New iMac Gets Respectable Repairability Score
Announced on Wednesday, the iFixit team certainly wasted no time in getting its hands on the new 2011 iMac. So what did they find when they took this baby apart?
We already know that the new 21-inch iMac comes with a 21.5-inch (1920 x 1080 pixel IPS panel, one of Intel’s quad-core Core-i CPUs, AMD Radeon HD 6750M graphics with 512MB, a 500GB HDD, 4GB of RAM, support for Facetime and Intel’s new Thunderbolt I/O technology. This tidy packet will set you back about $1,199 -- not a terrible deal. However, what you’ve got inside that case, you’re kind of stuck with, thanks to Apple’s apparent aversion to creating products that are easy to upgrade at home. Still, where there's a will, there's a way. So, how easy is this machine apart yourself?
iFixit gave it "a very respectable 7 out of 10 Repairability Score" saying that for the most part, the disassembly was pretty straight forward. However, you will need a couple of tools that the average DIYer might not have hanging around. Specifically, a T10 Torx screwdriver and suction cups. If you do happen to have those lying on the work bench, iFixit says you should be able to change the RAM no problem, and replacing the hard drive and optical drive is described as only ‘moderately difficult.’ Things really get tricky for those trying to upgrade CPU/GPU. If that's your plan, you'll have to remove the logic board.
Specific parts found inside the iMac include an LM215WF3 LG display (the same present in the older model), an Intel L102IA84 EFL Thunderbolt port IC, a 2.5 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5-2800S CPU with 6 MB of Intel Smart Cache, an Intel BD82Z68 Platform Controller Hub, a Broadcom BCM57765B0KMLG Integrated Gigabit Ethernet and Memory Card Reader Controller, a Cirrus 4206BCNZ audio controller, a SMSC USX2061 (believed to be a USB 2.0 Hub Controller Family), and an Intersil ISL6364 CRZ Single-Phase Synchronous-Buck PWM voltage regulator for GPU core power applications.
Check out the full tear-down here.
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*sigh* Apple and their "logic" boards.. It's a MOTHERboard for Petes sake..
The "logic" happens in the CPU..
I thought the RAM was a straight forward removal of the panel on the underside of the screen type job. I guess needing a torx screwdriver puts even this in the too hard basket for some...
"Logic boards"- that made me laugh for sure.
How good is the ips panel? How does it compare to the dell u2311h?
Yes, anything that requires a home user buy specialized suction cups to take apart is highly repairable...
i have to say im surprised. those specs at that price for a mac device... i would've guessed at least 1500. ive heard logic boards are the next big thing...
Ugh i don't want to see the inside of an Imac ever again. Repaired too many of these and they are not fun in any way.
How good is the ips panel? How does it compare to the dell u2311h?
Both panels are made by LG. When you buy a monitor, the LCD panel is not manufactured by Dell, Apple, Asus, Viewsonic but by a another firm since it is a costly process that requires large factories.
On this site they review different technologies and have a large database listing every panel in each monitor.
http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/panelsearch.htm
Yes, anything that requires a home user buy specialized suction cups to take apart is highly repairable...
Guess with that regard and high rating, any Win PC have a rating of 10 across the board!
stop the hate!!!
depending on how good that monitor is, its almost like you are getting a decent computer along with an amassing monitor. if only it wasnt a mac, i would praise this, but because its mac, its shooting itself in the foot, as people only use a mac for dicking around, not doing real work.
Having a torx driver isn't a big deal anymore. Now suction cups (and knowing how to correctly use them), well that's another story.
The thing I don't like is that Apple equips this iMac with a wonderful 1080p screen, yet only has a gpu with 512 meg of video ram. Come on now Apple, 1 gig of vram has become the defacto baseline anymore. Oh that's right Jobs doesn't like gaming.
I never liked "all in ones" You can't do hardware upgrades, many times they have mobile chipsets in them for less heat. When you want new you have to buy another "all in one" or a monitor if you go back to a conventional desktop setup. If your monitor breaks you lose your computer, if your computer breaks you lose your monitor.
Its just not a good setup unless you really don't like a box sitting around. In that case you might as well get a laptop. Its cheaper!
