iMac 27" SSD Upgrade - Important Tip!

[micmac1984]

I see what the problem is now My util was intended for replacement of the HDD with an SSD, and I didn't foresee the case in which the optical drive is replaced with an SSD

The good news is: easy to solve. The only issue is how to make it easily configurable which fan needs to be corrected, or make it autodetectable. For now, as a workaround, I can give you a version that limits both the HDD fan and optical drive fan speeds.

I'd be very interested by a triple tool!!!!

I made the modification (Vertex3 120 + Hitachi 3 TB) according the excellent guide made by btobey but as several users of this very interesting thread:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1148641/
already noted something went wrong…

In the process, when moving up the MB (maybe the weak aspect of this guide…), I probably disconnected the ambiant sensor and when I reconnected everything all three fans went full speed!!! Transforming my wonderful i7 in a dreaded G4 windtunnel!

A triple tool would be great waiting for the day (the soonest as possible) I will reopen my Mac and this time deposit completely the mother board hoping to be able to reconnect the ambiant sensor!

Needless to say it's difficult for me to appreciate the gain in speed…

But in the meantime I would really appreciate such a triple tool (if you can make it).

I already installed the SSD one and my hard disk fan is goin' at normal speed! Thanks for that!

 

[Exirion]

I'd be very interested by a triple tool!!!!

I made the modification (Vertex3 120 + Hitachi 3 TB) according the excellent guide made by btobey but as several users of this very interesting thread:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1148641/
already noted something went wrong…

In the process, when moving up the MB (maybe the weak aspect of this guide…), I probably disconnected the ambiant sensor and when I reconnected everything all three fans went full speed!!! Transforming my wonderful i7 in a dreaded G4 windtunnel!

A triple tool would be great waiting for the day (the soonest as possible) I will reopen my Mac and this time deposit completely the mother board hoping to be able to reconnect the ambiant sensor!

Needless to say it's difficult for me to appreciate the gain in speed…

But in the meantime I would really appreciate such a triple tool (if you can make it).

I already installed the SSD one and my hard disk fan is goin' at normal speed! Thanks for that!

Sorry for the late reply At least you can now control both the HDD and ODD fan at the same time: http://exirion.net/ssdfanctrl/

 

[Wind Diesel]

I got a late 2009 27" iMac - and was looking for a replacement of my optical drive, to replace it with an SSD - and found this seller on ebay : http://stores.ebay.com/ny-compu-tek...cid=57&_fsub=2174622013&_sid=1041720403&_sc=1 - He sells those 2nd HDD Caddy that would do the job PERFECTLY if it would fit into the iMac' but there are hundreds of different models, it's just to find the right one, or maybe anyone would fit =? They are all 12.7 mm models like the original iMac optical drive from Sony.

Anyone got anything to add in this matter ?

 

[moonbeep]

I put an OCZ Vertex 120GB SSD drive in my iMac, it was picked up straight away by the OS X installer disc.

I would agree with zeigerpuppy, iMacs aren't that hard to upgrade so long as you're careful, slow and methodical (carefully organising the screws you remove so they go back in the right place etc).

And yeah, the iMac is a totally different beast with an SSD - start-up times are practically non-existent, application launching is instantaneous. Very impressive stuff, I wouldn't go back to a traditional HDD for a boot volume ever again.

Greetings from Belfast NATO....

 

[NATO]

Greetings from Belfast NATO....

Greetings! What an odd co-incidence, I started this thread years ago but haven't really been in the iMac section for the last year, and when I do dip in here I find the last post in this thread is another person from Belfast

I had to take my iMac apart again after my display started to develop that seemingly common (going by the various forum posts) issue of streaks/marks on the screen caused by dust getting in between the layers of the LCD panel. And I have the of taking it apart AGAIN when it comes back from repair to put the SSD back in.

I honestly can't use a computer with a regular HDD any more, it's unbearably slow.

 

[jbkalla]

I got a late 2009 27" iMac - and was looking for a replacement of my optical drive, to replace it with an SSD - and found this seller on ebay : http://stores.ebay.com/ny-compu-tek...cid=57&_fsub=2174622013&_sid=1041720403&_sc=1 - He sells those 2nd HDD Caddy that would do the job PERFECTLY if it would fit into the iMac' but there are hundreds of different models, it's just to find the right one, or maybe anyone would fit =? They are all 12.7 mm models like the original iMac optical drive from Sony.

Anyone got anything to add in this matter ?

This is mine and should probably be yours, too. Model iMac11,1 (A1312) Late 2009 i7 (in my case):

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2nd-HDD-SSD...C_Drives_Storage_Internal&hash=item53ebd0f285

 

[Wind Diesel]

Ordered - thanks mate !

