2007 24 Inch iMac Restoration and Upgrade! SSD + Ram & More!

Join me in this exciting journey as I breathe new life into a 2007 iMac! 🖥️Watch as I take on the challenge of restoring and upgrading this vintage gem, turning electronic waste into a powerful machine in 2023. I’ll show you how to remove the iMac screen and replace the Hard drive with an SSD. I’ll also double the ram and perform a fresh El Capitan USB install. If you're into retro tech, sustainable electronics, and the art of giving gadgets a second chance, this video is a must-watch!
Thanks for watching!
Check out my video where I reveal the 3 free iMacs I found! kzbin.info/www/bejne/f4PXY4yDqLV-ers
Amazon link to 480 gig Lexar ssd: amzn.to/3KnHKxp
Amazon link to Crucial BX500 480GB 3D NAND SATA 2.5-Inch Internal SSD: amzn.to/47gfzKS
Amazon Affiliate link for the toolkit I use almost every day! amzn.to/3oGG6zB
Amazon Affiliate Notice: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. All Amazon links that I provide will use my affiliate code with Amazon.
Bootable El Capitan USB creation:
Download El Capitan on a MAC!!: from the link below! support.apple.com/en-us/HT206886
Then Format the USB Drive with Mac OSX Journaled.
Once El Capitan is Downloaded: Double click on it to install it.
Open a terminal on your Mac and Run the below script.
sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app --nointeraction
When its done remove the USB and insert it into the Mac You want to install it on. Hold down the Option key and press power until you see the Boot selection screen.

[@Quakehase]

btw: the tray of the original hardrive is just clipped in where you removed the 2 screws with your extension. just press down on it , remove the tray and you can unscrew the hdd easily after that.

[@RememberThisTech]

Hi there! Oh wow, tyvm for that tip! I'll try to remember that when I repair my 2008 20-inch iMac :) Thanks for watching and commenting. I appreciate it.

[@milonrojas6302]

Thanks for the video. I have the imac 24 inch early 2009 and, to updated to EL Capitan I just upgrade the RAM to 4GBs. It is working great.

[@RememberThisTech]

Hi and welcome to the channel! Nice work on your upgrade! I read that these imacs can take 6 gb of ram if one can find a correct 4gb stick and a 2gb. Thanks for watching and commenting. I appreciate it :)

[@SeaBass336]

Nice video, I did a SSD and RAM upgrade on an iMac (20-inch, Mid 2007) that was given to me for free because it wouldn't boot, but once I took it home it booted right up no problem. The bummer is that the Max RAM is 4GB so now it's only good enough to have 1 or 2 tabs open in Chrome, play KZbin videos or RDP to another PC. I'm amazed how well it runs for a 2007 iMac, you won't find many 2007 Windows PCs that run as good. Now I use it in my workshop to lookup parts or instructions for whatever I'm working on. Also works well as a Spotify jukebox.

[@RememberThisTech]

Hi and welcome to the channel! Nice work on getting your mac to work again and the upgrade. I've read that you can add a 4gb stick and a 2gb stick to get to 6gb of ram on these macs. They are really picky on the ram though so I imagine it would have to be the same frequency etc. You could always install Linux mint on it and it might run a bit faster. Hah i was thinking of putting one of my old iMacs in my shed lol. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@wilkuist]

@@RememberThisTechI have put 6GB in a 2008 iMac

[@RememberThisTech]

Hi there. I didn't have any 4 gb sticks to try at the time. However I was able to upgrade a 2009 MacBook to 6 gb the other day. :) Maybe I'll try the other 4gb stick in my 08 imac and see if it likes it.

[@4scammedinvestorS]

Hi there, looking good. Did the same upgrades (fitted SSD with plastic ties), and left DVD-player in, but use huge external RAID for images and video. Issues I encountered later were : (1) a Video card that gave up, probably due to age (?), and was difficult to find. (2) the temperature control on the SSD shows high temperature. (3) I could not find Virus protection software to work on OSX 10.11.6 Thank you for creating the video 🙂

[@RememberThisTech]

Hi, and welcome to the channel. Some of these older imacs need the cpu and gpu heatsinks removed and re thermal pasted. They do tend to overheat. The temp sensor on the ssd doesn't matter. You could try replacing the video chip . I installed Linux mint on one of my imacs for a newer, more secure os. At least it's more usable in 2024. Mint is easy to use. I hope you can get those issues fixed with your imac! Thanks for watching and commenting. I appreciate it.

[@happyputt9709]

Thanks

[@trevorcharles740]

Great video and tutorial. Wife brought me a imac 2009 and i got Ubuntu running. The RAM looks easy, but getting to HDD to SDD swap didn't look fun. The HDD that i now have currently is already banged up, so i might break out the duck tape. Could you have zip tied that SSD? Thanks for making this video!