I always thought iMacs used mobile specs for everything. I guess now it's only the GPUs?
depending on how good that monitor is, its almost like you are getting a decent computer along with an amassing monitor. if only it wasnt a mac, i would praise this, but because its mac, its shooting itself in the foot, as people only use a mac for dicking around, not doing real work.
Your highly questionable opinion, is worthless.
Also, the suction cups thing is odd.. Not many people would have those already, but as it is.. Since Apple doesn't intend for its users to repair their suff DIY-style, it's not too unusual. I'm guessing the higher score is more lined with how easy it is to repair with all the right tools, instead of how easy it is with, and only with, a standard set of tools. And in that case.. The score makes some sense.
Are these magical suction cups? I have a bunch around the house already -- and got them at a dollar store.
From the pic it looks like they are using the suction cups to lift off the display-- is there any reason you couldn't flip it over on a padded surface and just lift away the case??
Why would u need to fix it, arent apple fanboys required to buy a new one every year or face the wrath of being "uncool"
$1.200 is not bad for Apple, is this surely the right price?
Apple doesn't want you to be able to upgrade anything they want you to buy new. That's why say anything "i" (iPad, iPhone, etc) will never have a microsd slot. Why have the slot when they can charge hundreds more going from a 32gb device to 64gb. Apple is a fashion accessory, all you're paying for is the name.
...people only use a mac for dicking around, not doing real work.
This is a pretty lame and baseless comment. Do you have any idea how many in the movie industry are using Mac's, not to mention the audio industry? Then there is the graphic arts industry (Photoshop was designed for the Mac initially) that seems to gravitate to Mac, and AutoCAD is now ported to the Mac and most likely many will be moving over to iMac's to do this type of work if not for the small footprint. With it's UNIX kernel you also see more of them creeping into science, medicine, etc. Apple provide a decent SDK for developers (free,) and so OS X has as much room for application growth as does the PC. Now that Apple is gaining more market share, then we will most likely see more applications being implemented. The greatest selling point of OS X, is it's robustness and ease of use. The typical consumer does not want to fight an OS like Window's, and corporations loose money when they must spend time implementing simple tasks on Windows versus OS X. History will be the judge.
Yoder, you may have needed a mac to do all those things back in the early 90's but now, we have all those tools for free on the wintel platform... mac's are dead, thats why apple builds phones and music gadgets now....
Yoder54: Yeah, Macs were all the rage in the Audio and Video industries back in the late 90s, but somewhere around the end of the G5 era, there was a mass exodus away from Mac. They no longer have the same renown that they used to, mostly because people figured out the platform as a whole sucks, the application is used the same way in either OS, and that OSX has worse performance per price and per hardware spec.
"an Intel BD82Z68 Platform Controller Hub"
Is this the same Z68 that we on the PC side have been waiting months for?
The greatest selling point of OS X, is it's robustness and ease of use. The typical consumer does not want to fight an OS like Window's, and corporations loose money when they must spend time implementing simple tasks on Windows versus OS X. History will be the judge.
Windows is just as user friendly as os X if your use to using it. And if companies spent as much on a windows computer as they do with a mac and got none cheap crap parts they wouldn't have to do much fighting with anything
If history is any judge apple will eventually shoot its self in the foot and fall into near bankruptcy and become a nitch product..... again. Since Apple went away from risc cpu's other then opinions about its OS i find no real compelling reasons they are any better then a regular old windows PC anymore. I mean other then someones opinions about the OS
"an Intel BD82Z68 Platform Controller Hub" Is this the same Z68 that we on the PC side have been waiting months for?
Yupp its the Z68, (for you who don't know its pretty much a P68 but with added cpu gfx support and ssd caching for hdd's).
I rather wait for the real performance LGA-2011 chipset/cpu's (qpi, quad memory channels and 2x16 pci-e 3.0 for gfx not the 2x8 like p68/z68)
One fact is that Apple supposedly died many times over the last decade and is now bigger than Ms, now also #34 in the Fortune list for what ever it means, and selling more macs every year, beside selling more gadgets than ever. Facts and no my opinion.
