The first three generations of Intel-based iMacs employ the aforementioned Socket M to mountain the CPU and accept a 667 MHz organisation bus. The CPU is not soldered in place, allowing the Early on 2006, Mid 2006, and Tardily 2006 iMacs to take the same CPU upgrades, bringing speeds as high as 2.33 GHz.

White flat panel iMac

Original speeds for 2006 iMacs were:

  • i.83 GHz Core Duo (17″ Early 2006 and Mid 2006)
  • 2.0 GHz Core Duo (twenty " Early 2006 and Late 2006)
  • 1.83 GHz Core 2 Duo (17″ Belatedly 2006, didactics model)
  • 2.0 GHz Core 2 Duo (17″ Tardily 2006)
  • two.sixteen GHz Cadre 2 Duo (17″, twenty″, and 24″ Late 2006)
  • 2.33 GHz Core 2 Duo (xx″ and 24″ Late 2006)

There is no faster CPU for the 2.33 GHz iMacs. That is already the fastest Socket G processor Intel e'er made.

Upgrade Options

It's possible to upgrade these with upwards to a 2.33 GHz Core 2 Duo Merom CPU. These are your Core 2 Duo CPU upgrade options:

  • ii.0 GHz Intel T7200, 4 MB cache, about $3 on eBay
  • 2.16 GHz Intel T7400, 4 MB cache, about $9 on eBay
  • 2.33 GHz Intel T7600, 4 MB cache, $26 and up on eBay

Only consider the 2.0 GHz T7200 if yous take a Core Duo iMac or the 1.83 GHz Core 2 Duo model. With its larger cache and more efficient CPU, it will give a modest functioning boost for about $3 shipped – virtually 7% meliorate than 2.0 GHz Cadre Duo and 15% better than ane.83 GHz. Be sure to get adept thermal paste, such as Chill Silver.

The 2.16 GHz T7400 provides maybe 5% more overall ability than the T7200, and you can often find it for under $9 shipped on eBay. Definitely worth it for the 1.83 GHz iMacs and the 2.0 GHz Cadre Duo – maybe not worth the effort on the 2.0 GHz Core 2 iMac.

For the maximum speed on these iMacs, you're looking at the 2.33 GHz T7600, which provides a 16% speed boost for the 2.0 GHz Cadre 2 model and over 25% for the 1.83 GHz iMacs. Over again, it may not exist as worthwhile for the 2.16 GHz model, equally this is only near a half-dozen% difference in benchmark scores.

Geekbench 2 Scores

These are crude averages under Geekbench 2. The amount of installed memory makes a difference in Geekbench scores – more RAM will give you a higher score.

  • ane.83 GHz Core Duo, 2365
  • 2.0 GHz Cadre Duo, 2575
  • 2.o GHz Core 2 Duo, 2775
  • 2.16 GHz Core 2 Duo, 2900
  • 2.33 GHz Core 2 Duo, 3075

Notation that upgrading a Core Duo iMac with a Cadre 2 Duo CPU does non allow it to use more than than 2 GB of RAM or install Mac OS X x.seven Lion unless you lot update the EFI firmware to version 5,1. Be sure to install the Core two Duo CPU before performing the firmware update, which makes information technology the equivalent of a native Cadre 2 Duo iMac, and so you can install 4 GB of memory and/or Bone X Lion.

Keywords: #early2006imac #mid2006imac #late2006imac #socketm #cpuupgrade #coreduoimac #imaccoreduo

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