Apple iMac Mid 2010 27" Hard Drive + SSD Upgrade Dual Drives
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- čas přidán 26. 10. 2013
- Video tutorial demonstrating the before and after effects on performance with an SSD upgrade on a mid-2010 Apple iMac quad core i7 desktop. The factory configuration of my iMac was a 1TB 7200 Western Digital Caviar Black drive but after running the hard drive for the past 3 years I opted to pull the trigger and install a secondary 256GB SSD boot drive to improve the boot and application loading times. My video shows a detailed step by step process will hopefully enable a person handy with tools to upgrade their iMac and breathe new life into their aging computer. Unlike the upgrade kit available from OWC that uses double sided sticky tape and non Genuine Apple components to perform the upgrade I opted to go the more pricey but FACTORY install path and ordered the bracket assembly, revised power cable and secondary SATA cable. All components can be sourced from www.applecomponents.com.
Apple Components part #:
922-9531 - Power Cable
922-9485 - SSD mounting bracket
922-9538 - 90 degree SATA cable
Other things you'll need:
SSD drive - bigger is probably better b/c their faster and you don't want to take this iMac apart again should you put in a drive that is too small. I opted for a 256GB version but if I could afford a 512GB I would've chose that.
4 - SSD drive mounting screws with flat heads. Don't buy tapered screws as you might have them rub against the chassis of the iMac. Make sure the screw threads are compatible with your SSD mounting holes.
Special thanks to Tobias @ for his awesome write up available at
www.twam.info/hardware/apple/i...
This CZcams video was a direct interpretation of his wicked write-up - Thanks again Tobias!
The SSD installed in my mid-2010 iMac is a Toshiba THNSNH Q series. This drive is a fairly new entrant into the retail market and it's performance is nothing short of blazing fast. For a desktop that is over 3 years I continue to be impressed by the i7's performance given the right resources.
The best part about this upgrade is that I was still able to keep my factory hard drive and set it up as a data store drive, not have to worry about the proprietary thermal sensor in the hard drive (aftermarket drives installed in place of the stock Apple provided drive results in fans going full speed).
Just make sure you have a electrostatic discharge mat/cord on you (I didn't have one so I touched the metal chassis a lot to ground myself) and also to download the TRIM enabler for OSX from www.groths.org
Key points to consider:
1. Super fast boot/application drive - SSD is used for that specific purpose.
2. Stock WD (Apple provided) 1TB 7200 RPM drive is kept in computer and can be now used reasonably fast data storage.
3. 100% stock Apple parts so it's like you're building an iMac like how the Apple factory would but at a fraction of the cost.
4. Cheap to do relative to what Apple charges to get BETTER performance SSDs.
5. YOU get to pick the SSD. You can buy fast and expensive, or cheap and affordable. The choice is YOURS not Apple's.
6. SSDs continue to drop in price and performance INCREASES so you benefit.
7. It's pretty easy to do.
8. TRIM support is enabled with a free TRIM enabler available at www.groths.org
Good luck and enjoy your new SSD! - Věda a technologie
This video is 7 years old but I'd still like to thank you for your effort to be crystal clear about what all of those connectors look like and how to avoid damaging them.
While it is 7 years old that my iMac to this day runs like new still! Extended the life of my computer much longer than I had anticipated. Glad you liked the video and good luck with the upgrades!
PIERCEDASIAN, I watched your video, oh so carefully, to upgrade my 2011 iMac with a new SDD and HDD...and your video was AWESOME! Well done....you da man! Thanks for posting, couldn't have done it without your help.
+Patrick Wolfe Glad the video worked for you!
I feel attention to detail is so critical. People sometimes complain that my videos are long and verbose but the reality is if you're working on something intricate wouldn't a viewer want details so they don't ruin their car/computer or whatever I am trying to teach?
I'm glad people like you appreciate the effort put into these tutorials.
Thanks for watching and if you like my channel feel free to subscribe :)
Excellent tutorial! You've done a great job on the video! Without a doubt the best video I've seen on the disassembly of the 27" iMac!
I am very happy that you liked my video. Best video for this particular iMac? LOL you're too kind :) Thanks for watching and don't forget to subscribe to see more Apple fix it videos.
Just wanted to say my mac works perfect and I would not be able to do this without your tutorial. Thanks!!!
+Yonatan H. Mishal glad you liked my video and may you enjoy many more years of being able to use your mac :)
thank you for your (cameraman and you) help with this process.
you're very welcome!
It's also nice to see someone take pride in their work!
yes, I can't stand it when I see people hack their cars just to fix it so that it is "good enough" or that "it works now". Never believed in fixing this half @ss. Fix it right the first time so your car continues to be reliable and safe.
