2012 iMac 21.5" CPU & Wifi card upgrade i5 to i7
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- Опубліковано 28 кві 2017
- I upgraded the CPU and the wifi card on this 21.5" 2012 iMac, its a compressed video on how it was done.
CPU
-2.7 GHz i5-3335S to 3.5 GHz i7-3770K
WIFI Card
Broadcom BCM94331CD 802.11n to Apple Broadcom BCM94360CD 802.11ac
Here are the Amazon affiliate links to the parts I used:
2012 Apple iMac 21.5" - amzn.to/2V7uzbu
i7-3770k - amzn.to/2ZpacpQ
Broadcom BCM94360CD - amzn.to/2XhDqVO
NIce, dude! Did not know that this is possible. Considerable inexpensive upgrade.
It is inexpensive compared to apple's retail price and it was a fun project
Yeah! Got me fired up and getting a 2012 iMac 21.5” tomorrow. Is yours still running? - no heat problems?
@@heigolepla3946 I had a 2012 before the 2017 and the 2012 was good, i really liked the 2017 4K screen, i know its not a gaming computer but if i could add an Nvidia graphics card via EGPU (more difficult than i thought even on windows bootcamp) i would have never gone the custom gaming PC route
Good job !!!!!!!
Hello there . Thanks for the educated video . I got same model iMac 21.5 late 2012 ! i5 8Gb gt650m sam evo 850. I was wondering as I read around the web what kind CPU will take max and is recommended i7 3770s are you certain yours is i7 3770k ?? What about ram model is specifically iMac compatible or I can take any ram same spec ? Is there going to be big difference btw my sam evo 850 and PCI-E SSD ? My WiFi download is 8mb and that is my max provider speed ! How changing WiFi will improve the quality of the internet ? Please share all your observations ! Thanks M
Good vid
Thank you, its my first video that I edited
Hi STR Good job .. how much RAM will work after upgrade with the I7 3770S CPU? on imac 13.1 / 2,9/ Late 2012 ...
What model of Samsung SSD do you have installed that can be seen in the video?
Good vid! I have the late 2012 27" - is it upgradable to skylake or kaby i7? what do you suggest?
That a good iMac, its only upgradable to Ivy bridge processors
Thanks for the video. Anybody know what the highest ram model is you can put in this imac? I have the same one. Also, Is there a good way to install Nvme? or is Sata the best you can do?
Have you done any bench mark from the old i5 CPU to the i7 CPU? Is it a substantial increase in performance? Also, how much RAM did you have in your system?
I don’t recall this particular one, I do remember the benchmark for my 2019 21 1/2 inch 4K iMac that I did, if you want that information let me know and I can provide that to you
One question I have iMac Late 2012 (13.1) / 2.7 GHz Intel Core i5 / NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M 512 MB, can I put the i7-3770s and i7-3770k processor on it? either of the 2 supports them or it must be a specific one, which one can be placed greatly influences whether it is K or S Thanks
Can I swap a late 2012 21.5 logic board for a late 2013 or 2015 ??? Help me
Did the AC Airport have any driver issues? did you have to install other drivers? I'm ready to do this upgrade, I have my 2 replacement SSD Drives. I have the 13,2 2012 27" iMac 2546
I had absolutely no issues I just installed it and it worked perfectly
What are the most powerful cpus that can be replaced in an imac 27" 2011(I was wondering to be posible choose the i5 8600k)?
Only sandy bridge processors for the 2011 imac, you cannot upgrade it with an 8600k
Hey dude, I've seen that you upraded your ssd. I was thinking about doing it on my iMac. It is the same model as yours. Do I need any adaptor or can I just buy any 3.0 sata ssd and do the uprade?
Thanks for the video by the way!!!
Miguel Serpa I'm too afraid to replace the hdd and then I use Samsung T3 256gb to boot up mac osx... definitely faster than internal hdd. Read/write speed around 350-380mbps using usb 3
Hey, thanks for video! What i7 processor did you install? Model?
Its an intel i7-3770K quad core
Small Tech Reviews is it 3770k or u you said u in the video.
I just caught that. its a 3770k. thanks for catching that
what year?
Hello in some forums I read that you could only updrage to a core i7 to 3.1. Did not you have any problems? I was thinking of putting an i7 2600 on mine. Did the intel graphics recognize them? Thanks for everything.
graphics chips build into the CPUs, they are on the same die.
Hey dude, thank your for that video! I'm really hooked now :D I have the same base model, without SSD and I'm thinking about doing all of this in one step. So SSD, CPU and RAM. Does it still work? Have you had any problems until now?
I sold it for a 2017 and did the same with that, i sold it working and no issues at all
Anyone know which video explains this process in detail?
