Nice solid build. For a truly "MAXED" out late 2013 iMac 27", you should recommend your viewers to find one with the nVidia GTX 780M GPU. The graphics card comes with 4GB RAM and most importantly, on benchmark tests, outperforms the 2016 MBP (460), 2019 MBP (560X), and even the 2015 5K iMac (M395X)! You must not overlook this aspect -- this NEEDS to be highlighted
I am pretty sure to have talked about this. When I talk about pro and cons I say that taking the base model and upgrade cpu is not worth because with the same price you can buy an already maxed out CPU and also a better GpU
No problem! I am happy that other people were able to replicate this upgrade since the iMac 2013 is still powerful enough for many tasks and it’s good to use it in 2020
Hey, sorry to bother, I noticed you did this upgrade to your Mac from reading your comment. Is your Mac still running smoothly? I am considering to upgrade but was wondering if everything will work properly after and continue that way.
Shades, great video. I have a simple yet complex question I haven't been able to answer even with calling Apple support. Does the late 2013 27 inch iMac with default 1 TB hard drive have a PCIe connector on the back of the motherboard to attach an ssd blade onto? I don't want to tear apart my whole computer to find out and put it all back together without being able to upgrade it. Have been trying to come to a conclusion for weeks now, thanks a bunch
Christopher I can give you the correct answer. Because it was exactly my same situation and I opened it up to find out 100%. The 2013 iMac 27” that shipped with 1tb mechanical hd (no fusion drive) has the pcie slot empty in the back of the motherboard. You can use an OWC aura pro x2 or a simple nvme m.2 ssd with a cheap adaptor. I made a video with this ssd upgrade, you can find the link in the description. Let me know it I can help you!
I have an original 2013 i7 iMac and I only put in a 1tb NVME drive to the PCIe slot...... that made the trick for me. So dont use money on an internal SSD. I use a USB3 SSD, and it is super fast.
Yes you could easily use a 2tb nvme internal ssd. I upgraded also the sata set because I was able to add 2 tb more and removed all the external dongles from my desk. It’s neater for me
How is this machine running in September 2022? I have a iMac late 2013 (21.5 in 3.1 Ghz Quad-core Intel I7 16Gb Ram) as well but it is super slow doing everything? Do you think it's the hardware or the software? What OS are you using? Thank for your help
In the last couple of years I upgraded different macs since I increased my channel demand and right now I’m using a mac studio. So I don’t have the iMac anymore. Pay attention that the 21.5” iMac is different from the 27”. You probably can’t upgrade CpU but only ram and ssd. I would suggest to wait October when they will release an m2 Mac mini and just get an m1 machine since they decrease price. I had it for an year and could do most of the things I threw at it
@@ShadesOfTech Thanks for the info. Yes Ive been looking at getting a Mac mini. Just curious if i can save this machine for a little longer. At least for a web surfing/ email but doing that is so slow. Getting on Zoom takes forever. lol So do you think its a hardware issue or Software issue? Im fine upgrading the to Ssd and Ram. if it will fix it.
Really good question! The answer is yes! With thunderbolt 1 and 2 you need to run a script called purge wrangler that will enable egpu support even if it's not officially supported by apple. i did it both with my 2013 imac and mac pro and here are my impressions. Buy an E- GPU in 2020 for older Macs? (Gaming, Video editing, HDR, Thunderbolt 1,2,3) czcams.com/video/wgz2qLTxPfY/video.html
Yeah as I say in the video is definitely a fresh air breeze. Truth be told now an egpu enclosure plus vega 64 costs like a m1 Mac mini. I don’t know if you asked me 1 year ago it was worth the money but now with those m1 processors I am not sure anymore if it’s worth the money. What do you think?
Gpu upgrade is very hard so I don’t think you want to upgrade it yourself. My advice is to buy the iMac with the gpu you want and then upgrade CpU. About your Mac should be the 4 Ghz i7 6700k CpU.
Can we upgrade to a 2.5 SSD and NVME at the same time on a 2013 27' iMac, or have to choose one of the two options? I guess there is also no limit in terms of how big the storage of those SSDs are?
