Introduction
Hier wird der Austausch des RAM gezeigt.
What you need
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Wenn du die iFixit-Reparaturhilfe aus Karton verwendest, dann baue sie zuerst mit Hilfe dieser Anleitung zusammen.
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Bevor du beginnst an deinem iMac zu arbeiten: Ziehe den Netzstecker, drücke und halte den Ausschaltknopf für mindestens zehn Sekunden. Dadurch werden die Kondensatoren im Netzteil entladen.
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Setze das iMac Opening Tool an der linken Seite des Displays, in der Nähe des An/Aus Schalters beginnend, in die Spalte zwischen Glaspanel und Rückgehäuse ein.
Don’t get too worried about starting exactly where the picture says. The glue is stronger in some parts so just start wherever is easier and then work slowly and patiently around in the direction shown.
As this guide doesn’t cover replacing the adhesive strips, I found referring to the following was useful (noting that it’s not for the same model of iMac, so the modification they mention wasn’t necessary): iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2544 Adhesive Strips Replacement
This part of the exercise should be done with extreme patience. I took my sweet time with the opening tool, rolling it through the entire panel and enclosure gap over and over again, until I was very sure no parts were sticking together anymore. And when I thought I was I done, I decided to do it over again.
You can "warm up" the adhesive before try to cut it with the tool using a hair dryer. Heat the edges for about a minute, keep moving it so you don't cause stress in the glass. Also the above note.. use the tool and then the cards. Do not use a guitar pick or other objects as the thickness will cause you to break the front glass, which is a bonded part of the display (expensive).
Merci pour ce conseil
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Benutze es wie einen Pizzaschneider - Rolle es entlang des Spalts und trenne dabei den Klebeschaum in der Mitte.
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Lasse das Werkzeug die linke Seite des Displays entlang laufen.
If re-opening a screen that was opened and re-attached using iFixit’s adhesive strips, I would strongly recommend heating it first with an iOpener, heat gun or hair dryer. 20 minutes after attaching with the iFixit adhesive I tried to open it again with the pizza slicer to fix something and cracked the screen on the left-hand side.
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Fahre an der Oberseite des Displays fort.
In this step can I cut along the display without make any damage to the front camera?
Hi! Actually - there is no need to cut the tape around the camera area - there is no tape to cut at all! And so, the way go is easy - just pass 10 mm to the left and to the right from camera and start cutting!
P.S. Just did the whole procedure to replace a RAM and to add SSD on PSIe an hour ago! Seems to be different reading the instructions... you know - 2/10 and so on. But it's really not that hard, trust me. I'll give it 5/10.
P.P.S. By the way there is one trick to pass the difficult steps. Any action which requires pulling smth (motherboard, speaker, power supply unit) from the narrow crack (or should i say - slit?) at the bottom of your Imac is really not so easy.
And the trick is to first remove a thin metal stripe with some kind of insulation on it which held by 5 small (very small!!) screws at the bottom of your Imac. After you done it - it's easy to pull everything! Pay attention to the fact that one of this 5 screws at the center are more shortly than others.
If you're changing cracked EMC 2638 display to new assembly, there's two more steps:
Step 24: Use the tip of a spudger to flip up the metal retaining bracket on the display data cable.
Carefully pull the display data cable from its socket on the display assembly.
Step 25: Use the tip of a spudger to unplug bracket of the thermal sensor small cable near display data cable.
Carefully remove scotch tape covering thermal sensor. Using iSesamo or flat tip of the spudger carefully peel the thermal sensor away.
omg - forgot to switch the termal sensor from the old display...
now fan runs like crazy...
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Beende das Schneiden mit dem iMac Opening Tool unten auf der rechten Seite des Displays.
Yes, do it many times to loosen the adhesive.
Would be good data to show the 3 areas (wifi antennas where the "tape" is larger and covers them. The rest of the "tape" is 1.4" and easy. Also after removing the display, be sure to remove the old "tape" from both the display and the rubber parts of the case. Use the spudger to start an end and it should pull off easily. Careful on the baackside of the display as you can scratch off the black paint/covering.
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Beginne in der oberen rechten Ecke und zwänge eine Kunststoffkarte zwischen Display und Rahmen.
this step is extremely important NOT to stick in the cards too far….. doing so, you risk a 600 euro replacement as I experienced………
I drew a 3/8” line on my cards with a marker first.
I’m reading this on the EU store, please change all measurements to cm/mm.
@ifixit The next batch of cards you create should have a line printed on the card 3/8” in from the edges. Would make a nice reference.
Better to remove stand wedge at this point? Can’t see from pics
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Verdrehe die Plastikkarte seitlich und vergrößere so den Spalt zwischen Display und Rahmen.
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Bewege die Karte vorsichtig und langsam, damit das Displayglas nicht zu stark belastet wird - du brauchst nur einen Spalt von etwa 6 mm Breite zu öffnen.
