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UPGRADING AN iMAC G4 AND AN IBM T22
Old computers - what are
they good for? Well, usually they're okay for
menial tasks such as print servers, torrent bots, or
file servers. But what if a solidly built IBM
T22 is given to you, or a crusty iMac G4 no longer
is wanted by its owner? For many of us its a
challenge, a potential computer for the kids, or
even a couple hundred bucks.
I had come across an IBM
T22, still in great shape but extremely slow and a
bit dingy. Same thing with the "table lamp"
iMac G4 - slow as hell and layers of dirt now
darkens its once snow-white exterior. The
first task here is to determine the fastest
components that can be installed in these machines
without too much expense.
For the IBM T22, it was
a 5400RPM PATA HDD, and 2x 256MB of PC133 SO-DIMM memory , its
maximum. Although some 7200RPM drives are
faster, they chew through batteries quickly, and
produce more heat. Besides, late-model PATA HDDs have very high areal density, increasing speed
not too far from the 7200RPM units. We turned
to our friends at
SimpleTech for the memory, and eBay for a 160GB
PATA 5400RPM HDD. Upgrading the CPU was
determined to not be a cost-effective and quick
upgrade, so the PIII-900 remained in place. It
has a mini-PCI slot inside, but it was already
occupied with a combo NIC/modem card, so adding
wireless through this slot was not a possibility.
Next was
to do a teardown of the system, and clean out all
the crud and dust built up inside. A noisy fan
indicated a loose or worn out bearing. Lithium
grease will give it some extra life, although a new
ball-bearing replacement is the ideal solution.
This was the easy project. Now, the T22 serves
as a low-power torrent machine operating 24/7.
Next we come across
unfamiliar territory - the iMac G4. This model
has an 800MHz CPU, 256MB of PC133 SDRAM, a 5400RPM
80GB PATA HDD, and no wireless. After a bit of
Googling, we discover that this model accepts a
maximum of 1GB of SDRAM in the form of a PC133 DIMM
and a PC133 SO-DIMM. Yes, weird.
The standard DIMM goes inside, while the SO-DIMM is
in a user-accessible bottom panel, next to the
PCMCIA-like slot for the Airport Card. Again,
SimpleTech was our first choice for the memory.
Images are clickable thumbnails linked to
full-resolution images:
So we go on eBay and
Craigslist to find the Airport Card, which by the
way is horribly overpriced for an 802.11b-only card.
Anyways, this is the only non-USB solution available
for this iMac, and as we all know, USB uses CPU
cycles. The CPU is not replaceable, but the
HDD and optical drive, which are both PATA, are
upgradable. Since the optical drive is already
a DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo, that was good enough.
The HDD will be replaced with an old WD 320GB PATA
7200RPM 8MB unit, unused and just sitting in a
drawer. Images are clickable thumbnails linked
to full-resolution images. Note how both
devices are using the same IDE cable, ugh.
Once we had the parts
ready for the upgrade, we were not surprised to see
these unusual "Torx" screws holding this iMac
together. Luckily, we had Torx bits.
Here is what is inside the iMac base: Images
are clickable thumbnails linked to full-resolution
images:
Working our way up into
the base, we reach the exhaust fan. A nice,
flat white 92mm model, cruddy as the rest of this
computer's insides. The fan is removed and
cleaned. This is an ideal opportunity for a
White LED fan, but we only had 80mm fans, no
92mm ones.
After cleaning out the
insides, performing all the hardware upgrades, we
installed Mac OS X 10.4, the highest version
supported by this hardware. Here is what the
installer looks like, a nice scrolling log with
detailed descriptions of what's going on. I
sort of like this a bit better than the XP installer
which doesn't tell you as much. The process
took a couple hours and four CDs. During this
time, we popped off every single key on the
keyboard, vacuumed the inside, wiped off dried up
coffee and spaghetti sauce, and every key surface
scrubbed with 90% isopropyl alcohol and a soft
cotton rag. The same alky treatment was
applied to the mouse and its micro-scroll ball.
When completed, we
immediately ran software update, and this Mac's good
as new! So if you come across some ancient PC
hardware, or a Mac, or even both, just a bit of
research, some cheap parts, and a couple hours time
can surely deliver great results. This iMac
with all its upgrades and clean-out appearance will
fetch a few hundred bucks in Craigslist!
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