I think so because the iMac doesn’t know which temperature and maxes the fan. You can make 2 things: 1 remove hd and install nvme without thermal sensor and use a software to set fan speed 2 leave the hd in place and upgrade only the nvme
Dear Sir, I hope You Help me, I got a problem Now. I just follow your tutorial video. unfortunately, my iMac 2013/27 inch can't reboot. just I can hear the sound (beeping) I use intel core i7 4771, OWC aura pro x2 480 GB, OWC Memory 32 GB DDR 3L, Each 8 GB, Mastergel pro v2 High Thermal compund, pls give me solution. I am a great full to you.
The beeping sound is usually due to ram upgrade. It happened to me as well. Try to open, re insert the ram stick and control they are correctly positioned. Then close, connect power and wait 15 minutes before turning on. So the cpu will recognise the new ram. Did you do all the upgrades at the same time? Or in different times
@@ShadesOfTech thank you for the update. These iMacs are awesome. The 2015 5k model seems another great one since you can upgrade it to 64gb ram. Would love to own the 2019 model which can be upgraded to 128 gb.
@@johndee759 yeah the 2019 is the best one to upgrade if you don’t need gpu. If you need gpu the 2020 with the 5700xt is dimly stunning but ssd cannot be upgraded
@@johndee759 yeah I have a 2013 Mac Pro and I upgraded everything myself except the gpu. Unluckily with m1 everything is on the same soc so hopefully the new iMac will allow ram upgrade as well
If you do so they will be seen as 2 indipendent drives so you can select where to save things. Technically you could create a new fusion drive but I have never done it
Shades of Tech, does an NVMe SSD require an adapter to be installed in the late 2013 27 inch iMac, and if you installed two ssd’s (one in the SATA and one in the PCIE slot) and they were the same size, could you configure the iMac in a raid 0 set up for even faster speeds?
Bryson Fry yes you can use the OWC aura pro x2 without adaptor or a nvme m.2 with adaptor. Technically I think you could configure a raid 0 but I don’t know how you could do it in practice because I don’t have experience. Having divided them was better for me
Nothing happened like I showed in my latest videos it works perfectly and I even played some games. About the dark light it’s not intended and there are no real difference on the outside before and after
@@johndee759 yeah it’s pretty powerful! I have a Mac Pro with 12 core - 24 threads 🤯but for my workflow is the gpu that needs to be beefy I use the amd 5700 xt
nice video and you could try at least one kit de OWC 32GB (2x16GB) PC3-12800 DDR3L 1600MHz SO-DIMM 204 Pin CL11 to see if it works ok and post the result , it would be challenging
The gpu is soldered so technically you can upgrade it but it requires high level skills. So generally speaking you should look for the higher spec gpu iMac and then upgrade all the rest. Other option is to use an egpu, I made a dedicated video you can find it on the channel
Ciao ! quello che volgiamo da casa e- vedere la differenza pratica nell aprire le app e fare cose normali al PC .... non trovo un video del 2013 upgradato nemmeno a morire!
Diciamo che con i Mac m1 qualità prezzo non sono più così convenienti questi Mac vecchi. Diciamo che peró un Mac 2013 su alcune cose magari si comporta come un pc low end nuovo
Nice solid build. For a truly "MAXED" out late 2013 iMac 27", you should recommend your viewers to find one with the nVidia GTX 780M GPU. The graphics card comes with 4GB RAM and most importantly, on benchmark tests, outperforms the 2016 MBP (460), 2019 MBP (560X), and even the 2015 5K iMac (M395X)! You must not overlook this aspect -- this NEEDS to be highlighted
I am pretty sure to have talked about this. When I talk about pro and cons I say that taking the base model and upgrade cpu is not worth because with the same price you can buy an already maxed out CPU and also a better GpU
just upgraded to the 4770K i7 from a i5 4570 on my 27 inch 2013 iMac- - works like a charm....thanks for the video
No problem! I am happy that other people were able to replicate this upgrade since the iMac 2013 is still powerful enough for many tasks and it’s good to use it in 2020
Hey, sorry to bother, I noticed you did this upgrade to your Mac from reading your comment. Is your Mac still running smoothly? I am considering to upgrade but was wondering if everything will work properly after and continue that way.
Sadly, The Imac's BIOS will not take advantage of the overclocking capabilities of the K series i7
Shades, great video. I have a simple yet complex question I haven't been able to answer even with calling Apple support. Does the late 2013 27 inch iMac with default 1 TB hard drive have a PCIe connector on the back of the motherboard to attach an ssd blade onto? I don't want to tear apart my whole computer to find out and put it all back together without being able to upgrade it. Have been trying to come to a conclusion for weeks now, thanks a bunch
Christopher I can give you the correct answer. Because it was exactly my same situation and I opened it up to find out 100%.
