The first Teardown pics are here!

[Kmad86]

And to void your warranty, I presume.

There's no nice way to say this. If you're not brushed up on your warranty laws then please don't give me your input on what I do with my computer. You're putting a bad taste in others mouth with the new imac making people think apple is going to turn their backs on them because they upgrade their hard drive.

My warranty on my jeep was voided because I "modified it" when I put a winch on there. "

Sorry Buddy, were not going to replace that headlight out. You put a damn winch on there and modified your jeep from its original state"


Here's a computer tailored link to M-M Act.
http://www.kingston.com/us/company/magnusonmoss

....sure if you're wreckless and damage the parts it's different but somebody with some simple skills and that's carefull has nothing to be afraid of.

 

[pubjoe]

I presume.

Yes, you do.

 

[R.OG]

OWC Memory Upgrade kit for 2012 imac

Looks like OWC is now offering a 2012 21.5" upgrade kit that comes with foam tape. I would love to know what kind of tape they are using.

http://blog.macsales.com/16104-owc-...e-diy-kit-for-2012-21-5-apple-imac#more-16104

 

[WilliamG]

Looks like OWC is now offering a 2012 21.5" upgrade kit that comes with foam tape. I would love to know what kind of tape they are using.

http://blog.macsales.com/16104-owc-...e-diy-kit-for-2012-21-5-apple-imac#more-16104

Nice find. I'd also like to know about the tape!

 

[Johnf1285]

This is good to hear. I knew it was only a matter of time before a kit would be released.

 

[HunterMaximus]

OWC hasn't been great about sharing some of their less obvious discoveries in the past. I believe they've previously withheld a method of avoiding the third party drive fan issue in 2011 iMacs.

 

[maxira]

but if you use the velcro rather than double-sided?
http://www.multipino.com/offer530547.html

 

[peskeguy]

CPU Upgrade (This will defiantly void the warranty on the logic board)
I decided to buy this machine from my friend and I am going to attempt to install an intel i7 3770s very soon. If the cpu upgrade works I will cancel my order for a maxed out 27”.

Hey R.OG, have you had a chance to test out the i7 upgrade yet? Thanks for all the valuable info you've provided us all so far!

 

[Gelite55]

Hey R.OG, have you had a chance to test out the i7 upgrade yet? Thanks for all the valuable info you've provided us all so far!

It would be smarter to just pay extra and have everything you want from factory than attempting this.

 

[R.OG]

Hey R.OG, have you had a chance to test out the i7 upgrade yet? Thanks for all the valuable info you've provided us all so far!

I decided to stick with a 27" so i did not get a chance to upgrade the cpu. I was able to upgrade the cpu on the 27" so i don't see why the 3770s won't work on a base 21.5".

 

[giampablo]

Hi R.Og,
so, in the basic 21" iMac there is not the connector for the blade SSD drive, just the traces.
I may presume that the high end 21" has the connector (with or without fusion).
Anyhow, even if there is no reason Apple does not provide it, I've not yet seen any teardown of the higher 21" iMac without fusion, so we cannot be definitely 100% sure the connector is there, as shown in your base 27" teardown.

My question:
Is the connector in the 27" iMac soldered to the board or can we dream and it is pluggable in some way?

Here in Italy the base 2012 iMac is 223 euros (not 100$) more than 2011 iMac and I do not want to pay 1829€ (about 2420$...) just for the luxury of having a fusion drive

 

[Vedia]

Min 15:15, Which adhesive tape is that?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8Tuq373wPs

 

[R.OG]

Hi R.Og,
so, in the basic 21" iMac there is not the connector for the blade SSD drive, just the traces.
I may presume that the high end 21" has the connector (with or without fusion).
Anyhow, even if there is no reason Apple does not provide it, I've not yet seen any teardown of the higher 21" iMac without fusion, so we cannot be definitely 100% sure the connector is there, as shown in your base 27" teardown.

My question:
Is the connector in the 27" iMac soldered to the board or can we dream and it is pluggable in some way?

Here in Italy the base 2012 iMac is 223 euros (not 100$) more than 2011 iMac and I do not want to pay 1829€ (about 2420$...) just for the luxury of having a fusion drive

Hey giampablo, unfortunately the plug for the blade ssd is soldered on. The solder pads are present so it might be possible to solder a connector to the board if you are feeling gutsy.

----------

Min 15:15, Which adhesive tape is that?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8Tuq373wPs

Looks like the same 3m 4926 tape i've been using. I was hoping they would be able to source the original apple tape.

 

[Alekto]

I'm thinking of grabbing the base 21 inch model and upgrading the HDD and CPU myself. Xeon E5 parts fit, and there are some low wattage parts available. Crazy idea or doable?

 

[giampablo]

Hey giampablo, unfortunately the plug for the blade ssd is soldered on. The solder pads are present so it might be possible to solder a connector to the board if you are feeling gutsy.

Well, I should find the right connector, understand the schematics, learn how to solder... too much for me.
What drives me crazy is that Apple, the company that first pushed SSD in Macbook Air, will offer fusion drives as a standard in next iterations of iMacs when they should have been standard in Late 2012 iMacs.

