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Mid 2007 iMac Max Ram?

Sandman1969

Sandman1969

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 5, 2007
684
0
I was looking at macsales for memory for our new iMacs which are on their way here and noticed that it says the Mid 2007 iMacs we have can support 6GB RAM.

I thought I saw an apple page that lists all the iMacs and what the supported RAM was. The 2007 was max 4GB.

Is Macsales correct? It says it can hold 1 4GB chip and 1 2GB chip.

Not a huge deal as the kids should be fine with 4GB. They are getting our old iMacs.

Here is page on Apple.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3011
Here is the page on macsales
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/apple/memory/iMac/Intel_Core_2_Duo
 
Sandman1969 said:
I was looking at macsales for memory for our new iMacs which are on their way here and noticed that it says the Mid 2007 iMacs we have can support 6GB RAM.

I thought I saw an apple page that lists all the iMacs and what the supported RAM was. The 2007 was max 4GB.

Is Macsales correct? It says it can hold 1 4GB chip and 1 2GB chip.

Not a huge deal as the kids should be fine with 4GB. They are getting our old iMacs.

Here is page on Apple.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3011
Here is the page on macsales
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/apple/memory/iMac/Intel_Core_2_Duo
Click to expand...

I am writing this from my mid 2007 24" iMac with 6GB of RAM, need any more information?
 
rkaufmann87 said:
I am writing this from my mid 2007 24" iMac with 6GB of RAM, need any more information?
Click to expand...

Cool thanks! So it can reference a single 4GB but not 2 of them? A little odd. I guess the 2008 Core 2 Duos with the nvidia chipset went to 8gb. See a lot of conflicting info even with Intel's chipset descriptions.

Even the Understanding Intel MAC Ram here doesn't show an iMAC with 6GB, though it is the exact Santa Rosa chipset that is in the MacBooks which do 6GB. Maybe the link is out of date.

http://guides.macrumors.com/Understanding_Intel_Mac_RAM

Guess I could bump these up to 6GB since Memory is relatively cheap.

Could you cut and paste your Hardware Overview, minus the serial number of course?

Mine is :
iMac
24-inch Mid 2007
Model Name: iMac
Model Identifier: iMac7,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.8 GHz
Number of Processors: 1
Total Number of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 4 MB
Memory: 4 GB
Bus Speed: 800 MHz
Boot ROM Version: IM71.007A.B03
SMC Version (system): 1.21f4

Thanks!
 
Sandman1969 said:
Could you cut and paste your Hardware Overview, minus the serial number of course?

Mine is :
iMac
24-inch Mid 2007
Model Name: iMac
Model Identifier: iMac7,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.8 GHz
Number of Processors: 1
Total Number of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 4 MB
Memory: 4 GB
Bus Speed: 800 MHz
Boot ROM Version: IM71.007A.B03
SMC Version (system): 1.21f4

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Hardware Overview:

Model Name: iMac
Model Identifier: iMac7,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.8 GHz
Number of Processors: 1
Total Number of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 4 MB
Memory: 6 GB
Bus Speed: 800 MHz
Boot ROM Version: IM71.007A.B03
SMC Version (system): 1.21f4
 
rkaufmann87 said:
Hardware Overview:

Model Name: iMac
Model Identifier: iMac7,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.8 GHz
Number of Processors: 1
Total Number of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 4 MB
Memory: 6 GB
Bus Speed: 800 MHz
Boot ROM Version: IM71.007A.B03
SMC Version (system): 1.21f4
Click to expand...

Great Thanks! We have the exact computer.
 
HEllo guys, can anyone tell me if this ram:
Module Size: 4GB
Package: 200-pin SODIMM
Feature: DDR2 PC2-5300
Specs: DDR2 PC2-5300 • CL=5 • Unbuffered • NON-ECC • DDR2-667 • 1.8V • 512Meg x 64 •

Will be good for my Imac 7,1 24" 2.4ghz 2007???
 
rkaufmann87 said:
I am writing this from my mid 2007 24" iMac with 6GB of RAM, need any more information?
Click to expand...