The 2013 iMac 27” that shipped with 1tb mechanical hd (no fusion drive) has the pcie slot empty in the back of the motherboard. You can use an OWC aura pro x2 or a simple nvme m.2 ssd with a cheap adaptor. I made a video with this ssd upgrade, you can find the link in the description.
Let me know it I can help you!
I have an original 2013 i7 iMac and I only put in a 1tb NVME drive to the PCIe slot...... that made the trick for me. So dont use money on an internal SSD. I use a USB3 SSD, and it is super fast.
Yes you could easily use a 2tb nvme internal ssd. I upgraded also the sata set because I was able to add 2 tb more and removed all the external dongles from my desk. It’s neater for me
where do you get a 27 inch 2013 iMac for $400????
they go for over $650+ on eBay if they're in good condition
At the time of recording this video I found a couple of them at that price, I also included some screenshots in one of the iMac videos.
How is this machine running in September 2022? I have a iMac late 2013 (21.5 in 3.1 Ghz Quad-core Intel I7 16Gb Ram) as well but it is super slow doing everything? Do you think it's the hardware or the software? What OS are you using? Thank for your help
In the last couple of years I upgraded different macs since I increased my channel demand and right now I’m using a mac studio. So I don’t have the iMac anymore. Pay attention that the 21.5” iMac is different from the 27”. You probably can’t upgrade CpU but only ram and ssd.
I would suggest to wait October when they will release an m2 Mac mini and just get an m1 machine since they decrease price. I had it for an year and could do most of the things I threw at it
@@ShadesOfTech Thanks for the info. Yes Ive been looking at getting a Mac mini. Just curious if i can save this machine for a little longer. At least for a web surfing/ email but doing that is so slow. Getting on Zoom takes forever. lol So do you think its a hardware issue or Software issue? Im fine upgrading the to Ssd and Ram. if it will fix it.
Video solido! Molto bene
Grazie mille!
The Thunderbolt is version 1. There's a possibility to have a good external GPU? Which?
Really good question! The answer is yes! With thunderbolt 1 and 2 you need to run a script called purge wrangler that will enable egpu support even if it's not officially supported by apple. i did it both with my 2013 imac and mac pro and here are my impressions.
Buy an E- GPU in 2020 for older Macs? (Gaming, Video editing, HDR, Thunderbolt 1,2,3)
czcams.com/video/wgz2qLTxPfY/video.html
@@ShadesOfTech Thank you! I've seen that Pure Wrangler has a very good support on web with Radeon RX Vega 64. This can be good for this iMac?
Yeah as I say in the video is definitely a fresh air breeze.
Truth be told now an egpu enclosure plus vega 64 costs like a m1 Mac mini. I don’t know if you asked me 1 year ago it was worth the money but now with those m1 processors I am not sure anymore if it’s worth the money. What do you think?
Stunning video.👍. What highest CPU and GPU upgrade possible goa 27 inch 5k mid 2015 A1419 emc: 2806?
Gpu upgrade is very hard so I don’t think you want to upgrade it yourself. My advice is to buy the iMac with the gpu you want and then upgrade CpU. About your Mac should be the 4 Ghz i7 6700k CpU.
Can we upgrade to a 2.5 SSD and NVME at the same time on a 2013 27' iMac, or have to choose one of the two options? I guess there is also no limit in terms of how big the storage of those SSDs are?
Hello, if I remove the HDD and install a NVME SSD only, do I still need the thermal sensor?
I think so because the iMac doesn’t know which temperature and maxes the fan.
You can make 2 things:
1 remove hd and install nvme without thermal sensor and use a software to set fan speed
2 leave the hd in place and upgrade only the nvme
Dear Sir, I hope You Help me, I got a problem Now. I just follow your tutorial video. unfortunately, my iMac 2013/27 inch can't reboot. just I can hear the sound (beeping) I use intel core i7 4771, OWC aura pro x2 480 GB, OWC Memory 32 GB DDR 3L, Each 8 GB, Mastergel pro v2 High Thermal compund, pls give me solution. I am a great full to you.