With this facts still being true I personally don't like iMacs for not being as easy to upgrade as the OS philosophy is easy to interact with. Apple is very capable to produce an upgradable PC/MAC hardware. But it looks like Apple don't want to deal with those kind of users on a commercial product. Mac Pros are workstations, a more reliable PC, for Pro users.
The 27 panel iMac with a 2600K is a decent all in one, the only one I would consider for myself for "high end" use. But as someone pointed if the IPS monitor fails or an important part you lose all the functionality while the machine is on service. I don't like that either.
But the news is about the iMacs getting easier to upgrade or repair by a more adventurous user.
This is a pretty lame and baseless comment. Do you have any idea how many in the movie industry are using Mac's, not to mention the audio industry? Then there is the graphic arts industry (Photoshop was designed for the Mac initially) that seems to gravitate to Mac, and AutoCAD is now ported to the Mac and most likely many will be moving over to iMac's to do this type of work if not for the small footprint. With it's UNIX kernel you also see more of them creeping into science, medicine, etc. Apple provide a decent SDK for developers (free,) and so OS X has as much room for application growth as does the PC. Now that Apple is gaining more market share, then we will most likely see more applications being implemented. The greatest selling point of OS X, is it's robustness and ease of use. The typical consumer does not want to fight an OS like Window's, and corporations loose money when they must spend time implementing simple tasks on Windows versus OS X. History will be the judge.
What company today would buy the same hardware for more money only to have it emulate the Windows platform in the end? They get a real workstation directly instead that both are cheaper, perform better and have the widest array of software available.
Only reason i see that mac os managed to get installed in one computer of twenty worldwide is because they made the ipod that save their poorly running business, i guess history have a way of repeating itself - Only time will tell!
Only reason i see that mac os managed to get installed in one computer of twenty worldwide is because they made the ipod that save their poorly running business, i guess history have a way of repeating itself - Only time will tell!
iMacs are designed for consumers and not for business relying on heavy professional use. They can run Windows too, IF the user wants or needs or preferds both systems on one machine. But iMacs are not Pro grade hardware in almost any sense. But you can do some professional job on an iMac as on many modern PCs.
Another false argument is that Pro workstations are cheaper. You are confused. A workstation is a Xeon class machine like Mac Pros, BoXX, high end Dells or HPs, and those many times dual socket Macs or PCs are way pricier even if you build one yourself and values your time as "0$". Being Dell, HP or BoXX are on another league never intended to run only desktop software on games.
iMacs appear in some productions for companies only if they can handle certain editing, design or desktop task. But using an iMac for high en editing as an only option is on the extreme of their capability and more a user choice.
So you my friend don't try to teach others lessons when you don't know what you are talking about.
The "story repeating itself" here is some people forcing the world to fit themselves.
What company today would buy the same hardware for more money only to have it emulate the Windows platform in the end? They get a real workstation directly instead that both are cheaper, perform better and have the widest array of software available.Only reason i see that mac os managed to get installed in one computer of twenty worldwide is because they made the ipod that save their poorly running business, i guess history have a way of repeating itself - Only time will tell!
You are also forgetting the UNIX kernel. Ever since the release of OS X. many have switched to Mac because it is actual unix with real support. That is, major programs such as Adobe suits, Microsoft Office, and editing tools run on it without sacrificing the UNIX. As a developer, I require a UNIX system, especially for C, and emulating UNIX on a windows computer is a no go and using Linux is nice but I do not get all the name brand applications. So what if there is an open-source version of each application, they do not always open the files the same way.
"As a developer, I require a UNIX system, especially for C, and emulating UNIX on a windows computer is a no go and using Linux is nice"
What about Cygwin? You can have your unix-like interface while still running any windows application and do them side-by-side...
I'm an apple tech. I work on these all the time. You don't need the suction cups. You can just stick your fingernail under it and lift. It comes right off. Repairs/upgrades are pretty easy. I do hard drives in about 20min.
I'm an apple tech. I work on these all the time. You don't need the suction cups. You can just stick your fingernail under it and lift. It comes right off. Repairs/upgrades are pretty easy. I do hard drives in about 20min.
Lol, 20 minutes to upgrade the HDD?