 

[Tannerman917]

Clafication

Okay, so I've got a few questions:

1. Can you install an SSD in a 2011 21.5 2.5GHz iMac without replacing optical drive/origional HDD?

2. How hard is the install if you're fairly mechanically inclined?

3. Can you set the SSD to automatically download apps to it and other data to the HDD?

4. Can you connect SSD to iMac without shorting the temperature sensor wire?

5. Am I making any sense at all?

Thanks!


3rd gen iPod Touch 32 GB iOS 5.1, awful Toshiba Satellite ?.?? GHz Pentium, 2 GB RAM, 140 GB HDD (hopefully being replaced by said iMac and the new iPad)

 

[hfg]

I can try to help you out here ...

1) I added a SSD in a mid-2011 27" by replacing a "compression spacer" with the proper tray mounting spacer, however, I don't think the 21.5" has this extra space. Thus, you may have to replace one of the existing drives. I would prefer to have my optical drive replaced since an external optical drive will work quite well whereas an external hard disk will be slow. I need both SSD and HDD for my storage needs as large SSD drives are expensive.

2) I am very comfortable working on computer equipment, but the iMac was a bit of a challenge, especially since it is difficult to test it out without pretty much completely reassembling it.

3) Yes, I have the full install on the SSD with the exception of the top "Users" folder which is on the HDD. Everything works seamlessly. I would keep an "Admin" user folder on the SSD for troubleshooting if your HDD has problems, but you should have one on any system anyway.

4) I leave the HDD untouched, so no temperature sensing problems were encountered. If you remove the HDD (or replace it with a generic one), you will have to deal with that.

5) Yes, there are several threads with invaluable information (and pictures) available by searching.

6) Good Luck!

Okay, so I've got a few questions:

1. Can you install an SSD in a 2011 21.5 2.5GHz iMac without replacing optical drive/origional HDD?

2. How hard is the install if you're fairly mechanically inclined?

3. Can you set the SSD to automatically download apps to it and other data to the HDD?

4. Can you connect SSD to iMac without shorting the temperature sensor wire?

5. Am I making any sense at all?

Thanks!


3rd gen iPod Touch 32 GB iOS 5.1, awful Toshiba Satellite ?.?? GHz Pentium, 2 GB RAM, 140 GB HDD (hopefully being replaced by said iMac and the new iPad)

 

[bozzygti]

2011 iMac i7 just ssd drive no 3.5 drive

i just took my 3.5 drive out and made custom bracket from apples factory one for the owc ssd 6g hard drive.. i had a problem with the fan ramping up so i look all around and i found that company call hdd fan control had the fix so i bought it.. it does the job.. i just wish i new how one day..now I'm going to make a new bracket to but two ssd in the 3.5 slot..
http://www.hddfancontrol.com ...tachment.php?attachmentid=329484&d=1331698929https://forums.macrumors.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=329483&d=1331698929

 

[skuid87]

Hi all,

First off, I have to say that this is an amazing forum. I can’t believe that in all my years as a heavy Mac user, I’ve never come across these forums before!

This thread has been an excellent resource for information!

I’ve got a 2009 27” iMac. It’s a fairly powerful machine… Core i7 Quad core and 8GB RAM. But the bundled 1TB HDD has been holding my iMac back from unleashing it’s full potential!

So I’ve been looking at SSD’s for a while now, but couldn’t justify the cost. Then I got a fantastic deal so I jumped on it as soon as I could. I got a 240GB OCZ Vertex Plus Drive for a whopping £100. That’s around 40p per GB, which I think is a blinding deal.

Read through heaps of helpful information on this thread, brought the gear I needed for the upgrade and got started this weekend. I hit some snags and wanted to share my experience so it can help fellow forum users who may come across the same problems.

The main problem I had was updating the firmware of the SSD. I was replacing my Optical Drive and since the firmware update is applied via a bootable CD, I had to find another way to upgrade firmware.

So I tried using my friends old MacBook (2008). Mainly because it’s so easy to replace the HDD on the older Macbook’s as they have removable batteries and easy access to the HDD without having to open up the whole machine.

But this just didn’t work. Why? I couldn’t tell you. But we wasted hours trying to get the MacBook to pickup the HDD, and for the firmware disc to boot and flash the drive. It kept crashing, screwing up the partition; it was so intermittent and became incredibly frustrating. At one stage, I thought maybe my drive was faulty. Perhaps the hardware is just too old to handle the SSD. Not sure. But it just didn’t work.

In the end we decided to do it the hard way and open up my wife’s MacBook Pro. (we didn’t wanna do this initially as you have to open up the whole machine to get to the HDD, and the MBP was still under warranty). Followed a guide at iFixit, got the HDD installed and voila, everything worked perfectly. I was able to boot the firmware utility via CD and within minutes the firmware was upgraded!

