iMac For Dummies, 8th Edition

Chapter 23

I Want to Add Stuff

In This Chapter

Adding memory

Upgrading your hard drive

Adding USB, Thunderbolt, and FireWire devices

Reviewing what add-ons are available

No iMac is an island.” Somebody famous wrote that, I’m sure.

Without getting too philosophical — or invoking the all-powerful Internet yet again — the old saying really does make sense. All computer owners usually add at least one peripheral (external device), such as a printer, backup drive, joystick, iPod, or scanner. I talk about the ports on your iMac in Chapter 1. Those holes aren’t there to just add visual interest to the back end of your treasured iMac. Therefore, I cover your USB, Thunderbolt, and FireWire ports (and what you can plug in to them) in detail in this chapter.

Ah, but what about the stuff inside your supercomputer? That’s where things get both interesting and scary at the same time. In this chapter, I also describe what you can add to the innards of some iMac models as well as how to get inside there if you work up the courage to go exploring. (Don’t tell your family or your friends, but adding ...