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dnor

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 20, 2017
4
5
NYC
Has anyone found a guide on upgrading the iMac 27" CPU? According to iFixit, it's possible, however I can't find any proof of concept videos or recommendations for which CPU to purchase.

I've purchased the low-tier 3.4GHz i5 with hopes to upgrade to an i7 7700.
 
You serious? The price of an i7-7700K is actually slightly more than the upgrade price would have been in the first instance. So you'd be perfectly happy to rip apart an iMac and risk voiding your warranty for... what, exactly?

People take this upgrading thing far too seriously sometimes. Just because you can doesn't mean you should.
 
Why didn't you just spec the i7-7700K when you ordered?
With a discount, I was able to get the 27" for $1691 retail. Compared to the 27" BTO with discount, total retail would be $2349, a $658 difference compared to a i7 7700 I already have.
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You serious? The price of an i7-7700K is actually slightly more than the upgrade price would have been in the first instance. So you'd be perfectly happy to rip apart an iMac and risk voiding your warranty for... what, exactly?

People take this upgrading thing far too seriously sometimes. Just because you can doesn't mean you should.

I come from building PC's, so I'm used to upgrading parts.
 
I come from building PC's, so I'm used to upgrading parts.

Fair enough, but most people get a Mac because they don't want to mess around with ripping apart hardware or worry about troubleshooting when something goes wrong. They buy one because they just want to get on with their work and not worry if it goes wrong due to the great aftersales support.

I mean, I appreciate it's fun to tinker. But you probably picked the wrong machine if you're looking to get your hands dirty. GPU is non-upgradable. RAM is limited by the four ports. RAM speed and support is limited by the CPU and the socket. Logic Board can't be changed for a standardised motherboard. Cooling system can't be changed, PSU can't be changed. SSD is proprietary.

I know it's hard but you've got to curb that way of thinking a little. A lot of Windows people also struggle with macOS as they're constantly trying to maintain, troubleshoot, and speed it up. You just have to leave it to do what it does and trust it won't go wrong. I appreciate it's such a different way of thinking but honestly, I think you'll just have a bad experience if you carry that Windows mentality into the Apple ecosystem.
 
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Fair enough, but most people get a Mac because they don't want to mess around with ripping apart hardware or worry about troubleshooting when something goes wrong. They buy one because they just want to get on with their work and not worry if it goes wrong due to the great aftersales support.

I mean, I appreciate it's fun to tinker. But you probably picked the wrong machine if you're looking to get your hands dirty. GPU is non-upgradable. RAM is limited by the four ports. RAM speed and support is limited by the CPU and the socket. Logic Board can't be changed for a standardised motherboard. Cooling system can't be changed, PSU can't be changed. SSD is proprietary.

I know it's hard but you've got to curb that way of thinking a little. A lot of Windows people also struggle with macOS as they're constantly trying to maintain, troubleshoot, and speed it up. You just have to leave it to do what it does and trust it won't go wrong. I appreciate it's such a different way of thinking but honestly, I think you'll just have a bad experience if you carry that Windows mentality into the Apple ecosystem.

That's excellent advice, really. I was genuinely considering a hackintosh, but the manual support required just seemed like a headache. Purchasing more Apple products, you're right, I've realized that they're reliable for what they're intended and no more.

I'll still consider a reliable CPU guide if there is one, however it may be best to reconsider the purchase for an upgrade.
 
That's excellent advice, really. I was genuinely considering a hackintosh, but the manual support required just seemed like a headache. Purchasing more Apple products, you're right, I've realized that they're reliable for what they're intended and no more.

I'll still consider a reliable CPU guide if there is one, however it may be best to reconsider the purchase for an upgrade.

Honestly buddy I've seen it so many times and the two mentalities aren't compatible. We all just want you to have a great computer experience and the two are complete opposite ends of the spectrum, so it'll only hurt trying to impose one onto the other.

Both Windows and Mac have their advantages and disadvantages, so neither is objectively 'better'. But as they're so different, you need to approach each one with a different mindset.

Hope you have a great rest of week! :)
 
Fair enough, but most people get a Mac because they don't want to mess around with ripping apart hardware or worry about troubleshooting when something goes wrong. They buy one because they just want to get on with their work and not worry if it goes wrong due to the great aftersales support.