[@RememberThisTech]

Hi there! Tyvm. Well, I guess if you want a bit more snappiness and speed out of your iMac, you could give it a shot at replacing the hdd with an ssd. But sometimes I adhere to the old adage if it ain't broke, don't fix it :) But if your hdd is already making noises, you might have to do it. Could I have used a zip tie? Perhaps I could have secured it to the old hdd bracket where the posts slid into sure. :) Thanks for watching and commenting. I appreciate it!

[@robertchamberlin2362]

Install a t9300-t9500 cpu then use dosdude patcher and install catalina or mojave.

[@RememberThisTech]

Good tip tyvm. But how does the heatpipe heatsink hold up to that faster cpu?

[@jdelatorrelupilo]

Admirable work

[@RememberThisTech]

@@jdelatorrelupilo hi and welcome to the channel! Tyvm! Also ty for watching and commenting I appreciate it!

[@JohnDoe-er5vf]

I finally managed to upgrade to 6gb ram! My iMac 2007 now runs Catalina 10.12.7 installed with Opencore. I was wondering if I can install Monterey too. CPU is upgraded too.

[@RememberThisTech]

Woot! Awesome, great job! I've read that it should be possible to upgrade to monteray with a bit of work. Not guaranteed, but you might as well see what you can do, right!? Worst case scenario, there's always Mint!

[@JohnDoe-er5vf]

Well I managed to do it in the end of the long run! I did it with OpenCore Legacy Patch. I cannot say it runs smoothly but it is not lagging up to the point I cannot use it and I am using it for simple tasks like one or maximum 2 jobs at once. i.imgur.com/F1HdFAH.png @@RememberThisTech

[@RememberThisTech]

Nice work! Try and see if you can patch the system further with opencore might help.

[@repairstudio4940]

You can run Catalina with a dosdude patcher ya know?

[@RememberThisTech]

Hi there. I didn't think that this 2007 imac would run that without opencore? Only Late 2012 or newer imacs would natively support catalima.

[@chevylization]

Excellent, that sounded like quite a rescue operation. Salvaging retro computers these days is a challenge, it also reminds me how much I hate Macs and Seagate. I think I got the Seagate phobia with those "repaired/recertified" drives from my old days, also made me in to a double-backup-maniac. And yes, SSD's absolutely love masking-tape, duct-tape and double-sided tape.

[@RememberThisTech]

Lol! The more I try and work on macs and fix them, the less I seem to know because it's an excersie in patience and me smashing my head against the table :( but then when I get it to work I am super pumped about it. And why of why would anyone put a certified repaired hd in a machine.. How many hours did it have on it before it failed the first time omg.. right!? Right on! Duct tape fixes everything:) lmao

[@TM-hr6nv]

Hey I did this on a similar model a number of years ago and if I recall swapping to a HDD causes a system fan to run a full speed because it's expecting a different temp reading. There is a free app you can download to have it make the fan run like normal.

[@RememberThisTech]

Hey! Mine didn't go full speed on the fans. But that's a good tip, thanks! Thanks for watching and commenting. I appreciate it :)

[@mrombit605]

Can you please tell namely that specific "free app" and/or a link where from to download it? Thanks.MR

[@TM-hr6nv]

@@mrombit605 For sure! Its called "SSDfanCtrl" and its made by Exirion

[@TM-hr6nv]

@@mrombit605 The one I used was called SSD Fan Control on soft by exirion.

[@ItIsNot1984]

Hey, buddy! This looks a competent guide to disassembling one of these. You said something about the screen on yours looking less yellow. Do you know is it normal for these to yellow? I figure the main reason to have one of these around would be for the screen. The screens were always the biggest draw to these products.

[@RememberThisTech]

Hi there! I believe that once the OS got installed and the drivers kicked in, it looked super crisp again! I'm not sure it's common for the yellowish screen or if perhaps it's age related. Not the newest or fastest CPUs in it, but it's pretty snappy with the New ssd an ram upgrade. Thanks! Hopefully, it helps people fix these, and they are. nice-looking and good machines

[@ItIsNot1984]

@@RememberThisTech I mean if the screens stay looking nice, I could see it being worthwhile to pick one up. I'll have to look into that eventually. Been busy monkeying around with a socket A build.

[@RememberThisTech]

@ItIsNot1984 NiceI I've got 3 Athlon XP CPUs I need to make a build with one day soon as well!

[@ItIsNot1984]

@@RememberThisTech nice. you better check those cpu's out. I have found the ones with high multipliers like 15+ and 512k of cache are pretty rare and kinda pricey when they do come up. you could have something nice in there and not know it.

[@RememberThisTech]

@ItIsNot1984 will do thanks. But as far as I know the gpus are on a slot card with the sys heatpipes and fan blower for them. Not s normal pcie and agp pc typ setup in this iMac. Would what you said still hold true?

[@itstheMR]

Yo, monitor is 1920x1200. Don't abuse the poor thing by saying it is only 1080p lol. Great job resurrecting the iMac! This would make a great beginner PC for a kid in elementary. I've read some of these can make it up to 6GB. Every little bit helps! I'm so glad you are able to resurrect these old computers. I sure hope they find a good home. Looking forward to your next resurrection job you wizard you!

