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crwdns2944351:0crwdnd2944351:0Upgrade iMac Intel Core i3 CPU to Core i7crwdnd2944351:0crwdne2944351:0

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Introduction
Upgrade mid 2010 27 inch Apple iMac from a '''Core i3''' 3.2GHz (Dual core) to '''Core i7 '''2.93GHz (Quad core) processor.
I used this guide for disassembly and reassembly.
http://www.btobey.com/learn/imac-ssd-install.php
Also added a 3TB SATA drive and 32Gb of RAM to max out this system under Lion 10.7
* Update : Removed the 3Tb SATA drive and replaced with 512Gb SSD and upgraded to Mountain Lion 10.8
* If you upgrade or change the HD, you will need to buy HDDFanControl software to control the HDD fan which will run at full speed otherwise.
* April 2013 - 1 year later : This system has been absolutely ROCK SOLID with no crashes, no kernel panics and no freezes!
* April 2014 - 2 years later : now running OS X 10.9 Mavericks successfully with zero issues. System continues to be fast - but is starting to show its age compared to Sandy Bridge, Ivy Bridge and Haswell architectures! Newer apps are starting to creak at the seams & the beachball is now a fixture.
* April 2015 - 3 years later. Yosemite 10.10.3. Continuity works but Handoff does not (lacks built-in Bluetooth LE v4.0). Not as fast as my Haswell Macbook Pro or 2010 Xeon 12 proc Mac Pro, but still rock solid. With these simple mods, I have gained years of additional service out of this "obsolete" machine!
* May 2016 - 4 years later. Running El Capitan 10.11.5 . Only Handoff does not work (see above) but everything else is rock solid. New Notepad app rocks as does a stable version of Apple Mail (at last), and now that the abomination that was 'discoveryd' is dead and the tried and true 'mDNS-Responder' is back, networking is stellar once again. The system continues to amaze with its longevity.
* August 2016 - 4+ years later. Now running Sierra 10.12 Beta 2 with zero issues other than the usual beta bugs.
* November 2017 - It’s been 5 years since I did the upgrade and I still use this iMac in anger every day! Now running a OWC 1TB SSD and High Sierra 10.13 with APFS. Machine has been absolutely flawless!
* September 2018 - It’s been 6 years, yes SIX years! since I did the upgrade and I still use this iMac in anger every day! Now running Mojave 10.14 with APFS, using Dosdude's Mojave Patcher. This 2010 iMac (11,3) built in video card is *NOT* Metal compatible so video acceleration does not work is DISABLED with Mojave which makes your iMac screen refresh sluggish, Photos to go black and other graphics anomalies, as of this writing but everything else is stellar. Dark Mode makes the upgrade worth it. Upgrade to a Metal compatible GPU will fix this issue but with the loss of the boot screen, this is I am not something willing to do at this time, perhaps in the future.