2011 27" iMac Internal Upgrades

[iThink Apple]

Hello!

I have a 2011 27" iMac and I already upgraded the ram to 20GB 1333MHz DDR3. I plan to take it in to upgrade to an SSD. Could I also upgrade the CPU? I currently have a 2.7GHz i5. Thoughts? I was given this iMac a couple months ago and I want to try to make it as long as possible. Thanks!

 

[EugW]

IMO it's probably not worth the hassle to swap the CPU.

Also, you could run an SSD off Thunderbolt for the boot drive if you wanted to save some effort. That would actually work pretty well. The main problem is the cost of the Thunderbolt enclosure.

 

[iThink Apple]

I could get the SSD swapped for $80....That's not too bad.

 

[EugW]

I could get the SSD swapped for $80....That's not too bad.

Does that include the the drive bracket and the temp monitor cable? My guess is no, and the $80 is just for the labour. So, the drive bracket, drive, and temp monitor cable would all be extra.

 

[iThink Apple]

Ok so $100 with that....Plus $150 for a 500GB SSD.

 

[Khaleal]

You can upgrade the CPU. The best CPU that your iMac can handle is i7-2600. You can find it used on eBay for around $100 and it'll provide a nice performance boost in specific scenarios.
In order to replace the CPU, you'll need to almost take the whole iMac apart, it's somewhat a difficult job, but if you're careful enough (and try no to touch the LCD) you can get the CPU replaced yourself.
Now, for the SSD, you'll need to get a thermal sensor so your HDD fan won't go to the max. I think OWC makes such sensors.
There are plenty YouTube videos explaining this upgrade, watch and learn. Good luck.

 

[EugW]

Ok so $100 with that....Plus $150 for a 500GB SSD.

Seems decently priced.

I originally got a quote that was something similar, around $100 for parts and labour, excluding the drive. The drive was a little pricier than the cheap computer stores, but that's OK. However, that was when I was looking at getting a 1 TB drive, and it didn't make a lot of sense to me to spend that kind of money on a 2010 iMac, especially when I finally decided to just use it as an external monitor.

However, it could make sense to do it with a smaller SSD - say 500 GB - at a later date if I want to give this to my kids or something instead of using it as a monitor. But in the meantime I'll just leave the 2 TB HD in it, and continue to use it as a monitor.

 

[iThink Apple]

You can upgrade the CPU. The best CPU that your iMac can handle is i7-2600. You can find it used on eBay for around $100 and it'll provide a nice performance boost in specific scenarios.
In order to replace the CPU, you'll need to almost take the whole iMac apart, it's somewhat a difficult job, but if you're careful enough (and try no to touch the LCD) you can get the CPU replaced yourself.
Now, for the SSD, you'll need to get a thermal sensor so your HDD fan won't go to the max. I think OWC makes such sensors.
There are plenty YouTube videos explaining this upgrade, watch and learn. Good luck.

Thank you! I have an i5-3570K from an older gaming PC....Would that not work?

 

[Khaleal]

Thank you! I have an i5-3570K from an older gaming PC....Would that not work?

I won't work.