Imac 27-inch 2019 keeps rebooting

Dear community,


For a few months now my iMac keeps crashing random. All of a sudden it freezes and reboots.

I tried mutliple things but none of it seems to help.


I tried the things below:

  • update everything
  • reset PRAM & NVRAM
  • replaced the RAM
  • Complete new install and formation of the SSD
  • run diagnostics (without any issues)


Please help me, what can I do to find what is causing these freezes/crashes?


been trying for months, if you need any further information please let me know.

iMac (2017 – 2020)

Posted on Jul 11, 2023 7:40 AM

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Posted on Jul 11, 2023 8:16 AM

Did the problem start after upgrading the RAM?


If so, then you could have a partially seated, a bad or incompatible RAM modules.


Try reinstalling only the factory modules in their original slots. Make sure that the module are full seated in the slots and test.


What RAM modules did you use for the upgrade?


Mac are very picky. Double check the spec’s of aftermarket RAM, then reinstall it in the empty slots and re-test.


If acts up after installing the aftermarket RAM modules. Then return those RAM module and buy RAM modules from either OWC macsales.com or Crucial.com

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jul 11, 2023 8:16 AM in response to DutchieNL

Did the problem start after upgrading the RAM?


If so, then you could have a partially seated, a bad or incompatible RAM modules.


Try reinstalling only the factory modules in their original slots. Make sure that the module are full seated in the slots and test.


What RAM modules did you use for the upgrade?


Mac are very picky. Double check the spec’s of aftermarket RAM, then reinstall it in the empty slots and re-test.


If acts up after installing the aftermarket RAM modules. Then return those RAM module and buy RAM modules from either OWC macsales.com or Crucial.com

Jul 12, 2023 1:58 PM in response to DutchieNL

The "Machine Check" error in the Kernel Panic indicates a hardware issue of some sort. Make sure to disconnect all external devices in case one of them is causing a problem.


You still did not answer the question of the make & model of the memory you removed before installing the Corsair memory. This is a very important detail.


I would remove the new Corsair memory and install one of the old memory modules to see how it work. If you still have issues, then remove that module and try the other older module. Also try installing a single stick in a different memory slot to make sure the slot is not bad. FYI, it is unlikely for two memory modules to fail at the same time.


Since this Corsair memory seems to be branded for Apple, it may be Ok. I have no personal experience with it since our organization usually uses Crucial or possibly OWC at times.


Try running the Apple Diagnostics to see if any hardware issues are detected. Unfortunately the diagnostics rarely detect problems, but if it does...at least you know there is a hardware problem.


You can try running Memtest86 to check for memory issues. If the default settings don't find a problem, then modify Memtest86's CPU option to "Round Robin" or "Sequential" to see if it errors or perhaps even freezes.


The Samsung SSD may also be a potential issue since the EVO series especially seems to be more problematic with Macs. You may want to test the iMac by installing macOS to an external USB3 SSD and booting externally to see if you still have the problem. It isn't a perfect test, but if this works, then it may point to a issue with the internal Samsung SSD.

Jul 17, 2023 6:42 AM in response to DutchieNL

I really suspect a bad Logic Board (it was my first instinct). In that case, trying the firmware "Revive" or "Restore" operation is probably the only thing left to try before having the iMac repaired. I don't expect this to do anything either, but it cannot hurt either.

Revive or restore an Intel-based Mac using Apple Configurator - Apple Support


Making the Memtest86 USB stick should take less than a minute since it only has about 15 MBs of data. Most times the USB stick is at fault since the quality of USB sticks is extremely poor. It is possible to make a FAT32 partition on the USB stick and copy & paste all the files from the mounted Memtest86 .img file to the FAT32 partition....this should also work.


Jul 17, 2023 7:36 AM in response to DutchieNL

At this point, I would consider reinstalling the original Apple SSD and re-testing the iMac.


Then if that fixes the problem, I would consider testing an OWC Aura Pro X2.

https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/ssd/owc/imac-27-inch/2013-2019

owc aura pro x2 ssd for 2019 iMac 


As for the EVO's, I would return if possible or put them in Thunderbolt Enclosures.

https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/envoy-express/thunderbolt-3

thunderbolt ssd enclosure for mac

Jul 11, 2023 11:28 AM in response to DutchieNL

This is a side issue but easy to address for your aftermarket SSD:


disk1 - Samsung SSD 870 EVO 1TB 1.00 TB (Solid State - TRIM: No)

Internal SATA 6 Gigabit Serial ATA


I've found in my own experience and from posts here that with TRIMforce disabled, SATA solid-state drives can start to slow with time. For me it manifested as the Write speeds dropping to half (under 250MB/sec) and continuing to fall as bad as 60MB/sec. OWC made the drive I was using and always said enabling TRIM was not necessary. Still, just over three years after the SSD install, its write speeds started the downhill trajectory.


With the counsel of ASC's amazing Grant Benet-Alder I was able to find that TRIM does matter. This OWC article tells how to enable TRIMforce:


https://eshop.macsales.com/blog/31619-how-to-execute-trimforce-command-with-your-owc-ssd/


I did that. You need to do several safe mode boots to fully restore lost performance. Grant suggested letting the computer "soak" in safe mode for a couple of hours. I did so several time and eventful the write speeds were restored to the ~500MB/sec expected and have stayed there.

Jul 17, 2023 6:09 AM in response to HWTech

Hello,


First of all Thank you for your detailed response, I tried several things u suggested.


  1. i booted with just the stock ram, the error still occurred.
  2. I replaced the SSD with a new SSD (the new SSD is also a samsung EVO 980 1tb ssd) since it was the only 1tb ssd for sale at my local shop and it was pretty cheap. the panic crashes still occurred.
  3. The Apple Diagnostics return with an Ok.
  4. I tried to make an bootable usb 3.0 with Memtest86 like u suggested, but I can't seem to make the bootable usb (it takes hours as in the state of the screenshot)




I looked up replacements parts on the Crucial and Macsales sites but im located in The Netherlands, so shipping time and costs are a bit rough.


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Imac 27-inch 2019 keeps rebooting

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