mladi
Level 1 (4 points)
Desktops

Q: Can I upgrade my iMac (imac 5.1 late 2006) hard drive and OS X Lion 10.7.5 without having to buy a brand new iMac ???

Can I upgrade my iMac (imac 5.1 late 2006) hard drive and OS X Lion 10.7.5 without having to buy a brand new iMac ???

imac, Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Posted on Sep 12, 2016 1:24 PM

by KiltedTim,Solvedanswer
KiltedTim KiltedTim
Level 9 (55,108 points)
iPhone
A:

The Max RAM it will take is 3GB (you can install 4GB, but it will only recognize 3). You can upgrade it to 10.7.5, but no further.

 

I can tell you from experience that running 10.7.5 on it in 3GB is not exactly a pleasant experience. Not to mention the fact that you're going to have a hard time with a lot of web sites due to lack of support for that version of Safari and a lack of support by other software vendors for 10.7.5. You absolutely will not be able to use it with a recent iOS device as it can't run a late enough version of iTunes.

 

You might be able to install an SSD, but honestly, I wouldn't put anything into it. It's over 10 years old. It had a good life. Get something new and move on. I still have mine sitting in a closet. Some day, I'll install Linux on it to play around with... at least that's what I tell my wife every few months when she pesters me to get rid of some of my junk...

 

I don't understand women. When a man says he's going to do something, he'll do it. There is no reason to nag us about it every 6 months... ;-)

Posted on Sep 12, 2016 1:34 PM

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mladi

Q: Can I upgrade my iMac (imac 5.1 late 2006) hard drive and OS X Lion 10.7.5 without having to buy a brand new iMac ???

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  • Helpful answers

  • by KiltedTim,Solvedanswer

    KiltedTim KiltedTim Sep 12, 2016 1:34 PM in response to mladi
    Level 9 (55,108 points)
    iPhone
    Sep 12, 2016 1:34 PM in response to mladi

    The Max RAM it will take is 3GB (you can install 4GB, but it will only recognize 3). You can upgrade it to 10.7.5, but no further.

     

    I can tell you from experience that running 10.7.5 on it in 3GB is not exactly a pleasant experience. Not to mention the fact that you're going to have a hard time with a lot of web sites due to lack of support for that version of Safari and a lack of support by other software vendors for 10.7.5. You absolutely will not be able to use it with a recent iOS device as it can't run a late enough version of iTunes.

     

    You might be able to install an SSD, but honestly, I wouldn't put anything into it. It's over 10 years old. It had a good life. Get something new and move on. I still have mine sitting in a closet. Some day, I'll install Linux on it to play around with... at least that's what I tell my wife every few months when she pesters me to get rid of some of my junk...

     

    I don't understand women. When a man says he's going to do something, he'll do it. There is no reason to nag us about it every 6 months... ;-)

  • by mladi,

    mladi mladi Sep 12, 2016 4:04 PM in response to KiltedTim
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Desktops
    Sep 12, 2016 4:04 PM in response to KiltedTim

    Thanks a lot for the info, I figured I have to buy a new one anyway(my bank websites already "nagging" me to update), still have my powerbook 520(looks brand new). Hey, your wife is not nagging she is just sharing some luv

  • by Glen Doggett,

    Glen Doggett Glen Doggett Sep 12, 2016 4:15 PM in response to KiltedTim
    Level 4 (1,875 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 12, 2016 4:15 PM in response to KiltedTim

    KiltedTim wrote:

     

    ... Some day, I'll install Linux on it to play around with...

    it can be nice to customize the linux OS in terms of dedicated swap space partitions when you have limited RAM on an older machine with a fast SATA SSD, but if you just want to play around with GNU software within Terminal in the MacOS, have you tried Fink or MacPorts?  One of my favorite GNU apps is GIMPshop.