2011 iMac CPU,GPU,Ram upgrade Plans

Hello all:
The following is to assist those who wish or plan to upgrade:
I'll be upgrading my iMac's CPU, Graphics Card & RAM this coming week.
current system:
2011 iMac 2.7ghz (27")
Radeon HD 6770M (512mb)
16gb RAM
240gb SSD (system)
1tb hdd (data)
upgrading to:
Core i7-2700k (3.5ghz)
Radeon HD 6970M (2gb)
32gb RAM
I ordered the graphics card from www.dvwarehouse.com, so should have necessary firmware:
1 x Video Card AMD Radeon HD 6970M 2GB for iMac 27" Mid 2011 661-5969.
CPU & RAM upgrade: I'm fairly certain this should go smoothly and work fine afterward, that is if I take the precaution and time needed during the process.
I will report back later in the week on my results, I'll post my before & after system info screenshot also. Wish me luck
Kenny

The culture is changing with the ability to upgrade the newer machines. I've noticed a lot of people on this forum more closed to the idea of upgrading, most are unaware it can even be done, which is sad in my opinion. Maybe because this is the official support forum. But the other mac sites are like what I'm used to in the past working with pcs:
check out these:
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1323028
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/imac-aluminum-faq/imac-intel-aluminum -processor-upgrade-instructions.html
http://www.hardmac.com/articles/335/page1
the list goes on.
etresoft, we know that mac computers are the best...period. Hardware upgrades are also better for some of the same reasons that make apple computers better; not as customizable -- only certain upgrade paths are possible. Upgrade process more difficult because of mac's intricate design. But once you do the upgrade right, it just works beautifully. And you extend the life of you machine another two years at less than half the cost of getting a new mac.
Open you mind brother. Apple has done everything right, this is just another part of their strategy and I think it's great.

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What is the biggest bottleneck on this machine - CPU, GPU, RAM (now at 8GB), or the HD, and would I be better getting a current 27" iMac, a 2012 Mac Mini, or SSDs for my current Mini?

I currently have a 2011 Mac Mini Server. When using FCP X, what is the biggest bottleneck on this machine - CPU, GPU, RAM (now at 8GB), or the HD, and would I be better getting a current 27" iMac, a 2012 Mac Mini, or SSDs for my current Mini?
Thanks people,
TZ

Hi Tom,
I just wanted to ask you about what you said about the color correction. To be quite honest I'm not sure what the best workflow is, and I haven't gotten my feet wet in multi-cam editing. Basically my work-flow has been.
1) Import from the camera as optimized media - I found that adding color-correction at the import stage cause a severe hang with my tape-based Canon unit.
2) Color-correct the imported files before loading any files into a project
3) Drag files onto the timeline
4) Click on the color-correction box
5) Start editing - Usually I have one camera zoomed a little tighter on the singer, one on the whole band, and my iPad or iPhone camera at different angles so I start cutting things according to who is the focus of the moment, add a Ken Burns effect every here and there, Titles, an occassional transition effect.
6) Add music effects after the looks are taken care of
7) Export
Are you recommending clicking on the color-correction box after everything is done?
Thanks - TZ

New May 2011 iMacs - is the Ram user upgradable?

Is the ram still upgradeable in the 2011 May refresh iMacs (while not voiding the warranty)? If so is the other world computing ram good. Looks like they have 16gb for $199

You can keep the 2x2GB modules in the iMac and put 2x4GB new modules in the unused pair of slots for a total of 12GB.
Unless you are sure you need more than 12GBs, this could be a good approach.
Later, when 8GB modules become affordable, you could replace the original 2x2 with 2x8 to bring it to 24GB. The absolute limit is 32.

Have I damaged my iMac with notched RAM upgrade attempt?

i have a 21inch iMac, mid 2011 2.5ghz and decided to upgrade the RAM from 4 to 8gb (2x2 to 4x2) as this was supposed to be very easy (and only cost £35 or so from MrMemory) The problems started with getting the new RAM module in - basically I couldn't! Watching videos and reading instructions said it did take a bit of force, but I was really forcing without the module clicking into place. That **** tape seemed to be stopping it from sitting right. After several hours of swearing the tape broke and now the modules seemed to be finally sat in the slots. Turned on. Nothing at all! No beeps, nothing! Taking out the modules, I read up that the pairings may matter, but after the cat jumped on me, I don't know which ones are the new modules and which are the originals! Thought I would try putting pairs in to see if i could at least get it going. But now I'm getting nothing but the dreaded 3 beeps. I've tried all,combinations of the 4 2gb modules. Looking into the iMac's memory bay, I'm wondering if all my forcing has damaged it as I see a few loose metal strands in the memory slots? Plus those tapes are in bits so I've had to use long nose pliers to remove modules. Has this supposedly easy upgrade been so badly botched by me, I've knackered my Mac??!

