Upgrading iMac 4,1

[zackkmac]

Hi all. I just did a lot of Googling for these answers but didn't seem to find much, so I thought I'd ask here.

I just upgraded an early 2006 iMac 17". It was originally a 1.86GHz Core Duo model with 1GB RAM. It is now a 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo with 4GB RAM and an SSD. These were parts I've had lying around for a while, so I figured it would be a fun project. And it was! It now comfortably runs OS X Lion.

Now, I'd like to upgrade its wireless card to a wireless N capable card. The iMac has had its firmware flashed from "iMac 4,1" to "iMac5,1", not sure entirely what all that changed, but it was successful (I still had to install Lion the hard way though). I was wondering if the internal AirPort N cards from the slightly newer iMacs/MacBooks would work fine in this iMac now that it is a C2D model and has had the firmware flash. If anyone knows, please let me know.

Also, I'm 99% sure it will, but I wanted to double check - will a T7800 CPU (2.6GHz C2D) work just fine in this iMac? I'm assuming since it's from the same family as the T7200 inside it now, it should. And what about a Core2Extreme X7900?

Any help is appreciated. Just want to be sure before buying any other parts.

 

[Intell]

That CPU will not work in that iMac. The fastest CPU that will work in it is the T7600 that runs at 2.33Ghz.

 

[zackkmac]

Thanks Intell! I will pass on a CPU upgrade then. The T7800 is going for ~$27, but the T7600 is $50+ and just not worth it for a 15% boost.

Now to find out if the AirPort card will cause any issues. I am just looking at the cheapest Apple one on eBay that seems to fit, it's $7.37 and looks exactly like the card that's in my iMac - just not sure if it will work. Wondering if anyone here has done the same. I know the CPU upgrade from CD to C2D is pretty popular for these, I am hoping someone else has done that AND tried to upgrade to internal wireless N afterwards.

 

[Intell]

It is possible to switch out the wireless card with one that is N. They look very similar to the G cards.

 

[zackkmac]

Awesome. I'll give it a go. Thanks! That's about it for my questions.