I think I'm going to try all this process.
Thanks for the information provided.
Best of luck!
Very good! Really enjoyed your presentation and smooth conversation style, easy to follow along. Thank you.
@ Rajesh Gautam - thanks!
This was very informative and educational. Thanks a lot for this video, great work!
you're welcome!
@@piercedasian what about 21,5 inch mid 2010
The most carefully explained and detailed breakdown video I've seen for those enthusiasts that are prepared to go the extra mile to achieve a factory upgrade result - Setting aside a day to do this complete with 'flight check lists' from the video - great work :)
Thanks Mike! Yes attention to detail is SUPER important when working on any Apple product especially an iMac that once retailed for over $2000. Their connectors and components are so tiny and delicate that it only takes one slip up to destroy your computer so I took ZERO chances on my setup. I've seen others "hack" their upgrades and quite frankly it isn't worth the money and risk in doing so. I'm all about mimicking what came from the factory :)
piercedasian Absolutely - as I was watching your video my mantra became - Do it Right, Do it Once!
Good! Now keep chanting that while fixing cars.
Our woodwork teacher used to say 'Measure twice, cut once' I'd say the principle applies to all jobs!
ABSOLUTELY true. You can NEVER be too careful especially when working with ultra fine electronics that costs an arm and a leg to replace.
The best I've ever seen, great breakdown video
Glad you liked the video.
Hello Piercedasian, I just successfully replaced a 256GB SSD with a 1TB SSD in my mid 2011 27 iMac with a 1TB drive. Your video was extremely helpful, even though 2 of the LCD screen connectors were different than on your model. Thank you very much for making and posting this video. I hope Your eyes heal well soon. Good Luck :)
TWH you're very welcome. Thanks for watching an my apologies for not seeing your post from 2 months ago!
useful thorough and informative. Thanks!
Glad you liked the vid!
Awesome video! I admire your work ethic and attention to detail. You are the kind of guy I would love to work with! Thank you for this informative video.
Kevin Colson I'm all about the details! Knowledge is power and the more information one is equipped with the better they are to tackle a complex job like this. Some say I'm overly verbose and drawn out but my view on things is "know it and know it well so you don't f*ck up!". Thanks for watching :)
great work. Thanks for sharing
@ Grigoris Giarelis - you're very welcome!
@ Brandon Fischer - Have 8GB of RAM in my iMac today. What is ironic is that I once had 12GB installed with just the spinning hard drive and despite me taking away 4GB of RAM from my system (now 8B) with and SSD you'd be shocked at how much faster it is. SSD is worth EVERY penny and will make my iMac last at least another 2-3 years.
So helpfull! Thanks!
Glad it was helpful!
@ Shagen Marck - if you're referring to the grey and black cable in my hand at 24:40 that is the factory hard drive cable and that goes into the pins on the hard drive. Look at 12:07 in my video and you'll see the block shaped black ended connector on the grey/black cable goes into a specific pin on the hard drive. Hope that helps.
Thank you again. Just replaced my WD HDD with a SSD. Now I am all SSD. Watched the video again on how to remove the LCD display. Great resource.
Glad you found my video useful! Yeah doesn’t changing your system over to SSD make the world of difference ? I love my iMac still and it is so awesome with an SSD. It is t as fast as a new computer but for the most part it gets the job done well!
I now have dual SSD’s. I did the big upgrade per your video 3 years or so ago.
Yeah dual SSD is da bomb but I find that having two SSDs limiting on the computer because of the smaller capacities as compared to traditional platter drives. I have a 1TB SSD and a 5TB WD Black series performance drive. 6TB of total storage on my computer is perfect for what I use it for - lots of video editing for CZcams!
@@piercedasian Ive just watched your video and I am now convinced I need to upgrade as my 2010 imac(27inch) is way too slow and Im starting to do a lot more video editing(just a beginner). Would you be so kind to share details of your recent upgrades. "I have a 1TB SSD and a 5TB WD Black series performance drive. 6TB of total storage on my computer" what brand are those ? Thank you for your help
many thanks ! good post
you're most welcome!