How did the i7 work out for you? Any issues with compatibility? I am also looking to upgrade the same model and stumbled upon this video
it worked out great, no issues with compatibility at all. upgrading will make it feel like its new with that i7, i would also recommend you upgrade the wifi card, it was hard to find but definitely worth it
If you are connected to the 5 GHz band, there is no added benefit to upgrading the WiFi Card to one that supports 802.11ac unless you have Gigabit Internet. The current supports up to 450 Mbps.
+Small Tech Reviews will this work on the late 21.5inch 2011 imac? I have intel core i3 dual core.
apple have never sold an imac with an i3....
Which is the improvement to have the WiFi ac card ? Except an higher troughput... is there some new feature of the MAC os ? Thanks
With the old Wi-Fi card I was getting 150 megabits per second maximum 802.11n and with the new Wi-Fi card I was getting about 450 megabits per second also keep in mind my Wi-Fi router was capable of 550 megabits per second on Wi-Fi so this Wi-Fi card wasn't perfect but it was a huge Improvement which is why I highly recommend it
Small Tech Reviews ok thanks
Why put an unlocked CPU inside a Mac, if it won't take advantage with overclock? Wouldn't be cheaper to go with the 3770 (non K version) and still have the same results?
hahahaha i am such an idiot you are so right, to this day i didn't even think about that. good catch
The operating system wouldn't be able to take advantage of the overclock without installing modified software from the Hackintosh community. I have the i7-3770 in my system already.
Does i7 3770K work for iMac 21.5-inch late 2012 (core i5 3330s 2.7 ghz)?
Because someone told me K version is not supported and as a result I need i7 3770s for upgrade?
Is it true?
Thank you.
I cannot say for certain that it will work but if apple in the past supported the 3rd gen Intel processors then there is a strong chance that it can work, also you would have to look at the socket type for these CPUs and if you can put a 3rd gen CPU into a 4th gen intel motherboard and if you can then i would say there is a strong chance that it can work
Several sites report that the i7-3770K will run too hot (TDP is higher). Have you had any problems with this ?
I did it was hot nearly the whole time
@@SmallTechReviews Are there any solutions, like down throttling? I have an unused 2012 iMac 13,1 that i need to chance SSD in anyway - and remnants from an old gaming PC - the intel i7-3770K and would actually like to try this upgrade.. but if its running (too) hot, then I wouldn't bother with the CPU change.
Any recommendations?
would it better with the i7-3770S???
anyone know if a Intel Core quad i7-3770 3.4GHz 3.9ghz will work on a iMac 21.5 mid 2011?
The toolkit, what's it called ? I don't know what "very helpful" is -- am in the uk.
I’d recommend the ifixit pro tech toolkit
After watching this I too decided to upgrade the CPU in my late 2012 iMac. After putting everything back together I get a black screen and the fan runs at 100%. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks
I'm not saying this is what you should do exactly but if I was in your shoes I would take everything apart and carefully and slowly put it back together, I would verify with the CPU that it is seated perfectly And I would make sure I don't rush anything, I have rushed things in the past and I was in the same place with something not working , this video's not a tutorial so I would recommend looking for other videos that show in detail every step
due to the excessive use of energy from the i7-3770k, I think the ideal cpu would be the i7-3770s.
Correct?
Leandro Carlos Romero you are correct
@@SmallTechReviews I have a 2.9GHZ CPU from Apple in my imac 2012. Is it Not worth upgrading the CPU then? Or? What would you recommend? Thanks
@@azmatthemedirect5499 i7 3770
The k is only over clocked in bios manually so out of box virtually same
hi newbie here, gr8 video full of good info.... in your opinion what CPU would you install in my late 2012 iMac 27", Processor 2.9 GHz Intel Core i5
The Intel Core i7-3770. The Intel Core i7-3770K, which is the he installed, doesn't have an added benefit because macOS does not support overclocking unless you want to modify the operating system. When you modify the operating system, stability decreases.
Is it possible to use the retina screen from the newer imacs to the 2012 version?
No, the connector is different
Hello i install a i7 quad core 3770 when I turn the imac on it does not shows video...and when I put the old cpu back it does work...what could be the problem?
The only difference is the K-suffix. Small Tech use 3770K while yours is 3370. K-suffix CPUs have unlocked RAM and CPU clock multipliers for overclocking. I haven't found anyone writing anything about the 3770, just the 3770K.
Nice work! With that 3770 cpu How much ram does support?
32 I guess
I did the same upgrade but with Ivy Bridge I7-3770s (that will fit the max TDP 65W, 3770k is 77W and may overheat). My iMac late 2012 EMC2544 will only accept 16 GB RAM. This in combination with an SSD was a great boost of performance :)
Hi !!! Sir
I need to know, can i put 2013 imac motherboard to 2012 imac (21.5) A1418
Regrettably, I'm unable to provide the information as I haven't taken measurements of either the Logic board or the iMac housing.
anyone know from experience if the 2012 imacs will work with a haswell cpu? couldnt find anyones whos tried it
It won't, different socket than the 2013
Can you do this with a mid 2011 imac?
