CPU upgrade of iMac 27” mid 2011

[ninecows]

Hi

I have this old Mac and cannot afford a new. Just upgraded ram to 32 Gb, but the CPU also seems to limit performance in Logic Pro. I have the Core i5 (I5-2400) that the MC814 model was born with.

Can I upgrade to something significantly faster? And which CPU? I have previously upgraded the hard drive my self to SSD so I’m not afraid of a bit of surgery.

 

[mikehalloran]

There was the i7. A DAW is one app where you might notice a real speed bump. For Logic and Digital Performer, my 2010 i7 was much faster than my wife's 2011.

It's not just the CPU. The GPU probable has 500mb VRAM. The i7 usually came with 1G or 2G and that can make a difference with plugins and screen redrawing.

I really recommend buying a used i7, swapping the drive and selling the i5. Oh, replace the battery while you're in there—very easy.

 

[FlorisVN]

as far as I know, core i7 2600 and 2700 non K versions should work.
Maybe K versions also work don't know this.

Apple used Core i7 2600 non K version, I think back in the day..