iFixit Tears Down New iMacs, Finds Soldered CPU on 21.5" Model

[ValSalva]

Most people only really care about upgrading the hard drive and ram. If your the kind of person that upgrades cpus, your not in the normal demographic for an iMac.

ifixit do beautiful tear downs but they really have a bug up their ass about some stuff lately.

You are right on the money with both points. It would be nice to be able to upgrade the RAM and HDD/SSD on iMacs but like the rMBP that seems to be going away permanently.

iFixit has been pretty self righteous. I do understand they are looking out for consumers but they are so aggressive about it that it seems like it's more for garnering attention for themselves.

 

[lincolntran]

I had a 2011 27" iMac with optical drive that was unfortunately stolen on a break in. I was a little bummed about a replacement machine that I might get having no drive and needing a usb superdrive as I use remote disk on my Air. But even though I had an SSD and HDD combo, the fusion, new PCI speed increase, new ac wifi, greater VRAM, etc. make this a no brainer. I don't use an optical drive that often anyway.

It's been 7 years that I haven't have the need to use an optical drive. I use USB for everything.

 

[CoMoMacUser]

Does a small heatsink cool a system better than a large one? Post that on any computer form and brace yourself for the results... hint: larger=better.

Yup. I know that from ham radio. That's part of the reason why my Icom 7700 weighs as much as a boat anchor.

 

[carlos700]

The 21-inch iMac with Iris Pro uses a BGA-1364 CPU. So it has to be soldered to something. Unless they want to do a daughtercard like the G4s...

 

[milo]

For the speed difference, it's a waste of money and time.

Depends on the specific model. A 2009 mac pro can go from 8 core 2.26 to 12 core 3.33, and at this point the chips aren't that expensive.

 

[Jimrod]

I may want to consider buying a new iMac soon. Not because I like these models but because the old ones with the optical drive might be leaving the refurb store soon as more of these nonsensically thin models are released. I don't care if I use the optical drive often, I want it there because its a desktop and I don't care if it is thin or light

Absolutely true!

Jony Ive: "Look kids, the latest iMac is 4mm thick - I rock!"

Users: "But Jony, we've all got iPads for thinness - isn't that just hampering performance of a desktop needlessly? Anyway, the stand is like 6" deep so what difference does the overall thickness make when that's the deepest part?"

Jony Ive: "I hate you, I'm going to play with my Space Gray iPhone... It's like a mini Enterprise - ZOOOOOOOM"

Users: :|

 

[iSee]

In a free country where individuality and freedom are welcomed, your question cannot be relevant. Many people like to upgrade. Your attitude suggests the application of a forced dictatorship of sorts.

And yet... your attitude suggests that the other poster's view isn't valid... which is also inconsistent with a free country where individuality and freedom are welcome.

Clearly, you mean to suggest the two of you are brothers at heart, who both hate freedom and individuality, right? Kudos. It's good to you guys getting along so well.

 

[vmachiel]

Who cares? Who replaces that thing anyway

 

[clibinarius]

iFixit is still relevant?

Yeah, I mean, CR clearly isn't since they bashed some products, so let's claim this is irrelevant too, and not bother looking at how our attitudes compare to authoritarian regimes.

 

[hkim1983]

For the vast majority of consumers, by the time the cpu is a bottleneck, replacing the cpu probably wouldn't make a difference because your entire logic board would be obsolete at that point too.

For those where this does make a difference in their production, you're probably better off using PCs or Power Macs, so I'm not sure how this affects the iMac consumer...

 

[DaveN]

Agreed. My early 2008 iMac is thick as a brick compared to the new models, but I don't care. As for weight, the only time I move it is when I'm dusting my desk, and it's no big deal to lift.

Ditto. Early 2009 here and never even thought about weight or thickness except when I moved from one state to another and then it was trivial. I'd like a fusion drive but I'm not losing any sleep over not having one. I had Mac Pro's and mini's before the iMacs and see the benefits and drawbacks of each though I may get a mini to be a media hub for my eyeTV. Quad core to crunch the videos for playing in iTunes via Apple TV. Geeze, I'm becoming a geek!

 

[ericinboston]

I don't remember it ever being feasible to swap or change CPUs?

In the Wintel world, yes, it is quite simple. Of course depending on your motherboard model/year and the CPU that is already in it, your upgrades might be small or might be large. Overall, you're not going to upgrade a 2008 CPU with the latest 2013 model. But typically a motherboard supports a dozen or so CPU models/speeds...

 

[Digital Skunk]

Did that quite a few times, even on a few laptops.
PowerBook 500 and Pismo series CPU on daughter card, easy to update.

The folks that don't understand why someone would want to replace the CPU are too young to remember the days when you could easily repair a laptop, instead of just tossing it into a landfill and buying a new one.

Others are just too stuck on themselves to ever thing that folks not like them may want to upgrade or save money on repairs.

iFixit is still relevant?

Yes quite relevant in fact. Unless you're someone that thinks anything not catering to Apple in a positive way is irrelevant.

Not only do they have repair guides to many Apple and electronics and automotive products, they offer insight and guidance (via forums and blog posts) to anyone that may one day want to learn how to build and repair their own systems.

What planet do you live on where a website that gives knowledgeable information about technology, in a tech driven society is irrelevant?

I guess it's still good for page clicks. Not sure how long it will take for people to figure out that Apple doesn't build things with the goal of getting a good score from iFixit.

I agree with the overall statement, but disagree with the way you seem to think that iFixit reviews products for the sole purpose of page clicks, while on the other hand MacRumors posts a story about iFixit for the same purposes.