Try to boot in Safe mode, see if you are able: Hold down shift and then power on. For wireless keyboards, hold down shift after the chime.
Safe Boot
Resolve startup issues and perform disk maintenance with Disk

Bootcamp Win7x64 2011 iMac i5 12g Ram HELP!

Heres the deal. I've been trying and trying to get win7x64 to work on my 2011 27 iMac for a couple of days now and still can't seem to figure it out.
Process:
1) Add Partition
2) Install Win7x64
3) Installed Bootcamp drivers
4) Restarted to finish up installs!
5) Boots! Everything seems to be great!
6) 10 secs later... Blue Screen. Restart. Repeat.
Any ideas what the problem could be? I tried installing SP1 before Bootcamp drivers but still noting :/
Thanks Mates for reading!
-Adam

Heres the deal. I've been trying and trying to get win7x64 to work on my 2011 27 iMac for a couple of days now and still can't seem to figure it out.
Process:
1) Add Partition
2) Install Win7x64
3) Installed Bootcamp drivers
4) Restarted to finish up installs!
5) Boots! Everything seems to be great!
6) 10 secs later... Blue Screen. Restart. Repeat.
Any ideas what the problem could be? I tried installing SP1 before Bootcamp drivers but still noting :/
Thanks Mates for reading!
-Adam

Is 800$ a fair price for a top end 2011 iMac 12 gb ram 2.7 i5 1 gb hdd hd6770

Should I take the 800$ offer seems alright considering the keyboard and mouse are Both not in lncluded

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Glossy 2011 iMac woes; please help me with plan B

Apple and Aperture-loving photographer here... My 2006 iMac was limping along with Aperture 3 and I was looking forward to the iMac refresh, hoping for an anti-glare option. Despite the lack of that, decided to try the new one anyway (27" 3.1GHz) and after a week of adjusting lighting, position, calibration, I really just can't stand the gloss. I've really tried. I know all about the films but that's not an option for me. I plan to return it before my 14 days are out, but I would like suggestions for another option. I also have a 2008 Macbook Pro that I use for editing pics when I travel. I would just buy an external monitor for that, but as I can't go above 4 gb RAM on that, Aperture is pretty slow (but usable) there as well. I don't mind that for the occasional travel editing, though.
So, wanting to continue to work on a Mac, I can:
#1 Get a Mac Pro and antiglare monitor. But MacPro seems like overkill for me, since photo editing is the only really intense thing I do. I am more of a photo artist than a business person. Also, it would be hard to buy a non-Sandy Bridge/ Thunderbolt unit right now.
#2 Upgrade my MBPro and get an antiglare monitor. I've read suggestions here to do that, get the ssd option to run the os and Aperture. But I worry about only 8 gb RAM expandability. And I'm basically happy with the MBP I have now. I wonder how hard it would be to sell and what I would get for it.
#3 Get a 21" iMac, add SSD and RAM; and get a 2nd antiglare monitor. I would probably get a 24". I've never worked on 2 monitors, but am intrigued by the idea. But I wonder if the gloss still bother me when I move my photoshop and aperture tools over to the the iMac? Or, if I turn off the iMac and use it just like a tower to power my external monitor, is that just silly?
#4 Your suggestions???
Other things about my situation, fwiw: I work with large RAW files from my Nikon D7000, masters stored on external firewire drives. I am not necessarily on a budget, but I don't like to spend more than I have to. (eg, macpro option) I like to buy good quality and use things well for a long time.
Thanks in advance for any thoughts!
Jacki

