iMac G4 Upgrades

Announced in January 2002, the iMac Flat panel brought the G4 processor to Apple's consumer level ("i" series) machines. It replaced the slot-loading G3 iMac.

A radical redesign centered around a 15" TFT on a multi-directional arm. The computer components were housed in the dome base of the iMac, leaving space for the arm and LCD. This design allows free movement of the iMac in almost every direction, another wonderful design from the team lead by Jonathan Ives at Apple's design centre.

These new models included a SuperDrive for the first time in consumer level machines.

Later on the same year a 17" screen version was released, with the same specification as its smaller 15" cousin but with a wide screen (1440x900 resolution).

The last revision to the G4 iMacs involved breaking the 1GHz mark with a new logic board and DDR RAM. The last shocker was the release of a 20" LCD monster! This huge display allowed 1680x1050 resolution - two pages of A4 side by side.

The iMac G4 is unique. There is nothing else quite like them - if your machine looks like the images on this page then it is a G4 iMac.

To determine which of the G4 iMacs you have, use the Apple System Profiler utility. This is found on the Apple Menu (OS 9) or from "About this Mac" (OSX). The processor speed will tell you which memory upgrades will work in your machine. If its below 1GHz then it uses SDR PC133 RAM. If it is 1GHz or above then it is a DDR machine.

If you are still unsure you can contact us on 01223 833 412 or by email for confirmation. If you want to upgrade but aren't happy to install your upgrades then we can help. Simply ask our engineers for further details.

The iMac G4 came in a number of different screen sizes and processor speeds. These machines split into two groups in terms of memory requirements, as explained above.

All the iMac G4s have one user installable socket for memory - there is an additional RAM socket, but this is intended for engineers use only. NB: The engineer slot uses a different type of RAM than the user slot, so the products listed below will not work in it.

You may need to check your iBooks bus speed to check which RAM modules are compatible. You can do this by going to the Apple menu > About this Mac, and then clicking the more info button. This opens System Profiler, on the Hardware Overview that comes up your bus speed will be reported in the right-hand panel.

The iMac G4 came equipped with either a DVD-ROM, CD-RW, Combo or SuperDrive, provided by a tray loading unit at the front.

Internally this drive is a standard 5.25" IDE device, and it can be replaced. However installation of an internal unit is extremely tricky and not something we would recommend a non-expert to undertake.

It is possible to use and External device via USB or FireWire. For earlier machines (without USB 2.0) choose FireWire. With G4 iMacs with USB 2.0 it comes down to user preference.

The internal hard drive in the iMac G4 can be upgraded to a larger volume. However due to the design and layout of the internal components this upgrade should be done by professionals.

You may need to check your iMac's processor speed to check which drives are compatible. You can do this by going to the Apple menu > About this Mac.

If you would like to upgrade the hard drive in your iMac G4 we strongly recommend you contact us for professional installation.

If you don't want to fit a new hard drive yourself, you can take advantage of the MacUpgrades Installation Service. Add the installation service from the list below to your cart along with your chosen hard drive. We can also clone your existing hard drive onto the new one, simply add the Clone Original Hard Drive service below to your cart.

Once you have booked the service, send your machine to us, we will carry out the work and return it to you. Alternatively, we do offer a Collection Service with our courier, please see here for details.

The graphics card in your iMac G4 is part of the main logic board. Unfortunately therefore it is not possible to increase or change the graphics card. It may be worth expanding your memory to its maximum to try and compensate, but this will have at best a limited effect on your iMac's 3D capabilities.

Your iMac G4 TFT has no available PCMCIA or PCI sockets for connectivity expansion. It does contain a slot for an Airport or Airport Extreme WiFi card.

The following keyboards and mice are compatible with this Mac.

Listed below are power supplies, batteries and related products we supply for this Mac.

Listed below are power cables, tools and related products we supply for this Mac.

This Mac can use any of the following external hard drives.

Any complete machines of this type or similar that we have for sale are listed here. Please note that these are refurbished models with a 3 month warranty, and that delivery is likely to take 3 - 5 working days. These can be purchased online with the standard website courier delivery charge for the mainland UK only. Please contact us for a quote on shipping to other areas.

Here are the various repair services we offer for this Mac. You can have us take the machine in for evaluation, or book a fixed-price repair if you already know what the fault is and the service is listed below (for services without parts, please see the relevant tab on this page for compatible parts that we sell). If you know what the fault is, but we don't have a fixed-price repair listed below, please contact us for a quote.