iMac "Core 2 Duo" 2.66GHz 20-Inch (Early 2008)

Here you can find the exact specifications of this Mac, along with guaranteed compatible upgrades for it.

  • Model: iMac Early 2008
  • Part Number 

    The MPN (Marketing Part Number), also sometimes called the model number, marketing number, order number or part number. This is the part number under which Apple sold this particular Mac model. Only base configurations have part numbers, while Macs sold with various build to order/configure to order options do not have them. What we consider a single Mac may have multiple part numbers, which may refer to different specifications of RAM, drive size, or case colour that were offered as base options. Part numbers also differ by country or region.

    In modern Macs it is usually an 8 or 9 digit code, with the last 2 characters being "/A" or occasionally "/B". The one or two characters immediately before the "/" depend on country or region - "B" is the UK, "LL" the USA, etc. We represent this portion as "xx".

    :     MB324xx/A
  • EMC Number 

    EMC numbers cover a narrow group of Macs, or sometimes an individual machine. There are exceptions, but usually models that share an EMC number were released at the same time, and share all attributes apart from minor differences in CPU and other internal components. In a very few cases, Macs of the same model were sold with multiple different EMC numbers.

    The EMC number is usually a 4 digit numerical code, though in a few cases there are additional characters.

    :     2210
  • Model Identifier 

    Model Identifiers often cover a narrow range of Macs. Usually one particular type of Mac, with a specific screen size, released at a particular time. Though in some cases a later revision that is substantially similar, will carry the same Model ID.

    Staring with the Intel Macs released in 2006, Model IDs were in the format MacNameX,Y where MacName is a recognisable Mac model (iMac, MacBookPro etc.), and the X and Y are numbers.

    However in 2022, a couple of years after the ARM switchover, Apple started using the format MacX,Y - the X and Y are numbers, but the "Mac" is the same across different models.

    Old pre-Intel (PowerPC) Macs were almost all PowerMacX,Y or PowerBookX,Y (the exception being the very first iMac, which is: "iMac,1").

    :     iMac8,1
  • Model Number 

    Model numbers, also sometimes called family numbers, are an identifier that often cover a fairly wide range of Macs. In cases where the fundamental design of a Mac has remained mostly unchanged, but incremental upgrades have been made to internal components, a single Model Number can cover more than 20 individual Macs, released over several years. Other Model Numbers are unique to a single machine.

    It is usually a 5 character code in the format AXXXX, where the Xs are numerals. Some very old Macs have a Model Number that starts with an "M" rather than "A".

    :     A1224
  • Introduced: 2008
  • Discontinued: 2009
  • Max Operating System Version: OS X 10.11.6 El Capitan (download)
  • Earliest Supported OSX Version: OS X 10.5.2 Leopard
Links to download compatible OSX from Apple
  • CPU Speed: 2.66GHz
  • RAM Type: DDR2 PC6400 SODIMM 800MHz
  • RAM Slots: 2
  • Max RAM by Slot: 1 x 4GB + 1 x 2GB
  • Maximum RAM: 6GB
  • RAM Pairing: Modules may be installed individually
  • Drive Connection: SATA 300
  • Drive Platter Size: 3.5"
  • Device Connectivity: USB 2.0, FireWire 400, FireWire 800
  • Bluetooth: 2.1+EDR
  • Video Output: Mini-DVI
  • Revision Produced From (Year): 2008
  • Repair and Upgrade guides: From ifixit.com

Thinking of upgrading this Mac?

An alternative option is to purchase one of our refurbished iMacs. A more modern iMac 2013, already upgraded with an SSD and 8GB of RAM, for just £200 + vat.

Upgraded by us with a Solid State Drive and 8GB of RAM, these iMacs are super smooth for standard home or office type tasks. For more details, click here!