Was there any noticeable performance increase when you went from 4gb to 6gb? I'm running Yosemite on the same iMac and it's almost unusable. SO slow...
 
henrod said:
Was there any noticeable performance increase when you went from 4gb to 6gb? I'm running Yosemite on the same iMac and it's almost unusable. SO slow...
Click to expand...

Not a huge amount but I did see it.

Your performance issues could be due to other circumstances and not just the RAM. Perhaps you could post an EtreCheck report of your system and we can look for obvious issues going on with your system.

If you aren't aware of EtreCheck, please Google it and then post the report in your reply.
 
henrod said:
Was there any noticeable performance increase when you went from 4gb to 6gb? I'm running Yosemite on the same iMac and it's almost unusable. SO slow...
Click to expand...

I have only 3GB of Ram in my iMac 20" 2007 Mid and it running Yosemite alright, can be a bit slow but usable.
 
I have a 2007 with 4 GB running 10.11.6 (El Capitan) and it’s unusable. It takes minutes to bring up System Preferences, and Safari won’t even launch. Yet “top” shows the CPU 90+% idle.

EDIT: My earlier rant on the situation was premature, as removing the hard drive has revealed significant squirrelyness.
 
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MobiusStrip said:
I have a 2007 with 4 GB running 10.11.6 (El Capitan) and it’s unusable. It takes minutes to bring up System Preferences, and Safari won’t even launch. Yet “top” shows the CPU 90+% idle.

There’s no excuse for it. I don’t care how old the system is; an OS that can’t even raise a menu in 4GB is a bloated hog and a testament to lazy programming.
Click to expand...

You are jumping to conclusions and as a software engineer it's very irritating to read.

The likely cause of your problem is the age of the hardware. Things deteriorate over time, and the likely cause for the slow performance of your iMac is the age of the hard drive. They become slower over time and no amount of perfection in the manufacturing process of hard drives can prevent that.

If you were to replace it with an SSD, you would notice a significant difference in performance.
 
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MobiusStrip said:
I have a 2007 with 4 GB running 10.11.6 (El Capitan) and it’s unusable. It takes minutes to bring up System Preferences, and Safari won’t even launch. Yet “top” shows the CPU 90+% idle.

There’s no excuse for it. I don’t care how old the system is; an OS that can’t even raise a menu in 4GB is a bloated hog and a testament to lazy programming.
Click to expand...

So you're saying that there's "no excuse" for an 11 year old computer to run slower, especially with an operating system version that didn't even exist when the computer was manufactured? You don't say what's in your machine but you're probably a good 6-8 years past the useful life of the original hard drive and you can cheaply increase your RAM by 50%. So if you're going to use a relatively modern version of OSX in an 11 year-old computer, put in a new SSD, upgrade to 6GB of RAM, then report back.
 
Yes, my rant was off-base, although I would stand by it if indeed the OS were to blame; all kinds of computers are loaded and running quite well with OSes that didn't even exist when they were made. Hell, my 27" 5K iMac is several major OS versions beyond its manufacture and working just fine. With a 10-year-old computer I would expect crappy performance when actually taxed, but not essentially idling.

Anyway... removing the hard drive and testing it has revealed some serious and sudden squirrelyness that caused the torpor. I'm considering putting an SSD in, but then I might reserve that for another old machine I have in the repair queue with an apparent bad drive: a 27-inch mid-2011 iMac that offers a lot more potential than this one.

Thanks for the replies.
 
MobiusStrip said:
Yes, my rant was off-base, although I would stand by it if indeed the OS were to blame; all kinds of computers are loaded and running quite well with OSes that didn't even exist when they were made. Hell, my 27" 5K iMac is several major OS versions beyond its manufacture and working just fine. I would expect crappy performance when actually taxed, but not essentially idling.

Anyway... removing the hard drive and testing it has revealed some serious and sudden squirrelyness that caused the torpor. I'm considering putting an SSD in, but then I might reserve that for another old machine I have in the repair queue with an apparent bad drive: a 27-inch mid-2011 iMac that offers a lot more potential than this one.