[@RememberThisTech]

Hey! Yeah I guess I called it 1080p when it's not messed that one up lol :( I read that the 2008 iMac 20inch I got, I can unofficially Mojave.. so that maybe another thing I might try.. I got an adapter for the min dvi out for the imac and it's aftermarket and I can't capture with it :( I also got a nxzt capture device but it refuses to work with my 27 inch monitor for output so untill I get it working video captures on the side for my video quality :( but I did improve my work area with better lighting so stay tuned! Thanks again!

[@nilesht9]

I have 2.8 24 inch A1225 model , what is max ram and SSD u can upgrade?

[@RememberThisTech]

Hi, and welcome to the channel! Theoretically, I've read you can use a 2gug and 4 gig ram sticks for a total of 6 gig. I've only done 4, though, because that's what I had. As far as an ssd size 1 tb should be fine but 2 tb also but I'm not 100% sure. Plus I personally wouldn't spend that much to put in a giant ssd in this older imac. I'd go with 1tb or 512. Thanks for watching and commenting. I appreciate it

[@QianJiangYue]

Hi, I got a warning:"This version of OS X 10.11 cannot be installed on this computer" when I was trying to install the installer. The Mac I'm using is Mac Mini M1.I replaced SSD and Ram of my 2006 iMac OS X10.5 Does anybody know how to fix it? TIA

[@RememberThisTech]

Hi, and welcome to the channel. OSx 10.11 isn't supported by your older Mac mini. I'm seing support for You can run Lion (10.7.5) or Mountain Lion (10.8.5; with patches). Maybe Mavericks (10.9.5; with patches. But you could try using opencore Patcher to get it to work.

[@AiguoChen-ry9ww]

@@RememberThisTech Thank you very much for your prompt reply! I should have made it more clear: I got that warning "this version of OS X 10.11 cannot be installed on this computer" on my Mac Mini M1and I was trying to install EI Capitan. And then use a usb to install that on my old 2006 iMac. I asked Bard and got the instruction to use VMware Fusion. I installed VMware and followed the instructions but still with no vail.

[@danhutchinsonbackup]

My friend has one of these

[@RememberThisTech]

Hi there! Yeah, they were decent machines back in the day. They look super sleek, too! Thanks for watching :)

[@laurencejohnson4106]

Well saved Jason!👍👍 Will you be installing a Linux OS?

[@RememberThisTech]

Hey Laurence ! I really want to try and dual boot it with Mint. I also want to figure out how to upgrade to Mohave OS as it's not supported but would be a new challenge. Might have to do it on the 2008 iMac 20 inch one. Thanks!

[@laurencejohnson4106]

@@RememberThisTechHello Jason, those will be interesting videos, in my opinion, LM., Mate may perform better on that iMac as it is less resource hungry.

[@RememberThisTech]

@laurencejohnson4106 You're probably spot on. Since this has the core 2 duo 2.8 ghz and only 4 gb ram.

[@craig8pie]

Thanks for this! My HDD is about to die :D

[@RememberThisTech]

Hi and welcome to ty channel! Tyvm for the super thanks you're the first to do this and I appreciate it. I hope your hd ssd replacement goes smoothly and your machine gets back up and running. Thanks for watching and commenting. I appreciate it :)

[@craig8pie]

It's the first time I've done the 'Super Thanks' too! I've just ordered a 2.5" to 3.5" caddy/adapter that is designed to hold two SSD devices - so now I'm wondering if I can install TWO SSDs to aid dual-booting..? 🤔 Only one way to find out for certain!@@RememberThisTech

[@RememberThisTech]

@craig8pie Nice! But from what I remember inside the 2007 and 2008 iMac is there seems to only be 1 sata port in the hd area. So you might be limited to 1 ssd. Unless theres additional hidden ports I didn't see. Perhaps just use a 1tb ssd of a decent brand and call it good? :)

[@craig8pie]

Yeah, only a single SATA port :( But, the iMac is up and running without the sound of a dying HDD! @@RememberThisTech

[@RememberThisTech]

@@craig8pie WOOOHOO That's awesome! Congrats! Did you have much issues when taking it apart? I bet it feels snappier with an SSD now :) ? Perhaps use OpenCore Patcher to upgrade you OS now? Thoughts? Thanks for letting me know you made it work! Makes me feel good I was able to make a video that helped ;)

[@VasiaLoxopetov]

Я так же хочу улучшить свой iMac 🖥

[@RememberThisTech]

Get a cheap ssd, up the ram, and breathe new life into it :)

[@VasiaLoxopetov]

@@RememberThisTech а какой процессор с максимальной мощностью можно установить в iMac 8.1 1224?

[@RememberThisTech]

@@VasiaLoxopetov You should technically be able to upgrade to a T9500 2.6 GHz Core 2 Duo, or T9300 2.5 GHz Core 2 Duo. Here's an article on it. lowendmac.com/2018/penryn-t9300-9500-cpu-upgrades-for-the-2007-imac/