Nice. Just used this to successfully upgrade my mid 2010 27" imac with a crucial 500GB SSD. Managed to fish out the SD card that was stuck in the DVD drive at the same time. Now to figure out how to triple boot OSX, Windows, and Linux on this much faster computer.
glad it worked out for you! Putting an SSD into any older computer makes a HUGE difference in performance as the speed of the system is limited to the slowest component. My iMac was very quick at processing but when it came to writing to disk or accessing it (i.e video editing or other drive intensive tasks) the system would grind to a halt. With SSD that never happens :)
I'm using this video guide nine years after you made it and I can easily say it's the best, clearest and most concise computer video on CZcams. I love how you speak clearly and proceed in a logical order, showing every screw and every cable that has to be removed. It is fantastic. I found a mid-2010 27" iMac that a silly neighbour had put on the street with a bunch of old furniture to be collected by the council (here in London, UK). I grabbed it, took it home and it actually worked. I needed to reinstall OS but all good. Slow as molasses, so I'm installing an SSD thanks to this video, upgrading from the stock i3 CPU to an i7-870 CPU (that I bought on eBay for £9) and adding 16GB of ram. I already used Opencore Legacy Patcher to install Ventura, and I'll use Bootcamp to install Win 10 so I'll have a modern and versatile machine (if all goes well). Thank you so much. You've helped a lot of people with this excellent video.
So glad you found the video useful and informative! Yes this video I would agree is the most comprehensive around and that was by design since there is ZERO room for error when working on anything Apple. I actually was going to do a CPU replacement video to show how you can upgrade the graphics card, CPU and SSD on a 2011 iMac but figured the computer is so old now that most folks probably won't be interested in doing this upgrade at this point. How do you find the opencore legacy patcher to install ventura? Do you find it slow on the computer b/c Ventura requires a considerable amount of processing power to even run just the OS. I'd be interested in hearing more about your experiences.
@@piercedasian The installation process with Open Legacy Patcher took a long time because my iMac is so slow. Once Ventura was installed it was so slow it made the iMac kind of unusable. But this could be because I only have 4GB of RAM currently installed and because my iMac has the slow i3 chip which, combined with the old platter hard disc drive means everything is slow. Once I upgrade the CPU and install the SSD, I will see if the 2 x 8GB memory sticks will work. They didn’t work with my iMac as it was originally configured because the 2010 i3 27 inch iMac requires 4 x 4GB ram modules if going to 16GB of RAM. The 2010 27 inch iMac with the i7 CPU from the factory will accept 2 x 8GB ram modules. That model also comes with a better GPU, than my i3 model. I’m not sure why only the i7 model accepts the 2 x 8GB ram modules. There must be other differences maybe in the firmware that account for this. When I upgrade to the i7 CPU, I hope it will work with my 2 x 8GB modules, but it may not. It depends on whether it is CPU dependent or if it’s dependent on something else on the motherboard, or in whatever firmware or BIOS equivalent the iMac runs with. We will see when I get further down the road. I have limited time to do all this, so it’s taking me quite a long time to get through all the steps. But I will report back here when I’m finished.
I’ve installed the Intel i7 CPU along with the SSD while also keeping the old hard disk drive. With the i7 CPU I am able to utilize the two x 8 GB RAM modules I bought alongside the existing two x 2 GB modules. So I have a total of 20 GB of RAM. While the 8 GB modules would not work with the original i3 CPU, they work fine with the i7 CPU. So this clarifies that there is nothing stopping the use of 8GB modules in this model iMac except for the CPU. I had thought that maybe there was something on the logic board that was a factor but apparently not. So that’s great news. Although the SSD is installed. I haven’t set it up yet. I’ve been having a bit of trouble, so I need to sort some things out before I will set up the SSD. But as it is, with the i7 CPU and the 20 GB of RAM it’s much faster than the old set up, even using the existing old hard disk drive. I’m sure the SSD will make it blazing fast once I have it all set up with the operating system installed. For some reason my CPU fan is blowing at full speed yet the Mac fan control software says it is at zero RPM and I cannot control it with the software. I have researched this and there is a little resistor that I might have accidentally knocked off the logic board. So I need to take it apart again to see if that little resistor is missing. if it is, I can get a replacement and hopefully solder it onto the board. It is not the hard drive fan that is running at full speed. It is the CPU fan so this resistor that I read about could be the reason. So I have more work to do but so far , I’m on the right track. And I probably couldn’t have done it without your amazing video, so thank you very much. I’ll check back in after I finished all the work and let you know how it all goes. PS - the above comment by PunkRockHopper is also me. I wrote that when I was logged in with a different username without realizing it.
Minuscule, not musical!
Hey, I did the OCLP upgrades to my computers and am pleased to day that I managed to upgrade 5 old Macs to Monterey without any issues. The computers are back to being in a useable state and since I had beefed up the RAM and installed SSDs in them ages ago that the upgrade went a LOT faster and better than I ever expected. I only had 1 Mac that just had 8GB of RAM with a old slow spinny drive (2011 Mac mini) and that was a BEAR to install but once things got going it was pretty quick once it booted up.
