Tools
Parts
No parts required.
Introduction
Use this guide to replace the GPU card.
-
Lay your iMac face-down on a soft, clean surface as shown.
-
Loosen the three Phillips screws securing the access door to the bottom edge of your iMac.
-
Remove the access door.
-
Gently slide the black plastic RAM pull tab out from the RAM slot.
-
Pull the black plastic tab away from the bottom edge of the iMac to eject the module(s) on that side of the RAM bay.
i pulled very hard on this tab, could not get it to release?
is this common?
It is far harder than I thought you have to pull REALLY hard and then there will be a little click and than you can gently pull out the RAM.
-
Slide the old RAM module(s) out of their slots in the RAM bay and set them aside.
-
Repeat the process in the previous steps to remove the RAM module(s) from the other side of the RAM bay.
-
Be sure the small notch cut into each RAM module (shown in the first picture) mates with the protrusion in each RAM slot (shown in the second picture).
When reinstalling RAM in this machine or any iMac with upgradable RAM slots push hard to get them to go in (Apple really did make this one harder than it needed to be). If you don't push hard it won't go in and your computer won't work. (trust me on this learned the hard way)
-
Stick a suction cup near each of the two top corners of the glass panel.
-
If your suction cups refuse to stick, try cleaning both the glass panel and the suction cup with a mild solvent.
Change "Before beginning, unplug your iMac and lay it on a soft surface as shown." to "Lay your iMac on a soft surface as shown"
imac 2544 2.5 core i5 i touched the motherboard to supply and it spark now it is not powering
please tell me the directions
thanks witting for answering .
Im sorry to say, If it sparked when you touched it your motherboard s now fried. You need a new one.
Success replacing the stock ST31000528AS with a STBD3000100 (Dead 1TB to new 3TB, both Seagate). First try. Using another Mac and a quality Firewire 800 cable, I formatted it using Target Disk mode, 2 partitions (defaults, except I made the first one bigger than the second). To the second, smaller one, I copied a bootable Install OS X Mavericks partition. Tried to boot. It booted, and I installed; nary a glitch. (Running the Installer over Firewire would have been faster, but I didn't want to reboot this machine.)
See part 2 below...
(Part 2:)
I SKIPPED steps 6, 7 AND 8! Instead, after doing Step 5, I noticed I then had enough room and cable length to access the screws in Step 11 if I lifted the LCD up an inch or so, rotated it about 20-30 degrees clockwise and moved it a couple inches toward the base, and put it down. After removing them (Step 11), I propped up the LCD (with a spare spudger) and had enough room to do Steps 12, 13, and 14 without much difficulty. Felt safer/less work and risk than not skipping steps 6-8. No risk of the damage Ersan and Michael caused performing Step 7!
I just edited that step to add a note about the shortcut.
What the ???
Geoff Wacker has REJECTED my edit: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/history/ste...
I wonder why. What's the deal, Geoff? I mean I'd understand if I suggested folks didn't need the suction cups, as that could cut into iFixit's income stream, but what's wrong with suggesting that a few steps aren't needed? It worked for me; the EMC 2389 I fixed is humming along with a new 3TB HD I installed while skipping those steps.
I did not have to remove a single cable! After undoing the torx screws from the sides, I was able to rotate the LCD out of the way enough to reach all the screws holding in the ODD bracket. One of them was a bit challenging to get to, but I never felt that I was risking the cables by leaving them connected. Also, it wasn't totally clear, but you have to actually remove the ODD itself from the ODD bracket - 4 torx screws. The SDD mounts into the hard drive enclosure, then the enclosure is screwed into the bracket. Those holes (enclosure <-> Bracket) did not line up correctly for me, and I had to go with only three of them connected in the end. Seems to work fine.
Another comment on DATA & LCD Temp. Sensor cables: I had to remove the vertical sync, and the backlight cable, however, if you have an assistant or/can carefully rotate the screen clockwise/and then have it held up about 5" to 6" at a slight angle, you do not need to remove LCD data cable or LCD thermal cable, however - IMPORTANT: you must have a second pair of hands/or way to securely prop up the LCD. Also, don't rotate too much, since then you will pull out LCD data cable, and it renders the whole exercise moot, or can damage the cable or connector.
