Aluminum iMac longevity - tips

S

sphinx99

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Dec 23, 2006
Messages
1,059
I've owned a 2009 27" iMac since purchase shortly at launch and while I use my use my watercooled X79 build more than the Mac (and my wife uses her Z87 build more than it as well) we both agree that the iMac has been, in aggregate, the single most well built, long-lived and robust PC we've ever owned. 5+ years in, it continues to run without skipping a beat.

Question for Aluminum iMac owners: as these computers age, what preventative tips/tricks/techniques can be practiced to maximize life as much as possible? My concern is of course for non-servicable parts: power supply, motherboard/GPU, etc... the things that, when they go, may spell doom for the computer as a whole.

I've downloaded a fan speed controller and tend to run the fan speed rather high when doing anything that taxes the CPU/GPU, to keep things cool. I can see it makes as much as a 20C difference vs. the stock setting. I do try to blow out dust but TBH I've almost never seen dust accumulate at inlets or outlets as they do on other PCs I've owned. (Not sure why.) I recently upgraded the unit to 4x8GB=32GB and it's running rather smoothly with a lot less burden on the HDD, but I'm still nervous about that HD (a 1TB Seagate, I think, that had a replacement/recall at some point that I never took advantage of) that to date shows no problems but I'm not running any particular monitoring tools on the iMac as I run HDSentinal on the PCs and home server. (Should I be?)

Basically, I'm open to any routine or passive preventative maintenance to keep this PC "purring" as long as I can. It's not lost on me that such things are important to maximize the life of these rather expensive AIOs, and that past a certain age, a GPU or mainboard failure = effective total loss of a $3,000 computer.
 
I just finally upgraded a 2006 Mac Mini which never experienced any problems, failures, or noticeable dust build-up; it merely didn't have the CPU power to run stuff in 2014 (couldn't play Youtube smoothly, not really its fault since it almost predated Youtube) and the 60GB hard drive was pretty slow but never failed.

Since it's already lived 5 years with no issues, the odds are good that your iMac will continue to do so for quite awhile. Generally speaking about hard drives by any maker, after the first three years, a hard drive has a 12% chance of failing each year. Should you ever experience problems with the hard drive (you have an external backup drive for Time Machine, right?), you could replace it with an SSD, but it's best to wait until something's broke before you fix it.
 
I've got a decent amount of experience with iMacs, going back to the originals.

I agree, they are well built machines. I wouldn't complain if they were a bit more accessible, but c'est le vie. I've still got a Grape 1999 G3 model that runs OS 9 and a couple of others that are closing in on 10 years running now.

Software-wise, they are pretty bulletproof. The occasional glitched software update is probably the worst that can happen on any kind of regular basis, and that is usually cleared up by downloading the update individually from Apple rather than going through Software Update.

Run Disk Utility occasionally - let it repair permissions and verify the disk. That can spot a HD failure (via SMART or just seeing reoccurring errors in sequential scans).

Hardware-wise, the hard drive is probably the weakest link. They are just regular hard drives, and have a lifespan on average of around 5 years. They are difficult, but not impossible, to replace yourself. The only weird tool you will need is a suction-cup dent puller (for taking the glass off the front, it is just held on by 2 magnets) - apart from that it's all just torx and phillips tools inside. The best thing you can do for HDD longevity is probably avoiding extreme temperature swings, and since i presume this computer is in your house somewhere, and you probably keep the HVAC running most of the time, you pretty well have that covered.

If I'm not mistaken, the 2009 was the last model to go out that still had flourescent backlighting in the screen (as opposed to the newer LED models). Those backlights can burn out, they have a lifespan of around 5 years as well - letting the computer turn the display off when not in use can help on it's longevity. The screen can be replaced as well, it's also not hard to take out and the part can usually be found on EBay.

If your not a DIY'er, there are a lot of independent Apple repair centers that can perform these services, and Apple often will continue to support them (it will cost a pretty penny through Apple - enough that it makes just upgrading to a newer model look like an attractive alternative).
 
The SSD suggestion would help out with the longevity as well as making everything feel snappier. That 1TB drive generates considerable heat compared to an SSD. Reducing moving parts and heat is the main culprit regarding hardware longevity, in my experience.
 
If you're worried about dust accumulation in the 2009 iMac, you don't need to be. I opened mine up about a month ago after five years in service and it was astonishingly devoid of accumulation.

What you should worry about is the hard drive, particularly if it's a model with a Seagate drive. If it's a late-2009, I believe you should've received a recall notice if it has a Seagate spinner. Replacement is fairly straightforward, but requires care and patience.
 
Thanks all. This is indeed a late 2009 i7 with a Seagate and I did in fact receive a notice about it long ago. But, the local Apple service center at the time did not have a good reputation (bad experiences w/ friends and colleagues, and I knew one tech there who wasn't the sharpest) so I ignored it. To date the drive appears fine, and I think the bulletin has expired.
 
I just upgraded to the 5K iMac but as everyone already mentioned these things are pretty much bullet proof! The only advice I can give to users concerned about dust build up is to try and avoid using your computers in a room with rugs (if possible).
 
I have a 2006 iMac that my wife still uses on a daily basis. I'd upgrade to a newer model, but there is little point for what she needs (iPhoto, e-mail and a browser). I have pulled the original hard drive in favor of a 480GB ssd and sprayed out some dust while I was doing it. I would check re replacing the hard drive in a 2009 Mac. In some of the later models, there is a temp sensor (I think) in the hard drive and if you replace it, the fan may spin at full speed (as the replacement hard drive doesn't have the same sensor). This is my recollection, having looked at this issue years ago (on mine the sensor was just taped to the dive, but I believe it's integrated in later models).
 
I'd say if you aren't using it on an uninterruptible power supply to start there. SSD next for guaranteed speed and theoretical reliability.
 
Brian_B said:
If your not a DIY'er, there are a lot of independent Apple repair centers that can perform these services, and Apple often will continue to support them (it will cost a pretty penny through Apple - enough that it makes just upgrading to a newer model look like an attractive alternative).
Click to expand...

Apple declares a model vintage or obsolete 5 years after it is discontinued. For a 2009 iMac, that means you get until mid 2015. After that, it seems your only option is one of the third party service centers. Parts availability is qustionable, at best, though you could probably source something off ebay or a few specialists.

I had a late 2008 MBP that would not always power on if turned off and the most they did was try to boot the diagnostic image off their network. A few times with the shortcut combo and then again as a network boot. They had no DVDs or USB drives with that image, which I found ridiculous, to be honest.

It was slightly amusing to have the guy attach a thunderbolt network adapter to the mini displayport. My MBP did not even support audio through that port, let alone thunderbolt, but the guy couldn't be dissuaded. I suppose the vintage angle gave him little reason to try any further.

Not only was my issue never resolved, but I got no followthrough, not even a simple exit survey from Apple checking to see whether it was.

That experience made me swear off any replacement Mac, because Apple is more expensive to buy and to service in the first place. If the service is not up to par, then it's hard to justify a Mac.

It might be that my experience is not usual and Apple tends to do better with support, but what I get is that they tend to be inconsistent with their support.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top