Replacing i5 CPU with i7 in 27" iMac

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boretskymjboretskymj
Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
I ordered the incorrect iMac, I originally wanted the i7 processor. Can the processors be swapped in or are they soldered to the motherboard? Would Apple stores do this type of work or do I need to find someone else? I've replaced RAM, cards, hard drives on my Window's PC's before but I know the Apple iMacs are much more difficult to repair and dis-assemble, but I'm willing to give it a try if there are very good instructions.

Thanks

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  • Reply 1 of 5
    futurepastnowfuturepastnow Posts: 1,772member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by boretskymj View Post


    I ordered the incorrect iMac, I originally wanted the i7 processor. Can the processors be swapped in or are they soldered to the motherboard? Would Apple stores do this type of work or do I need to find someone else? I've replaced RAM, cards, hard drives on my Window's PC's before but I know the Apple iMacs are much more difficult to repair and dis-assemble, but I'm willing to give it a try if there are very good instructions.

    Thanks





    An Apple store would definitely not do that for you. That's the sort of warranty-voiding work you need to do yourself.
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  • Reply 2 of 5
    kingofsomewherehotkingofsomewherehot Posts: 4,185member
    Apple accepts returns.

    Just get the right one.

    (Though I'm more inclined to believe that the real meaning behind the post (troll?) is : "iMac sucks because you can't upgrade things".)
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  • Reply 3 of 5
    tubgirltubgirl Posts: 177member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by KingOfSomewhereHot View Post


    (Though I'm more inclined to believe that the real meaning behind the post (troll?) is : "iMac sucks because you can't upgrade things".)



    "The Boy Who Cried Troll"
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  • Reply 4 of 5
    benroethigbenroethig Posts: 2,782member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by FuturePastNow View Post


    An Apple store would definitely not do that for you. That's the sort of warranty-voiding work you need to do yourself.



    And even if they were to tear it apart, there's no guarantee the fans aren't coded to the specific cpu.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tubgirl View Post


    "The Boy Who Cried Troll"



    Though the poster displays the rudeness that is becoming all too common on the platform, the point is correct about returns.
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  • Reply 5 of 5
    arklabarklab Posts: 37member
    A return would be best, if still possible.

    The CPU is socketed and the socket is the same for both chips.

    I expect the fans are the same also, as thermal is not that different, nor is the price Apple charges between both models.



    A request from some place like the iFixit forums might be in order, though.
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