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iMac Big Sur restarted more than three times a day

fellow apple users, I have a serious situation in my iMac mid-2015 upgraded with Big Sur. It restarted more than three times a day with error message "your computer was restarted because of a problem". Background: I upgraded this iMac with WD_BLACK 1TB SN750 NVMe (WDS100T3X0C-00SJG0) via an interface "M.2 PCIE NVME SSD Adapter Converter". I totally removed the original hard drive and cable. It works great in the first three months. Recently, it begins to restart unexpected more than three times a day. The problem details varies and the most recent one is as following.


Can anyone show me how to resolve this problem? I assume it was because of the SSD and adapter. Any way to resolve it without changing the SSD again?


iMac Line (2012 and Later)

Posted on Aug 24, 2021 2:52 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Aug 24, 2021 3:44 PM

RAM should always be installed in pairs, and 3/4 is not in pairs. Look here for the proper RAM: OWC Memory Upgrades For 27" iMac with Retina 5K Display (Late 2014 & Mid 2015) - MacSales.com (OWC).


However, I do believe that your un-authorized DIY internal upgrade may have caused this issue. I suggest you contact a local AASP (Apple Authorized Service Provider), have them remove your DIY components, then purchase an external SSD to run macOS with: How to Setup and Use an External SSD as y… - Apple Community.


Resources:

Find an AASP - https://locate.apple.com


Cheers,


Jack

12 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Aug 24, 2021 3:44 PM in response to RickyGUY

RAM should always be installed in pairs, and 3/4 is not in pairs. Look here for the proper RAM: OWC Memory Upgrades For 27" iMac with Retina 5K Display (Late 2014 & Mid 2015) - MacSales.com (OWC).


However, I do believe that your un-authorized DIY internal upgrade may have caused this issue. I suggest you contact a local AASP (Apple Authorized Service Provider), have them remove your DIY components, then purchase an external SSD to run macOS with: How to Setup and Use an External SSD as y… - Apple Community.


Resources:

Find an AASP - https://locate.apple.com


Cheers,


Jack

Aug 24, 2021 2:54 PM in response to RickyGUY

Welcome to the Apple Support Communities.


I believe we need to proceed with an EtreCheck report. EtreCheck is a useful App to diagnose and identify issues, both hardware and software. It is trusted by many users. Please follow the steps outlined below:


  1. Navigate to: https://etrecheck.com and get the free version of EtreCheckPro.
  2. Download it. It is a free and trusted app. It is often recommended here on Apple Support Communities. 
  3. Open EtreCheck, and before running the report, be sure to check “Allow full Drive Access” at the bottom of the EtreCheckPro window.
  4. Run the report, and put it in a post, as seen here: https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-250000211. We will then examine the report for issues in your Mac.


Jack

Aug 24, 2021 3:17 PM in response to RickyGUY

Time Machine backup out-of-date - The last Time Machine backup is over 10 days old. • Make sure your backup is up-to-date!


Kernel panics - This system has experienced kernel panics. This could be a sign of hardware failure. • Please see: If your Mac restarts and a message appears - Apple Support.


Also, did you upgrade the RAM yourself? If so, what brand was used?


Cheers,


Jack

Aug 24, 2021 3:32 PM in response to Jack-19

Hi Jack, I agree its a good idea to update the Time Machine. I will buy a external hdd. So far, this Time Machine will not cause the system to restart, right?


I suspect this is a hardware problem. I upgraded the iMac with a PCIE SSD blade using an adapter. This could be an issue.


Yes, I upgraded the RAM myself. the original iMac has 8G RAM (brand Hynix). I upgraded with two 8G Crucial RAMs.

Aug 24, 2021 3:57 PM in response to RickyGUY

Your EtreCheck Pro report only shows 3 8GB modules. If you have 4 then either one has failed or one is loose.


First I would recheck to make sure that all of the modules are fully seated in the slots.


Then if it still panics, I would test 2 like modules and then test the other two.


If I was going to buy more modules, I would buy 2 more of the Crucial modules, so that all 4 matched.

iMac Big Sur restarted more than three times a day

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