Chosen Solution
Hi, I’ve a 4 year old iMac with a 3,06 GHz Core 2 Duo processor. I would like to know if it’s possible to upgrade it to a better one like a i3, i5 or i7. Has anybody done this upgrade? Thank you Dario
There is no possible upgrade path here, sorry ;-{ Your systems CPU specs: Core 2 Duo E7600 (3M Cache, 3.06 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB) which uses a LGA775 socketHere’s the first i5 CPU Apple used: i5-750 Processor (8M Cache, 2.66 GHz) which uses a LGA1156 socket. Intel never offered a pin compatible LGA775 socket i3, i5 or i7 series chip. The systems architecture is very different. The only option which I think is going overboard here is to swap out the logic board with the iMac 27" 2.8 GHz i7 (Late 2009) logic board. Given the amount of work and price of a new logic board, I think you would be better off with a newer used system for the price.
I found this same problem on an older post from IFIXIT, looks like they were asking about the same model. Here is the link to the problem, in the answer Mayer posted a link to a guide on how this can be done: iMac27 dual core 3.06 2309 CPU upgrade Hope this helps
If you purchased i5 or i7 logic board for the same model, you could upgrade the iMac to i series.
Rundown of the different CPU’s and there sockets: Core 2 Duo & Core 2 Duo Extreme (quad) - Socket: 755i3 & i5 1st gen - Socket: LGA1156i3 i5 2nd & 3rd gen Socket: LGA1155i7 1st gen Socket: LGA1366i7 Extreme Socket: LGA1366
