iMac Upgrade

[RapsacDK]

Hello,

I have the pleasure of telling my dad how to upgrade his 2009 iMac 27". He has tons of files on it, and he is complaining that it is getting slow.

At the moment he has 2x2GB=4GB RAM - but I would suggest using all slots to get 4x4GB=16GB RAM - which would help a lot.

I have successfully installed a SSD in my MacBook Pro (replacing the DVD drive) and would also recommend that. However, I don't know if the iMac has any open slots for SSD installation or would it be necessary to perform a similar solution (replacing an existing drive)?

Thanks in advance!
Caspar

 

[simsaladimbamba]

HDD replacement guide from iFixIt. It is not that easy and can take up to an hour, as the iMac was not made for customer modification.

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Maybe have a look at Advanced Search to find similar threads about 2009 iMacs and adding an SSD:

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[RapsacDK]

Thanks. But my question was not only on how to disassemble the iMac, but if there is a vacant slot for the SSD (if I want him to use both the SSD as well as the old one, however booting from the SSD) or if I had to replace ie. a DVD drive.

 

[simsaladimbamba]

Thanks. But my question was not only on how to disassemble the iMac, but if there is a vacant slot for the SSD (if I want him to use both the SSD as well as the old one, however booting from the SSD) or if I had to replace ie. a DVD drive.

Taking a look at that guide, then there is no visible space for an extra SSD like the current iMac offers.

You have to actually replace the HDD with an SSD.
I did so with my 2007 iMac and use an external Firewire 800 enclosure with two 1.5 TB HDD to house the big files, as the SSD is only 60 GB in size.

Again, the advanced search I linked to can help you find your answers, unless you don't mind waiting.

 

[Bear]

...
At the moment he has 2x2GB=4GB RAM - but I would suggest using all slots to get 4x4GB=16GB RAM - which would help a lot.
...

My suggestion would be to add 2x4GB (total of 12GB) first and see if that fixes the issue. For the vast majority of people who need more than 4GB, usually about 6 to 8GB will be enough. You can always go back and replace the original ram later if it turns out more is needed.

You can either replace the hard disk with an SSD or maybe a faster hard disk.

Two things to check. How full is the disk? if it's more than 90% full that can be slowing down the system. The other is how many things does he have on his Desktop? ideally you wan't very little stored there.