Installing iMac Intel 20" EMC 2133 and 2210 Video Card

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Replace a faulty video card to bring your iMac's graphics back up to speed.

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Add Note Edit Step 1 — Access Door  ¶ 

  • Loosen the single Phillips screw in the center of the access door.

  • This screw is captive in the access door.

  • Remove the access door from your iMac.

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Add Note Edit Step 2 — Glass Panel  ¶ 

  • The glass panel is fixed onto the front bezel with fourteen magnets around its perimeter.

  • Stick two suction cups to opposing corners of the glass panel.

  • To attach the suction cups we sell, first position the suction cup with the movable handle parallel to the face of the glass panel. While lightly holding the suction cup against the glass, raise the movable handle until it is parallel with the other handle.

  • If your suction cups refuse to stick, try cleaning both the glass panel and the suction cup with a mild solvent such as Windex.

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Add Note Edit Step 3  ¶ 

  • Gently pull the glass panel straight up off the iMac.

  • The glass panel has several positioning pins around its perimeter. To avoid shearing these pins off the glass panel, be sure to only pull straight up during removal.

  • Be meticulous about cleaning the LCD and the inside face of the glass panel before reinstallation, as any fingerprints or dust trapped inside will be annoyingly visible when the display is on.

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Add Note Edit Step 4 — Front Bezel  ¶ 

  • Remove the following 12 screws securing the front bezel to the rear case:

    • Eight 13 mm T8 Torx.

    • Four 25 mm T8 Torx.

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Add Note Edit Step 5  ¶ 

  • The front bezel is still attached to the iMac by the microphone cable.

  • Gently lift the front bezel from its top edge off the rear case. It helps to use your thumbs to push down very gently on the corners of the display.

  • Once the top edge of the front bezel has cleared the rear case, rotate the front bezel toward the stand and lift it off the rear case.

  • When reinstalling the front bezel, start at the lower edge and make sure it is flush with the rear case before lowering the top edge onto the iMac.

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Add Note Edit Step 6  ¶ 

  • Disconnect the microphone cable connector, removing tape as necessary.

  • For the front bezel to sit properly, be sure to tuck the microphone cable and connector into the void next to the camera board.

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Add Note Edit Step 7 — Display Panel  ¶ 

  • Pull the LCD temperature sensor connector straight up out of its socket on the logic board.

  • If necessary, de-route the LCD temperature sensor cable from behind the logic board.

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Add Note Edit Step 8  ¶ 

  • Remove the two 5.3 mm T6 Torx screws securing the data display cable to the logic board.

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Add Note Edit Step 9  ¶ 

  • Use the attached black tab to pull the data display cable connector away from the logic board.

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Add Note Edit Step 10  ¶ 

  • Remove the eight 12 mm T8 Torx screws securing the display panel to the rear case.

  • Lift the display panel from its left edge and rotate it toward the right edge of the iMac.

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Add Note Edit Step 11  ¶ 

  • With the display panel still lifted, disconnect the four inverter cables.

  • During reinstallation, place the four inverter cable connectors in voids between components attached to the rear panel so the display panel will sit flush.

  • During reassembly, the order of the inverter cables is interchangeable within each socket.

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Add Note Edit Step 12 — Left Speaker  ¶ 

  • Disconnect the left speaker cable connector from the audio board by pulling it straight away from its socket.

  • Pull the connector parallel to the face of the logic board.

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Add Note Edit Step 13  ¶ 

  • De-route the left speaker cable from the channel in the CPU fan. Continue completely de-routing the cable through the undersides of the IR board and heat sink.

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Add Note Edit Step 14  ¶ 

  • Disconnect the ambient temperature sensor cable by pulling its connector straight up off the logic board.

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Add Note Edit Step 15  ¶ 

  • If necessary, de-route the ambient temperature sensor cable from under the power button cables.

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Add Note Edit Step 16  ¶ 

  • Remove the single 28 mm T10 Torx screw securing the left speaker to the rear case.

  • Lift the left speaker up and out of the rear case. Don't try to slide the speaker out, since there is a plastic mounting pin under the top end of the speaker housing that holds it in place.

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Add Note Edit Step 17 — Logic Board  ¶ 

  • Disconnect the power button and CPU fan by lifting their connectors straight up off the logic board.

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Add Note Edit Step 18  ¶ 

  • Disconnect the SATA data cable from the logic board by carefully pulling it straight away from its socket.

  • The SATA connector on most iMacs tends to stick in its socket on the logic board. If you are having trouble disconnecting the SATA cable, insert a metal spudger or any other thin tool into the gap between the SATA connector and its socket and twist the spudger's shaft to safely separate the two pieces.

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Add Note Edit Step 19  ¶ 

  • Pull the SATA data cable out of its channel in the logic board and tuck it aside near the left edge of the rear case.

