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By no means was the Mac created in 2008. Apple\u2019s family of personal computers began all the way back in 1984 with the Macintosh and was re-branded as Mac in 1998. Ten years after that historic re-launch, the Mac lineup had expanded to feature the iMac, Mac Pro, Mac mini, MacBook and MacBook Pro. <\/span><\/p>\n Another important addition was made to the Mac lineup<\/a> in 2008 \u2013 the MacBook Air. The MacBook Air featured a sleek new design making it the thinnest notebook in Apple\u2019s lineup. The thin design came with trade-offs in terms of upgradability \u2013 a trend that has followed with the other Mac models in subsequent years. But that doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t still get more out of your Mac from the past 10 years with DIY upgrades. <\/span><\/p>\n In this guide, we show you all the enhancements that can be made to all of the Mac desktop models from the past 10-plus years (as of Oct. 31, 2018) beginning with 2008. Not sure which Mac you have? This article will help you find your Model ID: Finding Your Model Identifier Helps You ID Your Mac, Find Right Upgrades<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n Don\u2019t forget to check out our Install Video page<\/a> for step-by-step guides to nearly any upgrade you want to make. And be sure to visit OWC<\/a> for all your Mac accessories<\/a> including power adapters<\/a>, optical drives<\/a>, and more. <\/span><\/p>\n Mac Notebooks:<\/strong> Click here to see how to upgrade any Mac notebook since 2008<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2008:<\/b> The 2008 iMac featured the sleek aluminum design originally introduced in 2007, coming in 20\u201d and 24\u201d configurations. The aluminum design was a stark contrast with the 2006 and earlier polycarbonate iMac, and it is still echoed in the slim modern iMac models. The \u201908 model was mostly a spec bump from the \u201907 model, however. <\/span><\/p>\n Available upgrades: <\/strong><\/p>\n 2009:<\/b> Previously available in 20\u201d and 24\u201d models, the late 2009 iMac brought big change in more ways than one. New 21.5\u201d and 27\u201d displays (sizes that are still standard for modern iMacs) were unveiled in an aluminum unibody design. Of course, the internals were also upgraded including all-new video cards and processors and the new maximum RAM capacity was 32GB. There was also an early 2009 model that was a minor refresh that included a FireWire 800 port and an additional USB port. <\/span><\/p>\n Available upgrades:<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n 2010: <\/b>The 2010 iMac was essentially a speed bump from the 2009 models, featuring the same design with better specs. <\/span><\/p>\n Available upgrades: <\/strong><\/p>\n 2011: <\/b>The Mid 2011 iMac, the last model to feature a built-in optical drive, added quad-core processors as well as a Thunderbolt port. Specs aside, the design was the same as the previous year model. There was also a Late 2011 iMac that was made available only to education customers at a lower price point. This model had less RAM and a smaller capacity hard drive. <\/span><\/p>\n Available upgrades: <\/strong><\/p>\n Available upgrades: <\/strong><\/p>\n 2013:<\/b> After releasing another less powered education-only edition in early 2013, Apple came back with another iMac in late 2013 with faster storage, a more powerful GPU and better Wi-Fi performance. This was the last year the iMac would offer Target Display Mode, with the 2014 and later released Retina models not being compatible with the feature. <\/span><\/p>\n Available upgrades:<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n 2014:<\/b> In 2014, Apple finally brought its Retina display to the iMac lineup starting with the 27\u201d iMac. The Retina display was brought to the 27\u201d iMac without affecting is external enclosure, and the model also received a spec bump with a faster processor and GPU. The storage was Fusion by default for the first time and its ports were updated to Thunderbolt 2. In mid 2014, a refresh was brought to the non-Retina 21.5\u201d iMac. <\/span><\/p>\n Available upgrades:<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n Available upgrades:<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n 2017:<\/b> The 2017 models were the first iMac models to feature Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports. They also received spec bumps from the 2015 editions (2016 did not bring new iMac models). Mid 2017 