iMac 27 inch succumbed to the video card issue

[rkmusgrave]

So... I am wondering if I can now simply buy an old Mac Pro tower from Ebay, and insert the hard drive etc into a spare slot of the Mac Pro tower and simply turn on, and away I go??

Will this work as a fix?

As Apple has already stated I must pay $1000 AUD to get my video card replaced as mine wen a few months out of the time frame they allowed.

Thanks people!

RK.

 

[honestone]

What exact iMac model do you have? Unless it is an "old" one, most likely the internal drive will not be a "large" hard disk drive, in terms of physical size. It is most likely only 2.5" in height. But, for the older MacPro you would buy, just make sure it has some USB ports. You can then buy a nice, slim Orico external case that you can put the iMac's drive inside, connect it to your Mac Pro via a USB cable, and you'll be in business.

 

[rkmusgrave]

Thanks for your reply honestone.

It is a 2011 27inch iMac purchased in 2012.

Could I then also add/use any other components from my old iMac in the Mac Pro tower?

Thanks again for your help.

 

[honestone]

OK, it looks like there is a standard, 7200 rpm Hard Disk Drive (HDD) inside the machine, and here is how you remove it:

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iMac+Intel+27-Inch+EMC+2429+Hard+Drive+Replacement/7555

Hence, you should just be able to install inside one of the empty slots within the Mac Pro you plan on getting. However, if need be, you could install inside an external 5.25" case, and connect it to one of the ports on the Mac Pro. 5.25" external enclosures with a fIrewire 800 interface are somewhat common, and as long as the Mac Pro has at least one Firewire 800 port, such a setup will be decently fast, what with the 7200 rpm speed and the Firewire 800 connection.

Not sure about the RAM, as that would depend upon which Mac Pro you purchase, and if the iMac's RAM is compatible. And, via the site www.ifixit.com, did not see anything about the Super Drive, although according to this:

"By default, it is configured with 4 GB of RAM (1333 MHz PC3-10600 DDR3 SDRAM), a 1 TB (7200 RPM) hard drive, a vertically-mounted slot-loading DVD�R DL "SuperDrive", and AMD Radeon HD 6770M graphics with 512 MB of dedicated GDDR5 memory."

it seems to have a "standard" SuperDrive.

Now, when you purchase the Mac Pro, it would be best if you could find one with a very recent version of the Mac OS. Also, not sure what you plan on doing with the iMac's drive inside the Mac Pro, but if you were planning on booting the Mac Pro from it, that might or might not work, as if the OS on that drive is one which the Mac Pro does not support, then you will not be able to boot from that drive right away.

 

[rkmusgrave]

Thank you so much for taking the time to help me here.

I really appreciate it!

 

[honestone]

You're welcome. Hope your project goes smoothly.