Glad I did not buy a new Mac! Good as new!

crwdns2853023:0crwdne2853023:0

This is a 2.8ghz Intel i7 21.5 inch IMac from Mid 2011. Pretty old, right? It was VERY VERY VERY slow. Even with a fresh operating system install, it was barely usable. We spent this small amount of money upgrading from a 2TB HDD to a 1TB SSD. Notice the before and after pictures. We wanted to use this computer as the family computer -- but now it's a fully capable workstation for my wife's work and my kids work. I bought this originally for my business and my wife's work. However, about 5 years ago, it became too slow. I wish I upgraded it sooner.

crwdns2853024:0crwdne2853024:0

The repair was a moderately difficulty repair. The most difficult part is the very short-tethered LCD display cable. It is VERY VERY VERY fragile and the connection is almost impossible to feel with your hand. Accordingly, even after putting the machine back together, I was not sure the cable was properly inserted until I powered the machine back on and the screen worked. I think the guide in this should have put a giant red box around this part of the repair and attached a video instructing how to do this part. VERY difficult. Everything else was simply time consuming.

crwdns2853025:0crwdne2853025:0

Buy the toolkit that comes with most of these SSD upgrades. You'll need the whole kit. Also, make sure you have a can of air nearby as the inside of the unit is most likely VERY dusty. Also, consider maxing out the possible memory of the device. Being that I was this deep into the unit, I wish I replaced the DVD drive that has been giving us trouble -- as it would have been a minor additional effort. THIS IS AN AMAZING UPGRADE and almost made the computer good as new. The only drawback is that because of the age of the unit, I cannot install anything past OS X High Sierra.