also brought the new iMac Pro (see below). <\/span><\/p>\n Available upgrades: <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2017:<\/b> Featuring the same 27\u201d design with a new Space Gray color, the iMac Pro was announced in mid 2017. The iMac Pro is a workstation-class desktop that possessed the best processors (up to 18 cores), GPUs and SSD storage ever in an iMac. The iMac Pro has Thunderbolt 3 ports as well as a 10Gb Ethernet port for the first time in an iMac. Apple claims it is the fastest Mac ever made. <\/span><\/p>\n Available upgrades: <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Available upgrades: <\/strong><\/p>\n 2010:<\/b> The Mac mini finally received an aluminum unibody redesign in mid 2010. The model was more shallow and wider than the previous model and featured a removable panel on the bottom making upgrades easier to perform. A built-in power supply eliminated the need for an external power brick, and the mini-DVI port was replaced with an HDMI port. For the first time, the Mac mini was compatible with 16GB of memory. <\/span><\/p>\n Available upgrades: <\/strong><\/p>\n Available upgrades:<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n 2012:<\/b> The 2012 Mac mini is physically identical to the previous model, with spec bumps being the only difference. A second internal drive can still be added with a Data Doubler kit. <\/span><\/p>\n Available upgrades: <\/strong><\/p>\n 2014:<\/b> After skipping 2013, Apple updated the Mac mini in 2014. It again featured the same external appearance; however, users could no longer upgrade the memory. Another big change was the shift to a PCIe SSD. However, the PCIe slot and connecting cable are not present unless the mini is ordered with a Fusion drive or PCIe SSD. For minis with neither, there is no PCIe slot. The 2014 model also features Thunderbolt 2 ports and no longer has FireWire. <\/span><\/p>\n Available upgrades:<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n 2018:<\/b> For the first time in about four years, Apple updated the Mac mini bringing new connectivity with Thunderbolt 3, HDMI 2.0, and available 10Gb Ethernet in a similar design but a new Space Gray color. It also features new processors and faster storage. Apple did bring back upgradable memory, however, with up to 64GB maximum. <\/span><\/p>\n Available upgrades: <\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Screen-Shot-2018-10-31-at-4.12.49-PM.png\")
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2012:<\/b> While 2009 brought the iMac design to new heights; the 2012 model trimmed much of the remaining bulk from Apple\u2019s all-in-one desktop. At its thinnest point, the tapered 2012 iMac design was just 5mm. To make this possible, Apple was forced to eliminate the optical drive. Another downside was that DIY upgrades were made more difficult by the model\u2019s new display and glass fusion by lamination. Despite this, RAM and storage upgrades were still possible with the removal of the screen, and fortunately the 27\u201d model featured rear slots to make memory upgrades simple. Another new feature of the 2012 iMac was the optional Fusion drive, which is a hybrid HDD and flash storage system. <\/span><\/p>\n\n
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2015:<\/b> Mid 2015 saw a more affordable 5K iMac released, but late 2015 brought the Retina display to the 21.5\u201d model for the first time. The 21.5\u201d was dubbed the 4K iMac and was launched alongside another edition of the 5K iMac, which featured new processors among other spec updates. Once again, the 27\u201d model featured rear slots for easy memory upgrades whereas the 21.5\u201d did not. <\/span><\/p>\n\n
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2009:<\/b> While Apple chose not to release a Mac mini in 2008, it came back in early 2009 with faster data and memory and a Mini DisplayPort. It also was refreshed in late 2009 with a faster processor, more RAM and a larger HDD. The early and late 2009 Mac minis were the first to allow for a second hard drive to be installed in place of the optical drive and featured five USB ports as well as FireWire 800. <\/span><\/p>\n\n
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2011:<\/b> The most significant development of the 2011 Mac mini was the removal of the optical drive. However, a second internal drive can still be added with a Data Doubler kit. The 2011 Mac mini was the first to feature a Thunderbolt port. <\/span><\/p>\n\n
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