Excellent
glad you liked it :)
Many thanks for making this video. After watching it I finally grew the balls to open up my 2010 iMac and pimp it up with a Xeon X3470, a Samsung EVO 850 SSD and a 4Tb Seagate SSHD (original thermal sensor works fine). Even kept the DVD drive. The machine now flies and should last me another 5 years. Only minor drag is I can't add USB 3.0.
+Chang-kuk Park say whoa? You put in a XEON processor? Please do explain as I've never looked into this before. I'm currently running an i7 2.93 GHz but I would sure love to run a XEON chip to buy me MORE time with my beloved old school mac. I recently priced out a new top end iMac and I'm breaking $4k after taxes - OUCH! Can you share with us the thermal sensor that you reused? Did your HDD have an external temp sensor? What vintage of iMac did you do this on? On my iMac the HDD temp sensor is internal to the drive so I couldn't re-use it hence why I left the stock 1TB drive in my iMac. I actually purchased an optical drive external temp sensor/cable assembly that I didn't install at the time (lazy + I didn't have a new ultra capacity HDD at the time to put in anyways).
+piercedasian. the x3470 is actually very similar in spec to the i7 870. main difference is that the i7 has built in graphics (which the imac doesn't use) and the Xeon can use ecc RAM. i used it as it was cheaper than an i7 870. my mac 27 is a mid 2010. i read somewhere that if you use the same brand HDD as the one fitted then you can plug the original thermal sensor cable straight in to the drive. So I swapped the 1TB Seagate Barracuda for a 4TB Seagate hybrid SSHD and have no fan issues. on your video your WD hdd thermal sensor connector looks different to mine. I used the OWC kit to fit the SSD. Not tidy but did the job.
interesting.... I'll have to double check my hard drive. When I was doing the install I did lot of research on the stock HDD and I've heard of some stories where individuals like yourself were able to swap the drives with the same manufacturer and it worked. I've also however, read that others weren't so lucky so I guess it depends on how the system was configured from the factory. Is there a benefit for a mac to use ECC ram? Isn't ECC ram technically slower b/c of the extra parity check it has to do when reading/writing from RAM? Is the Xeon any faster? If the chip is faster then what speed did you install and up to how fast can I really go? I'm running i7 quad 2.93 GHz. Thanks for your advice.
So.. IT'S POSSIBLE!!! Thanks bro!
you bet it is. 2009-2011 iMacs can definitely be done. I can remember if 2012 models can as well so you'll have to double check. Different model years have different cabling requirements.
I'm not the greatest at trying to figure out how these threads work lol.
So from my research it seems that the 2009 and 2010 definitely had that issue with the hard drive not being able to use the same cable. But I do remember when I went on to Other World Computing's website, they did have a digital inline thermal sensor cable for the 2011 IMac.
And yes I of course have to agree with you, some of those parts are so wafer thin no wonder why I ended up damaging that stupid SATA cable.
Look forward to your next video and hopefully your eyes will get better. That is one of the reasons that I am petrified to even try what you did. I applaud your bravery
yeah Apple likes to change things up OFTEN and that is very true with their iMacs and the interchangeability of parts. I've lost track of what works and what doesn't but I have scoured the internet for others experiences before I even remotely attempted the SSD install in my iMac and even then I was nervous as heck as my computer cost me a pretty penny when I purchased it new. Thanks for the kind words, I'll do my best to keep new content coming on my channel but as I've said to so many of my viewers my vision is just messed up right now that I can't really edit and publish new content. In time I'm sure I'll have some new Apple goodies.
HI Pierce, I think I may have missed something here. I followed your video very closely, but must have missed the important 'installing software' bit. Having physically installed the SSD successfully what's the next stage, i.e. do I have to re-install the OS onto the SSD and make software changes to the boot sequence etc? Is there a video showing detail of the full process? Thanks for a great video.
bravo maestro!
thank you!
I wish I had seen this video first. I used OWC's instructional video for my SSD upgrade - less work but I had to use a dental mirror to see the backside of the logic board and the orientation of the SATA port.
Apple definitely wants to discourage DIY upgrades. I had to buy new glass after shattering the original while trying to close a gap at the top. Also, I tore the display connector from the logic board while trying to secure the cable. A couple of bent pins but no real damage. I had to pay big bucks to have the port soldered back in place.
Great video. When I finally work up the nerve to discombobulate my iMac, I'll have this video standing by.
Just think... this particular generation of mac is already MUCH easier to work on compared to their latest offerings. There is a reason I'm still typing on a mac from 2010... it's b/c it is AWESOME and works like new still. That sucks that you damaged your mac. Hopefully the fixes will last you until the computer is obsolete and unusable. That being said, I'm glad you have an SSD in your mac. Makes it run like new doesn't it?