I will just upgrade HDD to 256 Gb SDD and use the 1Tb HDD in an external enclosure for Time machine backups, or will wait a year and upgrade to 512 SDD with more reasonable prices.

 

[Nclee]

Is it fine to use the iMac (after the ssd installation) without passing the AHT? Will it damage other hardware in the Mac?

 

[Nclee]

Bump...

 

[pubjoe]

No it won't damage anything.

 

[iMartijn]

AppleComponents.com is the place for original VHB replacement kits:

Starter Kit, LCD Display Panel, 076-1416, iMac (21.5-inch, late 2012) and iMac (27-inch, late 2012) $139.00

076-1416 Kit, Start, LCD Display Panel
- Display removal tool handle (1)
- Display removal wheels (8)
- VHB strips (for both models)
- Service wedge, iMac


Display Refill Kit, Very Hign Bond, VHB, 5-piece set, 20-pack, 076-1422, iMac (21.5-inch) $109.00

076-1422 Kit, Display Refill
- Display Removal Tool (1)
- VHB Strips (20-pack)
- Display removal wheels (20)

 

[jmpage2]

AppleComponents.com is the place for original VHB replacement kits:

Starter Kit, LCD Display Panel, 076-1416, iMac (21.5-inch, late 2012) and iMac (27-inch, late 2012) $139.00

076-1416 Kit, Start, LCD Display Panel
- Display removal tool handle (1)
- Display removal wheels (8)
- VHB strips (for both models)
- Service wedge, iMac


Display Refill Kit, Very Hign Bond, VHB, 5-piece set, 20-pack, 076-1422, iMac (21.5-inch) $109.00

076-1422 Kit, Display Refill
- Display Removal Tool (1)
- VHB Strips (20-pack)
- Display removal wheels (20)

I ordered 076-1416 and have the four 21.5 adhesive kits plus wheels available as extras (I have a 27" on order). See my thread in the marketplace for details.

Assuming you have these parts, disassembly actually looks easier to me than previous generation Macs. Fewer interfaces between screen and logic board, no screws next to powerful magnets, etc. Should be a piece of cake assuming you take your time and have the needed skills and tools.

 

[hfg]

I ordered 076-1416 and have the four 21.5 adhesive kits plus wheels available as extras (I have a 27" on order). See my thread in the marketplace for details.

Assuming you have these parts, disassembly actually looks easier to me than previous generation Macs. Fewer interfaces between screen and logic board, no screws next to powerful magnets, etc. Should be a piece of cake assuming you take your time and have the needed skills and tools.

Haha ... that drove me nuts! Those super-magnets right next to the screw hole would always snap the screw out of my fingers/screwdriver as I got near them. And good luck if it fell down inside the iMac and was hidden/held by one.

I actually think that after a repair tech has done a couple, that the adhesive tape closure will be found to be easier and faster than the older method. It is probably more efficient for production as well.

 

[jediDev]

I ordered 076-1416 and have the four 21.5 adhesive kits plus wheels available as extras (I have a 27" on order). See my thread in the marketplace for details.

Assuming you have these parts, disassembly actually looks easier to me than previous generation Macs. Fewer interfaces between screen and logic board, no screws next to powerful magnets, etc. Should be a piece of cake assuming you take your time and have the needed skills and tools.

If you had to do it again, would you order the kit you got, or the one with just the adhesive (and use your own tools for opening up the iMac).

Also, do you know what the foam wedge referenced in the kit description is for? Was it useful?

 

[jmpage2]

If you had to do it again, would you order the kit you got, or the one with just the adhesive (and use your own tools for opening up the iMac).

Also, do you know what the foam wedge referenced in the kit description is for? Was it useful?

I actually didn't end up doing the screen removal since I found a Mac with Fusion drive locally and am more than happy with the performance.

The foam wedge is for security the screen of the mac so that it's not free to pivot around while you are removing the screen.

The handle that the cutting wheels snap into could be replaced with an improvised tool like a large paper clip (there's a hole in the cutting wheel).

If you are in the US I am parting the kit out now so send me a PM.

 

[jediDev]

I actually didn't end up doing the screen removal since I found a Mac with Fusion drive locally and am more than happy with the performance.

The foam wedge is for security the screen of the mac so that it's not free to pivot around while you are removing the screen.

The handle that the cutting wheels snap into could be replaced with an improvised tool like a large paper clip (there's a hole in the cutting wheel).

If you are in the US I am parting the kit out now so send me a PM.

Thx. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to bust this one open or just get another machine and sell this one.

 

[phillipteeth]

iMac (27-inch, Late 2012) adhesive strips for cheap!! finally ..

http://applecomponents.com/items/07...ll-kit/0000005609?pn=1&s=076-1419&per_page=30

----------

yeah I'm not for voiding my warranty on a new machine...if this wasn't the first model of a new design then yes....I figured apple would have gone this route with some type of adhesive. They started doing that with iPads and retina macbook...to good to be true.

http://applecomponents.com/items/07...ll-kit/0000005609?pn=1&s=076-1419&per_page=30