You don't need suction cups. The screen, held by magnets, can simply be pried off using a very thin blade such as a screw driver and fingers.
That's a bad idea. using a metal tool to pry off glass is likely to end with an expensive broken front glass.
Suction cups are common. Find a couple and do it the safe way. I use some cheap ones that came with iPhone repair kit.
-
Gently lift the glass panel perpendicular to the face of the LCD enough to clear the steel mounting pins attached along the underside of the top edge of the glass panel.
-
Pull the glass panel away from the lower edge of the iMac and carefully set it aside.
What's the best product to clean the face of the LCD?
Microfiber Cloth
-
Remove the eight 8 mm T10 Torx screws securing the display to the outer case.
-
Slightly lift the top edge of the display out of the outer case.
After sliding the display slightly towards the top edge, enough for the bottom edge to clear the retainers, an alternative is to raise the bottom edge out. Then unplug the LED backlight power cable (this step + 2), unplug the LCD thermal sensor cable (this step + 4), unplug the display data cable (this step + 3), and the display may be rotated over the top edge while leaving the vertical sync cable attached (this step + 1).
-
Pull the vertical sync cable connector out of its socket on the LED driver board near the top left corner of your iMac.
Do not try to pull the plug off the circuit board as it's soldered. Pull the cable sideways out of the socket.
Skipped step 5-10. I used two 5-6" chopsticks to prop up the display, this gave me more than enough room to complete the rest of the steps. I only had to disconnect the 3 cables are directly connected to the hard drive. Replacing the Seagate hard drive with another Seagate hard drive eliminated any cable issues. Now I have 2TB SSDH
I was also able to skip steps 5 thru 10, which meant no messing with any cables except for the two for the HD (steps 13+14). Used a credit card to start the removal of glass panel (step 2) - much easier than I imagined. After removing display screws (step 3) I simply had a friend hold up the display's bottom edge as far as the cables would allow (careful not to stress at connection to logic board) and this provided enough room to remove the HD bracket screws (step 11), detach the HD cables, and remove the HD. Was replacing a failed 1TB Seagate with a 3TB Seagate so no problems with compatibility when reattaching the HD cables and everything worked fine when I restored the OS and data to the new HD. No fan issues. I did take great care to not get fingerprints on the inside of the glass panel and to blow off any dust specks before reinstalling it. It was a bit tricky to get the new HD back in without letting the magnets get a hold of it, so thanks for the warning posted here about that!
On my mid 2010 Imac I found it was not necessary to disconnect any cables (except of course those attached to the drive). Simply angle the monitor away from the case to a safe distance without stressing any cables and secure with tape. With a stubby screw driver it was easy to access and remove the drive.
-
Rotate the display out of the outer case enough to disconnect the LED backlight power cable from the LED driver board.
-
Pull the display data cable straight out of its socket on the logic board.
This cable is very short, I would remove it before any of the others. First time I did this, I didn't realize this and this cable just popped out of it's socket. Luckily, the board wasn't damaged.
i damaged my (step7) cable, and my iMac screen won't work, how to fix this?
I did the same thing. The pins are VERY easy to bend. I replaced it with a new cable from this company.
http://www.macpalace.com/922-9497-cable-...
Waiting for it to arrive.
Michael -
I wish this step was listed as a warning before lifting the monitor and as the first cable to undo. I broke it as it popped up and out, had to trash my Mac and I am stuck with a new hard drive.
I followed the directions to a T and everything worked going back together. That cable in step 7 is delicate so one must be very careful.
Same problem for me. I damaged this cable and am ordering one now.
This is a tough step so I would also suggest removing this cable first.
Yes, damaged mine too. It is better to take it out of the LCD and install it carefully on the logic board, then install it to the LCD.
asle -
Ok finally got the cable and was able to successfully finish the project.
That video cable is ROUGH to install.