You are a STAR!!! Thanks for super effort on the video, it’s great to see someone who knows what they are doing while they work!! All processes and actions very well explained.
I had resigned myself to living with the internal dust smudges on the screen’s glass (an inherent fault on this model, as I’m sure you know), after consulting a local apple repair center who refused to give it a go on cleaning (3 years back)…. I then figured if they wouldn’t do it then why would I even try to give it a go. (I do auto mechanics, but electronics shit me up) Now that I know how “easy”, although delicate, the process is, I’m willing to give it a go (go figure… screen glass held in by magnets! LOL)….unfortunately I’m all thumbs, super extra care I guess.
Are there any hangups/ performance issues installing a greater capacity SSD (Samsung 1TB+) than the originally purposed 256 GB SSD and (while I’m at it) replacing my 2 TB HDD with a... 6TB (HGST) (as long as they both have a SATA connections) ?
Thanks before hand.
Can you suggest an Apple moders forum (if it exists)?
+BeaverBill, I don't blame you for having such apprehension on taking apart your mac. It is after all piece of equipment when purchased new over $2K so I'm pretty sure ANYONE (myself included) would be a bit ancy tearing into the unit. Keep in mind that my iMac remained stock up until my warranty expired. I was fortunate that my iMac did not have any dust or fingerprints on the inside glass. The challenge with working on any Apple product are the ultra tiny parts and the lack of able lengths such that it gives you tons of play to work with. Due to Apple's ongoing quest to make things sleeker and slimmed down it makes them THAT much harder and daunting to work with.
In regards to your question about upgrading the internal HDD. Just remember that if you decide to swap out your stock hard drive that it isn't exactly as straight forward as you're led to believe. The stock Apple HDD is a proprietary drive that has a built in internal temperature sensor that communicates to your iMac via a twisted pair cable. If memory serves me it is a black and grey cable. The problem with having a proprietary design like this is when you put in a new HDD that isn't supplied by Apple that it lacks this communication pin and firmware and thus the iMac thinks your hard drive is overheating and runs the iMac's cooling fans at full speed.
Here are the workarounds that are known to work:
1. SMC fan control
2. Keep the factory hard drive in place and just install a large SSD instead.
3. Purchase an iMac optical drive external temperature sensor and replace the entire HDD temp sensing cable assembly with the new cable/external temperature sensor and then using some rubber cement "tack" the external sensor onto the HDD (preferably close to the drive' s motor). The external temp sensor is really just a thermistor but it has to fall within the same spec as what the iMac's internal HDD thermistor's resistance values otherwise the fans will get all weird on you. Ironically I have this optical drive temperature sensing cable but I never installed in my iMac b/c I'm still using the stock hard drive. That being said I have NOT confirmed that this cable/sensor swap works but I suspect it will. Aside from temperature sensing capabilites are concerned an desktop SATA drive will work just fine in your iMac.
I hope my explanation helps,
Good luck and remember to not be too nervous and TAKE YOUR TIME. Doing a proper swap took me a long time to complete but it worked the very first time. I've heard of stories of people rushing their upgrade only to find out they ruined their computers b/c they busted a connector off of their logic board.
+BeaverBill Yikes I haven't hung out in a macintosh forum for years and it has been so long that I can't even remember which one used to hang out in... sorry.
GREAT STEP BY STEP!!!! Just installed my Samsung 850 Pro (512 GB) in my mid-2010 iMac. I would not have even tried to do it without this video!!!!! Watched it MULTIPLE TIMES prior to starting this project. A couple of modifications to the install that worked well.
1) I plugged in the SSD power and data cables just prior to re-fastening the logic board. I did this as I was aligning the logic board. BTW inserting USB/Firewire cables is a great tip!
2) I kept the HDD temp sensor on the HDD and removed it from the logic board like the rest of the temperature sensors
3) I used small "Post It" notes to label the wires, probably overkill but did not want to chance mixing one up.
4) I used "latex" gloves when handling the monitor and used the original wrapping/iMac box to house the glass/monitor during the install.
5) This guide is also a helpful reference: tim.id.au/laptops/apple/imac/imac_27_mid10.pdf
6) I used painters tape to tape the wires down. Makes the installation of the logic board easier. The wires do not move around when realigning the logic board.
7) TAKE NOTES watching this video and TAKE NOTES during disassembly.
glad your install was a success! thanks for sharing the tips with our viewers :)
Can not believe the speed after the upgrade. I put my current Aperture library on the SSD drive. Aperture opens and the library comes up literally instantaneously. It is like having a brand new computer. Thanks again for taking the time to create, edit and post the video.
