Opening up 27" iMac to clean out dust

[Regulus67]

Sorry, are you saying that the fan shown in this OWC photo was not in your iMac?

No, of course it was. But I rebuilt, or converted is probably a better wording, the iMac two years ago. And I haven't searched through all my old computer parts that are stored away, to find it.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/diy-5k-monitor-success.2253100/post-32420917

My iMac Pro

iMac Pro will not start after rebuild

I purchased an iMac Pro recently, and the exhaust air was warmer than my other iMac Pro. So I decided to open it up and clean it up, with new cooling paste, while I was at it. In addition, I also installed larger SSDs, going from 2TB to 4TB. As expected there was some dust, but not to bad...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[ignatius345]

The SSD blade is on the back facing side, right above the ethernet port. Cannot be replaced without removing the logic board as well.

There's a great wiki thread here on exactly this topic:

A list of successful iMac 27" (2012-2019) SSD upgrades

Here you can find and discuss all the collected knowledge regarding upgrading the HDD, blade SSD and CPU of a 27" iMac 2012-2019, as well as a list of performed upgrades. Here is a list of all 27" iMac models subjected in this thread: Late 2012 - 13.2 - MD095LL/A (2.9Ghz i5-3470S, HDD only /...

forums.macrumors.com

I did not have patience to do all that careful sourcing and install work, so I settled on just replacing the SATA HDD with a SATA SSD (easy and cheap) and called it a day. Was a big improvement over the Fusion Drive, and I got a couple more years out of it before caving and getting an M1 iMac.

 

[Nermal]

Having opened mine (2020) up today to replace the fan, I never want to open it up again. It took me more than 90 minutes to get the screen off, because the cutting wheel didn't cut through some of the foam but just compacted it in a couple of places, making the screen stick there. Nightmare.

I mentioned the bottom air filter/grille the other day. Even with the screen off, most of it's blocked by the logic board. Pulling that out as well is a very laborious exercise.

 

[ADGrant]

Having opened mine (2020) up today to replace the fan, I never want to open it up again. It took me more than 90 minutes to get the screen off, because the cutting wheel didn't cut through some of the foam but just compacted it in a couple of places, making the screen stick there. Nightmare.

I mentioned the bottom air filter/grille the other day. Even with the screen off, most of it's blocked by the logic board. Pulling that out as well is a very laborious exercise.

We have another three years or so before the 2020 iMacs have no macOS support. I am planning not to remove the screen on mine for those last three years.

 

[Nermal]

I didn't plan to open mine either, until the fan failed.

 

[Regulus67]

I didn't plan to open mine either, until the fan failed.

I purchased Canopus 3M Double Sided Heavy Duty Mounting Foam Tape to test if that is better than the iFixIt tape.
It is thicker, and I hope it will be easier to cut through.
My plan is to cut a shorter length, apply it, and cut. To test how it works.

 

[Nermal]

I purchased Canopus 3M Double Sided Heavy Duty Mounting Foam Tape to test if that is better than the iFixIt tape.
It is thicker, and I hope it will be easier to cut through.
My plan is to cut a shorter length, apply it, and cut. To test how it works.

I went with Amazon this time, but I suspect it's the same stuff that iFixit supplies. Despite claiming compatibility with the 2020 model they have the same issue as the iFixit strips where you need to make an extra cutout for the second mic.

 

[Regulus67]

I went with Amazon this time, but I suspect it's the same stuff that iFixit supplies. Despite claiming compatibility with the 2020 model they have the same issue as the iFixit strips where you need to make an extra cutout for the second mic.

It sure looks like iFixIt tape. Probably the same manufacturer, with different brand

 

[PaulD-UK]

If you feel the screen glass—chin interface on an Apple-built 27" iMac there is virtually no change in the level of the glass and the aluminium of the chin.
None of the 5K displays with replaced adhesive strips feel like this – the replacement strips are always thinner, so I can feel the glass is set back.

I'm trying to find a source of strips with the correct thickness.

 

[ADGrant]

I didn't plan to open mine either, until the fan failed.

Hopefully that won't happen to mine, if it does I guess I will be paying to have someone else fix it.