 

[numlock]

And yet... your attitude suggests that the other poster's view isn't valid... which is also inconsistent with a free country where individuality and freedom are welcome.

Clearly, you mean to suggest the two of you are brothers at heart, who both hate freedom and individuality, right? Kudos. It's good to you guys getting along so well.

view?

it was a pathetic put down attempt on a site that gives fair reviews on matters that some concern themselves with (never done anything but ram upgrades myself).

the irony is though that the sheepish behavior of customers makes sites like that less relevant as well as consumers constantly getting less and less for their money.

 

[TheBigLebowski]

Does this mean no user upgradable RAM, too?

The smaller one requires cutting through adhesive to upgrade the RAM. The larger one still has a door, like the older iMacs did.

 

[Brian Y]

Does anyone seriously still take notice of iFixit's ratings? It's not a repairability rating - it's a "How much crap can we sell" rating!

Plus, the only people who would even attempt to upgrade the iMac's CPU are uber geeks. I did it to my 2011 27". I have a hell of a lot of experience opening and repairing iMacs, and it still took me a good couple of hours.

I don't understand the drop of 3 points for a soldered CPU though. If you buy a replacement MLB for your failed one, it will come with a CPU. Hardly anywhere sells MLBs without CPUs. To the people questioning iFixit's relevance - ask yourself this. Does a soldered CPU justify (honestly) a drop from 5/10 to 2/10. iFixit would be more relevant if it didn't have a hidden agenda.

 

[0098386]

iFixit is still relevant?

Why would they not be?

 

[sikkinixx]

Does anyone seriously still take notice of iFixit's ratings? It's not a repairability rating - it's a "How much crap can we sell" rating!

Plus, the only people who would even attempt to upgrade the iMac's CPU are uber geeks. I did it to my 2011 27". I have a hell of a lot of experience opening and repairing iMacs, and it still took me a good couple of hours.

More or less. My folks won't even attempt to change the RAM on their 2007 iMac because you need to unscrew the little door on the bottom. I had to make a rescue call over to do it for them. And they probably represent the average Apple consumer now.

 

[thekev]

The folks that don't understand why someone would want to replace the CPU are too young to remember the days when you could easily repair a laptop, instead of just tossing it into a landfill and buying a new one.

Others are just too stuck on themselves to ever thing that folks not like them may want to upgrade or save money on repairs.

In that regard, looking at the list of eligible cpus and the spread in real performance across what is used in the base through the top 21" models, is there really a compelling reason to upgrade the cpu? I am of course referring to parts of the same socket type and going by more than geekbench scores, as they tend to over-value hyperthreading.

 

[Skika]

People actually upgrade the cpu in iMacs? Never heard of that one.

 

[macduke]

Not gonna lie: I didn't even know the CPU was replaceable.

How many more years until a Retina iMac is feasible? Something that runs well and doesn't cost 14 million dollars? I would like to have one please.

I'd also like to know if the fusion drive is still paired with a 128GB SSD or if it was bumped to 256GB. I have the previous generation iMac at work and the fusion drive is often speedy, but sometimes lags out and I know it's using the slower hard drive because I have a 512GB SSD in my personal machine and it doesn't lag out for similar tasks. I've been on SSD for a few years now and it reminds me of the good 'ol days when it slows down. 256GB would probably help with that for caching often used files. Though I'd prefer a 512GB SSD + 3TB 7200rpm drive in a non-fusion setup. Then I can just archive my media on the spinny drive and keep all my current projects on the SSD. Why don't they offer that option? And if the 1TB fusion drive still has a 128GB SSD, then the 3TB upgrade option should include a 256GB SSD—they charge $350 extra for it! That should cover the price of a 256GB SSD + a 3TB drive.

Does anyone know if you order a 3TB drive and add a 512GB SSD yourself if you can choose between having it be a discrete drive or a fusion drive? If not is there a stable hack to accomplish this?

 

[CoMoMacUser]

People actually upgrade the cpu in iMacs? Never heard of that one.

Me, neither. I'm more concerned about how this design change affects the cost of professional repairs.

 

[Digital Skunk]

Does anyone seriously still take notice of iFixit's ratings? It's not a repairability rating - it's a "How much crap can we sell" rating!

I don't take iFixit ratings seriously either. Most are either smart enough to know which devices can be repaired and are also intelligent enough to do the repairs.

Others are smart enough to know that they don't care about upgrading the CPU on a one year old iMac, and smart enough to let someone more skilled do the repairs.

To keep it simple, it's a moot thing to me. I just like the site for when I do need to make repairs on something. I had their site up during my first 17" MBP and iMac repairs.

As far as selling tools, sure I guess it's nice if you are fresh to the game. I've had mine since 2003.

In that regard, looking at the list of eligible cpus and the spread in real performance across what is used in the base through the top 21" models, is there really a compelling reason to upgrade the cpu? I am of course referring to parts of the same socket type and going by more than geekbench scores, as they tend to over-value hyperthreading.

Actually, I'd never even try to upgrade the CPU on an iMac. I've repaired the HDD, mobo, and fans on an iMac and HATED IT. I'd rather tell someone to just buy a new system if their CPU ever went up, or they needed a clock speed upgrade.

 

[MacMilligan]

Intel announced all models of the Iris Pro would be BGA, so no one needed to open it up to know the CPU was soldered.

 

[IJ Reilly]

Why would they not be?

Because they are dinging the new iMac for the inability to do an upgrade that nobody ever does anyway. They might as well critique it for not being able to levitate (another feature much in demand).

FWIW, two mid-2007 iMacs over here. Never repaired or upgraded, except for RAM.