Having an SSD sure makes an older computer feel like new again. My 2010 iMac to this day runs as fast as the new iMacs at the Apple store do so there isn't any incentive for me to replace my 4 year old computer just yet :) SSD for Aperture? You may find you'll run out of space on that SSD sooner than you realize. I put my Aperture library onto the old fashioned spinning hard drive as my library would never fit on an SSD but that is just me :)
I separate my Aperture libraries so they are relatively small in size. I separate by year so they are around 50-75 GB each. The current year is on the SSD, historical ones are on the HDD. You are absolultey correct about the iMac performing like new ones. .
ah gotcha. I separate by year as well however, the libraries in my case are generally 200GB or more / year but that is because I am trigger happy and I occasionally shoot events for people which of course can take up a LOT of space.
Great video. The real test was determining how much all the intricate and delicate upgrade work that you had to do paid off in performance at the end -- boy did it ever!
The only thing you glossed over was what you did with the OS and apps installations to get all the speed. Did you reformat everything and start from scratch?
Hi Chris, yes it was a complete fresh install of the then latest OS and apps but I have done subsequent SSD installs with a direct clone of the old rotating drives contents with near exact speed results. Nothing special about my particular install. Just put my OS and apps back on and voila - speed daemon!
Hi Pierce, it was so helpful to finally watch a video where you had a separate video person. Zooming in on those details is extremely helpful for a novice such as myself. My concern is the thermal cable to the hard drive. I've read on other blogs that the aftermarket hard drive they purchased would not allow them to plug in that thermal cable so I hope that maybe it's because they didn't pay attention to the orientation. Do you have any recommendations as to what regular spinning hard drive I can purchase for my 2010 iMac smaller monitor 21.5 A1311 EMC 2389
hi dcwatashi - sorry it took forever to reply. I finally am able to "see again" after my eye surgery. Hard drive? Western Digital Black series drives. They're fast they inexpensive and truly the most reliable brand I've used. I would've said Seagate years ago but in the last 5 years all my drives that have failed were Seagates from various vintages. Thankfully I back everything up but I'm not likely going to be purchasing any Seagates anytime soon. WD drives have NEVER failed me once and I think I've purchased at least 15 WD drives of various capacities and they're often continually running for more than 5 years at a time with moderate to heavy use and they're still ticking away just fine. For the thermal cable issue there is a work around - you can either use a program like SMC fan control which is a software solution that will force the fans to ramp down (not ideal) or you can go online and purchase a "DVD ROM drive temp sensor" and then stick it to the side of your new rotating hard drive and plug the pigtail end into the logic board. The proprietary manufactured Apple drives basically has the same sensor built inside the drive and that is what your cables connect to but if you replace it with a standard replacement drive it will NOT have the internal temp sensor which will send your iMac fans into overdrive. Easy fix. Hope that helps!
Hi, I'm performing a similar upgrade to my iMac and want to use the OEM hard drive for data storage. With a 256GB SSD, did you install a clean copy of the OS? I imagine a clone from the OEM HD would be too large for the new SSD. Also, did you redirect your main folders to the data storage drive (pictures, music, movies)?
@ Chris Topher - I agree, Apple makes beautiful well made machines BUT it can be a PITA to get into. I get it however, that with the designs they use it IS super compact and the average person may not be skilled enough or possess enough know how on how to dissect a mac without destroying it. Wouldn't be any different than someone trying to upgrade a PC laptop as I'm sure the micro component designs would be similar.
help me please!
where do I connect a cable that you hold? at 24:40 seconds
thanks.
Hi there very useful your video. I opened and trying to swap the drives with a new one ssd but unable as it’s not 2.5 inch the original drive. Is better to leave the original inside as it’s one terabyte as for files and the new ssd run the whole software to be faster?
that is how my iMac is setup today. I run all applications and operating system on my 1TB SSD and all my data on a newly installed 5TB HDD. I've since modded my iMac some more but you're on the right track where the SSD is the OS/APP drive and the old HDD is the data drive.
nice step by step as people mentioned but shame about the camera man ! felt like was on a small boat!! lol but very well explained
Yeah sorry about the filming... the fellow helping me was a noob when it came to filming things. I tried to salvage the best of what I had as there was also a lot of junk I had to remove...
Please, did you know if there is an video card for the 27" screen ? I would like to use the screen for another purpose.
thankyou for any response.
the video card is integrated into the logic board on this particular mac.
Hi. Great job. Im gonna perform this kind og upgrade on a 2011 mid, but i dont want to buy the expensive "kit". Can you tell me what tools i will need to do this ? Thanks
I can't remember off the top of my head but in the video it does state exactly what screwdriver I was using. The Mac Mini's use torx bits. You'll have to go through my video one more time to confirm the sizes.
