New 21.5-inch 4K iMac Has Replaceable RAM and CPU!

iFixit has posted its teardown of the new 21.5-inch 4K iMac revealing that the Apple desktop's RAM and CPU are replaceable.

500 nits, 1 billion colors, and two Thunderbolt ports—that's everything, right? Not so fast. Apple already told you about the updated iMac 4K's fancy specs, but we're here to reveal what wasn't in the press release.

Highlights:
● This iMac's sporting two Thunderbolt 3 ports
● This unit sports the same model number (A1418), but with a new EMC: 3069.
● Near the center of the bottom display bezel, just beneath the glass, there's a microphone!
● Shimmy the logic board out of its slot to reveal ... removable RAM? We can hardly believe our eyes. Yep, those are SO-DIMMs. Two of them.
● Yes! The CPU is modular, too! It lifts right off with the heat sink, revealing a standard LGA 1151 CPU socket.
● The final bit of interesting modularity on this board: a CMOS battery.


Repairability: 3 out of 10 (10 is easiest to repair)
● The CPU and RAM—two of the components you are most likely to upgrade at some point—are both modular.
● The standard 2.5" SATA hard drive is fully upgradable—though you can't add a blade SSD thanks to an empty pad on the logic board.
● Cutting the tape to open the iMac isn't too hard (with the right tools), but it must then be replaced to complete any repair.
● Most replaceable components (like the RAM) are buried behind the logic board, meaning you'll have to take apart most of the iMac just to gain access to them.
● The glass and Retina Display are fused together, increasing the cost of replacement.

Check out a few photos below or hit the link for the full teardown!

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