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Upgrading my White IMac

S

SkyBoxing

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 7, 2012
4
0
Hey all, I'm new to Mac, brand new. I have always owned PCs and Android phones. Well, my wife surprised me with the iPhone 5, I liked it so much I started looking for a cheap Mac to see how I like the OS.
I just got a 2006-2007? White iMac, and I had a few questions. Let me preface by saying that I know the bare minimum and basics about computers, so I apologize in advance if I say something terribly ignorant.
Ok, first: I notice the screen gets pixelated in small areas, or starts having a torn look, what is it and how do I fix it?
Second: I want to bring this computer up to date of I can, do my first thought is "I need a faster processor, more memory/RAM, and a bigger hard drive". Well, here is where I got confused. I was asking my friend (a PC guru) about replacing the processor in my Mac. He says it can't be done. ****. He tells me that upgrading the memory is super easy, though, and if I do so, it should speed it up a bit. Forgive me if I sound ignorant, but I thought my processor determined my speed, not my memory, so if I upgrade to 4gb ram, but have the exact same processor, I shouldn't see any "speed" difference. Is this not true? He also said replacing the hard drive isn't worth messing with.

Any help is appreciated.
 
Some white iMacs can see only 2GB of ram. Others it's 3.3GB or 4GB. Depending on your model, you can only upgrade it so far. All Intell iMacs have an upgradable CPU. And most have an upgradable GPU. The fastest CPU you can get is the Intell T7600 which runs at 2.33Ghz.
 
What is the process to upgrade the CPU? Also, where would I buy and how much could I expect to pay?
 
The process of upgrading that iMac's CPU is disassembling the iMac, removing the logicboard, removing the heatsink, releasing the current CPU, put in the new one, reverse. The 2.33Ghz one goes for $120 on eBay.
 
What will give you more speed than any cpu upgrade is changing out the HDD for an SSD,

SSD is the best upgrade you can do to any computer. It will increase speed more than any ram or cpu upgrade you can do.

Also once you have used a computer with SSD you will find it hard to use one that doesn't have one.
 
I second putting in an SSD if you want speed, and I own the 2.33GHz 06 iMac so I would recommend that processor however if your model is the 2.16 you really won't notice much of a difference.
 
SkyBoxing said:
Hey all, I'm new to Mac, brand new. I have always owned PCs and Android phones. Well, my wife surprised me with the iPhone 5, I liked it so much I started looking for a cheap Mac to see how I like the OS.
I just got a 2006-2007? White iMac, and I had a few questions. Let me preface by saying that I know the bare minimum and basics about computers, so I apologize in advance if I say something terribly ignorant.
Ok, first: I notice the screen gets pixelated in small areas, or starts having a torn look, what is it and how do I fix it?
Second: I want to bring this computer up to date of I can, do my first thought is "I need a faster processor, more memory/RAM, and a bigger hard drive". Well, here is where I got confused. I was asking my friend (a PC guru) about replacing the processor in my Mac. He says it can't be done. ****. He tells me that upgrading the memory is super easy, though, and if I do so, it should speed it up a bit. Forgive me if I sound ignorant, but I thought my processor determined my speed, not my memory, so if I upgrade to 4gb ram, but have the exact same processor, I shouldn't see any "speed" difference. Is this not true? He also said replacing the hard drive isn't worth messing with.

Any help is appreciated.
Click to expand...

Some systems from that family have a problem with the graphics processor that tends to get worse over time. It gets to the point where it can't tolerate temperatures that ok originally. My 2006 white iMac has this problem, and the symptoms are similar to what you describe. It gets worse when the system is hotter. In extreme cases, the system will crash or freeze.

To see if this is the cause of your system's problem, try downloading smcFanControl, and use it to boost the minimum speed of all 3 fans. You don't need to set them to maximum; experiment a bit. Watch the temperature inside the system as you adjust the fans and run graphics-intensive stuff. You should be able to find a setting with moderate fan speedups that will prevent the graphics glitches.

You might not want to put a ton of money into upgrades for this system. RAM is easy to add and pretty cheap, so that's the only upgrade I'd advise. If you decide you like using Macs, you'll want to get something a bit newer soon.
 
Ok, so I just looked at the specs on this computer. It is an "iMac 4,1" with Intel Core Duo, 2gb memory and is 2GHz.
I notice the graphics problem the moment I turn it on, and it never goes away. Actually, the entire computer froze up when I tried to mess with it too much. Maybe this one has just seen enough...
 
A CPU upgrade would be very beneficial for you. You can't upgrade that iMac's GPU to anything higher that its current GPU. It is also currently limited to 2GB of ram. But if you flash the iMac5,1 firmware onto it, you'll be able to install 4GB of ram. Of that 4GB, 3.3GB will be addressable.
 
Got the same issues with my white 2006. Screen problems daily and can only use in safe mode now. Rarely boots up and works in regular mode. Time for a new one, as I already use SMC to run the fans.
 
To be honest, if you're looking to experience the OS, buy a more recent iMac, Late 2009+
The 2006 ones run what, snow leopard? I have no idea, maybe not even that.
Anyway, if I were you, and I were looking to fully experience OSX integrated with iOS, I'd buy a newer iMac and upgrade to Mountain Lion.
Just my opinion on the matter.
 
I would love to buy a newer one, I just don't have the money. I grew up poor, so I never had game systems or computers. When i was a teenager, I played on my friend's computers, which were very basic, old school PC's. I have never even bought a computer. My dad owns a photography company, and every few years he buy new computers, and will give me one of his old ones. Right now I am using a Toshiba that was one of his old ones. So, I have never had the money for a cheap PC, let alone a Mac.
I hopped on craigslist and posted an ad saying I would trade two JL Audio 15's in a ported box, and/or a new Bersa Thunder 380 with mags, holster, extra clip, extra grips, and/or a Regent 1911 with 3 magazines, a holster, and spare mag holster for a used mac.
A guy ended up having this one, and i traded the 1911 for it. I am now wishing I would have been a little more careful.
 
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