This part must be done very carefully or you can damage the flat cable from display, despite it was under a iron cover.
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Schiebe die Karte zur Mitte des Displays hin und schneide so allen Kleber an der rechten oberen Ecke des iMac auf.
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Während du das Display mit einer Hand nach oben hältst, trenne mit der anderen Hand das Stromkabel des Displays.
I had a small flight light ready so I could see. Follow the directions - don’t blindly pull.
Head lamp gives you the best hands free view!
bstaud - The display power cable has two squeezable levers on each end of the cable’s width.
Squeeze the left lever with your thumb while you simultaneously squeeze the right lever with your
index finger, and gently pull the cable straight back and out, and the cable comes out very easily.
When reassembling, make sure you get a “click” confirmation that both the levers have locked AND the pins have seated on this connector. I was treated to a black screen upon startup, and had to re-cut my newly installed adhesive strips to get back in to firm up this connection. Better would be power up with the bottom adhesive in place, screen resting in place and held on top with blue painter tape to confirm connections, THEN pull off screen-side adhesive tape covers for final re-bonding.
Can someone post a link to actually purchase these cables?
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Klappe die Metalllasche am Anschluss des Display-Datenkabels mit einem Spudger hoch.
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Ziehe das Display-Datenkabel vorsichtig aus seinem Sockel auf dem Logic Board.
Sure could use a magnified picture of this connector and socket, especially the first time you go in. And it is the most critical step of the whole operation — bung it up and we’re toast.
Hi bstaud! If you hover over the image you can click on the magnifying glass and get a large image of any guide photo. Hope that helps!
To clarify, the connector pulls out in the plane of the logic card, not perpendicular.
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Hebe das Display an, bis es fast senkrecht ist.
Where can I find a replacement display for my iMac?
iFixit has listings for replacements. Go to the Parts section
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Fasse die kleine Lasche an einer der Klebestreifen an der Displayunterkante und ziehe sie zum Entfernen zur Oberkante des iMacs hin.
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Wiederhole diesen Schritt und entferne den anderen Klebestreifen.
cutting through the adhesive is unnecessary if it's not been opened before (outside of an apple store) there will be a tab at the end of each VHB strip that you can use to simply pull the vhb strips off.
YES, exactly the same here. more but more simple.
To save a few steps and a bit of time, if you have a helper, they can hold the display at a 90° angle while you unscrew the brackets and remove/replace the hard drive rather than remove the display entirely. Also reduces the likelihood of damaging the display as you remove and handle it.
The proper way to remove the display according to the Macintosh tech manual and videos is as Rory McKenna and Lucio Alves have learned is to pull the tab at the end of each VHB strip until it is off.
This worked great! look for small left over adhesive on either edge of the bottom of the screen and pull each one towards the center. Screen assembly removes after that with no fuss.
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Entferne folgende fünf Kreuzschlitzschrauben, welche die untere Displayhalterung befestigen:
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Vier 3,2 mm Schrauben
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Eine 1,7 mm Schraube
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Entferne die untere Displayhalterung von der Gehäuseöffnung.
Of all the parts of this entire procedure, replacing this one piece is the hardest part! The screws are tiny and they just don’t seem to want to grab the support piece. Also it seems to perform no function which is also annoying.
I left mine out. LOL
Line up the screw holes and press on the bracket from the back to help the screws grab. If your fingers are too big, press with the flat side of your spudger. As long as there’s no gap between the bracket and the iMac’s frame, the screws should grab easily.
I put it in at a slight angle lining up the right hand side holes, screwed in the two screws and gently pressed my finger behind it on the rest
If you only want to replace the HD and RAM, take a big shortcut and leave the logic board in, as well as all the parts needed to remove it (speaker, power supply etc). Once the display is removed, just take out the fan and the top two logic board screw. There is than sufficient space to gently remove and insert the two ram modules. HD can easily be replaced with an SSD by just removing the HD mounting brackets...
Voces mudaram de modelo iMac, desta foto para proxima, esse modelo desta foto nao tem slot nvme. O da proxima foto sim. Voces me fizeram comprar un nvme por engano...
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Entferne folgende Torx T10 Schrauben, welche die Festplattenhalterung am Rückgehäuse befestigen:
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Zwei 21 mm Schrauben an der linksseitigen Festplattenhalterung
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Eine 9 mm Schraube
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Eine 27 mm Schraube
Pay attention to this photo and where the fan is. It is 180° from where the previous step shows it is oriented to you.
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Drücke mit der Spudgerspitze abwechselnd auf jeder Seite des Steckers am Kabel zum Netzschalter und lasse ihn langsam aus dem Sockel "herauswandern".
I would advise that before removing the PSU unit and all other components from the bottom of the case that you remove the 5 screws at the bottom of the display which hold an insulation strip in place.