Thanks,
So do you have to keep the old HDD installed? If so, do you have a video or other reference you can recommend that details the process for changing the boot drive to the newly installed SSD and moving my applications and files over? If not, is it best to keep the HDD and use it as a local time capsule or use it for storage (I already have a 3T Time Capsule on the network). Thanks in advance, and this is a great video.
I kept the old HDD installed so that I have lots of data storage space + the proprietary hard drive has the built in temperature sensor so that my fans don't go on the fritz when I power the system back up. I use the built in 1TB drive as my data drive. To change boot drive just go an install OSX on the new SSD drive and then when you boot the computer you can go to system preferences ->startup disk-> pick the drive you want OSX to boot from. How I did it was I had OSX and my original boot drive still booting the computer. I used a USB stick to install a fresh copy of my OS on the SSD and then when all was completed I booted the computer with the old HDD and changed the boot drive to the new SSD and then went into disk utility to re-format my old boot drive so I could use it strictly as a data drive. The obvious thing before doing all of this is make sure you have full backups of all your data + the proper install disks for your applications.
Hey hopefully you see this fairly soon, I have a Mid 2011 27" iMac and wanting to add my 500gb SSD to replace the optical drive. I plan to look at a 2tb main HD sometime, but for now the ssd is my main aim. Do you know what cables i need? If they are the same as here at all? I have the screwdrive set
sdas sads yikes! I can't say that I know exactly what cables you'll need. Best place to probably look is OWC as they actually having wiring kits pre-made (not necessarily exact Apple ones but they work well). Sorry I couldn't be more help.
do you think el capitan has slow down your system if you have this OS X install I believe el capitan is a crap of an OS X
+atabeylive I'm not sure if El Capitan is a crap OS. It depends on how much ram you have and how old your system is. I will continue to upgrade OSX versions until my computer is no longer supported which I suspect will be by 2017. I think El Capitan right now supports mac hardware dating back as far as 2009 so given Apple's track record of new OSX releases my iMac will be done for (as far as upgrades are concerned) by 2017. My iMac has not shown any appreciable slow downs in speed. My SSD still performs lightning fast and my apps and overall system stability is still top notch.
What would make an extreme fan scream after the IMac mid 2010 has been on for a while? Do you think it is the case temp sensor?
one of the temp sensors is not connected properly. Fans go to full speed when there is a missing temperature reference.
Does 922-9485 - SSD mounting bracket work for mid 21.5-inch 2011 also?
no that bracket won't work. In fact you cannot add a 2nd hard drive to the 21.5 inch 2011 iMac UNLESS you have a iMac that is specifically EMC 2428. EMC 2428 versions of the 2011 21.5" iMac had an extra SATA port on the logic board to allow you to install the 2nd hard drive. How you'd install your SSD into your iMac (assuming you have EMC 2428) is you'd use double sided sticky tape to glue to drive to the backside of the optical drive. Hope that helps.
The question:.It is any way to take outside of the computer the conection sata and the power cables.To use the SSD out side..that way I can change the SSD at any time more easy..
any suggestions you can help me..THANK YOU..
you can cut a hole on the bottom air intake grill like how OWC would do it but I haven't personally done it myself in that manner.
All the hole on the bottom of the back is for is the sata cable to stick through and you can then connect the cable to the logic board. I've seen it done before.
i know this is really old but I was wondering if you can fully replace the original HDD and replace it with the SSD and use that as the main hard drive? not just a secondary drive?
absolutely you can! You will however, need to purchase a separate thermal sensing cable and stick that onto the SSD drive if you don't want your fans to go full speed (due to the lack of the proprietary apple HDD with the built in thermistor).
I'd like to ask, if this the same way in iMac 27" Mid 2011 to install HD + SSD Dual Drive?
thanks
fundamentally the same however, the cables used is different. If you search online you'll be able to figure out the difference but I know the cables are not the same as the 2010 iMac.
Hey man piercedasian I'm thinking of updating my iMac I have the same model and would like to update the ram and SSD which SSD drive would you recommend and which matters should I take note of in terms of compatibility.
Hmm, the thing I look for in SSD isn't necessarily RAW speed performance but the drives with the best warranty AND the most number of writes to disk life. At the time when I made this video the big contenders were the Intels and the Samsung SSDs but the costs were too much at the time. By fluike this Toshiba drive came to market and it had a good balance of memory write life and decent warranty and a good price. My personal rule of thumb is to never pay more than approximately $0.50 a GB of storage otherwise you're paying too much. SSDs are a LOT better today than what they were even just 2 years ago so your selection is MUCH better.