Thanks for the replies.
Click to expand...

I also have a 2007 iMac. Aside from what you want to do with the 2011 machine, you can get a smallish SSD for the 2007 for under $80 that will make it fully functional for many purposes. And don't underestimate the benefit of upgrading the RAM to 6GB. My 2007 with those additions is a snappy machine most of the time, other than with software that really hogs resources (like Parallels and virtual machines). Actually, I stayed with the 2007 as long as I could, because I really do like the 24" size display. I ended up getting a new 27" because the 21 was too small, but the 24 was the sweet spot for me.
 
Thanks. I might put the SSD in and get a different one for the 27".

I have also ordered some parts (including a T9500 CPU) to update the 2007 so I can run the current OS (albeit with a hacked installer). I also got a (required) new Wi-Fi card and adapter for it and the antenna cables. We'll see how that goes! I guess I better put the SSD in if I expect it to be functional.
 
That's interesting since I have already ordered, and received, the SAME parts (although with the T9300), for the same purpose, and they're sitting here, since I have yet to muster the courage to undertake the project. I'm no stranger to computer surgery, have built and repaired many Windows PC's in the past, and have already replaced the drive in my 2007 twice, yet for some reason I think that this elderly patient will have a greater chance of dying on the table than most... :)
 
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Trebuin said:
the 2007 is pretty sturdy minus the camera.
Click to expand...

That's true, but have you seen the procedure to replace the CPU? Removal of about 18 screws, at least one of the speakers, the whole motherboard, you have to unscrew and pry off the entire heat piping assembly, then pry out the CPU, then of course get it all back together. Looks like a PITA. Btw, I have the 2007 service manual if you need it.
 
mreg376 said:
That's true, but have you seen the procedure to replace the CPU? Removal of about 18 screws, at least one of the speakers, the whole motherboard, you have to unscrew and pry off the entire heat piping assembly, then pry out the CPU, then of course get it all back together. Looks like a PITA. Btw, I have the 2007 service manual if you need it.
Click to expand...
I recommend getting some wide masking tape to hold the screws...label where they came from. Also, have a lot of space.
 
I did a bunch of that to get the drive out anyway (like the speaker nonsense). Not too worried about it, but the max of 6 GB RAM has me wondering if I should even bother.

I discovered that the 2011 27" iMac I have is dead because of the ubiquitous GPU failure, which also just killed my 2011 MacBook Pro. Now I have no laptop and no prospects for one from Apple, since their current lineup is embarrassing, shoddily-made garbage.

So I have a giant iMac with a dead GPU... if anyone has suggestions on what to do with it, I'll take 'em!
 
OK guys, so I just did this upgrade. Replaced the CPU with a T9500, and the Wi-Fi card with the more modern one on an adapter board and antenna adapters, and took the original Bluetooth board out. Also replaced the hard drive with an SSD.

Now it will boot from the Snow Leopard installer disc... which says the OS can't be installed on this computer. This is annoying, and not a reported side effect of this modification. I will now make a bootable El Capitan thumbdrive and see what happens there.

Anybody know why Snow Leopard won't install? That would've installed on the stock config.
 
Hmmm. That's annoying. My thought is that maybe you tried to do too much at once. You may be better off first just replacing the SSD, reinstalling the original CPU. Snow Leopard should install with no problem. Then after you have Snow Leopard up and running, change the CPU and wifi board. Then you should be able to run the patch and install High Sierra... ?
 
Heh, well that's not likely! I just reassembled everything but the bezel.

I'm creating an El Capital installer thumbdrive right now. If that won't work, I'll try to make a patched High Sierra installer.

If that won't work, then yes, I suppose I'll put everything back to stock and that'll be that.

Would've been nice if someone had documented this roadblock.
[doublepost=1536107181][/doublepost]UPDATE: The El Capitan installer will run and doesn't reject the computer, but it refuses to install on the SSD. The SSD is freshly formatted with HFS+. No idea WTF it's complaining about, but so far this upgrade is useless.
 
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