The guide shows this piece removed, but does not tell you how to remove it.
There will be 5, small J1000 screws. The middle one, which goes over Apple Logo is the shorter one of the 5, all others are the same length. Once this piece is gone removing the components is much easier, and chance of damage lessened.
Added to the guide. Thanks for the tip!
No need to remove power board and logic board and all other components, just remove the fan and it is quite "easily" accessable to change the RAM. Just need to use the tools to remove the old RAM and carefully install the new RAM.
I just did it without removing the logic or power board
could you elaborate a little more, I would love to skip the rest of these steps. How did you accomplish this?
ej P -
Oleksandr Trokhymchuk,
Thank you! You just saved me so much time! I wouldn’t call this “easy” but it saved me a lot of time and effort.
ej P: remove the fan assembly first. Then remove the connector that runs from the iSight camera to the logic board on the left.
the RAM is located right near that cable. It’s tricky to remove but you can pop open the connectors with a black nylon stick and the RAM chip will pop up at 45 degrees. Make a mental note on which way you will need to install the new ram as it’s tough to see. For the Crucial memory I got it was label side facing away you (facing towards rear metal enclosure).
the second chip has a plastic adhesive piece on it that you should probably attach to the new ram.
remove both chips then install the new ram in sequence from the board out.
In the photo for Step 28, the power button cable connector is placed around the power board screw hole on the top left of the power board.
However, on the iMac I upgraded, the power button cable connector was “fed” through the power power screw hole on the top left of the power board. The cable was too short to run around and below the hole.
Hence, I had to ensure the cable was “fed” through the hole during re-assembly and the screw carefully screwed back through the hole.
I guess every iMac is assembly just a bit differently, just to make repairs that much more fun.
This is not correct and may have been assembled incorrectly during a previous repair.
Just replaced the hard drive and RAM with SSD and 16GB respectively and did NOT remove the power supply or logic board. Tricky is a word to describe putting the RAM in without removing the logic board. You work in the dark with little room to get your fingers in between the logic board and the back of the case. I put the first RAM chip in without a problem (the one next to the logic board), but the second to four tries and dropped it behind the logic board three times before finally getting it to position correctly. Just impossible to see and must work but feel. Still it was faster than removing all the components… though did remove the fan (needed cleaning anyway). All in all I can’t say enough about the help the guide was through the upgrade ! Thanks !
I found this connector to be very tight and was afraid of breaking it off. I just kept slowly working on it—it did eventually come out.
I did try to sneak the RAM in without removing the logic board but my fingers were too big. I found it too difficult and just continued on with this guide.
I was not able to install the memory without removing all the components. My fingers are too big and I could barely get in that tight spot to swap out the memory. The hardest part about the power supply is that one connector under the chin next to the Apple logo. Once it is out, you are home free because it is so easy to plug it back in when you are putting it all back together again. Ridiculous that Apple did not put a simple access door behind those memory slots because they are on the backside of the Mac! They did an access door on the PowerBooks and it did not ruin the appearance. They could have designed a cool looking pop out door that only had a thin seam around it so it would still look good. Then you could remove the access door to upgrade the memory easily.
Does anyone know if this is the same situation as in the 2017 model? I just changed RAM in the 2017 version and also skipped taking out the logic board. I just bent a pair of tweezers and put some tape around the tips to make them less scratchy and used them to place the RAM modules into the slots. Worked supereasy and much much quicker than performing the complete tear down of the whole machine.
This step is impossible!
@wizdomonwheels, I don’t see how I can get the RAM shield off of the logic board to access the RAM without removing the logic board. What am I missing?? I’m guessing that those of you that are suggesting this technique are working on older iMac models that don’t have the RAM shield.
Yes, you are correct. It is likely the various steps are a bit different on each model. If I recall I was likely working on a 2015 or older system. If there’s a shield in the way, I can’t think of a way you could get around it without pulling the logic board.
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Entferne die beiden 7,2 mm Torx T10 Schrauben, welche das Netzteil am Rückgehäuse befestigen.
In my case, the left side corner of the PS was caught against the Lower Support Bracket, and I had to remove the LSB in order to get the PS freed and out.
I think the author Walter Galan should put this in the main section of his instructions. I have TWO identical iMac 14,1 / i5 2.7GHz / 21 Inch Late 2013 / Order ME086LL/A. They both required removing the LSB. Thank you very much Walter Galan & others for your contributions.
Those screws were definitely not T10 but T9 on my unit
Those screws were T8 on my unit.
c'est du torx 08
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Kippe das Netzteil nach vorne.
When replacing the PSU (on the re-build) take care not to trap the power button cable behind it - I did...
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Ziehe das Netzteil leicht hoch und aus dem Rückgehäuse heraus.
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Drehe das Netzteil gegen den Uhrzeigersinn, so dass die rechte Seite etwa 2,5 cm höher als die linke ist.
