[ghporter]

I have a Mid 2007 20" iMac with the original 320GB hard drive. I've upped the RAM to 4GB (did that quite a while ago), but I'm thinking that could be bigger too, assuming I can convince the machine to accept one 2GB and one 4GB SIMM. I'm still running OS 10.6.8.

I want to put a much larger drive in, but I can't find a lot of information about which drives are configured to work with the iMac (because of the temperature sensor). I am also not clear on what kind of performance to expect from a SATA III drive connected to a SATA II bus.

I'd appreciate any input as I plan this out.

[seanc]

Do you need more storage or do you just want it?
If you want to see a speed increase, I'd highly recommend looking into an SSD, did wonders to my 2008 MacBook Pro.

[Mrjinglesusa]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

I have a Mid 2007 20" iMac with the original 320GB hard drive. I've upped the RAM to 4GB (did that quite a while ago), but I'm thinking that could be bigger too, assuming I can convince the machine to accept one 2GB and one 4GB SIMM. I'm still running OS 10.6.8.
I want to put a much larger drive in, but I can't find a lot of information about which drives are configured to work with the iMac (because of the temperature sensor). I am also not clear on what kind of performance to expect from a SATA III drive connected to a SATA II bus.
I'd appreciate any input as I plan this out.

AFAIK, up until late-2009, the HD temperature sensors in the iMacs are simply attached (adhesive) to the external of the HD. That being the case, any HD should work as you just need to move the temperature sensor to the new hard drive.

In my iMac (late-2009) the HD temperature sensor attached via pins directly to the drive so I would have to replace my Seagate with another Seagate. However, there is a workaround - I can buy a replacement optical drive sensor (which attaches externally) and use that as a temperature sensor for the HD.

Not sure about your SATA question...

[BLAZE_MkIV]

Sata 3 drives will work on a sata 2 bus but only at sata 2 speeds. So you'd only really get any benefits from change sto the disk itself, cache etc.

[cgc]

Originally Posted by BLAZE_MkIV 

Sata 3 drives will work on a sata 2 bus but only at sata 2 speeds. So you'd only really get any benefits from change sto the disk itself, cache etc.

Doubt that the OP would notice any difference (e.g. can't saturate either unless running RAID of some sort).

[BLAZE_MkIV]

Originally Posted by cgc 

Doubt that the OP would notice any difference (e.g. can't saturate either unless running RAID of some sort).

Yeah but memory cache on drives keep growing and reading from that could be limited by the bus. To the point if you want size don't worry it will be backwards compatible with the older bus. IF you want performance you want an ssd.

[abbaZaba]

I have a mid-2007 20" iMac with 6GB (one 2GB and one 4GB) and I replaced the original HDD with an SSD. The temperature sensor was a simple unpeel/repeel onto SSD. Simple.

With the SSD it runs quite well. I strongly suggest looking into purchasing an SSD.

[cgc]

Originally Posted by abbaZaba 

I have a mid-2007 20" iMac with 6GB (one 2GB and one 4GB) and I replaced the original HDD with an SSD. The temperature sensor was a simple unpeel/repeel onto SSD. Simple.
With the SSD it runs quite well. I strongly suggest looking into purchasing an SSD.

Newegg had "Samsung 840 Pro 128GB SSD Solid State Drive for $119.99 Shipped" but I passed...so you put the OS and apps on the SSD and all the media and data on the HDD?

[abbaZaba]

Music and video files are stored on an external HDD, everything else is on the 128GB SSD

[andi*pandi]

Any of you with 2007 imacs running 10.7? performance issues?

[cgc]

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

Any of you with 2007 imacs running 10.7? performance issues?

I'm running 10.7 on my 2006 1,1 MacPro (2 Xeon 5151s and an nVidia 7300GT which is a POS GPU) and 10.7 runs great.

[angelmb]

2007 iMacs top at 6 GB RAM, with that it would run Lion fine.

Four GBs along with the Creative Suite I am assuming andi*pandi would run, sounds a bit on the short side.

[ghporter]

Looks like I just need to start looking for a good-sized hard drive and a 4GB DIMM. I'm not ready to go with an SSD for several reasons, including cost per GB, but I'll keep that in mind too.