Jacki-
I too find glossy displays unacceptable. I used a Mac Pro with dual displays plus a 17" Macbook Pro for Aperture for the last five years because a Mac Pro with good graphics card used to be required for strong Aperture performance, and field work demands a laptop. However the two-boxes workflow is a PITA.
Although the best pre-2011 iMacs and MBPs had strong CPUs and some had good GPUs they lacked i/o, leaving only Mac Pros for really strong Aperture workflows.
Thunderbolt changes everything. Top MBPs are for the first time true desktop-replacement boxes and iMacs no longer lack i/o capability.
So far, Aperture seems to run well in about 4 GB of RAM, so with other apps involved 8 GB is exactly appropriate. And although 15/17" MBPs only have two RAM slots they can be upgraded to 16 GB total as RAM prices continue to fall.
SSD as a boot drive and for the Aperture Library is recommended. In my case I will add a second SSD or a fast hard drive into the optical drive slot.
IMO 2011 MBP + external display is a great solution, which based on experience I consider much nicer for my workflow than desktop + laptop that I have been doing for 5 years. The top MBPs are now true DTR boxes. I say top MBPs because for Aperture the strongest available GPU is very desirable.
Regarding displays IMO folks should personally compare matte versus glossy displays to choose what they prefer. Personally I chose a high-rez matte 17" MBP and for value external displays prefer anti-glare displays like the Nec 2490 or for cheaper the Viewsonic VP2365, but to each his or her own preferences.
You mention adding things to an iMac, so I should note that 2011 iMac third-party drive upgrading is currently the subject of controversy. One should not necessarily plan on changing 2011 iMac drives except via Apple. See OWC commentary at: (sorry the hosts are editing out the link that I would put here, so google apple further restricts upgrades on new imacs).
HTH
-Allen Wicks

Sore thumbs from iMac RAM upgrade

iMac 27" i7 Ram upgrade from 4GB to 16GB, boy, these ram upgrade really gave my thumbs a hard workout! I've had at least a dozen Ram upgrades across PCs and laptops, never had to push the Rams in as hard as I did today. Still sore thumbs after 3 hours!

Try hard they pop up.
I just insert a 2x$GB in the free slots and it come with 2x2GB so like 12Gb.
Do you know the plastic tabs to remobe the modules?
I saw that one of them is like the paper in the photo,i see you have some experience upgrading ram so because none answer my post i decide asking you directly.
The 2011 imac is working for almost three months and it recognize the new memory modules but now i know that one of the tabs is touching a ram module,is that big problem?I mean no just because the static energy more because if the module become too hot(I even know if they become hot by use) the tab can burn,is something to worry about or just ignore it?
Thank you very much.

I have an 21.5 Mid 2011 iMac and i want to upgrade my RAM. Currently I have two 2GB and two free slots. Do I have to put in two 2GB in the free slots or can I use two 4GB or 8GB?

I have an 21.5 Mid 2011 iMac and I want to upgrade my RAM. Currently I have two 2GB and two free slots. Do I have to put in two 2GB in the free slots or can I use two 4GB or 8GB?

You can leave the existing RAM in their current slots and add compatible modules in the empty slots. For best performance, add two of teh same size. Our 2010 iMac 21" shipped with 4GB RAM---two 2GB modules in two of the four slots. I added two 2GB modules to the empty slots and now have 8 GB RAM.
Be sure to order RAM from a trusted Mac-savvy RAM vendor. Some vendors thing a Mac is a hamburger. For over a decade I've bought all our Mac RAM (and we have 18 Macs in teh family!) from one vendor:
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/iMac/2011/DDR3_21.5_27
The link is to the proper RAM for your Mac.
Crucial.com is also a trusted vendor.

What is the maximum ram upgrade possible on a Mid 2011 iMac 21.5-inch

I have an iMac 21.5-inch, Mid 2011 running OS X 10.9.5 which currently has 4 GB 1333 MHz DDR3 Ram. The Hard Drive has 149.87 GB free out of 499.25 GB. It has been running slow for a while now. I would like to know what is the "TRUE" maximum Ram Upgrade possible. The reason I say "TRUE" is because the specs say one things when I find others saying another. I would like to install the maximum Ram that will increase the speed to its optimum. I have read some information that this particular computer will not take advantage of anything past a certain amount of ram.
So with all that said, I am asking for specific numbers, types of ram, suggestions etc etc...
Thanks

Here's what you can do and need:
Maximum Memory
32 GB (Actual) 16 GB (Apple)
Memory Slots
4 - 204-pin PC3-10600 (1333 MHz) DDR3 SO-DIMM
Sources for memory I recommend are:
OWC
DataMem
Crucial.com

Maximum RAM upgrade possible on a mid 2011 iMac 27"

Can I upgrade my mid 2011 Imac 27" to 32 gb of RAM. Apple handbook says only possible to upgrade to 16gm (4x 4gb cards). Has anyone upgraded a 2011 Imac 27" to 32gb of RAM?

Yes, both OWC, http://www.macsales.com and Crucial, http://www.crucial.com offer 32 GB ram kits that are guaranteed to work...to do that you would be best to not buy from sources that are not Mac specialists and who guarantee their ram to work.