In my case, the left side corner of the PS was caught against the Lower Support Bracket, and I had to remove the LSB in order to get the PS freed and out.
I think the author Walter Galan should put this in the main section of his instructions. I have TWO identical iMac 14,1 / i5 2.7GHz / 21 Inch Late 2013 / Order ME086LL/A. They both required removing the LSB. Thank you very much Walter Galan & others for your contributions.
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Drücke die Lasche am Stecker der Gleichstromversorgung zusammen und ziehe ihn gerade aus seinem Sockel auf der Rückseite des Logic Boards.
when pulled the cable, even slightly, the actual female piece that connects to the logic board came off. am i screwed?
Repairing sockets that come off the logic board is possible, but very specialised work. Unless you have a magnifying lamp and the necessary desoldering and soldering skills, it will be difficult but not impossible.
I could not disconnect this cable without fear of breaking something (as previous posters did). I found that I could skip this and the next step by wrapping the power supply in a couple layers of a small towel (to prevent shorting with any other metal surfaces), and laying the power supply on the aluminum face of the iMac near the Apple logo. This got it out of the way enough to do what I needed on the logic board (changing PRAM battery) after completing removal of the other items in this guide.
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Drücke die Raste an der Seite des Steckers des Wechselstromkabels mit dem flachen Ende des Spudgers nach innen.
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Halte die Raste mit dem Spudger gedrückt, fasse das Wechselstromkabel an und ziehe den Verbinder aus seinem Sockel.
I didn't disconnect the input cable to the power supply. Because I had the machine lying on its back throughout, I placed it on to the metal bit at the bottom of the machine instead (with a cloth to stop the metal getting scratched). The AC inlet cable was pretty tricky to get un-locked, and the PSU sat on the case fine. It didn't hinder anything else throughout the guide.
I thought from Dave’s comment that I could leave the power supply completely in place, but I was mistaken. In order to remove the hard drive assembly after you remove the center screw in it, you’ll need to at least unscrew it and the HD assembly will slip out. Like Dave said, you don’t need to unplug the AC or PSU, which I left hanging.
Getting power supply to the logic board unplugged is also tricky without unscrewing the two bottom screws. They didn’t make this part easy.
I would like to thanks Dave Hallett for his tip of not removing the AC inlet connector of the power supply. I simply wrapped the board in bubble wrap and taped to the iMac case, out of the way, thus giving access to the remaining disconnection procedures and preventing the board from scratching to the iMac case. It also made reassembly much simpler.
Yeah, that AC inlet plug was a nasty one to unplug, mainly because I was trying not to bump the solder joints on the PSU. After a few wiggles and pulls while manipulating the spudger tool to release the clip, it finally unplugged. Made it easier by removing the PSU completely so you don’t have to worry about it. Don’t worry, plugging it back in is a breeze!
With the right tool this plug comes out very easily. Forget about your tiny computer tools, go to the garage and grab a regular old needle nose pliers. Grab the clip and the plug at the same time. The plug will come right out.
Carin Ann— The most helpful comment on this procedure. After reading what you wrote I maneuvered the board, grabbed the clip with my left hand (a little awkward because of the cooling enclosure), squeezed the front of the plug, and got it out.
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Ziehe vorsichtig den Stecker des Lüfterkabels gerade aus seinem Sockel auf dem Logic Board.
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Hebe die Festplatte am Rand in der Nähe des Logic Board an und ziehe sie etwas aus ihrem Sitz.
The newer drives have rubber ends and an adhesive side, be careful removing them if replacing the drive and be sure they are securely pushed back into the holder
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Löse das SATA Combo Kabel für Daten und Stromversorgung, indem du mit dem Spudger vorsichtig seinen großen Plastikverbinder weg von der Festplatte hebelst.
When reconnecting the SATA cable, there is nothing to make the connector hold still, and it is hard to reach, so it took several tries. I ended up taking off the rubber baby buggy bumpers to get more room, and then jamming them back on after getting the SATA connector snugged up.
If by rubber baby buggy bumper, you mean left speaker, then yes, I agree. Reinstall the hard drive before the left speaker.
Kudo to @jerrid_foiles! I was going crazy trying to attach the SATA cable until I took the two screws out of the left speaker and slid the top end of it aside by about 3/4 inch. Make the whole process SO MUCH easier!!
We solved this by removing the hard drive tray screw, then inserting the cable into the SATA hard drive. Then hold the hard drive a bit out of the way to insert the 7.3mm hard drive tray screw.
Agree with this method, found it an impossible task to reconnect the SATA connector until removed the tray screw, then it was relatively easy to reconnect and then replace the tray screw.
Also agree with this method!
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Entferne die Festplatteneinheit vom iMac.
When reassembling, I found it easier to loosen the HD tray screw from Step 48 and pull the tray outwards from the left side in order to plug the SATA cable in more easily.
