Re: Extending the life of an old iMac - Overheating, Windows, etc.
>From what I understand of the yellowing process, it’s caused by heat from the backlights somehow ‘burning’ stripes into the lcd. Simply swapping out the backlights probably wouldn’t fix it; is replacing the entire LCD assembly relatively easy? I seem to recall it coming out fairly easily when I replaced the hard drive. However, they’re not cheap; I seem to recall prices around $125 on eBay. As far as the heat pipe is concerned, how hard it is it to find an appropriate thermal pad? I was hoping I could do it with paste, but it seems that's out. I may just go ahead and run the CPU fan into the ground with my fan control software. I found out that there's a Windows version that runs under BootCamp, making that decision easier. Bootcamp is preferred because I would like to run some older games on the nice big screen without the OS X performance penalty. Fortunately, the yellow stripes are really only visible on solid, light backgrounds and don't really affect gaming visuals. I've actually managed to get some recent OS X titles to run on this old beast, like Divinity: Original Sin and XCom. Thanks for the advice everyone. -- -- You received this message because you are a member of the iMac Group, a group for those using Apple iMacs and eMacs. The list FAQ is at http://lowendmac.com/imac/list.shtml and our netiquette guide is at http://www.lowendmac.com/lists/netiquette.shtml To post to this group, send email to imaclist@googlegroups.com To leave this group, send email to imaclist+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/imaclist --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "iMac Group" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to imaclist+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
Extending the life of an old iMac - Overheating, Windows, etc.
You may just need to re-apply the thermal paste to the GPU, rather than replace the heatsink. The thermal paste transfers the heat from the processor to the heatsink, but it dies out over time and stops functioning properly. Unfortunately the heatsink on those models in on the back of the logic board, so anything you do will require a full disassembly. Because re-appling the thermal paste is not gauranteed to work, you may just want to replace the heatsink at the same time and save yourself the potential of having to do the job twice. Regarding the CCFL backlight, it is theretically possible to replace, but is extremely difficult. You are probably better off replacing the entire display assembly. If you really want to give it a try, there is a guide on how to do this on iFixit: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Removing+CCFL+from+iMac+20in+LCD+CCFL+assembly/5865 Regarding bootcamp, Windows 7 is definitely available in a 32-bit version; I know because I have a copy. However, you may still be able to run 64-bit Windows on that machine. I have a 2006 Mac Pro which also uses a 32-bit EFI and can therfore only run 32-bit Mac OS X, but it is able to run 64-bit Windows via bootcamp. I'm not sure this applies to your machine as well, but it's something to think about. However, I would say that unless you're using windows for 3D gaming, you'll be fine with Paralells or Ware, and in my experience they are a lot easier to deal with than boot camp. -- -- You received this message because you are a member of the iMac Group, a group for those using Apple iMacs and eMacs. The list FAQ is at http://lowendmac.com/imac/list.shtml and our netiquette guide is at http://www.lowendmac.com/lists/netiquette.shtml To post to this group, send email to imaclist@googlegroups.com To leave this group, send email to imaclist+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/imaclist --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "iMac Group" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to imaclist+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
Re: Extending the life of an old iMac - Overheating, Windows, etc.
> On Jan 27, 2016, at 12:57 PM, Eric Volker wrote: > > My second question relates to Boot Camp and Windows. The logical version to > install would be Windows 7, but only 32-bit OS’s are supported on this iMac. > Where on earth would I find a 32-bit version of Windows 7? > I would avoid messing with Bootcamp; a VM solution like VirtualBox or Parallels is as good IMO and doesn’t require rebooting -- Bruce Johnson University of Arizona College of Pharmacy Information Technology Group Institutions do not have opinions, merely customs -- -- You received this message because you are a member of the iMac Group, a group for those using Apple iMacs and eMacs. The list FAQ is at http://lowendmac.com/imac/list.shtml and our netiquette guide is at http://www.lowendmac.com/lists/netiquette.shtml To post to this group, send email to imaclist@googlegroups.com To leave this group, send email to imaclist+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/imaclist --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "iMac Group" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to imaclist+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
Re: Extending the life of an old iMac - Overheating, Windows, etc.