[Pao|o]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

I have a Mid 2007 20" iMac with the original 320GB hard drive. I've upped the RAM to 4GB (did that quite a while ago), but I'm thinking that could be bigger too, assuming I can convince the machine to accept one 2GB and one 4GB SIMM. I'm still running OS 10.6.8.
I want to put a much larger drive in, but I can't find a lot of information about which drives are configured to work with the iMac (because of the temperature sensor). I am also not clear on what kind of performance to expect from a SATA III drive connected to a SATA II bus.
I'd appreciate any input as I plan this out.

We have the same iMac7,1 and I will share what I fount out about our machine.

CPU can be upgraded to a Core 2 Extreme X7900 as a drop in part. I would buy this from eBay for $100.
Storage in the main bay is attached to a SATA 3Gb/s port. I would either use a Samsung 840 (not Pro) (nearing 250MB/s write/read) or a Seagate Barracuda 7200.14 drive (nearing surpassing 190MB/s write/read).
Memory can be upgrade to one 2GB SODIMM and one 4GB SODIMM.

That's it.

I honestly would not spend more than $300 on our iMac. If you sold it and use the proceeds of the sale plus the $300 you can buy a whole new Mac mini or iMac with new I/O that cannot be upgraded to. Like USB 3, Thunderbolt, Bluetooth 4, HDMI 1.4, miniDisplayport 1.2, 4K resolution video, etc.

In my I have a spare 3.5" HDD here and would use that in case my iMac's HDD breaks down. Furthermore I'd only spend $100 CPU upgrade as tearing down an iMac is no joke and I may as well upgrade whatever I can while I am inside.

[mattyb]

Your iMac won't see anymore RAM if its a C2Duo. iMac (Mid 2007) - Technical Specifications

And some more info here : http://guides.macrumors.com/Understanding_Intel_Mac_RAM

[P]

The totally unsupported effective RAM ceiling is 6 GB, one 2 GB and one 4 GB. The reason for this is that the chipset in that Mac (the memory controller is in the chipset for all Core 2 Duo - it was only with Nehalem that it moved into the CPU) supports 8 GB addressing space, but some is used for addressing of non-RAM hardware. There are multiple reports that 6 GB works, but Apple does not support this at all.

I would not bother picking the iMac apart for a bigger HDD. Just get an external Firewire drive and symlink up some directories.

[mattyb]

I have a Feb 2007 20inch iMac, the plastic one. There is 4G of RAM in the machine but it only sees 3.2G.

I'd be interested to know if Mr. Porter's iMac actually sees all of his RAM now.

[P]

Originally Posted by mattyb 

I have a Feb 2007 20inch iMac, the plastic one. There is 4G of RAM in the machine but it only sees 3.2G.

That's correct, the white iMacs use an older chipset (945-series as opposed to 965-series in the first Alu iMacs, IIRC).

[ghporter]

I haven't done anything to the machine yet, just researching at the moment. Now, user Pao|o apparently sees all of his RAM...

I'm working on getting myself a new drive first... I'm looking at a 2TB Seagate Barcuda, which should be way more than I need (for a while anyway ).

[P]

Seagate has been my HDD maker of choice for some time now, although with my secondary choice WD as the only other surviving competition, most anything should be good by that standard.

Beware of their crazy naming, though: All 7200 rpm drives from Seagate ever are called Barracuda, and the model years can be quite different. The current model is called Barracuda 7200.14 - although they're about due for a .15. You can still find older drives - either called .13 or XT (fast and noisy) or Green (slow and quiet) - so make sure you get the latest or pay less.

[shabbasuraj]

I agree with most of the responses here. I guess the upgrades that you should consider is really dependent on what you are doing on the machine.

If space is all you need, just buy an external. I would do that before upgrading the CPU.

Next, I would consider an SSD. An SSD will change your user experience, they really are that fast. Also, when you get a new machine, you can always take it out and use it on whatever machine you have in the future.

I am partial to the 'sell your machine, and use the proceeds to buy another iMac' option, as this is what I tend to do.

But maybe it might be worth waiting for Rev B of the current iMac.