The same thing happened for me. That cable was by far the shortest and a slight pull of the display up caused the connector to come free. Luckily it wasn't damaged by this. It was pretty unclear to me how that connector fit in as well. It slides in and out parallel to the surface of the mother board, up towards the top of the iMac to unplug and down towards the bottom to plug in. I agree, if I were to do this repair again that is the first interior cable I would disconnect. Maybe a closeup of the cable plugged in and unplugged to show exactly how it engages and disengages would be good as well.
It is fine to remove the cable from the logic board when when you remove the screen. But when when assembling back together I found it better to take the LVDS cable out of the LCD and install it carefully on the logic board. Then connect it to the top of the LCD. Also the connector to the LCD is much more solid and not so easy to bend.
This is by far the best way round to do this as trying to refit the cable to the logic board is a complete nightmare.
Russ -
I agree with asle, manipulating the display end of the cable would be easier - at least it cannot be any harder then manipulating the motherboard end.
Jerry -
well I did all t these steps and now the iMac won't turn on at all. I guess the big cable is not connected to the board as it used to... Mac is out of warranty so it's going out the door. RIP
-
Disconnect the LCD thermal sensor cable connector from its socket on the logic board.
Be very careful - this connector very difficult to disconnect, and you have a high risk of pulling the cable pins out of the connect. If you have disconnected the 3 other cables, you can have a helper rotate the screen out of the way while you remove the hard drive.
-
Carefully pull the display toward the top edge of your iMac and lift it out of the outer case, minding any cables that may get caught.
-
Remove the following four screws:
-
One 9.3 mm T10 Torx screw with a large head
-
Three 9.3 mm T10 Torx screws with a normal sized head
-
-
Pull the optical drive thermal sensor connector toward the top edge of the iMac to disconnect it from its socket on the logic board.
No need to do this! Just gently pull up the felt-pad sticky on top of the thermal sensor (looks like a tiny circuit board), then (again gently) peel the thermal sensor off the ODD. Leave it hanging while you remove the ODD and replace it with the SSD, then just put the thermal sensor covered by the protective felt-pad back onto the SSD enclosure.
I agree with cdansmith1, above.
I had removed the sensor completely. Booted up and the fan was like a jet engine - 4200rpm! I opened up the mac again to check the LCD thermal sensor cable was connected properly (as warned in Step 8). It was.
So, I simply used the spudger to peel off the felt sticky pad from and then the optical drive sensor too from the drive I'd taken out. Stuck the sensor onto the SSD using the same sticky pad, plugged it back into the original socket. Bingo. Booted up and everything was back to normal.
-
Lift the inner edge of the optical drive and maneuver its connector past the GPU frame attached to the logic board.
-
Carefully pull the optical drive off its mounting pins on the right side of the outer case to gain clearance for disconnecting the optical drive cable.
-
Allow the optical drive to hang down as you de-route the optical drive thermal sensor connector from behind the GPU heat sink.
-
Disconnect the optical drive cable by pulling its connector away from the optical drive.
-
Remove the optical drive from the iMac.
-
Remove the single 13 mm T10 Torx screw securing the optical drive fan to the outer case.
-
Pull the optical drive fan off the pins attached to the outer case.
-
Pull the optical drive fan connector out of its socket on the logic board.
-
Remove the optical drive fan from the iMac.
-
In the proceeding steps, you will disconnect the following cables:
-
SD Board and microphone
-
Left/Right Speaker
-
Wi-Fi Antenna
-
Bluetooth/Ambient Light Sensor/Camera/Left Temperature Sensor, Hard Drive Temperature Sensor and Hard Drive Fan
-
CPU Fan/Ambient Temperature and Power Button
-
IR Sensor
-
-
Pull the microphone cable connector toward the top edge of the iMac to disconnect it from the logic board.
-
Pull the SD board cable out of its socket on the logic board.
-
Disconnect the left speaker and right speaker cables by pulling their connectors toward the right side of the iMac.
-
Use the flat end of a spudger to pry both AirPort antenna connectors up from their sockets on the AirPort board.
-
Disconnect the hard drive fan by pulling its connector toward the top edge of the iMac.
