iMac G4 15" 700 MHz EMC 1873 Repair

Author: Ryan Kozak (and 6 other contributors)

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Replacement Guides

AirPort Card

Hard Drive

Internal RAM

Optical Drive

PRAM Battery

RAM DIMM

Disassembly Guides

Outer Base Plate

Removing the Lower Case

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iMac G4 15" 700 MHz EMC 1873 Troubleshooting

Tools

These are some common tools used to work on this device. You might not need every tool for every procedure.

You can cost-effectively upgrade a number of components in the iMac G4.

Memory: iMac G4 PowerMac 4,2 came with 128MB or 256MB standard. Upgrading to the maximum of 1 GB will improve performance, and can be done very easily by installing two 512 MB sticks of RAM, one external RAM stick, and one internal RAM stick.
Hard Drive: A 40 GB Ultra ATA/66 hard drive came standard with the iMac G4 PPC 4,2. You can upgrade all the way up to a 128 GB hard drive.
Optical Drive: The standard optical drive shipped with iMac G4 PPC 4,2 is either a 10x CD-RW or a 10x CD-RW/"Combo" . The optical drive can easily be upgraded to a SuperDrive.
AirPort Card: The iMac G4 PPC 4,2 offered an optional 802.11b AirPort card. If a particular iMac was not built with one, it can easily be installed later.

Originally known as "The New iMac", and Priced between US $ 1299 and US $ 1499, the iMac G4 was created to replace the iMac G3 as Apple's all-in-one desktop computer. Apple advertised that its LCD screen had the flexibility of a desk lamp, giving it the nickname "iLamp". It was produced from the beginning of 2002 until mid 2004, when it was replaced by the iMac G5. The G5 omitted the dome shaped case at the bottom, and placed all of its components within the casing of the monitor. Today, the iMac G4 is still valued somewhere between US $200 to US $ 350 dollars.

If you're unsure of which particular model you have, follow the identification system steps to find out before following any repair guides, or purchasing any replacement parts.