeed an SSD connector, but would make sense since you can custom order a 1TB fusion drive from Apple for the 21.5 high end model.
 
Last edited:

DrRadon

macrumors 65816
Feb 14, 2008
1,033
770
Wow! this is huge news!!!!!!!!:)

I may go with a straight 1tb 7200 now

What do you think?

I bet apple went with the slower drive because of temperature reasons. I don´t know if it´s worth the risk of loosing all your data. Rather go SSD and put the old 1TB one in an external HDD case.

Besides, there are "slow spinning" HDDs that actualy are faster in data transfer than 7600rpm models.
 

WilliamG

macrumors G3
Mar 29, 2008
9,920
3,800
Seattle
Wow this looks super easy to access the hard drive. My 2009 iMac 27" had a temperature sensor on the hard drive, but that was easily shorted with a piece of wire when I replaced it with an SSD.
 

MetzoPaino

macrumors member
Oct 24, 2012
79
0
Interesting about the CPU, but could add longevity down the line, but what would people with the i7 upgrade to? Haswell requires a different socket right?
 
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