Thanks! I, too, had a hard time reconnecting the SATA cable.
I found this helpful too!
Anwar -
I did loosen the speaker so I could get a tool behind the SATA cable to push it on to the SSD drive. Otherwise hard to align cable.
I found the easiest way to connect the SATA cable was to not screw the plastic hard drive tray down until you plug the drive in. That way you can easily push the connector in and due to the cable you’ve got some wiggle room. You can position the tray then just lift one end of the drive up and secure the screw. Then just push the drive down.
This was the step that I had the most trouble with. I’m used to replacing a hard drive in a MacBook Pro, where the “plug” that you plug the drive into is a rigid thing that you can firmly press the hard drive into.
With the iMac, the plug is situated on the end of a non-rigid cord, so the plug moves back when you try to snap a drive into it. Also, those two rubber gasket things that you adhere to the side of the drive really make it difficult to maneuver the now-overly-chubby drive towards the plug.
After must frustration/concern, what I ended up doing was temporarily removing the rubber gasket things, using the “spudger” as kind of a lever behind the “plug on a cord” so that it didn’t move as much, and then pushed the gasket-less SSD into the plug.
Once I got it connected, I put the rubber gaskets back on the sides of the SSD and kind of coaxed it down into place, using the pointy end of the spudger to get the chubby corner pieces to “sit” correctly in the rigid plastic tray that the SSD kind of rests in.
From another comment elsewhere on this repair, I *highly* recommend removing the two screws holding the left speaker in place, then sliding it just a tad out of the way to be able to easily attach the SATA cable. You don’t have to move it much to make the whole process so much easier!
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Entferne die einzelne 7,2 mm Torx T10 Schraube, welche den Festplatteneinschub am Rückgehäuse befestigt.
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Drücke abwechselnd mit der Spudgerspitze an jeder Seite des Steckers vom linken Lautsprecherkabel und lasse so den Stecker "herauswandern".
A step is entirely missing here – removing the right speaker cable connection from the logic board and also removing the right speaker casing (all the pictures below show it already having been removed). You actually don't need to entirely remove the right speaker to get the logic board out but you will need to remove its screws and lift it slightly. And you will need to remove its plug from the motherboard but that's not hard and it looks identical to the left speaker plug/socket.
This does need adding to the guide if anyone from ifixit sees this!
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Actually i didn't get why should i unstick the tape which gum up left speaker cable to the SATA data/power cable. It's gonna be hard to bond the tape again cause it looses the clue ability. I can definetely claim that there is no need to touch the tape.
I too can say that there was no reason to remove the tape.
Agreed. I completed the repair without removing the tape.
phil -
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Löse die vier Antennenstecker mit der flachen Kante des Spudgers von der AirPort /Bluetooth Karte.
i found it helpful to use the flat end of the spudger under the cable near the connector and gently wiggle the spudger until the cable was disconnected.
Agreed, I broke one connector. The airport seems to work anyway. But what to do to fix it? Change the airport card or try to weld it again?
I mark each cable tip with a different colored sharpie and then take a Pic. This gives me the order and the angle of orientation in order to reconnect these pesky connectors.
OK, so when did you remove the RIGHT speaker? Suddenly it is not in the photos. I s there anything besides it's plug to remove?
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Hebele den Verbinder des Kabels zur Kopfhörerbuchse mit dem flachen Ende des Spudgers aus seinem Sockel auf dem Logic Board.
The photo in Step 51 shows the right speaker missing, however there is no step prior for removing the right speaker.
Hence, refer to this other guide to remove the right speaker *before* Step 51.
Its there! Step 28 & 29 is the removal, the left one doesn’t need to be removed.
Dan -
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Entferne folgende Torx T8 Schrauben, welche den Lüfterkanal am Rückgehäuse befestigen:
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Zwei 6,3 mm Schrauben
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Zwei 4,7 mm Schrauben
A T9 bit fits and grips the screws tight enough to make it easier to work with the deep 4.7mm screw.
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Entferne die vier 7,2 mm Torx T10 Schrauben, welche das Logic Board am Rückgehäuse befestigen.
So a major problem for me here — my iMac (purchased 2018 ) has a solid circular fastener where the lower left T10 screw should be. So I think I’m dead in the water as far as getting the logic board off to put the new RAM in. I can’t see how people can insert the ram from behind without seeing it or being able to get two fingers to the tabs. I’m so frustrated with the design of this computer.
That’s a new one on us! We’d love to see a photo. Any chance it’s a tamper-proof sticker hiding the head? You may also be able to turn it with a set of pliers if you can get a decent grip, just be careful not to bump any board components!
It’s a tamper proof sticker. I started to peel it up, but it was just easier to press the screwdriver bit in.
as an update, these are now T8 screws
cwaldrip -
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Kippe die Oberkante des Logic Boards weg vom Rückgehäuse.
