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Hi guys, I have a 27" iMac (2011) i5 2.7 GHz I have read that upgrading to i7 3.4 GHz is possible I’m not sure to understand the WATT energy consumption of the i7 vs i5. Is it the same WATT consumption for both processor? My iMac is powered 24/7… thanks to all Update (06/28/2016) hi guys, thanks for the information about my question… i forgot to tell my actual configuration of my iMac 2011 27" i5 2,7Ghz:

  • 32GB Ram
  • AMD Radeon HD 6770M 512GB
  • 1 SSD Crucial M550 256GB (primary OSX Snow Leopard)
  • 1 SSD SanDisk 256GB (mounted into SuperDrive slot with DataDoubler by OWC) i have also an extra SSD MERCURY ELECTRA 6G 120GB that i am using at the moment with OSX Yosemite it’s my intention to upgrade again the iMac (if possible) with a 2GB Graphic Video Card, another internal SSD (for 2 indipendent OSX, i need a SATA SWITCH), adding an extra eSata port (i have also the KANEX Thunderbolt to eSata Adapter) and an i7 processor… for what i read, upgrade is possible, right? but HEAT is the problem… the actual FAN installed into my iMac are NOT sufficient to dissipate heat? i have to upgrade also the fan? the upgrade from i5 to i7 processor can made more improvement? i am able to see the difference? the OSX that i want to use is Snow Leopard and Mountain Lion (Yosemite/El Capitan have very good interface but many many frippery inside for me) thanks to all

While your system offers a removable CPU, I generally don’t recommend swapping out the CPU chip from an i5 to an i7 as the amount of improvement is not as great as the swap out between the lower end i3 to i7 CPU. Given the amount of work and costs I would first recommend adding more RAM (12-16 GB) as well as looking at setting up a dual drive with a SSD to gain more performance than the CPU swap out. With that said lets answer your core question: The Wattage here is the amount of power the CPU can consume from the power supply as well as the systems ability to shed off the heat. It has nothing to do with the systems power cords connection to your AC service. Here a different measure is used Voltage and Amperage (120/220v 15A) If we look at the 2011 27" iMac series: iMac12,2 we can see the different versions of CPU’s Apple used i5-2400, 2500S & 2600 (this is a typo! it should be 2600S). Now if we look at the Intel ARK site for your CPU: i5-2500Si7-2600i7-2600s We can compare what they require. Both the S versions have a TDP of 65 Watts unlike the other i7 chip which has a TDP of 95 Watts. You would need the 65 Watt version of the chip if you were to upgrade it. Again, focus on the RAM & Drive first then think long and hard here before you go down this path.

mightythor73 the wattage listed is not based on the CPU’s power consumption at all. It is the thermal design power (TDP) listing of the IC (CPU). It is not the amount of power the CPU can consume from the power supply. It is the maximum amount of heat, listed in watts, generated by the CPU. It is an important value for the design of cooling systems but is not directly related to any power supply issues. Hence there is no difference in power supplied to the IC based on the difference in TDP (65W-95W); all it is telling you is that the i7 generates more heat than the i5.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201918 Check this out, if it helps.