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iMac mid 2011 update to mojave

I own an iMac mid 2011. I have upgraded my disc in ssd and my ram to 12Gb. My iMac's performance is perfect. can I do an additional upgrade to be able to have the new (mojave)??

Posted on Nov 27, 2018 6:42 AM

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Posted on Jan 8, 2019 7:29 AM

It is not as dialabrain states.


It is possible to replace GPU on iMac 2011. It is an industry standard MXM slot, mostly used by laptop manufacturers. If your current GPU breaks and you find a fully compatible iMac replacement GPU e.g. on Ebay or Amazon you can make the switch. It is not soldered at all. There are a ton of instruction videos on internet about this. However it is a bit advanced.


There are even GPU's that will work with Metal support and have way better graphics performance (and develop more heat). As mentioned it is a bit technically advanced to open up and make the replacement and you need to have a compatible GPU both when it comes to the hardware (slot, fittings and heat sink) as well as firmware. Even with a somewhat compatible firmware you will loose boot screen, brightness control (full brightness all the time) and target display mode. You can find a lot more info just searching forums. I would say that taking this route is only for very technically skilled enthusiasts.


Then of course since Mojave is not designed, not developed or tested for e.g. iMac 2011 it will still not be installed as-is. There's a lot of information concerning this topic as well on internet.


Other options are to simply use High Sierra until it will be dropped from security patch updates some years from now. Another option is to install Windows via Bootcamp. It works great and Microsoft continually updates Windows 10. I am on latest release 1809 on my iMac mid 2011. Windows 10 on bootcamp for iMac 2011 is not supported by Apple, but it works great anyway since Windows 10 is based on the same architechture as Windows 8.1 which is supported.


Also an iMac 2011 will make a great display for a Macbook through target display mode. I connect my Macbook Air via thunderbolt cable to my iMac and enjoy exellent 2K resolution Mojave. I have a script that automatically switches over iMac display, mouse and keyboard to my Macbook Air and back again when I disconnect.



5 replies
Question marked as Best reply

Jan 8, 2019 7:29 AM in response to dialabrain

It is not as dialabrain states.


It is possible to replace GPU on iMac 2011. It is an industry standard MXM slot, mostly used by laptop manufacturers. If your current GPU breaks and you find a fully compatible iMac replacement GPU e.g. on Ebay or Amazon you can make the switch. It is not soldered at all. There are a ton of instruction videos on internet about this. However it is a bit advanced.


There are even GPU's that will work with Metal support and have way better graphics performance (and develop more heat). As mentioned it is a bit technically advanced to open up and make the replacement and you need to have a compatible GPU both when it comes to the hardware (slot, fittings and heat sink) as well as firmware. Even with a somewhat compatible firmware you will loose boot screen, brightness control (full brightness all the time) and target display mode. You can find a lot more info just searching forums. I would say that taking this route is only for very technically skilled enthusiasts.


Then of course since Mojave is not designed, not developed or tested for e.g. iMac 2011 it will still not be installed as-is. There's a lot of information concerning this topic as well on internet.


Other options are to simply use High Sierra until it will be dropped from security patch updates some years from now. Another option is to install Windows via Bootcamp. It works great and Microsoft continually updates Windows 10. I am on latest release 1809 on my iMac mid 2011. Windows 10 on bootcamp for iMac 2011 is not supported by Apple, but it works great anyway since Windows 10 is based on the same architechture as Windows 8.1 which is supported.


Also an iMac 2011 will make a great display for a Macbook through target display mode. I connect my Macbook Air via thunderbolt cable to my iMac and enjoy exellent 2K resolution Mojave. I have a script that automatically switches over iMac display, mouse and keyboard to my Macbook Air and back again when I disconnect.



iMac mid 2011 update to mojave

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