> On Jan 27, 2016, at 11:57 AM, Eric Volker wrote: > > I’m actually pretty lucky as far as longevity goes. My old mid-2007 iMac will > still run the latest OS, making it among the oldest devices to do so. Even > so, it has a few problems. > > Chief among them is what I think is a bad heat pipe on the GPU - it rapidly > overheats if I play any 3d games. I had already blown out the dust, and it > still overheated. I contacted a local Mac shop and they said the repair was > impossible - the logic board would have to be replaced. I rather doubt this, > but don’t have any way to confirm it. Has anyone out there replaced their > heat pipe in their iMac? I’ve replaced the hard drive in my iMac, but it was > pretty hairy. Can an end-user replace the GPU heatpipe? In the meantime, I’ve > got some fan control software helping keep the Mac cool, but it’s putting a > lot of wear and tear on the CPU fan. > > My second question relates to Boot Camp and Windows. The logical version to > install would be Windows 7, but only 32-bit OS’s are supported on this iMac. > Where on earth would I find a 32-bit version of Windows 7? > > My third question relates to the screen. It’s gotten these subtle horizontal > yellow streaks on the screen that from what I’ve read are from the CCFL > backlights. Is there any way to get rid of them without replacing the screen? > > Thanks, > > Eric The gas inside the heat pipe probably has leaked out. The entire heat sink/pipes/radiator assembly can be replaced. The logic board has to be removed in order to do so. Get the Apple Service Source “shop manual” or go to ifixit.com for instructions on remove/replace. It’s not difficult, just tedious. The assembly can be purchased on eBay. Be prepared to replace the thick white thermal pad between the heat sink proper and the GPU chip on that little board. Thermal paste won’t work. 32-bit versions of Windows 7 on DVD usually are in the package with the 64-bit version if you’re buying a full install copy. Replacing the CCFL backlights is a job for pros. I tried it once. Never again. Get another screen or live with it. After all, you’ve gotten almost 9 years out of an iMac. Time to move on, perhaps, to a new-er machine. Jim Scott -- -- You received this message because you are a member of the iMac Group, a group for those using Apple iMacs and eMacs. The list FAQ is at http://lowendmac.com/imac/list.shtml and our netiquette guide is at http://www.lowendmac.com/lists/netiquette.shtml To post to this group, send email to imaclist@googlegroups.com To leave this group, send email to imaclist+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/imaclist --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "iMac Group" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to imaclist+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
Extending the life of an old iMac - Overheating, Windows, etc.
I’m actually pretty lucky as far as longevity goes. My old mid-2007 iMac will still run the latest OS, making it among the oldest devices to do so. Even so, it has a few problems. Chief among them is what I think is a bad heat pipe on the GPU - it rapidly overheats if I play any 3d games. I had already blown out the dust, and it still overheated. I contacted a local Mac shop and they said the repair was impossible - the logic board would have to be replaced. I rather doubt this, but don’t have any way to confirm it. Has anyone out there replaced their heat pipe in their iMac? I’ve replaced the hard drive in my iMac, but it was pretty hairy. Can an end-user replace the GPU heatpipe? In the meantime, I’ve got some fan control software helping keep the Mac cool, but it’s putting a lot of wear and tear on the CPU fan. My second question relates to Boot Camp and Windows. The logical version to install would be Windows 7, but only 32-bit OS’s are supported on this iMac. Where on earth would I find a 32-bit version of Windows 7? My third question relates to the screen. It’s gotten these subtle horizontal yellow streaks on the screen that from what I’ve read are from the CCFL backlights. Is there any way to get rid of them without replacing the screen? Thanks, Eric -- -- You received this message because you are a member of the iMac Group, a group for those using Apple iMacs and eMacs. The list FAQ is at http://lowendmac.com/imac/list.shtml and our netiquette guide is at http://www.lowendmac.com/lists/netiquette.shtml To post to this group, send email to imaclist@googlegroups.com To leave this group, send email to imaclist+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/imaclist --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "iMac Group" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to imaclist+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
