Amethyst1
macrumors G3
Then a MiniDP cable will do that. A FireWire one won’t! However, the iMac must be booted into macOS (High Sierra or older) for Target Display Mode to engage. So you need a working drive.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
HELP! 2009 iMac issues.
- Thread starter rwh63
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
TheShortTimer
macrumors 68040
When it comes to old tech, you'll usually end up having to spend a bit of money in some form or another. 😉
Personally I always factor that in when I'm dealing with retro gear: the price I've paid (or will have to pay) for the hardware and then any additional costs for new parts etc.
In your case, at least the iMac was free. 🙂
true! not sure what this machine with a new SSD would be worth (assuming all else is functioning properly). i might let my elderly parents use it since it would be much easier on their eyes than their laptop.
ok, so until an SSD install with an OS, i would have to use target mode/firewire for any display use.
Amethyst1
macrumors G3
If the screen is still good, I’d say 150 to 200 bucks. That’s also assuming the GPU is fine though.
Correct. You have to boot macOS on the iMac using another machine in Target Disk Mode via FireWire, then the iMac can act as a display via MiniDisplayPort.
TheShortTimer
macrumors 68040
I've just checked the eBay prices and that machine with a 1TB SSD upgrade fetches a pretty high price - so as @Amethyst1 has pointed out, if the GPU is ok, you'll have landed a steal. 😀
It's a nice feeling when you acquire hardware and instantly think of people around you who could benefit from it. 🙂
I collected a Mac Pro for one of my siblings and gave my mother a MacBook Air and an iPhone - both of which I'd purchased as faulty and repaired myself.
MBAir2010
macrumors G3
EugW
macrumors P6
Personally I'd just run some video benchmarks and if it survives that, I'd go ahead with the SSD install and hope for the best*. 😀 Remember, if it does eventually die, you can always just remove the SSD later and use it for something else.
BTW, my own 2010 27" i7 iMac is working great with no problems, but I only installed a 250 GB SSD in it. It's a secondary machine and I just so happened to have an unused Samsung 850 EVO 250 GB lying around, so that's what I used. Currently it still has 225 GB available out of 250, since my family mainly just uses it for surfing and email.
Come to think of it, if you don't want to invest too much into this machine, you could just get a lower end 240-256 GB SSD like the Crucial BX500 (US$35) or even something like the Lexar NQ100 (US$25). Or if you want more space, the 480 GB models go for $55 and $45 respectively.
These are DRAM-less models, but they would be fine for this purpose. I've not personally used the Lexar, but several people on Amazon.com say it works fine on their older MacBook Pros. However, I have used a Crucial BX500 in my Mac Pro for a while and now I'm using that BX500 in a 2008 MacBook, both with good results. IIRC, I believe @Amethyst1 also uses this drive in a Mac.
*However, I wouldn't necessarily try to use it for anything super GPU-heavy. The machine is kinda too old for that anyway. As long as it can surf, play YouTube video, and do other mainstream consumer type stuff without freaking out, I'd take that as a garbage dumpster diving win.
BTW, my own 2010 27" i7 iMac is working great with no problems, but I only installed a 250 GB SSD in it. It's a secondary machine and I just so happened to have an unused Samsung 850 EVO 250 GB lying around, so that's what I used. Currently it still has 225 GB available out of 250, since my family mainly just uses it for surfing and email.
Come to think of it, if you don't want to invest too much into this machine, you could just get a lower end 240-256 GB SSD like the Crucial BX500 (US$35) or even something like the Lexar NQ100 (US$25). Or if you want more space, the 480 GB models go for $55 and $45 respectively.
These are DRAM-less models, but they would be fine for this purpose. I've not personally used the Lexar, but several people on Amazon.com say it works fine on their older MacBook Pros. However, I have used a Crucial BX500 in my Mac Pro for a while and now I'm using that BX500 in a 2008 MacBook, both with good results. IIRC, I believe @Amethyst1 also uses this drive in a Mac.
*However, I wouldn't necessarily try to use it for anything super GPU-heavy. The machine is kinda too old for that anyway. As long as it can surf, play YouTube video, and do other mainstream consumer type stuff without freaking out, I'd take that as a garbage dumpster diving win.
Amethyst1
macrumors G3
thx for the suggestions. being a free device, i don't mind putting a higher quality HD in. and 1T seems to be attractive if it ever gets sold. buy once cry once! and i prefer to do surgery only once.
as for the pink lines/gpu, what are the options if this becomes an issue? they have not returned.
Amethyst1
macrumors G3
Depends on what the cause of the issue is. If it's just the solder balls becoming loose, resoldering them with the proper equipment should fix it. If it's the actual GPU failing, you'll have to replace it. This is possible since your iMac does have the GPU on a removable MXM “daughterboard.”
Last edited:
EugW
macrumors P6
For a machine like this on the used market, nobody cares what SSD is in it. They just care that it is an SSD and it works.
Amethyst1
macrumors G3
EugW
macrumors P6
Well they do care about size of course. 🙂
Amethyst1
macrumors G3
well, my thinking right now is that if i can replace the HD, and it works well over several weeks, i want the replacement SSD to be high quality. i can't know right now how everything else will be, but fingers crossed. in life, i like to use high quality replacement parts, even if i am going to sell it. karma, maybe.
EugW
macrumors P6
Well, DRAM-less drives from big name companies are high quality, with good quality manufacturing, and high quality flash. However, they aren't as fast in some situations as higher end models from the same companies, and may have lower endurance specifications.
For example, Crucial is the retail arm of Micron, so all the chips on both the MX500 (SSD with DRAM) and the BX500 (SSD without DRAM) use Micron chips. However, the endurance for the 500 GB MX500 is 180 Total Bytes Written or 98 GB per day for 5 years, vs. the 480 GB BX500's 120 TBW or 65 GB per day for 5 years.
However, generally these are very, very conservative estimates. Name brand drives often last much, much longer than their TBW ratings. Furthermore, a light user of an older machine (ie. not editing 4K video or whatever) might only use 5-10 GB per day or even less.
I just purchased a used 2015 MacBook Pro near the end of 2021. Its drive was manufactured 2016-03 and it only had 4.4 TBW. That works out about 2 GB per day. I also purchased a 2017 MacBook Air last month which had 9.1 TBW. It was an Apple refurb originally purchased in 2019 but I'm thinking the drive may be older. However, even if we were to assume the drive were brand new in 2019, that would still be in the 10 GB per day range. OTOH, I did purchase a used SSD that was manufactured in 2015-3 and it had about 100 TBW, which works out to about 40 GB per day.
tl;dr:
The 120 TBW endurance rating of a 480 GB Crucial BX500 is not going to be an issue for 99% of users of a 2009 iMac harvested from the dump.
but, you still are advising??: I wouldn't spend too much money, so I might recommend something like a 500 GB Crucial MX500 for US$57 with 2.5" to 3.5" drive adapter, optical drive temperature sensor cable, and suction cups. I'm assuming you already have the requisite screwdrivers.
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
EugW
macrumors P6
I’m just saying that the BX500 is also a good option for that machine if you want to save a few bucks. In retrospect the MX500 may be better suited for a more recent machine which would see heavier usage.
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
i'll try to stick to the MX. probably buy at best buy. sensor and bracket ordered on amazon. hopefully i will be able to do the operation by the end of the week.
TheShortTimer
macrumors 68040