I have imac 5,2 running os 10.6.8 snow leopards , can I upgrade it?

An iMac5,2 is a Core 2 Duo Mac. Choose About this Mac from the Apple menu, check if the computer has at least 2GB of RAM, and if it does, click here and order a download code for Lion 10.7.

Back up your data and check your applications for compatibility before upgrading. In particular, Mac OS X 10.7 and newer don't support PowerPC programs such as versions of Microsoft Office prior to 2008.

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To upgrade to Mac OS X 10.8 or 10.9 you need an iMac7,1 or higher so you cannot upgrade to either of those systems.

If your iMac has an Intel Core 2 Duo cpu you can upgrade to Mac OS X 10.7.5...you can check that by clicking the apple left side of the menu bar, About This Mac and see what it says for processor.

The iMac5,2 is a Core 2 Duo machine so it will be capable of running Lion, Mac OS X 10.7.5. If you have at least 2 GB ram and 5 GB free hard drive space you can install Lion. To get that go to the Apple Store button upper left, then in the search field type Lion and it will show you the price to get Lion, about $20, by on-line download.

The person you talked to at the Apple store who told you your iMac5,2 could not be upgraded is not keeping up with the specifications for the Mac OS X versions. Lion specs say:

Which your iMac satisfies. The only thing I take exception to is the 2 GB ram requirement...although Lion runs with 2 GB ram it does not run well for most users when they start opening large applications. Lion run significantly better if you have 4 GB ram. If you are serious about moving up to Lion, also look at adding ram so you are happier with the performance. A very good source of memory is OWC, http://www.macsales.com they are Mac specialists and test/guarantee all of the things they sell to work in your Mac.

Yes, it will work.

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