Firstly thanks for reading, any help is much appreciated.
OK, i have a late 2009 iMac, 21.5', 3.06 Ghz, 64bit with an Nvidia 9400 Geforce video card. It has a 500gb HDD. (Basically it's the entry level late 2009 iMac).
I have taken good care of it so would like to upgrade it as much as possible and maybe get another few years out of it rather than buy a new computer which i cant really afford at the moment
My first step is to buy either 2x, or 4x 4GB modules for a RAM upgrade, either for 12GB (2x2GB + 2x4GB) or 16GB (4x4GB).
These are the exact explanation of the parts on the website.
Crucial 4096MB Memory Module PC3-8500 1066MHz DDR3 Unbuffered Non-ECC CL7 204-pin SO-DIMM
This i realise is very easy to do, but if someone could just let me know i'm going in the right direction with this that would be great.
The big thing is a potential video card upgrade (if this is possible) vs installing a Solid State Drive.
I read somewhere that the Nvidia 9400 actually uses the onboard memory, so my question is, would upgrading the RAM and adding a SSD actually increase the graphics capability of the machine, without having to change the video card?
The next question is which SSD should i go for (i never use my superdrive so am happy to remove it)
I don't play many computer games but i do watch a lot of HD movies and use the iMac to play them on a projector, so the video card thing is kinda important.
In a nutshell, with an unchanged, as it was when it left the factory iMac like mine, what would you do to try and get another few years out of it if you were on a budget? Am i looking in the right direction, or do you have a beeter idea?
Oh and finally, i have no issues with the teardown side of things, i've taken many computers apart in the past.
Thanks loads for any help you can give guys
Paul
OK, i have a late 2009 iMac, 21.5', 3.06 Ghz, 64bit with an Nvidia 9400 Geforce video card. It has a 500gb HDD. (Basically it's the entry level late 2009 iMac).
I have taken good care of it so would like to upgrade it as much as possible and maybe get another few years out of it rather than buy a new computer which i cant really afford at the moment
My first step is to buy either 2x, or 4x 4GB modules for a RAM upgrade, either for 12GB (2x2GB + 2x4GB) or 16GB (4x4GB).
These are the exact explanation of the parts on the website.
Crucial 4096MB Memory Module PC3-8500 1066MHz DDR3 Unbuffered Non-ECC CL7 204-pin SO-DIMM
This i realise is very easy to do, but if someone could just let me know i'm going in the right direction with this that would be great.
The big thing is a potential video card upgrade (if this is possible) vs installing a Solid State Drive.
I read somewhere that the Nvidia 9400 actually uses the onboard memory, so my question is, would upgrading the RAM and adding a SSD actually increase the graphics capability of the machine, without having to change the video card?
The next question is which SSD should i go for (i never use my superdrive so am happy to remove it)
I don't play many computer games but i do watch a lot of HD movies and use the iMac to play them on a projector, so the video card thing is kinda important.
In a nutshell, with an unchanged, as it was when it left the factory iMac like mine, what would you do to try and get another few years out of it if you were on a budget? Am i looking in the right direction, or do you have a beeter idea?
Oh and finally, i have no issues with the teardown side of things, i've taken many computers apart in the past.
Thanks loads for any help you can give guys
Paul
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