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We have the iMac 24" EMC2211 Model A1225. 1.) What is the biggest and most compatible hard drive that I can upgrade to. I have read conflicting answers. Please include model numbers if you can. 2.) Since we have the iMac opened up I was hoping to do a bunch of upgrades to teach my son about computers and have some father son time. Is there any other upgrades that you could recommend doing for fun? Please include model #’s of the new hardware if you can. 3.) Finally, this all started when the iMac stopped booting up. It would chime, show the apple logo and the progress bar would reach about 3/4 complete and then restart multiple times. What is your opinion of the actual problem. I have had two computer repair places tell me different things. Thank you for any and all info. Mostly , this is for my son and I to spend time together, and create some cool memories, not to mention build some confidence in doing things for himself. Respectfully, Scott

Your system only has a SATA II (3.0 Gb/s) HD interface so you are limited to a drive that supports SATA II. This will limit you as the ultra large drives 4 TB ~ 8 TB are only SATA III (6.0 Gb). These drives tend to be just too big for most peoples needs. I would recommend you stick with a 1 TB. If you have a lot of stuff it might be smarter to get an external drive as that is more useful if your system dies or you upgrade. Here is what I would use for a replacement internal drive: Seagate Desktop SSHD If you review the spec sheet you’ll see the line: SATA Transfer Rates Supported (Gb/s) which lists the supported SATA speeds in our case here 3.0 Gb/s. Unlike the newer iMac’s this model uses a stuck on thermal sensor. You can see it here: iMac Intel 24" EMC 2134 and 2211 Hard Drive Replacement jump to Step31.

There were two machines with this EMC# Apple iMac “Core 2 Duo” 2.8 24-Inch (Early 2008) Specs Identifiers: Early 2008 - MB325LL/A - iMac8,1 - A1225 - 2211 RAM Type: PC2-6400 DDR2 Min. RAM Speed: 800 MHz Details: Supports 800 MHz PC2-6400 DDR2 SDRAM (200-pin SO-DIMM). Standard RAM: 2 GB Maximum RAM: 6 GB* Details: By default, 2 GB of RAM was installed as two 1 GB SO-DIMM modules. No slots free. *Apple officially supports 4 GB of RAM, but third-parties have been able to upgrade the system to 6 GB of RAM using one 2 GB and one 4 GB SO-DIMM module. Standard Storage: 500 GB HDD Std. Storage Speed: 7200 RPM Details: 750 GB and 1 TB Serial ATA hard drives also were available by custom configuration. Apple iMac “Core 2 Duo” 3.06 24-Inch (Early 2008) Specs Identifiers: Early 2008 - MB398LL/A - iMac8,1 - A1225 - 2211