Introducción
If you are using the iMac 27" late 2009 or 2010 model for games, you might want to upgrade your graphics card to the 6 series of the last 2011 model.
Qué necesitas
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Herramienta utilizada en este paso:Heavy-Duty Suction Cups (Pair)$14.95
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Stick a heavy-duty suction cup near each of the two top corners of the glass panel.
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While lightly holding the suction cup against the glass, raise the movable handle until it is parallel with the other handle (as indicated by the third picture).
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Be very careful with the display cables, for they can be damaged easily.
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Remove the temperature sensor cable from the Hard Drive, so that the card can be removed.
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Remember the position of this cable! iFixit tip: the cable must later be reinstalled closest to the SATA connector. The black cable needs to point up, towards the LCD.
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Now remove these 3 T9 Torx screws from the graphics card bezel.
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Locate the large heatsink from the graphics card, which should be right above your DvD drive
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Remove the single screw there holding it in place
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Carefully remove the graphics card temperature sensor cable from underneath the motherboard
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Remove the metal bezel from the graphics card. Only a couple of screws hold it in place
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Store away your graphics card safely in case you need it again or want to reinsert it
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The second image shows both the 4 and 6 series side by side. A little difference in height makes some extra work necessary (see next step)
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As the 6 series is slightly higher we need to make a little space on the plastic holder which is beneath the card
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Remove the plastic part which is shown on the 2nd picture by removing one screw and carefully pull it from the aluminium case
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Its fastended with tape, so don't worry, you can't break anything
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Some wiggling and navigating it from the cables and you should have it in your hands
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You see the rectangular space where the large cable goes through. Use a saw or other tool to make it about 5mm wider and 2-3mm deeper
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The third image shows the final result we want to achieve
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The primary reason for thi step is the heatpipe of the 6 series which takes more space
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Note: this is ONLY necessary on the late 2009 model, 2010 models already got enough room!
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Apply the metal bezel to the new 6 series graphics card. Make sure its aligned properly
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Now insert the 6 series graphics card carefully.
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Make sure you don't damage the upper side of the mother board when reinserting
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When in place fix it by the 3 screws
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Reinsert the temperatur sensor cable. You need fine hands or a good tool to do so. Be patient with this step
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Reassemble the LCD display as explained on ifixit.
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No other work needs to be done. As you removed the power cable the SMC should reset, which is the chip configuring your hardware
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If all goes well you should be greeted with a welcome screen and "about this mac" should show the image to the left
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Note: I also replaced the DvD drive with a 256GB SSD which can be done easily during the installation process
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Last tip: if you remove the DvD drive for a SSD make a minimal bootcamp partition and install windows on it. It will save you a lot of trouble if you ever need one. Believe me, simply do it, installing bootcamp with no DvD drive is a pain.
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To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
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127 comentarios
works perfectly ;-) just be slow and precised
Just be noticed that this upgrade not work for iMac 27 late 2009 equipped with core 2 duo CPU, but only with the i5 and i7 CPU one!
Paolo -
Did you know you can add an additional SSD drive WITHOUT needing to remove your Optical drive? It installs vertically just to the right of your HDD. I just performed this upgrade last weekend. I believe you can do this to 2009 and up models.
Regretfully Not on the iMac late 2009, because the motherboard has only 2 SATA ports, not 3 like the 2010 and later models...
Just a question: with this mod, are you able to use Airplay Mirroring in Mountain Lion? Since the inhability to use it on these macs is GPU-related, virtually with this Graphic card you may be able to enable it... Let me know please!!