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Hebe das Logic Board gerade hoch und aus dem iMac heraus.
This is the trickiest part of the whole operation. It took me a solid half hour to get the logic board out. I’m sure it would be easier a second time, because there’s not many delicate components around the USB/Internet sockets, so you can be a little more assertive with it than I felt comfortable doing.
i found the logic board kept snagging on the USB connectors poking through the exterior case. Wiggle the logic gently to extract..
Take out the two screws that hold down the right speaker, and push it up a little, before removing the logic board. It makes things a lot easier.
Also: there’s a cable on the right side of the logic board that isn’t called out. Nor are the two HDD cables that plug into the underside of the logic board.
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Löse die Rasten auf jeder Seite des RAM Riegels, indem du diese gleichzeitig wegdrückst.
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Fasse den Riegel in der oberen linken und rechten Ecke an und ziehe ihn sorgfältig gerade aus seinem Sockel.
This would also be a good time to replace the CMOS 2032 coin battery while you have access.
Update on logic board alignment - use two USB plugs one in each end of the connectors through the back to be sure alignment is good before tightening screws.
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Um dein Gerät wieder zusammenzusetzen, folge den Schritten in umgekehrter Reihenfolge.
Um dein Gerät wieder zusammenzusetzen, folge den Schritten in umgekehrter Reihenfolge.
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41 Comments
Holy jesus - just to replace/upgrade some RAM? Wow. What advice do you have for the final stage of reassembly if you've had to take the strips of adhesive off - what (if anything) do you replace it with?
James, in the parts section at the top you can purchase the adhesive strips that are a custom fit ([linked product missing or disabled: IF173-005]). I just replaced the hard drive and these strips are quite easy to work with. It's just a pain that you have to replace the adhesive anytime you need to go inside. Apple is getting lazy.
This was very easy to follow. The number of steps seem high, but half are just removing the display to make sure you are very careful with the fragile glass, so there are really only about 35 steps. You may also need to remove the right speaker before disconnecting the 4 AirPort/Bluetooth antennae, currently before step 50. The speaker is shown in earlier pics, then "disappears."
yes from what I went through it made sense to unscrew both speakers so you can move them a little bit to get things down like that and plugging the hard drive back in
Want to upgrade my imac into 16GB for total
Two rams bought from Patriot
Model:PSA316G1600SK
The computer cannot detect the RAM when i turn on, sounds like bi bi bi bi bi something like that
What's wrong with it?
Sounds like incompatible RAM chips or not properly seated chips. Make sure you execute Command, Option, P, R. Perhaps you might get lucky.
It’s possible you need DDR3L ram and not DDR3. The model you listed appears to only support DDR3.
Excellent step-by-step guide.
Yes, Apple should not be torturing its customers (completely on purpose, this is 100% intentional) but at least it makes this nasty process easier.
Upgraded the RAM (and swapped the original 5400rpm HDD to an SSD while at it - the hard drive swap is easy once the screen is open) and the difference is very significant - probably gives the iMac an extra 2 years of life. The SSD upgrade is probably the much bigger performance boost vs. the old SSD but the RAM upgrade once the screen is open is difficult to resist.
Well done iFixit as always!
Jan Roger -- the RAM can go up to 16 GB Total.
No need to remove power board and logic board and all other components, just remove the fan and it is quite "easily" accessable to change the RAM. Just need to use the tools or not fat fingers to remove the old RAM and carefully install the new RAM.
I just did it without removing the logic or power board. Saved me a lot of time
Next time (if ever) i’ll do as @Oleksandr suggests and NOT remove the logic board and power supply. They were the most painful parts of the process. And getting the logic board back in was just a PITA (feels likes it going to break).
I absolutely “ditto” this! I simply removed the upper 2 screws securing the logic board and carefully wedged something underneath its edge to make a bit more room. I, too, was able to remove and replace RAM by removing only those screws and the fan. Getting the RAM out is fairly easy. Replacing the module closet to the board—-the first one—-is really easy. It’s the 2nd module that will try your patience. My fingers are blunt and “fat, so I actually taped the RAM chip to my fingertip and then used a bent wire (not bare metal wire) to maneuver the chip into its slot. To do all that took less time and anxiety than removing all required with the full-step operation.
Danno -
Thanks Oleksandr your tip worked well along with HabD’s extension of your advice below.
Does anyone know if the Crucial memory modules ( http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/ct8g3s160b... ) are compatible with the iMac 14,1?
Crucial support wouldn't commit to say there are compatible .. as "Memory slots are not end user accessible.".
Yet a number of sites claim they are ( https://www.ramcity.com.au/buy/crucial-8... ).
Anyone done the upgrade using the Crucial memory.