The internals are different but you will be able to upgrade it
I have a 21.5" Imac late 2012 (i think). I have upgraded the Ram, installed a i7 cpu and installed a SSD harddrive. I still have the old 802.11n network card. What am i searching for to get a 802.11ac network card in this Imac?
What I did was I looked at the 2012 and the 2013 iMac wireless card and I matched the size as much as I could I believe I got a 2013 wireless card but don’t quote me on that please do your research and that’s how I got it I wouldn’t go too far up into the iMac years because of course Apple always changes the device, so I believe in 2013 they came out with that wireless card and lucky for me it was the exact same size that I needed for the 2012, so I would do the research if the 2013 iMac came out with that card and if it did I believe it’s that wireless card but again please do your research
@@SmallTechReviews Thanks! BTW my late 2012 21.5 has an empty slot for the onboard SSD. What is this form factor ssd called?
@@DerGolf2000 It’s a proprietary SSD that Apple creates, but there is an adapter which is a very small piece that you could connect to an ordinary NVMe SSD, but I don’t think it really has a name other than it being a proprietary Apple SSD, before sealing up your iMac definitely make sure you can shop for that and see if it’s compatible with your iMac, if it is it’s another great opportunity to add extra storage and faster storage than the 2 1/2 inch hard drives
Is bluetooth work well after upgrade to BCM94360CD?
Yes it does
are you able to use Airdrop now with the new airport card ? thanks
Yes I was able to
what is the geekbench 4 score?
Up! Would like to know this too.
what kind of RAM and how much RAM will work with the new 17 3770 CPU?
sorry I meant i7 3770
@@justinsmith3954 it would most likely be 32GB DDR3 SO-DIMMS, probably at 1600MHz. that is the maximum intel supports with the i7 3770k. might be that apple's logic boards only support up to 16GB though.
is there any heating/TDP issues with i7, because model is different right
yes the 7700k would ramp up the fans quickly and the 7700 (non-k) would also but take longer to do so
Good work!! I have the same machine and wanna do the same? What is the point of choosing the right cpu? In my country I can only find i7 3770 not i7 3770K. Only matter is the Ivy Bridge? Can you help me with the other options? Thank you!
It's a small performance advantage going with the 3770k but remember that iMac cannot overclock so I personally would go with the cheaper CPU but this is for you to decide. Good luck on the build
How about i7-3960X or i7-3970? Would they be better? Also they are sandy bridge, not ivy bridge. Does it matter?
It wouldn't work with those CPUs you mentioned due to the sockets being different (LGA 2011). The 2012 imac uses LGA 1155
Can we update 2012 model with core i9 5.0 ghz processor
No you cannot
Does it work on my iMac 21,5" late 2013?
only 27inch models are cpu upgradable
@@mercurymod I have seen videos of people changing CPUs on 21.5s
I have the iMac (27-inch, Late 2012) and the WiFi card (AirPort Extreme) has a Tx rate of up to 450 Mbps. The toolkit is the iFixit Pro Tech Toolkit. The processor installed is the Core i7 (I7-3770). The i7 -3770K performs 118% better than the i7-3770. Unless you're editing 4K video, you don't need to upgrade the processor.
I know I didn't need to but I wanted to upgrade
@Stellarspace I recently bought a pair of 8gb and ssd (all OWC). I want to edit videos (adobe premiere & AE) but fullhd only. Do I need to update the cpu too?
@@santyas if you want a 30% increase in decoding and in most cases even faster boost in performance
nice work dude!
i have a late 2012 imac 27, will a intel core i7 7700k work on my imac?
Thank you. It wouldn't, an i7 3770 or 3770k would work
Small Tech Reviews thanks!
Small Tech Reviews I have just bought a early 2013 iMac 21.5” 3.3 GHz intel Core i3 Professor, 4gigs Ram, with intel graphics 4000 1024MB , can I upgrade my graphic ? I want to upgrade processor cpu and gpu for video editing....please say that you can me.
@@HotBoyRob1105 Processor yes but not the GPU
@@HotBoyRob1105 I don't believe so its my understanding only 27 inch. because this model year was soldered on 21.5 to my understanding
So with this upgrade of cpu can you max ram at 32gb or it stays at 16gb?
So this is dependant on what the CPU can support and Intel's website can provide that information and it does state 32GB are supported by this CPU. Please verify this information if you plan on making a purchase.
