I gave a 13-year-old iMac a new lease of life with two simple upgrades — but was it worth it?
I gave an aging Apple computer a new lease of life, although the results weren't quite what I'd hoped for.
In the world of nostalgic tech trends, people are increasingly embracing old gadgets as cool once again. One such example is the author's attempt to rejuvenate a 2013 Apple iMac with a 27-inch display. This particular iMac had been gathering dust but still had a functional set of hardware. The author believed that instead of discarding the old machine, it was better to give it a new lease on life.
The goal was to make the 27-inch model perform basic tasks such as web browsing and light creative work without breaking the bank.
The author decided on two upgrades: more RAM and a new 1TB solid-state drive (SSD). With a total cost of approximately AU$310, the project seemed feasible. The first step involved replacing the aging hard drive with an SSD. Although the author initially planned to replace the internal drive, the iMac's display was secured with adhesive, making this approach challenging.
Instead, the author opted for an external SSD, which was a less intimidating option despite the iMac's USB 3.0 port limiting the SSD's performance potential.
The second upgrade involved increasing the RAM from the original 8GB to a more generous 24GB. This upgrade made multitasking considerably easier, even though the author did not claim to be a computer hardware expert. The total cost for the components was around AU$300, making it a more affordable alternative to purchasing a brand-new iMac.
After completing the upgrades and installing macOS Sonoma, the iMac was brought back to life. The author tested the performance and found that while the boot time was slower than expected, the overall machine was functional and met the author's modest requirements.
Written by urgent.news from TechRadar's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