The beeping sound is usually due to ram upgrade. It happened to me as well. Try to open, re insert the ram stick and control they are correctly positioned. Then close, connect power and wait 15 minutes before turning on. So the cpu will recognise the new ram. Did you do all the upgrades at the same time? Or in different times
@@ShadesOfTech Thank you so much
You’re welcome. Let me know if you are able to solve
Which late 2013 iMac is this? What is the identifier?
This is the base 27” model the 14.2 iMac A1419 (EMC 2639) base processor and base gpu
@@ShadesOfTech thank you for the update. These iMacs are awesome. The 2015 5k model seems another great one since you can upgrade it to 64gb ram. Would love to own the 2019 model which can be upgraded to 128 gb.
@@johndee759 yeah the 2019 is the best one to upgrade if you don’t need gpu. If you need gpu the 2020 with the 5700xt is dimly stunning but ssd cannot be upgraded
@@ShadesOfTech I am glad that Apple has decided to allow user upgrades.
@@johndee759 yeah I have a 2013 Mac Pro and I upgraded everything myself except the gpu.
Unluckily with m1 everything is on the same soc so hopefully the new iMac will allow ram upgrade as well
Hello! My model it's 2013 i5 3,2 not the 3.4. In the apple web set only the 3.4 can be upgraded. My answer it's will this work with 3.2 model?
one question: if I upgraded the internal hdd for and ssd AND puta an nvme as well could I use both at the same time or do I have to choose?
If you do so they will be seen as 2 indipendent drives so you can select where to save things.
Technically you could create a new fusion drive but I have never done it
Shades of Tech, does an NVMe SSD require an adapter to be installed in the late 2013 27 inch iMac, and if you installed two ssd’s (one in the SATA and one in the PCIE slot) and they were the same size, could you configure the iMac in a raid 0 set up for even faster speeds?
Bryson Fry yes you can use the OWC aura pro x2 without adaptor or a nvme m.2 with adaptor. Technically I think you could configure a raid 0 but I don’t know how you could do it in practice because I don’t have experience. Having divided them was better for me
What happened to the screen? Why do you only show the iMac in dark lighting after the upgrade?
Nothing happened like I showed in my latest videos it works perfectly and I even played some games. About the dark light it’s not intended and there are no real difference on the outside before and after
@@ShadesOfTech Ten cores and 20 threads?
@@johndee759 yes
@@ShadesOfTech what a monster.
@@johndee759 yeah it’s pretty powerful!
I have a Mac Pro with 12 core - 24 threads 🤯but for my workflow is the gpu that needs to be beefy I use the amd 5700 xt
is there a better CPU ? other than i7 that can be installed on the late 2013 iMac (27")?
no it's the maxed out CPU you can install on the 2013 iMac. On later model (2020) you can install up to i9
@@ShadesOfTech Thank you very much. ❤
In my opinion the 2020 iMac is the best to upgrade, just make sure to have the higher end gpu
nice video and you could try at least one kit de OWC 32GB (2x16GB) PC3-12800 DDR3L 1600MHz SO-DIMM 204 Pin CL11 to see if it works ok and post the result , it would be challenging
Hey,
Can i upgrade the GB on the 21 inch iMac ?
What do you mean by Gb?
@@ShadesOfTech ram.. sorry im french
@@psaumes9164 I think you can but I am not sure if there is the door behind
I hope the GPU can be upgraded too.
The gpu is soldered so technically you can upgrade it but it requires high level skills. So generally speaking you should look for the higher spec gpu iMac and then upgrade all the rest.
Other option is to use an egpu, I made a dedicated video you can find it on the channel
@@ShadesOfTech sure, I'll check it out
If I complete this upgrade does that mean I can update the operating system past Mojave?
The iMac 2013 can support up to Catalina regardless the updates of hardware
Ciao ! quello che volgiamo da casa e- vedere la differenza pratica nell aprire le app e fare cose normali al PC .... non trovo un video del 2013 upgradato nemmeno a morire!
Diciamo che con i Mac m1 qualità prezzo non sono più così convenienti questi Mac vecchi. Diciamo che peró un Mac 2013 su alcune cose magari si comporta come un pc low end nuovo
@@ShadesOfTech si per 130 euro con ssd, per cose di tutti i giorni come mail , word , youtubbe etc ,,,,
why not use the aura pro for the boot drive? what kinds of speeds did it get?
Yeah I used the blade ssd aura pro x2 as boot drive the speed are around 400 MB/s