-
Pull the hard drive thermal sensor cable out of its socket and toward the top edge of the iMac to disconnect it from the logic board.
-
Use your thumbnails on both sides of the Bluetooth/ambient light sensor/camera/left temperature connector to push it toward the top edge of the iMac and out of its socket on the logic board.
-
Pull the CPU fan/ambient temperature sensor connector toward the bottom left edge of the iMac and out of its socket on the logic board.
-
Pull the power button connector toward the bottom left corner of the iMac to disconnect it from its socket on the logic board.
-
Remove the piece of tape covering the IR sensor cable.
-
Use your thumbs to push the IR sensor connector out of its socket and toward the top edge of the iMac.
-
Pull the IR sensor board up from behind the front face of the outer case.
-
Remove the IR sensor and set it aside.
-
Remove the following seven screws:
-
Two 7 mm T10 torx screws
-
One 30 mm T10 Torx screw
-
Two 25 mm T10 Torx screws
-
Two 21 mm T10 Torx screws
-
-
Remove the following four screws:
-
One 9.3 mm T10 coarse-threaded screw
-
One 25 mm T10 coarse-threaded screw
-
Two 22 mm fine-threaded screws
-
-
Pull the upper right and lower left corners of the power supply away from the rear case to dislodge the mounting posts attached to the power supply's corners.
-
Carefully lift the power supply out of the outer case and rotate it to expose the cable lock as shown, minding the DC-out and AC-in cables still attaching it to the iMac.
-
Disconnect the DC-out cable by depressing the locking mechanism on the connector while you pull the connector away from its socket on the power supply.
-
Once the locking mechanism has cleared the socket, pull the DC-in connector away from the power supply.
-
Disconnect the AC-In cable by depressing the locking mechanism while pulling the connector away from its socket.
-
Remove the power supply from the outer case.
-
Remove the plastic wall that is installed directly to the right of the LED driver board.
-
Remove the plastic pressure wall installed next to the hard drive.
-
Slightly pull the logic board away from the back of the outer case, then lift it upward to clear the lower front face of the outer case.
-
Disconnect the audio port cable by pulling its connector away from the front face of the logic board.
-
If present, peel off the tape securing the hard drive SATA cable to the logic board.
-
Depress the locking mechanism and carefully pull the DC-In cable out of its socket on the back of the logic board.
-
Being careful not to damage the socket on the logic board, gently pull the hard drive SATA data cable straight out of its socket on the logic board.
-
Remove the logic board, minding any cables that may get caught.
-
Remove the strip of tape securing the GPU thermal sensor cable to the logic board.
-
Remove the following three screws:
-
One 4.2 mm T10 Torx screw
-
Two 5 mm T8 Torx screws
-
-
Grab the GPU thermal sensor cable connector and pull it straight up and out of its socket on the logic board.
-
Lift the GPU heat sink slightly and pull the GPU board out of its socket on the logic board.
-
Remove the four 6.5 mm T8 Torx screws securing the GPU heat sink to the GPU.
-
It may be necessary to use a #1 screwdriver to hold the sockets on the GPU heat sink stationary as you loosen the T8 Torx screws.
-
Remove the clamping bracket from the back of the GPU.
-
Remove the GPU from the GPU heat sink.
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
Cancel: I did not complete this guide.
18 other people completed this guide.
6 Comments
Hi everyone,
Which GPUs can you use as upgrades for this 2010 model? Mine has a Radeon 5670 512mb and I'd like something a bit more powerful...
Thanks!
lucky, i have a 256 mb card
One question:
i can put this GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX460M
on my iMac Mid 2011?
or i will have problems with the Drivers?
Wonderful guide! First time I opened a imac.
I need to replace the LCD cable connector on the motherboard. It is broken and it caused a short circuit on the motherboard. On the motherboard, underneath the grafic card, I've found a fried SMD inductance (L9000 on the motherboard) in the powerline of the grafic card. I restored the powerline with some solder leaving the inductance out. Should be no problem.
Graet,
I am very thankfull.
Before beginning unplug your iMac.
Henry Barnett - Reply