ThaSoulHacker Posted August 29, 2006 Share Posted August 29, 2006 Processor Question: Is there confirmed reports that the Core Duo iMacs can be upgraded to Core 2 Duo? I've heard reports of a mini being successfully upgraded, but nothing about iMacs yet. Graphics Card Question: Can the iMacs graphics card be upgraded to other ATI PCI-E cards or Nvidia? I understand that drivers need to be there for the new cards and that it needs to be a laptop card, but I was hoping one can upgrade beyond the standard config apple gives you. Will it be possible to upgrade to the next set of cards put into future iMac? RAM Question: Is the iMac stuck at 2 gigs of RAM or will it be able to handle 4 gigs through 2 gig sticks? It's not a big deal for me at the moment, but it would be nice to add more in the future. If it's not possible at the moment, is there a hack the might enable the iMac recognize sticks larger than 1 gig? Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/26112-20-inch-intel-imac-upgrades/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
mifki Posted August 29, 2006 Share Posted August 29, 2006 I dunno about the processor upgrade i only thought that Conroe works on >946 boards. Ram i dont see why it shoudltn work. and graphix.... babahahabahbabhabahba NO Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/26112-20-inch-intel-imac-upgrades/#findComment-176779 Share on other sites More sharing options...
moksha Posted August 30, 2006 Share Posted August 30, 2006 The iMacs have socketed processors as well, so although I haven't seen any reports that it's been upgraded, I don't see why not. For RAM, it seems Apple has imposed an artificial limitation on the Intel Macs, so that 2 GB sticks don't actually work, but it coul probably be fixed in a firmware update, when Apple feels the time is right. And graphics… I wish… Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/26112-20-inch-intel-imac-upgrades/#findComment-177780 Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThaSoulHacker Posted August 31, 2006 Author Share Posted August 31, 2006 I found this in an article from: http://paulstamatiou.com/2006/03/02/intel-...-is-upgradable/ "The bad news is that although Merom is pin-compatible with Yonah you need a socket interface in order to upgrade to Merom. Both the MacBook and MacBook Pro have Ball Grid Array (BGA) interfaces so upgrading them to Merom is out of the question - unless you really like to solder. AnandTech continues: If you’ve got a Core Duo notebook with a PGA Socket-M interface, all you should need is a BIOS update and a Core 2 Duo CPU to upgrade your notebook. If you’ve got a BGA CPU, then you’re unfortunately out of luck as desoldering 479 balls from your motherboard without damaging it isn’t for the faint of heart. One consolation is that the iMac and Mac mini have socketed interfaces making Merom upgrades possible - but doing so will void your warranty." I don't know how accurate it is, but basically from what I gather I can't upgrade the processor without a firmware update of some sort. I'm guessing someone within the OSX86 community will come out with some crack to do it or maybe apple will once they update the iMac lineup, but I guess I'm out of luck for the moment unless anyone else knows something I don't. As for RAM, hopefully someone comes out with a patch to allow it to be updated. A 2 GB cap is fine for now, but as more apps require more RAM to run it'll be nice to be able to upgrade to more. Maybe that can become one of these weekly iAnnoyance Challenges. I'm kind ticked that there is no way to upgrade graphics, but I guess that's what you get when you pick an Mac but a Mac Pro. I'm still crossing my fingers that down the line someone will figure out a way to upgrade it. Does anyone else have any advice to give? Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/26112-20-inch-intel-imac-upgrades/#findComment-178218 Share on other sites More sharing options...
unixguru Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 There are outfits that have professional rework equipment and do chip swaps for $50. I had the solder reflowed on my G3 iBook motherboard because Apple was giving me sh*t. I figured might as well let the pros do it cause it didn't cost that much. Better than using a heat gun and screwing up the board. I imagine daystar or some other company might also start an upgrade program. They've done it for the Powerbook G4. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/26112-20-inch-intel-imac-upgrades/#findComment-178324 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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