GlassBlock
iMac (Mid 2007, 20") / Desktop / Acquired 30 Mar 2013
Previously known as "Hopper" on the old Computers List. I moved the name over to my RPi Ethernet-WiFi bridge since it made more sense.
This is the third "main" desktop I used, replacing the '06 iMac. It was replaced in 2015 by Redstone. I got it for my birthday in 2013, and even by then it was pretty outdated. It was still a nice improvement from the previous iMac I was using, which would lock up sporadically due to GPU thermal issues. I spent many hours on this iMac playing various games such as TF2, Garry's Mod, and of course, Minecraft.
Being a used computer, it came with an older hard disk with an unknown amount of wear. This wear began to show in the summer of the same year I got it, when the iMac would begin to lock up and sometimes show the dreaded "folder-with-a-question-mark" on power-on. Sometimes I could get it to boot up successfully and use it for a while before symptoms would come back, but after a week or so, the disk finally died out for good. Luckily I was smart enough to do a backup while the disk was slowly dying, so after getting a replacement disk installed, I was on my paws again.
In 2018, I decided to upgrade GlassBlock with a new CPU, SSD, and AirPort Extreme card. I have yet to buy a 4 GB stick of RAM to max it out on that end. Rumor has it that the graphics card can be upgraded too, but it requires a specific card from a specific model of iMac, and it's not easy to get a hold of one by itself.
I currently use it to test the Intel Mac OS X port of Endless Attack REMIX (and to relive the glory days of 10.6).
- CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo T9300, 2.5GHz
- GPU: ATI Radeon HD 2400XT
- RAM: 4GB DDR2
- OS: Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) + Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard)
More Pictures
- [Oct 2020] GlassBlock in a collection of many devices (center).
- [Oct 2020] GlassBlock in a collection of many devices (far left).
- [Jul 2019] Installing Quake.
- [Jul 2019] Installing Windows XP.
- [Jul 2017] Running OS 9 in a VM.
- [Jun 2015] GlassBlock and Redstone on the same desk.
- [Apr 2015] Closet "theater" setup.
- [Oct 2014] Upgrading to Yosemite back when it released.
- [Oct 2013] GlassBlock and the '06 iMac together.
- [Sep 2013] Running Windows XP in a VM.
- [Jun 2013] Running MilkyTracker.