Thanks
-Craig
Just done this with the Crucial memory modules (++http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/ct8g3s16... into iMac 14,1. No issues, with the memory. Performance dramatically improved, but I guess that is mainly down to the SSD which I upgraded at the same time.
I had a few issues getting USB and ethernet connectors back in at the end (die to slight misalignment), my advice would be to check the fit of these, and maybe leave them in-place whilst you tighten the logic board back down.
I was motivated by the comments to change the RAM without removing all the parts. After removing the monitor glass (easy) I just took out the fan (and the HDD as I changed it too) I just unscrewed all four brews of the main board to be able to lift it slightly.
Releasing the RAM was easy, but be careful just to touch the releasers of the RAM and not to scratch the mainboard.
Putting in the new RAM was a bit more tricky as also the unscrewed mainboard still does not give much space. The trick is to put in the “inner” RAM first, the one you do not see at the edge od the mainboard. Just put it in, but do not bend it down to lock it. Now put in the “outer” RAM, bend it down to lock it and then do the same with the inner.
If you do it vice versa it is much more difficult as the outer RAM take the sight and space.
For the full operation I had put up the iMac vertically, small side down at the table to better have a look into the space between the mainboard and the case.
This saves so much time!
Thanks HabD, your refinement of Oleksandr’s tip about not removing the logic board to do the memory install worked very well for me.
Thanks for the tip about the order of placing the ram in the slots. That was the trickiest part, but a real time saver to not have to take the power supply, speakers, and logic board out. It was hard to get the angle right, it almost feels like the ram is sticking out 45 degrees. I even dropped it once, but luckily it slid back out after tipping the chassis up.
Eric -
Wuh! A few thoughts on this upgrade. First, don’t ever embark on this without having the right tools in place before you start. Splash out on the iFixit kit, because this one is not for the faint-hearted. I’ve upgraded every Apple desktop and laptop I’ve ever owned, and this is far and away the most tedious. Second, budget at least 3 hours unless you’ve done this a few times before (unlikely). There are plenty of points where you will want to take your time - so many fragile connectors to work on. Remember, you have to tear down the whole iMac to get to the RAM. It’s a shockingly poor design. I was so happy when my iMac fired up first time - I only gave myself a 50% chance!
Großartige Anleitung, vielen Dank für diese tolle Hilfe. Es empfiehlt sich auf jeden Fall, das Klebestreifenset zu kaufen und vorab zu prüfen, ob alles Werkzeug vorhanden ist. Die Zeit von 1 h stimmte bei mir nicht ganz, ich habe 2,5h benötigt. Habe mir aber auch Zeit gelassen und alles abfotografiert. Dennoch, großartig, es geht alles und ich habe mindestens 350€ gespart. Danke, Danke, Thank you!!!
I just made it. 16GB Ram and SSD
Thank you for that great support and the detailed pictures.
One important recommendation: once you dismantle everything, it is recommended to exchange the PRAM battery. My imac is now 5 years old and I thought that changing the battery is beneficial.
the Typ BR2023 is not as easy to get. I tried it with CR2032 ( apple used that until 2011 for iMac
@ifixit: please offer that battery in your shop as spare and add the recommendation to your description
Thank you iFixIt for top notch parts, instructions and tutorials. I’ve been an IT tech/specialist for many years, but still approach new repairs with caution, especially on Apple products, until I’ve done it at least once. You provide exceptional tutorials (instructions and photos…love the progressive photos when during disassembly). Even have disassembled Apple products before, I’m a little apprehensive trying new breakdowns because they seal stuff up so good. Once I got the display off, I found that using the correct tool (the iFixIt plastic wheel) made the job very safe. The two sticky points I had were removing the power supply…it was tight and catching when trying to tip it out…took a bit of finagling. The second was removing the logic board…while tipping it out I had a hard time gettin it free at the bottom. I don’t know where it was catching, eventually I got it out. When I reassembled I had the same issue putting it back in, and I feared I may have damaged something…turned out OK though.
It helps to remove the screws and gently move the right speaker slightly for getting the logic board out on step 54
I worked through the disassembly steps and successfully replaced the 5400 rpm spindle drive with an SSD drive and the 2 x 4 GB RAM modules with 2 x 8 Gb RAM modules.
An important step/note is missing at the start of the guide and the last step - you must purchase replacement adhesive strips to re-attach the screen to the chasis, as the existing strips are useless after being cut.
Hence, make sure you have a set of replacement adhesive strips ready *before* opening the iMac.
e.g.
this was insane. Whoever wrote the tip about not removing the logic board and just trying to pop them in and out had the right idea.
I got it (also upgraded the HDD while I had it taken apart), but some steps are missing IMHO. Most crucial are the HDD cables that plug into the underside of the logic board. I had everything but the display put back together when I noticed the loose cables. They must have pulled out when I lifted the board out. There’s another cable on the right side that isn’t called out, either.
