Upgradeable graphics needed for 24-inch iMac
Posted by Dennis Sellers 
Sep 29, 2006 at 12:28am
I know that Apple wants the 24-inch iMac to be an elegant all-in-one system. And it is. But the company is missing the mark in not allowing the graphics system to be upgraded. The life of the display itself will almost certainly outlast the usefulness of the video card, even if you equip the iMac with Apple’s optional Nvidia GeForce 7600 GT with 256MB of video RAM.
In theory, it should be possible to replace the video card in the 24-inch iMac thanks to the system’s MXM PCI Express connector. Mobile PCI Express Module (MXM) is an interconnect standard normally used for graphical user interfaces in laptops using PCI Express. The goal of MXM is to offer a non-proprietary, industry standard socket, so you can upgrade the graphics processor in a laptop, without having to buy a whole new system or relying on proprietary vendor upgrades.
MXM is the result of a joint design effort between Nvidia and the industry’s notebook manufacturers. According to Nvidia it provides a consistent interface for mobile PCI Express graphics in order to achieve: faster time to market for the latest notebook graphics; multiple system configurations and price points from a single system design; compatibility for any graphics solution from any vendor; and configure-to-order upgradeable graphics through notebook manufacturers, or potentially by consumers.
However, as an Infinite Loop article points out, the availability of retail MXM cards seems to be limited; the cards are used more often by original equipment manufacturers and procuring an upgrade could prove difficult. And MXM cards are relatively scarce at this point. Still, the MXM technology, along with a possibly removable Intel processor, might just be a means for Apple to quickly and quietly make future upgrades, as Infinite Loop notes.
“This news can be looked upon one of three ways: we can blame Apple for using a possibly inferior mobile GPU in a supposedly top-of-the-line machine, we can pretty much accept that the upgrade path for the new giant will be limited or nonexistent, or we we could be stoked that what once had no possible GPU upgrade path now does,” the article adds. “It all depends on whether your glass is half full, half empty, or filled to the brim with someone else’s saliva.”
It would seem that the 24-inch iMac is potentially upgradeable using MXM, which at least it leaves the door open for third parties to make upgrade cards. Perhaps Apple should work with Nvidia to make such cards for the 24-inch iMac. Sell them on the Apple Store as build-to-order or after-the-fact upgrades (which, I realize, would have to be installed by specialists, not the end user). If not, perhaps some enterprising third company will take this step.
A 24-inch iMac with a state-of-the-art GPU, anyone? Hmmmm. Sweet.
Thoughts? Write me at daseller@earthlink.net
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Dennis Sellers
Dennis has been a newspaper editor/reporter (seven years) and teacher (seven years). He has over 10,000 magazine, newspaper and online articles to his credit. He has also covered the Mac and tech industries for over a decade for such online publications as MacCentral, MacMinute and now MacsimumNews.
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