C2D White iMac HD upgrade

[lightsout]

Hey all,

I'm thinking of upgrading my HD in my C2D iMac. I've seen the disassembly pictures online, and I thought they look a bit scary! Specifically the bit where you have to peel back the shielding!

Couple of questions:

1. Does anyone know how much Apple will charge to do this? If so, can I just bring a HD to them and get them to fit?

2. Has anyone done this? Is it really that hard? I've built plenty of PCs before, but they are a lot more serviceable than an iMac if I break anything (not that I have!).

Thanks!

 

[Pimptastic]

I did this a couple of weeks ago after my hard drive died.

It is pretty tricky, but if you just take your time then it is totally doable.

I followed this guide - http://home.comcast.net/~woojo/DFFA53A0-F23D-4541-9015-481FD3B6532E/iMac_Disassembly.html

It is quite scary, and you cant really test it without putting it all back together first. Luckily it worked first time for me.

The only bit i had trouble with was taking the front off, but as i said, just take your time and you'll have no trouble.

EDIT: Mine is an early Core Duo, i'm sure i read somewhere that the later white iMacs were easier to take apart. Im not sure.

 

[lightsout]

Thanks!

Any SATA drive should be fine right? As long as the connectors are aligned the same as the existing HD?

What HD did you put in? I was thinking of a 750GB Samsung or WD...

 

[Pimptastic]

I just went for a direct replacement 250gig drive, i chose a drive that wes the same make, and similar model number, although i guess i didnt have to.

I dont need a lot of internal storage as i store most of my stuff on NAS.

Pretty much any SATA drive will do.

Take a look here - http://forums.xlr8yourmac.com/drivedb/search.drivedb.lasso

Im not sure how definitive that list is, but it may be some help.