  • RAM Upgrades
  • Internal Drives
  • External Drives
  • CD/DVD/Blu-ray Drives
  • Expansion Cards
  • Batteries & Power Supplies
  • Graphics & Displays
  • Keyboards, Mice & Trackpads
  • Cables, Hubs & Tools
  • Repairs
  • Configure RAM & Drive Upgrades

Sorry, nothing available.

Compatible External Optical Drives for this Mac

- Requires at least OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.

Compatible Internal Hard Drives & SSDs for this Mac

Internal Drives: click for more details

The hard drive or solid state drive is where all your documents, data and applications are stored permanently. Below this box are all the drives we do that are guaranteed 100% compatible with this Mac, based off the Serial Number or Model ID that you have selected.

The list below is divided into sections for the main types of drives, which can include:

  • Solid State Drives (SSDs) - large chunks of Flash memory used for storage, the fastest and most reliable option, but also the smallest and most expensive.
  • Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) - the standard rotational drives used in older Macs. Big and cheap, but much slower than SSDs and subject to mechanical failures that do not effect SSDs. These have a spin speed measured in Revolutions Per Minute (RPM), with higher numbers being faster operating drives.

For more details on the differences between these drives, please see this post on our blog.

With most Macs there are lots of options for having more or faster storage, and many can take multiple drives so you can mix and match SSDs and rotational hard drives to find your ideal combination of size, speed and budget. Some Macs have more than one main drive bay, and many Macs can use our range of caddies to replace their DVD drives with additional hard drives or SSDs. Some Macs also have additional drive bays that can be used with a mounting kit. If you have multiple types of bay in this Mac, you can select them with the grey tabs below this box.

It is very important with all system drives (that is, a drive that you boot from) to leave a good amount of free space to allow the system to work well. We recommend leaving around 20-30GB of free space on the system drive, The closer you get to full on your system drive, the slower the Mac will perform.

A 1TB drive can hold:

  • Up to 1,000 hours of digital video
  • Up to 250 two-hour DVD films
  • Up to 320,000 digital photos
  • Up to 16,660 hours of digital music

All drives come blank and will need to be formatted (erased), and if they are to be a boot drive, have an operating system installed. There are a variety of ways of restoring your data, either through time machine or by cloning. We sell drives, tools, enclosures and cables for you to do the work at home (see the "Cables, Adaptors & Tools" tab above), or you can send/bring your machine to us for us to do the work - prices all below. However you do it, you can be sure you are getting the correct part with our 100% compatibility guarantee.

  • Main Drive Bay
  • Optical Drive Bay

This Mac has 1 main drive bay which can take any of the drives below

Watch a drive installation guide from OWC

3.5" Solid State Drives

7200RPM Hard Drives

5900RPM Hard Drives

Installation Services

Don't want to fit the hard drive yourself? Have us install it for you - full details here.

Hard Drives & SSDs for the optical drive bay - this replaces the DVD drive (mounting caddy required)

Mounting caddy for this bay

Solid State Drives

7200RPM Hard Drives

5400RPM Hard Drives

Installation Services

Don't want to fit the hard drive yourself? Have us install it for you - full details here.

Sorry, nothing available.

Sorry, nothing available.

Keyboards & Mice

Bluetooth Keyboards

  -  Requires at least OS X 10.11 El Capitan.

USB Mice

Compatible Power Supply and Battery Products for this Mac

PRAM/Clock Battery

Power Supplies

Compatible Cables, Adaptors, Hubs, and Tools for this Mac

FireWire 800 (9 pin)

FireWire 400 (6 pin)

USB 2.0

Mini-DVI

Tools for this Mac

Compatible External Drives and Enclosures

External SSDs

  -  This Mac can connect to USB 3, but not at full speed. Requires at least OS X 10.10 Yosemite.

  -  This Mac can connect to USB 3, but not at full speed. Requires at least OS X 10.6.8 Snow Leopard.

  -  This Mac can connect to USB 3, but not at full speed. Requires at least OS X 10.6.8 Snow Leopard.

  -  This Mac can connect to USB 3, but not at full speed. Requires at least OS X 10.10 Yosemite.