Now, the iMac. Unless you’re very experienced, don’t attempt to open up this machine on your own. If you haven’t done it before, it’s definitely a two man job. The video guides make it look so easy, but it can get quite tricky.

In particular, getting the LCD/LED Screen up, and disconnecting the 4 cables that link it to the logic board. Once you’ve got it off, it’s fairly straightforward to work inside the iMac. I was only replacing the optical drive so I didn’t have take too much of the insides apart.

Got the Optical Drive out of the plastic caddy, popped in the SSD (inside an Optibay), connected all the cables back up, screen goes back on, pop the connecting cables back in (again, 2 man job. Get one person to hold the LCD screen, and another can focus on getting those cables in).

Fired her up. Installed Lion. Installation was smooth. And when it booted up for the first time… Wow!

If you guys are like me and have never experienced how fast this is in person, be prepared for a brilliant surprise! It’s EVEN faster that you expected!!! Truly amazing stuff. Got the apps installed (I wanted to keep a fresh install instead of restoring from backup).

It just goes to show how much of a performance bottleneck a traditional HDD is. Now I really do feel like I have a very fast, very powerful machine. Final Cut Pro started up within 2 seconds!

Only thing that I’ve yet to figure out, is how I’m going to organise my content across the drives. I want to keep my Music, Photos, Movies & Downloads on the old 1TB HDD. I can see it and all the content on it. But how do I setup OSX in my SSD to default to the relevant folders on the 1TB HDD? Particularly my iTunes Library.

Any advice/help would be greatly appreciated.

Hope my post helps those who are considering a 2009 iMac upgrade. If you have any questions, I’d be happy to help.

Thanks

 

[Offspring992]

I've been sifting through this thread looking for information on doing this with the Late 2009 21.5" iMac. I'm going to be replacing my HD with a Crucial M4 SSD, which just got delivered yesterday, along with their 8 gig RAM upgrade kit as well. I have everything I need for the install itself as far as the guide and tools are concerned. I know about updating the SSD's firmware (which is why I'm keeping my optical drive), however the part about the fans is where I'm confused. I'm looking online for replacement temperature sensor cables and I'm not sure which one to get.

There's this one: http://applecomponents.com/items/92...p-sensor/0000004777?pn=1&cmp=0172&per_page=30

I'm pretty sure this one will not work, because I don't think an SSD was even a BTO option for the late 2009 21.5" iMac, but if someone was able to get this to work, please let me know.

Lastly, there's also this cable: http://www.applecomponents.com/item...emp-sensor/0000004352?pn=1&s=9214&per_page=30

I have reason to believe that this would be the one I'll need if I don't plan on shorting the cable altogether, which I'm not opposed to doing either. Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[s2bo]

So I’ve been looking at SSD’s for a while now, but couldn’t justify the cost. Then I got a fantastic deal so I jumped on it as soon as I could. I got a 240GB OCZ Vertex Plus Drive for a whopping £100. That’s around 40p per GB, which I think is a blinding deal.

Where did you find a 240gb drive for £100!

Mind sharing that i was about to buy a 120gb one from ebuyer that just came on offer but id rather go for the 240gb one!

 

[skuid87]

Where did you find a 240gb drive for £100!

Mind sharing that i was about to buy a 120gb one from ebuyer that just came on offer but id rather go for the 240gb one!

Hi,

It was a deal on Currys website where they had the drive down from £250 to £200. I had a promotional gift card that gave me a £100 off any purchase over £200 at Currys, so I used that and got the drive for £100.

It’s not the latest drive on the market, its last gen. It’s also a SATA2 drive. But neither of those issues bothers me as my 2009 iMac only does SATA2 anyway. And even though it’s last gen, it’s still blazingly fast in comparison to my old HDD.

I’m very happy with this upgrade.

 

[police340]

Mac SSD Upgrades

I have a Lacie Thundrbolt drive that I replaced the two hard drives and used two SSD drives and loaded OSX. Although it worked I was leery of using the Thunderbolt with SSD's as the boot drive. What does anyone think of this idea? Is the Thunderbolt a fast alternative to mounting the SSD inside the computer? Thanks, Bill

 

[mrCide]

Just purchased an SSD for my 2009 iMac 27" -- my biggest concern is making sure I buy a decent bracket for it.

http://www.amazon.com/SILVERSTONE-S...3Z8E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1308456481&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002EJI6CO/ref=ox_ya_oh_product

These 2 were linked earlier, just wondering if anyone knows of one that's better and/or cheaper or should I just get one of these? Also, I assume no changes have been made to the standard install/jumper short/etc?