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Add Note Edit Step 20  ¶ 

  • Disconnect the DC-in cable by simultaneously depressing both locking arms and pulling its connector away from the socket on the logic board.

  • After both locking arms pass their retaining tabs, it is helpful to push them toward the left edge of your iMac with one hand while pulling on the body of the connector with your other hand.

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Add Note Edit Step 21  ¶ 

  • Use the flat end of a spudger to pry both AirPort antenna connectors up off the AirPort card.

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Add Note Edit Step 22  ¶ 

  • Move both AirPort antennas toward the lower edge of your iMac, out of the way of the logic board.

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Add Note Edit Step 23  ¶ 

  • Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the Bluetooth antenna connector up off the Bluetooth board.

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Add Note Edit Step 24  ¶ 

  • Pull the camera cable connector straight up out of its socket on the logic board.

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Add Note Edit Step 25  ¶ 

  • Pull the right speaker cable connector straight up out of its socket on the audio board.

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Add Note Edit Step 26  ¶ 

  • Remove the single 12 mm T10 Torx screw securing the right speaker to the rear case.

  • Lift the right speaker up and out of the rear case, to clear the plastic mounting pins underneath it.

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Add Note Edit Step 27  ¶ 

  • Lift the optical drive fan connector straight up out of its socket on the logic board.

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Add Note Edit Step 28  ¶ 

  • Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the optical drive cable clip up off the optical drive connector.

  • Lift the optical drive cable clip off the logic board.

  • During reinstallation, be sure the two raised bumps on the lower edge of the optical drive cable clip lock into the two voids on the underside of the optical drive socket.

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Add Note Edit Step 29  ¶ 

  • Push the optical drive cable connector toward the top of your iMac to disconnect it from the logic board.

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Add Note Edit Step 30  ¶ 

  • Lift the microphone cable connector straight up out of its socket on the audio board.

  • During reinstallation, ensure that the mic cable runs between the ODD fan and the board support. If the cable runs on the wrong side of the support, the cable will be too short to plug in.

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Add Note Edit Step 31  ¶ 

  • If necessary, remove the piece of tape securing the thermal sensor and fan cables to the chassis.

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Add Note Edit Step 32  ¶ 

  • Disconnect the following three cables from the logic board:

    • Hard drive thermal sensor.

    • Optical drive thermal sensor.

    • Hard drive fan.

  • When removing these connectors, it is helpful use your thumbnails to push the ears on either side of the connector toward the top of your iMac.

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Add Note Edit Step 33  ¶ 

  • Remove the following 13 screws securing the logic board to the rear case:

    • Six 7.2 mm coarse-thread T10 Torx.

    • Two 6.8 mm T8 Torx. When reinstalling these two screws, don't overtighten them, as the plastic tabs they hold down are thin and brittle, and can crack.

    • Three 7 mm fine-thread T10 Torx.

    • Two 24 mm T10 Torx.

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Add Note Edit Step 34  ¶ 

  • Lift the logic board out of the rear case, minding any cables that may get caught.

  • If the front edge of the logic board, under the RAM sockets, won't pull up, it's sticking on the three plastic mounting pins in the rear housing under this edge. Use a spudger under the front edge of the RAM sockets to gently push up on this edge until it clears these mounting pins.

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Add Note Edit Step 35 — Video Card  ¶ 

  • Disconnect the video card thermal sensor by pulling its connector away from the socket on the logic board.

  • Pull the connector parallel to the face of the logic board.

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Add Note Edit Step 36  ¶ 

  • Remove the two 5 mm T8 Torx screws securing the video card to the framework on the logic board.

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Add Note Edit Step 37  ¶ 

  • Remove the 4.3 mm T8 Torx screw securing the video card heat sink to the framework attached to the logic board.

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Add Note Edit Step 38  ¶ 

  • Gently lift the video card assembly from its top edge and rotate it slightly toward the center of the logic board.

  • The left edge of the video card heat sink tends to get caught on the processor heat sink.

  • Pull the video card away from its socket on the logic board.

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Add Note Edit Step 39  ¶ 

  • Remove the four 7.5 mm T10 Torx screws securing the heat sink to the video card.

  • It may be helpful to hold the socket from the other side of the video card with a Phillips screwdriver if the screws will not come out.

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Add Note Edit Step 40  ¶ 

  • Gently lift the video card off the video card heat sink.

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Add Note Edit Step 41  ¶ 

  • Lift the metal heat sink bracket off the video card.

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Add Note Edit Step 42  ¶ 

  • Video card remains.

  • Be sure to apply a new layer of thermal paste to the face of the graphics processor (shown in red).

  • We have a thermal paste guide that makes reapplying thermal compound simple.

  • Before reattaching your video card heat sink, use the flat end of a spudger to re-spread the thermal compound over the face of both video RAM chips (shown in green).

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

For more information, check out the iMac Intel 20" EMC 2133 and 2210 device page.

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