Photoshop CS6 Running Slow After GPU/RAM/CPU Upgrade?

Hi all,
I recently upgraded my Mac Pro 1,1 with the following:
CPU Upgrade to 2 x 2.66GHz Quad Core
RAM Upgrade to 14GB
GFX Upgrade to ATI Radeon HD 5770 1024mb VRAM
Everything seems fine. My temperatures are normal and things are seemingly speedy.
My problem is that Photoshop CS6 seems to run a little slow. I'm only working on web files (72dpi) that are yes, sometimes quite long in length (5000px high), but that has never been an issue.
Some problems I've noticed:
When I click to edit text, it may take 2 seconds before I can start editing it
When I scroll upwards it chugs a little
If I grab an object/shape and drag it around too quick, it might lag a little
I'm not sure how to explain it really, but for the couple hundred dollars I spent on upgrading my maching, I wouldn't expect any of these things to be an issue.
Here are my photoshop performance settings:
Any suggestions would help. No trolls please.

thenewbeatTO wrote:
Any suggestions would help. No trolls please.
Something to try: Reset Photoshop's preferences to defaults.
Press and hold Command - Shift - Option immediately upon cold-starting Photoshop. If you get the keys down quickly enough - and you have to be very quick - you'll get a prompt asking you to confirm deleting your current preferences. Once you confirm that, Photoshop will start up with a default set of parameters, though you will still find you can select your named workspaces and (I believe) your Actions will all still be there.
Try immediately to see if the problem recurs. Then methodically make your preferred preferences changes, quit Photoshop, and restart, then test to see that the problem hasn't recurred.
With some luck, you'll have cleared up the sluggishness, and will have been able to make all your preferences changes you like without it recurring.
This really can work.
-Noel

