Can i upgrade my mac processor upgrade#

Overall, the upgrade took about one hour from start to finish.

Can i upgrade my mac processor update#

WeвЂ™ll need to update the MacвЂ™s firmware first or else the system wonвЂ™t boot (more on that below).

Can i upgrade my mac processor install#

DonвЂ™t install the upgraded RAM just yet.

Even though weвЂ™re not dealing the with GPU, youвЂ™ll see that the GPU and CPU share the same heatsink, and you always want to reapply thermal paste whenever you remove a chipвЂ™s cooling apparatus. Then reapply fresh thermal paste to both chips before reattaching.

Make sure to clean the old thermal paste from the tops of the CPU and GPU as well as from the heatsink.

ThereвЂ™s nothing worse than getting everything put back and screwed into place only to realize that your final data connection wire is missing and trapped underneath your newly reinstalled components. YouвЂ™ll be removing and then reinserting the entire logic board, and itвЂ™s easy for some of these wires to fall into the chassis when youвЂ™re not looking and get inadvertently covered by the logic board when you put it back.

Use tape to keep disconnected wires secured outside of the open system.

Use spudgers and tweezers wherever possible to avoid accidentally pulling out individual wires from the connectors. YouвЂ™ll need to disconnect several of them, and they can be quite fragile and brittle on these older machines.

Be careful with the data connectors on the logic board.We knew weвЂ™d be upgrading the operating system later, and figured that we could always nuke and pave at that point once we made sure the hardware upgrades were successful. We toyed with the idea of starting from scratch with a fresh install, but there were lots of files on the system and we wanted to make sure we had an opportunity to save any needed data. The first thing we did was clone the iMacвЂ™s internal hard drive to the SSD using a SATA to USB adapter. Had I needed to purchase the SSD and the RAM, the cost would likely have risen to about $300. That brought my total to around $70 with shipping. In the end, the only components I had to purchase were the CPU and the Icy Dock SSD Adapter, which cost about $15. I also had the RAM available from an upgraded Mac mini, so I saved some money there. Since the iMac only uses a 1.5Gbps SATA interface, look for the cheapest SSD you can find from a reliable manufacturer. Speaking of economical, the Samsung 830 SSD is overkill for this project, but I had it available from a previous build. So make sure to look for a good deal in order to keep this upgrade project economical. TheyвЂ™re still fairly pricey when purchased new (if you can find them), but I picked up a used one from a reliable eBay seller for about $50. Some notes about my component selection: I went with the fastest compatible CPU, and thatвЂ™s the T7600. With these items in mind, I settled on the following upgrades: The iMac also utilized a standard SATA connection for the hard drive, allowing for an easy swap without consideration for the proprietary temperature sensors found on newer models. Not counting the Mac Pro, it was one of the last Macs with a socketed CPU, meaning that processor upgrades were possible if you could dig your way though the tightly-packed design of the systemвЂ™s innards ( Update:В As many have pointed out, certain iMac models as late as the current 2013 generation also preserve the socketed CPU).

Still, the 2006 iMac was uniquely suited for this upgrade project. Further, the systemвЂ™s GPU, a Radeon X1600 with 128 MB of memory, was soldered to the logic board, with no practical hope of removal. As weвЂ™ll discuss, I was able to raise the default RAM limit, but only to 4GB, and the built-in SATA connection was limited to a measly 1.5 Gbps. Instead of wiping the system and selling it for maybe $100, I decided to see if a major overhaul could give this system new life.Дespite my ambitions, there were some constraints that were unavoidable.

Can i upgrade my mac processor software#

The 2.0 GHz Core Duo CPU was fine for basic tasks, but its 32-bit nature, and 2GB of RAM also greatly limited my software options. The 250GB hard drive was making more noise than I was comfortable with, and the operating system, now OS X 10.5 Leopard, wasnвЂ™t able to run any modern software. After picking it up again the other day, it was still in great physical condition, but was starting to show its age.

The Mac served me well, but I was quickly drawn to the Aluminum iMacs released in late 2007, so I upgraded and sent the neglected 2006 model to live with its grandparents.