Chosen Solution
Hey, i have a Mac Mini A1176 model with a 1.66 GHz Core Duo in it and I’m wanting to speed it up. Whats the maximum Core 2 Duo ship i can put in it that the logic board can use?? Im looking at Intel Core2 Duo E7500 Wolfdale 2.93GHz 3MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor BX80571E7500 from NewEgg that looks like it would give my mini a good boost and i am also going to get another stick of RAM for it. Would the 2.93GHz work without a problem in the A1176?
The T7400 2..16 GHz will work. See this question: Core Duo CPU upgrade to Core 2 Duo CPU?
you should be able to upgrade to a core 2 duo model. the most i have seen is an upgrade to a 2.16 model. you need one that fits the ZIF socket for your mac mini, the processor you mentioned…… won’t work. This is quite an undertaking and is not easy depending on experience, there is a step by step guide for replacing the processor right here on ifixit….. not assuming you don’t know this, but thought i should mention it anyway. You can find the correct processor by intel model number on places like ebay from a good seller who should be willing to confirm if it will work for your needs……… a good thermal paste like artic silver mentioned in the how to guide would also be needed along with the other tools etc.
I just put an Intel T7600 2.33 ghz in my Mini 1.1 and it went pretty much without a hitch. I needed my son to hold a the backside of a pen I used to push on the pins that held the heatsink to the processor but if you make sure to take the time and have all you need before hand, like 4-40 3/4 inch long nylon screws and bolts, I didn’t have to use, then you should be fine. This was the biggest upgrade I have ever attempted new CPU, max memory and 500 gig hard drive swap. I had changed things and installed cards in my old Sawtooth G4 but nothing as tight as the mini. After one day it runs at about 46 48 deg. C with fan always set to 2025 rpm. Smalll or no charge. Ps I opened it up with a pizza cutter. Sly
I also just installed a T7600 2.33 GHz, and it was pretty much by the book. Read all the notes in each step before you do the step - they are a big help. Also upgraded RAM and HD. The little machine is stepping along quite nicely now. Gary O’Brien Photographer Charlotte, NC
does the FSB matter? I found a T7100 C2D 1.86 but with 800FSB. I’m not sure if the processor will automatically downscale to mini’s 667 FSB
It is not easy to get hold of the T7400 2.16Ghz like you have mayer but if you find one I think they are the best value speed/cpu temperature. Newegg does not carry them any more at least. Ebay is a good source. Long back in 2007 I upgraded my Mac Mini Solo to a 2.0Ghz Core Duo (Not Core 2) because it was really cheap. The pins on the Core Duo and the Core 2 Duo are the same also for T7400 and T7600. I was very satisfied with my Core Duo 2Ghz upgrade but my friends T7600 2,33Ghz was always running very hot. I think it is very important to use thermal paste like Arctic Silver and use very little paste. I would say too much is worse than too little. The Mac Mini does not have very good cooling structure. I got my MacBook Pro (2007) back from Apple for a free logic board replacement. After that it was always running hot. So after some advice I took it apart and removed all the paste from the CPU sink. I used then only enough Arctic Silver to cover the contact area before putting it together again. Since it has run a lot cooler! So you want a fast Mac Mini but not a hot one! We have enough fans blowing around us :-)
I swapped min Core SOLO 1.5 up to a 2.33 T7600 over a year ago, no problems. A good source for a T7400 would be any dead white iMac (intel with isight, 2006/2007 era). 3Gb ram is the max available: http://www.123macmini.com/news/story/729…
I upgraded my Mini with a T7600 long ago, installed all ram memory it takes (2GB) and recently I installed a Seagate Momentus XT 500GB hard drive. The Momentus XT made a big difference on the machine performance. It was using Snow Leopard and it was fast, the only bottle neck is the graphic ship set, but there is no solution for that. I manage to install Lion making some hacking to the installation app. It runs it fine. It is a pretty good machine and it will hold for a bit longer.
4Gb ram is the max available !
I have my old CoreSolo with T7600 for some years. But since upgrade, USB is crazy. I can connect mouse and keyboard, but not disk (pendrive or HDD) is recognized. USB also do not power up any other device with 5V, like iPhone charge.
Upgrade to core 2 duo