MacBook Pro 13' Early 2011: Still Slow After 16GB RAM Upgrade

Hi,
I have a MacBook Pro 13' Early 2011 running Yosemite. After the RAM upgrade to 16GB, the speed of the computer is still not satisfactory, having some lag times in launching softwares and startup. Please suggest me what to do. Below is the report. Thank you!
Problem description:
The computer is still running slow even after the RAM upgrade to 16GB.
EtreCheck version: 2.0.11 (98)
Report generated November 18, 2014 at 5:40:20 AM EST
Hardware Information: ℹ️
MacBook Pro (13-inch, Early 2011) (Verified)
MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro8,1
1 2.3 GHz Intel Core i5 CPU: 2-core
16 GB RAM Upgradeable
BANK 0/DIMM0
8 GB DDR3 1600 MHz ok
BANK 1/DIMM0
8 GB DDR3 1600 MHz ok
Bluetooth: Old - Handoff/Airdrop2 not supported
Wireless: en1: 802.11 a/b/g/n
Video Information: ℹ️
Intel HD Graphics 3000 - VRAM: 512 MB
Color LCD 1280 x 800
System Software: ℹ️
OS X 10.10.1 (14B25) - Uptime: 0:7:52
Disk Information: ℹ️
ST9320325ASG disk0 : (320.07 GB)
S.M.A.R.T. Status: Verified
EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB
Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted> [Recovery]: 650 MB
Macintosh HD (disk1) / [Startup]: 318.84 GB (156.62 GB free)
Encrypted AES-XTS Unlocked
Core Storage: disk0s2 319.21 GB Online
MATSHITADVD-R   UJ-8A8
USB Information: ℹ️
Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver
Apple Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in)
Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad
Apple Inc. BRCM2070 Hub
Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
Thunderbolt Information: ℹ️
Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus
Gatekeeper: ℹ️
Mac App Store and identified developers
Kernel Extensions: ℹ️
/System/Library/Extensions
[loaded] com.Cycling74.driver.Soundflower (1.5.2) Support
[not loaded] com.marvell.kext.USBGenericPrinterClass (1.0.0) Support
[loaded] com.rim.driver.BlackBerryUSBDriverInt (0.0.74) Support
[not loaded] com.rim.driver.BlackBerryUSBDriverVSP (0.0.74) Support
[not loaded] com.wacom.kext.pentablet (5.3.0 - SDK 10.8) Support
Launch Agents: ℹ️
[loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist Support
[loaded] com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist Support
[running] com.rim.BBAlbumArtCacher.plist Support
[running] com.rim.BBLaunchAgent.plist Support
[running] com.wacom.pentablet.plist Support
Launch Daemons: ℹ️
[loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist Support
[loaded] com.google.keystone.daemon.plist Support
[loaded] com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2.Agent.plist Support
[loaded] com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist Support
[loaded] com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist Support
[loaded] com.oracle.java.JavaUpdateHelper.plist Support
[running] com.rim.BBDaemon.plist Support
User Launch Agents: ℹ️
[loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist Support
[loaded] com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2Helper.diskSpaceWatcher.plist Support
[loaded] com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2Helper.scheduledScan.plist Support
[loaded] com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2Helper.trashWatcher.plist Support
[not loaded] com.valvesoftware.steamclean.plist Support
User Login Items: ℹ️
Dropbox Application (/Applications/Dropbox.app)
Internet Plug-ins: ℹ️
JavaAppletPlugin: Version: Java 7 Update 71 Check version
o1dbrowserplugin: Version: 5.38.6.0 - SDK 10.8 Support
WacomNetscape: Version: 2.1.0-1 - SDK 10.8 Support
Default Browser: Version: 600 - SDK 10.10
Flip4Mac WMV Plugin: Version: 2.4.0.11 Support
WacomTabletPlugin: Version: WacomTabletPlugin 2.1.0.2 Support
AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: Version: 11.0.09 - SDK 10.6 Support
FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 15.0.0.223 - SDK 10.6 Support
Silverlight: Version: 5.1.10411.0 - SDK 10.6 Support
Flash Player: Version: 15.0.0.223 - SDK 10.6 Support
QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3
googletalkbrowserplugin: Version: 5.38.6.0 - SDK 10.8 Support
SharePointBrowserPlugin: Version: 14.4.6 - SDK 10.6 Support
AdobePDFViewer: Version: 11.0.09 - SDK 10.6 Support
DirectorShockwave: Version: 11.6.5r635 Support
User Internet Plug-ins: ℹ️
CitrixOnlineWebDeploymentPlugin: Version: 1.0.105 Support
WebEx64: Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.6 Support
3rd Party Preference Panes: ℹ️
Flash Player Support
Flip4Mac WMV Support
Java Support
Time Machine: ℹ️
Mobile backups: OFF
Auto backup: NO - Auto backup turned off
Volumes being backed up:
Macintosh HD: Disk size: 318.84 GB Disk used: 162.22 GB
Destinations:
LACIE SHARE [Local]
Total size: 350.07 GB
Total number of backups: 5
Oldest backup: 2012-07-17 01:12:57 +0000
Last backup: 2014-03-19 07:05:24 +0000
Size of backup disk: Too small
Backup size 350.07 GB < (Disk used 162.22 GB X 3)
Top Processes by CPU: ℹ️
      9% mds
      6% WindowServer
      1% BBLaunchAgent
      0% AppleSpell
      0% fontd
Top Processes by Memory: ℹ️
103 MB mds_stores
86 MB Dropbox
86 MB ocspd
69 MB com.apple.WebKit.WebContent
52 MB Safari
Virtual Memory Information: ℹ️
13.07 GB Free RAM
1.71 GB Active RAM
740 MB Inactive RAM
1.66 GB Wired RAM
1.31 GB Page-ins
0 B Page-outs

First go to the RIM web site and look to see if they have an uninstaller for the device you had. Some times a reinstall of the application and then running the uninstaller is required for complete removal.
If no uninstaller is available, then you will have to use Spotlight to find all items with 'Blackberry' and 'Rim' in the titles. I would also download EasyFind and use that to locate such files. Often it will locate items that Spotlight misses.
Ciao.

What is the max RAM for a mid-2011 iMac?

MMy mid-2011 iMac shows that I can upgrade to 16mb of Ram, but I have redact that I can actually upgrade to 32mb. Which is true?

It can take 32GB of RAM.
(108544)

IMac 20", 2Gb Ram, 256Mb GPU

Nooooo 4 days... harsh!
Just bought a new 20" iMac with 2Gb Ram and the 256Mb GPU.
Has anyone else got this configuration? How is it?
I only use native Apps so it should be sweet!
Mac OS X (10.4.4)

I have the same exact setup...it is SWEET! I upgraded from a 17" G4 iMac (1.25Ghz/1GB RAM) WOW...what a difference. You are totally going to love this machine. Even if you do dabble with some non native apps, I have found all of them to run faster than they did on my old machine, so it is still way faster for me overall.
"D"

2011 iMac CPU,GPU,Ram upgrade Plans

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