Failed Hard Drive on 2011 iMac

[swindmill]

The HD in my iMac (in signature) was making funny clicking sounds and at the same time froze up with a spinning beachball. I tried to force a restart after a while and now I get a white screen with a flashing file folder icon that has a ? in the middle. I'm guessing the hard drive is dead. My question is whether it's worth trying to replace the hard drive. It has 12gb of RAM in addition to the specs below. I really only use this computer as a server for music and Plex/Apple TV. I sometimes use it for web browsing etc, but not much else. Should I look into buying a new iMac given the age of this one, or would a new hard drive leave me with a suitable machine for my purposes? I know replacing the HD isn't simple, but I think I can manage it.

EDIT: It may be a 2010 model. Looking at replacement parts, it looks like the i3 3.2ghz was a 2010. Any info on this is appreciated.

 

[swindmill]

I figure it's at least worth replacing the HDD even if I do buy a new iMac, so I'd like to go ahead and figure out what I need. As far as I can tell, an i3 3.2ghz is a 2010 model, meaning I can use this hybrid drive:

https://www.ifixit.com/Store/Mac/1-TB-SSD-Hybrid-3-5-Inch-Hard-Drive/IF107-129-1#productDescription

If that is in fact compatible, I'll go ahead and order that along with tools and other parts I need.

 

[Richdmoore]

Make sure to pick up a thermal sensor, or research software solutions to prevent run away fan speeds....

http://blog.macsales.com/27903-owc-...-upgrade-compatible-with-capacities-up-to-6tb

More info about the issue:
http://blog.macsales.com/27918-owc-...or-solves-imac-hard-drive-compatibility-issue

 

[swindmill]

I think I'll get the SSHD and install kit from OWC. That should be everything I need.