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Any Possibility of Upgrading Video Card on 24" iMac?

O

obinob

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 30, 2008
2
0
A few days ago I was using System Requirments Lab to see how well I could run Spore when it comes out. My system would run it perfectly if not for my video card. So I've decided I am going try and upgrade it. I've currently got a ATI Radeon 2600HD XT.

I know that Macs in general are supposed to be completely un-upgradable, but I was wondering if there was any chance at all of upgrading. Is it possible that an aftermarket shop could do it?

If there is even the slightest chance, what card would you recommend and how much is it likely to cost?

Cheers
 
there is none. the best option for you is to sell your imac and to get another with a better graphics card.
 
obinob said:
A few days ago I was using System Requirments Lab to see how well I could run Spore when it comes out. My system would run it perfectly if not for my video card. So I've decided I am going try and upgrade it. I've currently got a ATI Radeon 2600HD XT.

I know that Macs in general are supposed to be completely un-upgradable, but I was wondering if there was any chance at all of upgrading. Is it possible that an aftermarket shop could do it?

If there is even the slightest chance, what card would you recommend and how much is it likely to cost?

Cheers
Click to expand...

I was wondering about this as well. I know you're not supposed to, but is there a way? Obviously it would void your warranty and all, but I think it might be worth it for some people, like me, who has the base model of over a year ago (20") and is thinking about upgrading to a newer model.
 
My understanding is that the video card is soldered to the logic board so it is not possible to upgrade the video card, the upgrade must be purchased at the time of the original sale so that it can be built-to-order

But i'd be suprised if Spore didn't work fine on your ATI card since it is also supposed to work fine on the x3100 Intel integrated graphics
 
I had this conversation with my friend a while back about his iMac, he went as far as saying "Could I not just solder on some more memory to the logic board?" made me laugh...
 
Schtumple said:
I had this conversation with my friend a while back about his iMac, he went as far as saying "Could I not just solder on some more memory to the logic board?" made me laugh...
Click to expand...

HA! HA HA! HAH AHAHAHAHAH!!!

I was curious about this, but not stupid. Thanks for that tiny anecdote. Wow...
 
Schtumple said:
Good luck finding somewhere that sells a MXM card that will work out of the box, drivers are also an issue you know...
Click to expand...

Not to mention that the referenced article was posted in September of 2006- and should an upgrade of that fashion have become workable I would sure guess that there would be a lot more talk about it, not least from nvidia since it would be another sales opportunity from them!
 
MXM does not have to mean upgradeability... MXM is not even for the end-user, it's for the manufacturer.
 
7031 said:
I heard somewhere that in the 24" iMac the GPU is PCIe...
http://www.macsimumnews.com/index.php/archive/graphics_card_in_24_inch_imac_are_apparently_upgradeable/
Click to expand...

My late 2006 24" white iMac had a 7300GT originally and I have had it replaced by a 7600GT via my Apple dealer. This is not the first time my dealer has helped me out by maxing out an Apple I already had, so it is possible that your dealer may not be that helpful.

I should warn you however that it is not cheap and you should only consider if your iMac needs to be exactly like this and you're prepared to spend a significant amount of money towards this end. I have decided to go with this because I didn't wanted to buy a new unproven iMac with possible quality issues and certainly not one with many shortcomings, like glossy screens,no power LED, less wireless reception, etc.

It does raise the internal heat of the iMac however:the PSU does reach new heights you never thought possible (over 85 degrees celsius). You will need to raise the CPU and harddrive fans to about 1800 rpm if you want to prevent any chance of burning out your PSU.

The upgrade in total cost me about 685 euro where I agreed to exchange my old 7300GT to have a little discount. I paid 685 euros in total , for a 1TB HDD, 4 GB RAM (3 available in a late 2006 iMac) and a 7600GT videocard: this would be about 1005 US dollars (exchange rate August 31 2008)
 
I heard somewhere that in the 24" iMac the GPU is PCIe...
Click to expand...

That refers to the architecture, not the physical slot/card system.

A few days ago I was using System Requirments Lab to see how well I could run Spore when it comes out. My system would run it perfectly if not for my video card. So I've decided I am going try and upgrade it. I've currently got a ATI Radeon 2600HD XT.
Click to expand...

Spore's minimum specs are the GeForce 7300GT or Intel GMA X3100.

The Radeon 2600XT is on a par with the GeForce 8600.

Your Mac is way beyond the minimum specs. The Radeon 2600 can run Crysis and Call of Duty 4. Spore won't be a problem.
 
This would be the thing I like the least about macs, the un-upgradability. But thanks heaps for the info :)
 
Physically? Yes. The service manual for the Al iMacs illustrates the process to replace the video card. If there are no substantial physical differences between the 2600XT and the 8800GS, the latter might be able to be swapped in, or made to work after a little adaptation. I haven't seen the manual for the 2008 models, so I can't say for certain.

Practically? No. You'd first have to procure the 8800 service part, which is likely to be expensive. Then, you'd have to install it, or find and pay someone to install it for you. Assuming that it plugs right in and doesn't require any other mod work, the next task would be to see if the drivers meant for 3.0/8800 configuration would function properly. Even if they did, it would still be an unsupported configuration that might break down in the future.
 
This would be the thing I like the least about macs, the un-upgradability. But thanks heaps for the info :)
Click to expand...

Macs hold their value though, so you can just sell every 3 years on ebay and you've got a large chunk of cash towards the latest version.
 
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