External Hard Drives

  -  This Mac can connect to USB 3, but not at full speed.

  -  This Mac can connect to USB 3, but not at full speed.

  -  This Mac can connect to USB 3, but not at full speed.

  -  This Mac can connect to USB 3, but not at full speed. Requires at least OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.

  -  This Mac can connect to USB 3, but not at full speed.

  -  This Mac can connect to USB 3, but not at full speed. Requires at least OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.

  -  This Mac can connect to USB 3, but not at full speed. Requires at least OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.

  -  This Mac can connect to USB 3, but not at full speed. Requires at least OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.

  -  This Mac can connect to USB 3, but not at full speed. Requires at least OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.

Flash Drives

  -  This Mac can connect to USB 3, but not at full speed.

  -  This Mac can connect to USB 3, but not at full speed.

  -  This Mac can connect to USB 3, but not at full speed.

  -  This Mac can connect to USB 3, but not at full speed.

External Drive Enclosures

Network Attached Storage

Repair and Installation Services

See repair guides from ifixit.com

Here are our list of fixed cost repair and installation services for this Mac. All machines for repair or upgrade can either be shipped to us (we can arrange collection if desired), or you are welcome to drop the machine into our offices in Sawston, Cambridge. We have been doing Apple Mac repairs since 2001, you can be assured of a complete, speedy, good value and professional service.

Repairs

Installation Services (parts not included)

Configure RAM & Drive Upgrades

You can use this tool to build an upgrade order and have us. Using this tool will also generate a link you can use to create this order again yourself, or share with someone else.

Note: This tool only selects from in stock products. Items that are out of stock, or special order items with extended lead times, can be added to your order from the other tabs.

RAM not found: Either this Mac does not have upgradeable RAM (eg MacBook Pro Retina, MacBook Air), or we have been unable to determine enough information about this Mac needs from the serial number, or we do not have any in stock for this model. You can add memory to this order manually later from elsewhere on our site if you know what type it needs - call, email or chat to us if you need help!

Hard Drive & SSD Upgrades

You have 1 standard drive bay, and also 1 additional bay where you can fit a drive by replacing the optical (DVD) drive. Note: this does not use the same type of drive as the main hard drive bay.

Bay 1:


Bay 2 - CD/DVD drive bay: An extra drive can be mounted here using this kit: Optical Drive Bay 2.5in Hard Drive Caddy IDE - SATA for 12.5mm Drives
(prices include the mounting caddy):


Installation Services

- details here

If required, we can fit your new components for you. Note, if we are fitting multiple parts, you do not need to pay separately for each of them to be fitted - the order created will include only the most expensive fitting service.

Have us fit drives? - Cost: £49.00 + vat

Optionally, if we are fitting a drive, we can clone the contents of your old OS X boot drive to the new one - taking across the installation of OS X along with all your applications, data and settings. NB: this cost is on top of the installation charge for the drive.
Have us clone the old drive? - Cost: £25.00 + vat

(note: we need an administrator password to the Mac to clone the hard drive)

If we are shipping the upgrades to you for you to install yourself, please choose a delivery option during checkout.

If we are fitting the parts for you, you need to get the machine to us. You can either bring it to our Cambridge location, or ship to us via any method you choose, or you can have us send our courier (DPD Local) to collect it. Collection costs £24.68 + vat and the machine must be packaged for transit with at least 2 to 3 inches of packing material around each dimension (note: iMacs should only be shipped in their original box with their original packing inserts). You can specify any working day for collection, but you cannot choose a time. For any weight under 10kg we advise people to ship the machine themselves via Royal Mail Special Delivery - you can get a tracked next-day delivery with additional insurance for less than our collection service, and it is generally more convenient than waiting in for a courier.

Have us send our courier to collect?

Return shipping (or collection by yourself) is chosen when you check the order out.

With this box checked, the upgrade order will replace any items in your cart. If you want to add it to items already in the cart, please uncheck this box.