@@SmallTechReviews Okay I see.Thanks!
hi again, can i put 64gb ram on my late 2012 imac?
that processor can only handle 32gb of ram
even if you could, you probably shouldn't, waste of money xD
Hi, i have 21.5" Late 2012 with 2.7 GHz i5-3330S.
I will need to buy 3.1 3770S oraz 3.5 3770K?
Go with the 3770S I have read that putting in a 3770 or 3770K will draw to much power & fry the psu
@@10poundpom87 Are you sure 21,5 & 27" have different PSU?
Because 27" i7 in stock have 3770 TDP 77W
@@grzegorztereba9763 Only from what i've read on forums. A guy installed a 3770 into his 21" and worked fine for a while then it killed the psu. No idea if 21 & 27 are different psu, would assume yes for the beefier gpu & screen size. If a stock 21" 2013 imac is running a 3770S i would stick with using that as the upgrade path, I am for mine. Or you could take the risk & run cinebench or handbrake a few times to prove me wrong :) let me know
i have a late 2013 imac 21.5, will a intel core i7 4770 work on my imac?
If it comes with an LGA 1150 socket then it should but if your imac has a mobile processor then no
@@SmallTechReviews You upgraded 2.7 GHz i5-3335S to 3.5 GHz i7-3770K. My imac has 2.9 GHz i5-4570S. I want to upgrade to 3.4 GHz i7-4770. do you think is it possible?
@@MlWlM yes you should be able to
It's an i-fixit tool kit Linus Tech Tips shills for them hard. I don't mean that in a bad way I bought one from their affiliate link; it's worth it if you do any tech related work.
It is but i bought it using my own research then i saw it on his channel as a sponsor. great kits and i use it for way more then tech related stuff
Also did you notice @3:59 I think you have the pcie ssd. You can add another ssd
i do have a pcie slot and yes you can add one
Can you confirm it is a PICE slot? I thought iMac 2012 did use an Apple proprietary connector as MBPr from that time used.
This from EveryMac.com :
Starting on or around January 4, 2013, Apple also added the ability to custom configure this model with a 1 TB "fusion drive" for an extra US$250. The fusion drive combines a traditional hard drive with 128 GB of flash RAM to offer both significant storage capacity and enhanced performance.
Make sure what year your iMac Late 2012 21.5" 2.7GHz was made. All the 2.9GHz model has the option of adding Fusion Drive (to it's PCIe slot).
It is a proprietary connector, but it is a PCIe bus.
Would the 4770 work since the socket is the same?
Its not the same socket, i7 3770 is LGA 1155 and the i7 4770 is LGA 1150, so it wont work
Damn you are right, I forgot, mixed up the numbers, thanks for reminding me haha, great video by the way been looking to upgrade my imac to 3770k as well, but I never knew if it is possible. Thanks.
Thats cool, look into the 3770 which is a locked CPU, remember that iMac cannot overclock and the 3770K is unlocked but would be useless if you are looking into overclocking it on the iMac, there is a small increase but maybe not much
Small Tech Reviews I know that yeah, I don't really care which one I get, because in my country most people are selling the 3770k and for some reason they are cheaper.
are bluetooth working fine?
yes it is
can i get someone to upgrade for me or is it just a diy thing?
Not apple but a small computer repair shop could probably help, this is mostly a DIY project
Can I add a ssd m.2 and i7 6th generation ?
you can add a pcie ssd, you cannot add a 6th gen processor only a 3rd gen
You wouldn't be able to add an M.2 SSD. You would only be able to add a 2.5" SSD and/or Apple's proprietary connector that operates on the PCIe bus. It's easier to upgrade with a 2.5" SSD and the speeds are better.
Would I be able to upgrade my late 2009 iMac (intel core 2 duo) with a i7?
No, definitely not.
Is it important to replace the wifi card?
I had a wifi router that the iMac wouldn't take full advantage of the speed so in my case it was important
@@SmallTechReviews was the router problem about to 5GHz? I also have a 5GHz wifi router but I usually feel sucked...
@@riddle_ring both 2.4 and 5ghz worked but the wifi card I replaced was older technology
@@SmallTechReviews Now I see what is the difference between 'n' and 'ac'. I'd like to change the wifi card as you've done, is the converter(0:38) used together when you changed(5:16)? It seem that the converter wasn't used when you set the new one.
@@SmallTechReviews what series number of wifi and bluetooth can i choose for maximum speed? Does that change whole lot after your replacement?
Does it work? Does it overheat?
Yes it works and the 7700k do get hot under heavy load, the 7700 is perfect for this
wait ???? Where startup on screen Apple???
I didnt record that part, I can say that it did work great
You said i7 3770u But then you install a 3770k. Why?
Maybe because I had a lot on my mind trying to make this video work and installing the CPU on something I’ve never done before at the time of recording that video
i5 3335S to i7 3770K