Intel iMac 24 - Graphics upgrade?

Percy1983

In short I have been given an iMac to do with as I please.

The current graphics (7300gt) is corrupting and crashing, I have turned the fans up which has stopped the crashing but the corruption continues.

Now looking for the replacement part its around £150 to replace which I refuse to pay for a 7300gt.

Now it appears the graphics card is an MXM card so I could replace it with another part (ATI 3650 for around £50) which isn't a problem but this is where my lack of knowledge on macs starts.

Physically I can buy and fit the replacement but will it accept it?

Likewise I plan to run windows and do away with OSX.

So without OSX could I install the graphics and install windows 7 and relevant drivers and be happy without a problem?

Or would the mac reject the graphics card at a hardware level and just refuse no matter what?

Likewise can i just install winsows by bootings the DVD like any other PC? (of course formatting the HD in the install process)?

Thanks

InsideInsurance

You need to be specific on which version of the imac you have as they vary considerably - check on ifixit both for compatibility and on instruction on how to do it.

Having stripped my 27" imac to replace the hd with an SSD I would very much caution you about doing it. There really is a tiny amount of room inside the case and many of the connectors are only millimeters longer than they have to be. Ended up having to have a set of tweezers holding another set of tweezers to get one of the connectors back in when reassembling mine - though I do have fairly large hands

almillar

iMacs aren't designed to be upgradeable outside of the RAM and hard disk. Don't plenty of iMacs have the graphics chip soldered on, meaning no upgrades? If there is a way of slotting something in, it would need to be like for like.
Anyway, sounds like you've got an overheating issue. In this order, you should: get rid of any dust from any grilles on the outside of the computer, take the back off and remove dust from any fans, or anywhere else you can see it, find the graphics chip, which is likely under a heatsink. Carefully remove the heatsink, reapply a very thin layer of thermal paste, and reassemble. Some or all of these things might fix it.

InsideInsurance

almillar wrote: »

iMacs aren't designed to be upgradeable outside of the RAM and hard disk. Don't plenty of iMacs have the graphics chip soldered on, meaning no upgrades? If there is a way of slotting something in, it would need to be like for like.

Only RAM is designed to be upgradable, and even that is only on the 27" model of the latest thin version.

Some have a soldered graphics chip on the logic board (aka motherboard) and in those cases you have to replace the full board. There are some where its on a separate board as per http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iMac+Intel+27-Inch+EMC+2309+or+2374+Graphics+Card+Replacement/9553

wongataa

Percy1983 wrote: »

Likewise can i just install winsows by bootings the DVD like any other PC? (of course formatting the HD in the install process)?

Thanks

You can't do this. Well you could but the lack of drivers for everything would make it pointless. Read up on Apple's Bootcamp facility for installing Windows on Apple computers.

Percy1983

Thanks for the info so far.

The full spec is here:
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/specs/imac-core-2-duo-2.16-24-inch-specs.html

to confirm the graphic is separate here is the replacement part:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Apple-iMac-24-A1200-NVIDIA-GeForce-7300-GT-128MB-Graphics-Video-Card-661-4179-/261481035731?pt=PCC_Video_TV_Cards&hash=item3ce17bf7d3

To confirm I have cleared all dust and upped the fans and there is still corruption, it appears the graphic is toast (too hot for too long), this is the reason I have been given the machine.

It seems with other macs if I install normal graphics there will be no efi rom for the bios as such but it will work if the OS support it (in my case windows all being well).

I just can't get a clear answer on macs with MXM connections (essentially laptop pci-e connections).

Well I am going to try and get windows running now and see how that goes.

Percy1983

Well windows is now on there, that was painful say the DVD drive is on its way out and it won't boot from USB.

As it is a setup the partition then used virtual box and mapped it to the partition and did the install by mount the windows iso in virtual box.

Windows update is now doing its thing.

One of the drivers from boot camp was causing crashes so has to correct that is safe mode.

The more I read the more it seems I can install another MXM card and it should at least work in windows which is my main concern.

So the next plan is to look at my options for MXM cards and buy one, if it doesn't work I can sell it back on.

Mr_Toad

InsideInsurance wrote: »

Only RAM is designed to be upgradable, and even that is only on the 27" model of the latest thin version.

Not true.

The older, fatter Aluminium ones have access to the memory slots on the bottom of the screen.

http://computers.tutsplus.com/tutorials/how-to-upgrade-the-ram-in-your-imac--mac-47252

My wife's even older 21" white iMac was the same too.

Not sure about the graphics card though. When I swapped the HDD in my 27" iMac for an SSD the graphics card looks to be a separate card but looks like it was manufactured specifically for the Mac with Mac specific connectors.

Then there's the drivers........

Percy1983

Mr_Toad wrote: »

Not true.

The older, fatter Aluminium ones have access to the memory slots on the bottom of the screen.

http://computers.tutsplus.com/tutorials/how-to-upgrade-the-ram-in-your-imac--mac-47252

My wife's even older 21" white iMac was the same too.

Not sure about the graphics card though. When I swapped the HDD in my 27" iMac for an SSD the graphics card looks to be a separate card but looks like it was manufactured specifically for the Mac with Mac specific connectors.

Then there's the drivers........

The one I have hear does have the said hatch too but everything else is tucked away, I will say in this case the front comes off, so I have to remove the LCD and basically take everything out to swap the graphics.

As mentioned research does point to the use MXM connections (when not directly soldered) which is a standard connection type.

I will say I have now ditched OSX so drivers shouldn't be a problem.

It seems I can get an ATI 3650 for around £60 which would be more than suitable replacement/upgrade.

It seems now with windows and a more aggressive fan profile the current 7300gt is mostly behaving so now sure if I should just leave it longer.