 

[Offspring992]

I purchased the Silverstone bracket for my 21.5" iMac. Installing it this weekend. I'll make a post on here to let you know how it goes.

 

[divamatt]

Hello all,

Like everyone, I'm waiting for the new iMac to come out, to replace my 2008 MBP (edit: late 2008 model). As I understand from reading user experiences, SSD is the way to go. As it happens my MPB is fitted with the optional SSD that was available in 2008.

Given that it's expensive to purchase a new drive (especially from apple), do you think it would be feasible to transfer the SSD in my MBP into a new iMac? Second, would it be a good idea? Is there a big difference between 2008 SSDs and today's SSDs?

Appreciate your feedback. I'm not at home so I can't identify the exact drive at the moment and it's not listed on the wikipedia page either... Also sorry if this is a repeat question, 26 pages is a lot to sift through!

 

[sinitry23]

Hi all,

I am about to upgrade my iMac late 2009 27inch with a SSD and max out my memory. Before I do so, would someone kindly point me in the right directions so I can install this correctly?

I would like to upgrade to a SSD hard drive and keep my current 1TB drive.

1. Will I need to remove my CD-Rom drive? If so where can I purchase an adapter for the CD-Rom drive to hold the SSD hard drive?

2. Will I need to purchase something for the fan sensor?

3. Are these hardware good for my upgrade?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167050

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148276

 

[gottria]

OCZ Agility 3 or OWC Mercury Electra 240GB

Looking at adding an SSD to my 27" late 2009 iMac and found a used OWCSSDMX240 from OWC for $200 but looking at pricing is the OCZ Agility 3 AGT3-25SAT3-240G 2.5" 240GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) from Newegg better, it's only a few bucks more and it's new. But have heard great things about the OWC drives.

Anyway, I plan on getting a caddie and removing the optical drive then reinstalling OSX on the SSD. I have everything backed up on the 1 TB drive so I'll wipe it clean and use it for all my pictures and music and crap.

 

[marcolino]

can somebody tell whats the thing with those SSDs?
is the imac just booting and starting programms faster or does an SSD make the imac also recognisable faster in any other way?

 

[kitsunestudios]

can somebody tell whats the thing with those SSDs?
is the imac just booting and starting programms faster or does an SSD make the imac also recognisable faster in any other way?

Yes. Opening, copying and saving files will be faster. Loading areas from the drive in games will be faster. Any time the system would otherwise need to hit the disk as a cache, scratch disk or paging RAM is going to be much faster.

 

[wagsrules]

Okay, so I've got a few questions:

1. Can you install an SSD in a 2011 21.5 2.5GHz iMac without replacing optical drive/origional HDD?

2. How hard is the install if you're fairly mechanically inclined?

3. Can you set the SSD to automatically download apps to it and other data to the HDD?

4. Can you connect SSD to iMac without shorting the temperature sensor wire?

5. Am I making any sense at all?

Thanks!


3rd gen iPod Touch 32 GB iOS 5.1, awful Toshiba Satellite ?.?? GHz Pentium, 2 GB RAM, 140 GB HDD (hopefully being replaced by said iMac and the new iPad)

I know this is a little late. I installed an ssd in my 2011 21.5 imac. It fits perfectly under the odd. There is also an extra sata connector on the logic board. I did not purchase the ssd power cable that would connect to the logic board. I just used an sata power splitter and powered it off the harddrive cable. You can purchase the power adapter and ssd mounting adapter from applecomponents.com or just tape it in like I did.

Just take your time removing the logic board to install the sata cable and you will be fine.

No need to short any temp sensors. Just leave the stock harddrive in place and you will have no issues.

 

[dimdur]

So I have been reading up on this subject and get somewhat conflicting info.

I have Late 2009 iMac 10.1 and I am thinking to REPLACE the original HDD with SSD. I first found an article on OWC that says this is not possible, due to the fact that Apple has changed HDD heat sensor connectors. Also, late 2009 iMacs have 3Gb/s SATA 2.0.

Then I am reading on here that you guys are just swapping drives and the only obstacle to this is the increased fan speed, which apparently can be controlled by a piece of software.

So, my question remains - is it possible to swap out original HDD for an SSD on late 2009 iMac? I do not want to put it into optical bay.

And if yes - then which SSD should I be looking for - all modern ones seem to be 6GB/s models - will they work? And do I need a convertor of some sort for SATA 2.0 connection?

Would appreciate help. And as I said before - I 'googled' this subject to death already so please consider this when sending links.

 

[rjackman]

I've just upgraded the ODD to a Samsung 830 256gb which I got for £140 in my late 2009 27" iMac. Found the upgrade quite easy and imo well worth doing its made it so fast now. If anyone has any questions please let me know.