The only reason I switched to Mac was because of OS X. I don't really care that much for Apple's constant outdated hardware at inflated prices. It's the OS that makes Mac appealing to most people, not the hardware.
 
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The only reason I switched to Mac was because of OS X. I don't really care that much for Apple's constant outdated hardware at inflated prices. It's the OS that makes Mac appealing to most people, not the hardware.
Are you using the OS for daily consumption or for work (i.e. Audio/Video editing)?
 
Well - you'd want an i7-7700k - about $335.00 for CPU-only from what I'm seeing right now (obviously you don't need boxed unless you're just buying it for the warranty).

But I think the smart money is to wait until either 1) better price/super-deal or 2) wait long enough for additional model choices that still use LGA-1151 and either be cheaper or perform better.

There's really no reason to be the one person out-front on this one...
 
Are you using the OS for daily consumption or for work (i.e. Audio/Video editing)?
Some work but mostly personal. I don't do audio/video except on rare occasions but I do photo editing.

The draw that Apple has is that the software and the hardware play nice with each other over multiple devices because Apple is the one that controls both the hardware and software.

You buy Apple because of the OS. There's nothing special about the hardware.
 
That's excellent advice, really. I was genuinely considering a hackintosh, but the manual support required just seemed like a headache. Purchasing more Apple products, you're right, I've realized that they're reliable for what they're intended and no more.

I'll still consider a reliable CPU guide if there is one, however it may be best to reconsider the purchase for an upgrade.
I think you upgrade a Mac only when you *have* to. For example, a lot of people opened up older iMacs and MacBooks to drop in SSDs for the phenomenal speed boost. Depending on your usage, you might not see any real difference in day-to-day use between he chips. The flash storage and memory keep the machine humming. Maybe better to throw your extra i7700 up on Ebay and you'll have even more cash floating around. I suspect the risks of opening up the computer and the time/energy aren't worth it in this case. Usually video editing/compression are the main reasons to get an i7. There aren't that many applications that make use of the extra threads the i7 offers. And even then, it only helps a lot in certain scenarios. (Like the 4K to Blu-ray compression of a 45 minute piece I am working on today)
 
Hi,
I'm planning on buying an iMac as well and I don't mind tinkering with a machine a bit (I replaced the hard drive of an MBP 2012 with an SSD for example).
So I think having a CPU that is exchangeable is great.

Did you find a guide for replacing the CPU yet?

Cheers,
Sebdepp
 
You serious? The price of an i7-7700K is actually slightly more than the upgrade price would have been in the first instance. So you'd be perfectly happy to rip apart an iMac and risk voiding your warranty for... what, exactly?

People take this upgrading thing far too seriously sometimes. Just because you can doesn't mean you should.
How about you refrain from judging and answer the question? if you don't have the answer, please take your poisonous comments somewhere else
 
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How about you refrain from judging and answer the question? if you don't have the answer, please take your poisonous comments somewhere else

Thanks for joining MR today to call me out on a post I wrote 6 months ago. Should I be honoured?
 
Ok. So I bought an Imac 27" Mid 2017. Base specs w/ i5 processor and 1tb Fusion. My question here is in fact the iMac upgradable to i7 7700k and can I install a straight NVMe ssd in this thing. I want it cruising along at whatever I throw at it and then some.
 
We can use the new CPU of the new iMac 5k 2019? The 8 cores in the iMac base of 2017?
 
We can use the new CPU of the new iMac 5k 2019? The 8 cores in the iMac base of 2017?

No, you cannot use an 8th or 9th Gen CPU to replace the CPU in a 2015 or 2017 iMac. Although 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th Gen CPUs use the same LGA-1151 socket, the 8th and 9th Gen are NOT electrically compatible with 6th and 7th Gen motherboards or chipsets.
 
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Why didn't you just spec the i7-7700K when you ordered?
If you don't have a legitimate answer why post, people are looking for answers not opinions.
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Has anyone found a guide on upgrading the iMac 27" CPU? According to iFixit, it's possible, however I can't find any proof of concept videos or recommendations for which CPU to purchase.

I've purchased the low-tier 3.4GHz i5 with hopes to upgrade to an i7 7700.
Here is the first person to post a really good video on the subject.

I really wish people would answer post with legitimate answer and not their Opinions.
 
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AliExpress will take a month to arrive from China


$270 USD

Is it an worthwhile upgrade?
 
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