Resolved Is it possible to install THUNDERBOLT 3 on my iMAC mid 2010 - 21.5"?

[Adam1988]

Hello Everyone,

I bought an iMac 21.5 inch, and its mid 2010 with intel i3 and 500 gigs of storage.

I updated the systems hardware ram to 12 gigs, but im thinking on updating it to the max limit which is 16gigs of RAM and also the storage to 4TB but i heard SSD is better... yet im looking for more storage because this computer has SENTIMENTAL VALUE. Yet i am looking to upgrade and if its possible to install or if the THUNDERBOLT 3 or USB-C is compatible for this year model.

The main reason why i want to do this.. is because i got the latest photoshop apps or programs and it keeps telling me i have to have 256gigs of graphics card or eGPUs. I investigated online everywhere bing and asked people and google but, it seems no one has done this yet... i want also to play newer games to have better Graphics card and rendering, maybe better FPS? (FRAME PER SECOND) and of course play some good steam games for the imac and the best of all EDITING with PSD or ADOBE PROGRAMS on my imac.

Please i really need help. It seems its critical, but i am looking forward if the only way to upgrade is going with kaby-lake or a new macbook pro or ipad pro. I Really do not know the answer... i wish i could actually know it to post the answer or the Thread in this Forum to help others just like me.

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MAC (21.5-inch, Mid 2010) - PROCESSOR 3.06 GHz Intel Core i3, MEMORY 2 GB 1333 MHz DDR3,

GRAPHICS ATI Radeon HD 4670 256 MB

 

[jerwin]

Theoretically, you can upgrade the CPU, put in an SSD, and replace the graphics card.

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iMac+Intel+21.5-Inch+EMC+2389+GPU+Card+Replacement/6272

GPU: might be able to put a 6770M
SSD: will produce the greatest difference in performance
CPU: an i5 of the same generation? (apparently not enough power to run an i7) https://everymac.com/systems/apple/...-aluminum-processor-upgrade-instructions.html

USB-C is a non starter; so is thunderbolt.

no experience with this; just googling around a bit

 

[Fishrrman]

Thunderbolt 3 on a 2010 iMac?

No.

 

[redheeler]

Hello Everyone,

I bought an iMac 21.5 inch, and its mid 2010 with intel i3 and 500 gigs of storage.

I updated the systems hardware ram to 12 gigs, but im thinking on updating it to the max limit which is 16gigs of RAM and also the storage to 4TB but i heard SSD is better... yet im looking for more storage because this computer has SENTIMENTAL VALUE. Yet i am looking to upgrade and if its possible to install or if the THUNDERBOLT 3 or USB-C is compatible for this year model.

The main reason why i want to do this.. is because i got the latest photoshop apps or programs and it keeps telling me i have to have 256gigs of graphics card or eGPUs. I investigated online everywhere bing and asked people and google but, it seems no one has done this yet... i want also to play newer games to have better Graphics card and rendering, maybe better FPS? (FRAME PER SECOND) and of course play some good steam games for the imac and the best of all EDITING with PSD or ADOBE PROGRAMS on my imac.

Please i really need help. It seems its critical, but i am looking forward if the only way to upgrade is going with kaby-lake or a new macbook pro or ipad pro. I Really do not know the answer... i wish i could actually know it to post the answer or the Thread in this Forum to help others just like me.

------------------------

MAC (21.5-inch, Mid 2010) - PROCESSOR 3.06 GHz Intel Core i3, MEMORY 2 GB 1333 MHz DDR3,

GRAPHICS ATI Radeon HD 4670 256 MB

You're pushing that 2010 21.5" iMac pretty hard, and there are limits to what you can do with low-end hardware from 8 years ago. Thunderbolt 3 is not a feasible upgrade.

You're just going to have to upgrade to a newer Mac. You also have the option of putting in an SSD which should improve general system performance, but I doubt it will solve your other problems like FPS in games.

 

[jerwin]

also see this:
mxm 780 in imac
https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/26193191/

 

[Adam1988]

Theoretically, you can upgrade the CPU, put in an SSD, and replace the graphics card.

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iMac+Intel+21.5-Inch+EMC+2389+GPU+Card+Replacement/6272

GPU: might be able to put a 6770M
SSD: will produce the greatest difference in performance
CPU: an i5 of the same generation? (apparently not enough power to run an i7) https://everymac.com/systems/apple/...-aluminum-processor-upgrade-instructions.html

USB-C is a non starter; so is thunderbolt.

no experience with this; just googling around a bit

also see this:
mxm 780 in imac
https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/26193191/

You're pushing that 2010 21.5" iMac pretty hard, and there are limits to what you can do with low-end hardware from 8 years ago. Thunderbolt 3 is not a feasible upgrade.

You're just going to have to upgrade to a newer Mac. You also have the option of putting in an SSD which should improve general system performance, but I doubt it will solve your other problems like FPS in games.

Thanks for specifying and clearing it out this has resolved my issues ☺️