Apple doesn’t make this easy, to be sure, but I also took the opportunity to clean out 6 years worth of dust. That was probably one of the 5 hours I spent on this.
I came for the hard drive replacement guide, but I got curious and couldn’t stop myself from doing a complete teardown. Thanks for this guide that helped me get it all back together!
Question- my mac says it has 8gb of ram and is not upgradable. So are you sure this computer can be upgraded to 16gb?
How do you know your mac isn’t upgradable? The model above is the Late 2013 iMac 23.5”, it is upgradable to 16GB of RAM.
Is yours an Mid-2014 (https://everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/...) or Mid/Late-2015 21.5" iMac (https://everymac.com/ultimate-mac-lookup...)?
These had soldered-on CPUs and same goes to the RAM, however they refreshed the non-Retina 21.5" once more in 2017 (and was sold until autumn 2021 (six months after the introduction of the iMac M1) as the low-budget/educational model) still with a soldered-on ULV-CPU but again socketed RAM: https://everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/...
Upgraded a failing hard drive on my 2013 iMac so i decided later I would get the parts and do the RAM. Followed the steps. Unfortunately both the side wifi antenna connections broke. Now the display won’t come on. Do I need a new antenna? Shouldn’t the display work without the wifi antennae?
I made an upgrade on Imac 21.5” late 2013. Upgrade of ram 2x8Gb instead of the original 2x4Gb. Upgrade of 1Tb HDD to 1Tb SSD.
The difference in speed is huge ! It’s not always necessary to buy a new Imac. An well considered upgrade can do miracles.
But I couldn’t have done it without this detailed and wel documented upgrade procedure. Thanks to you guys for putting this online.
I would focus on fitting an SSD which is much easier and gives you the best return for your buck. Put the replacement adhesive strips on, then fit and test the machine. When you’re happy it’s working OK carefully lift the display a couple of inches, pull off the top of the double sided tape, make sure the screen is aligned and ease it back into place. Be really careful the first time you do it - gets easier with practice
I have just tried this, and it's perfectly do-able if you just remove the fan and disconnect the iSight cable. Once removed, you can access the memory. It's behind the board but can put fingers in to unclip and slide out. Saves almost all the steps apart from the screen.
Thanks for the guid it saved me a lot of time and errors. Well written and excellent illustrations.
The wedge is an extremely tight fit for this model. I was worried that the amount of force needed to use it as shown might damage the stand, so I used it with the long side down instead. It worked fine that way and didn’t need anywhere near as much force to insert.
roberttrevellyan - Reply
Here’s a good YouTube vid on upgrading the RAM: Can a Normal Person Upgrade the RAM in the 2017 21.5" iMac?
Dan - Reply
Here are a couple tips from me:
1) Expose the adhesive to extreme temperatures. I did this by transporting my iMac in my car, screen-down on a piece of cardboard on a cold February morning (in Chicago). When I went to pick up the iMac, the screen practically fell off the chassis. I would have been distraught by this if I hadn’t already planned this replacement. So it was a happy accident.
2) Remember to expell the residual power from the power supply by pushing the power button while the iMac is unplugged. This does NOT guarantee it’s safe to touch, but when I accidentally brushed the solder and exposed capacitors, I didn’t get shocked.
jerrid_foiles - Reply
Instead of using the wedge, I placed the iMac faced up with the top side (web cam) facing me while I ran the pizza roller around. It worked out great!
Sam Fung - Reply
“All iMacs also come with a traditional hard drive” mine doesn’t!! it’s HDD bay is completely empty, no SATA cable or anything. I guess I’ll have to upgrade the PCIe SSD instead.
Chris Hughes - Reply
There is no replacement glass for this model, it is part of the LCD and impossible to remove or replace- the entire LCD has to be replaced unfortunately if the glass is cracked or damaged. You will have to Google search for a replacement. Also be careful with some of the lock tight tork screws as I broke one of my screw mounts taking one out.
Phil Tesone - Reply
I used this service wedge but also found it a very tight fit. The same stabilization can be achieved by using a big rolled up towel.
Ernst - Reply
While this is a good instruction guide, I recommend to also look at OWC’s instruction video about drive installation, before starting the exercise. Those install videos are very detailed and useful.
Ernst - Reply
Main advice: TAKE YOUR TIME with the pizza roller.
Make several passes, until you really feel like there's no more sticker in the way. Stay away from the camera though (approx. 1inch / 2.5cm on both sides). This will reduce the work left with the plastic card. Adhesive is really on the edge of the screen so there is absolutely no need to go any further than the recommended 1cm / 3/8inch depth.
Where are the sensitive parts?
Facing your iMac, imagine you're looking at a watch. There are antennas on 1, 2 and 4 o'clock. Do not insert any metal piece there (nor anywhere else, btw). Other than that AND the screen cables underneath the camera, not much danger.
Froggy Manny - Reply