[ghporter]

I looked at upgrading the processor, but it didn't seem to be such a great "bang for the buck" upgrade, what with finding one that was new and guaranteed and all. I'm starting to research SSDs for this upgrade, and I find them in the 250+GB range for about $200; which manufacturers should I pay more attention to, and which should I avoid?

[Gankdawg]

I've got a 24" iMac (late 2007?) model 3,1 and I just put a 4GB stick in it so I have 6 GB total now. It's noticeably faster. Later this year, I plan to take out the Superdrive and put an SSD in it's place and also replace the 750GB HDD with a 2 or 3TB and Fusion them together. I also plan to add an SSD to the Macbook too and leave out the Superdrive altogether (it's dying anyway and I never use it).

As a side bonus, the 2 GB stick that I took out fits in my Macbook so it's now up to 4GB from 3GB and I'm amazed at how much snappier it feels.

Both are running 10.7.5 but I will upgrade the iMac to 10.8 in order to use Fusion technology. I don't plan on selling this machine, it will be a hand-me-down to my wife (we share this one now).

[P]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

I looked at upgrading the processor, but it didn't seem to be such a great "bang for the buck" upgrade, what with finding one that was new and guaranteed and all. I'm starting to research SSDs for this upgrade, and I find them in the 250+GB range for about $200; which manufacturers should I pay more attention to, and which should I avoid?

This has been discussed a lot, but IMHO it comes down to a couple of options:

* Samsung 830. This is what Apple uses, and it has excellent reliability records. Only downside is that you will have to run TRIM Enabler for good performance. Hacking system files is always a risk.

* Intel 520/330 (they're the same, except for different warranty lengths). Intel has the best reliability record bar none, with the added benefit that the Sandforce controller in this one does not require you to enable TRIM. Intel does tend to be the most expensive, however.

* Any cheap garbage you can find, with up-to-date backups, a Windows install for doing firmware updates and a readiness to do the RMA dance if required . SSDs started as an enthusiast thing mostly for Windows users, and many of the brands out there still cater to that sector. You can get cheap drives with top-of-the-line performance this way, but especially the required firmware updates are a pain.

[ghporter]

The Intel 520/530s look to be just a bit more expensive than the Crucials I was looking at, with only slightly lower capacities (240 vs. 250/256). The Samsung 830 is comparable in price to the Crucial drives I looked at, and has the same 256GB capacity...I think I just have to bite the bullet and spend a bit more for the Intel. Thanks.

[OreoCookie]

I suggest you have a look at Intel's 330 series. I've put one in my dad's iMac, it works like a charm.

[ghporter]

The 330s are less expensive than the 520/530 series in the capacity I'm looking at, but I can't quite figure out whether there's an advantage in terms of warranty.

I have time for research...my finances got "redirected" this month so discretionary spending on my iMac is on hold for a bit.

[shabbasuraj]

Maybe by then prices will have dropped and you might be shopping for a larger capacity. Win!

[P]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

The 330s are less expensive than the 520/530 series in the capacity I'm looking at, but I can't quite figure out whether there's an advantage in terms of warranty.

I have time for research...my finances got "redirected" this month so discretionary spending on my iMac is on hold for a bit.

The 330 has the same controller as the 520, but a shorter warranty (3 years as opposed to 5). They have the same type of flash memory, which is uncommon in the business (usually the cheaper version uses lower grade tuff), but there is some sort of binning going on. Since I doubt that that iMac will be very useful more than three years from now, I would suggest the 330.

The 530 is not out yet, I think.

[Spheric Harlot]

Apologies if this seems anal, but could somebody take the time to spRuce up the thread title please?

It bugs the hell out of me (reason enough to leave it that way, I know, I know… )

[reader50]

Wish granted.

See, you should have asked for the Porsche at the same time.

[Spheric Harlot]

Thank you.

I don't WANT a Porsche. A '73 Alfa GT 1300 Junior will do fine.

[ghporter]

I wonder how I missed a typo in my own thread title so many times... Anyway, thanks for fixing it, reader50.

[shifuimam]

Just going to throw this in there - if you're interested in an SSD at all, keep an eye on woot and tech.woot. They frequently have refurbished Crucial 2.5" SATA SSDs for dirt cheap.

[cgc]

Spoofe.com is great as well...they have a Canon laser printer (35PPM B & W) for $109...that's $260 off retail.