2009 24 iMac. Possible to upgrade CPU?

[gdourado]

Hello,
How are you?
I am thinking of picking up a 24 iMac 9.1 early 2009 with the 2.66 e8135 CPU.

Since the computer comes with the 640gb HDD, If I get the computer, I am thinking about upgrading it.
I have experience with hardware and already saw the tutorials, so I am comfortable I can do it.

What I would like to know us if I can find a 3.06 e8435 CPU, can I also swap the CPU?

Thanks.
Cheers.

 

[Hexley]

Your iMac has a ZIF Socket. So the CPU can be upgraded. The problem is that iMacs in my experience are picky with the CPUs they are upgraded to.

The CPU you should target should be a "Socket P" that is "Penryn".

CPUs related to your Intel Core 2 Duo Mobile E8135 can be found at the bottom part of the linked site.

http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/Core_...0676M - AW80576GH0676M - AW80576GH0676ML.html

 

[gdourado]

Thank you for the reply.
I was thinking about trying to get an e8435 3.06 ghz CPU which originally came with the most powerful 9.1 iMac.
If I can get one, than it should be pretty straight forward, right?

Also, is the screen on the 2009 model IPS?
Is it still a good machine for iTunes library management, web browsing and some iWork

Cheers

 

[Hexley]

Thank you for the reply.
I was thinking about trying to get an e8435 3.06 ghz CPU which originally came with the most powerful 9.1 iMac.
If I can get one, than it should be pretty straight forward, right?

Also, is the screen on the 2009 model IPS?
Is it still a good machine for iTunes library management, web browsing and some iWork

Cheers

That could work. Have you considered Core 2 Extreme QX9300? It's a Penryn QC XE part to your current Penryn part.

I have a base-end iMac7,1 with a 2.0 GHz Core 2 Duo T7300. The top-end iMac7,1 uses a 2.80 GHz Core 2 Extreme X7900. As a drop in part the X7900 is reported to work with my iMac. Both are Merom.

I would buy your e8435 on eBay. This is where I plan to buy my X7900 when my HDD breaks down.

If budget permits add a SSD. It will breath new life to your Mac and worth to do seeming you are tearing apart your Mac.

Check this out http://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/...+replace+the+processor+from+2.4GHz+to+3.06GHz

 

[gdourado]

Is a 2009 24 iMac still a good machine?
Is it better an iMac or a penryn MacBook Pro 17?

Cheers

 

[BSoares]

Is a 2009 24 iMac still a good machine?
Is it better an iMac or a penryn MacBook Pro 17?

Cheers

I have that same early 2009 iMac and it works perfectly. So to answer your question, yes, I think it's a good machine if you're on a tight budget. OS X is light enough to run very well on a machine that you'd normally think isn't very powerful.

 

[gdourado]

Is the screen an IPS panel?
Also, since I already have an iPhone and an iPad, is the iMac a better option than a MacBook?

Cheers

 

[gdourado]

Is the sata port for the optical drive a sata II port?

Cheers

 

[RayK]

Did you ever end up upgrading the processor? If so to which one did you upgrade?

 

[gdourado]

Did you ever end up upgrading the processor? If so to which one did you upgrade?

No.
Ended up getting a MacBook instead.
Got a sweet deal!

Cheers

 

[RayK]

Awesome!

I've bought a new video card for my iMac and was contemplating upgrading the processor as well. Don't know if I'll see much of a jump between 2.93 and 3.06. The Video card GT 120 to HD4850 should be very nice though. Diablo 3 will be happy at least...