Hi, Thank you very much for this very informative and thorough video. You mentioned that you would have opted a 512GB if you can that time. I am wondering if this iMac can support 1TB SSD with now more faster speeds new release models. Thanks again :)
The size off SSD doesn't matter as much as the quality of the SSD and the careful install of it. To my knowledge this iMac can easily support a 3TB rotating platter drive so I can't imagine it NOT supporting a 1 TB SSD.
I guess time will tell when I have to crack this puppy open again one day to put in a bigger and better SSD. The only thing I can't stand with the latest OSX is that you can't install a trim enabler that helps keep the SSD memory blocks optimized. This is a significant flaw in macs (deliberate by apple IMHO) and the fellow that once wrote an awesome trim enabler program can't seem to get a work around to the KEX signing in the latest release of Apple's OSX.
Oh well, I guess SSDs are so cheap now that even if I fried one 5 years from now that chances are I got my money's worth out of it.
piercedasian Thanks a lot for taking time to reply, I already bought a 1TB SSD Samsung EVO and oh yes SSD is a lot cheaper now about half the price two years ago. :)
that is a awesome SSD. That was actually my first pick before the Toshiba but the cost of the Samsung EVO at the time was pretty pricey. Honestly for what I use my SSD for chances are I'm not going to notice that extra 1ms load time from one SSD to the next. What I liked about the Samsung SSDs were the throughputs and the # of write cycles their memory would be good for. I'm sure your iMac's life would be long over before a typical SSD would fail.
helo piercedasian, please, I installed a 250gb intel SSD but now the screen of my iMac does not work. I see by the sound that the Mac is running but the screen just stopped working, is completely black! Please can you help me? Does blew some cable?
Note my iMac is exactly like yours. Thank you
triple check your super thin ribbon cable connector for the screen. They can pop out quite easily during the reassembly process. Also did you make sure the power supply connectors were all plugged in firmly? the power supply of the iMac and the screen are in the same area so you may want to go back and double check your work.
Now that SSD prices are falling, thinking about replacing the WD 1TB drive with another SSD. Can this be done? And what about the HDD temp sensor? Your thoughts are always appreciated!
Ah, I recently did an upgrade like what you've EXACTLY described. I have a 1TB SSD in conjunction with a 5TB WD black drive. Absolutely can be done as long as you have the SSD bracket for the main drive AND you also purchase an optical drive temperature sensing cable. You'll need to stick that onto the outside of the drive. The fans as a result of that won't run to max speed because it has a temperature reference reading for your HDD. There are caveats to this upgrade... how you implement the temperature sensing will greatly depend on what model year your iMac is. I'm replying to CZcams on my newly upgraded iMac.
I wish I had seen this before I bought the OWC kit, however I am using a different HDD as the original Toshiba was replaced under warranty and the new one failed after only two years. So I am using a 2Tb Western Digital instead, plus a Crucial MX500 which is really skinny and small. It seems the latest HDD dont have the port for the original temp sensor wire even if they are the same brand as in the Mac when new so the OWC thermal cable is required. So to use the OWC kit requires a jumble of wires utilising both Y splitter, thermal cable and data cable. Just wondering if you think using the tray and updated harness from Applecomponents would be better. Then I would only need to use the OWC thermal cable. A lot more work but a tidier solution. Also is it absolutely necessary to take out the power supplies in order to remove the logic board assy? It looked like the logic board could be removed with the power supplies in place?
yikes I'm so behind in my responses to my viewer's questions! Hopefully my response will still be helpful... it depends on your Mac. It sounds like yours is a 2010 model as well and if that is the case I personally would go with the apple components solution as how I've done it b/c it fully mimics how the factory would've done it. That being said, it really depends on your installation. My installation for example is similar to yours where I have a traditional spinny hard drive drive (5TB WD black) that doesn't have the thermal sensor and then I have the special y adapter cable for the power for the SSD I installed. I used a optical drive thermal sensing cable and stuck that onto my new WD HDD to ensure my Mac continues to see a proper HDD temperature and so far so good!
If you have a 2011 iMac then the OWC kit is a definitely requirement since the thermal sensing and SATA cable are all integrated together and you can't spoof out the thermal sensing the same way as how I did it for my 2010 iMac.
Thanks, in the end the WD HDD had an onboard sensor but the cable end is different to the Toshiba cable so I used the OWC thermal sensor. I went with the OWC kit and the really difficult part was stuffing all the cabling in as the Y splitter and extra cable for the thermal sensor are bulky. In the end I got it all in and the computer is really great. Yes its a mid 2010 so I have effectively extended its life again. Although High Sierra will be the last system update I will be able to use as their next iteration will only work with 2012 onwards. BTW the thermal sensor works better than the Toshiba original drives onboard one which used to run the fans faster. I think the OWC sensor does a better job of sensing the real temp, although it could be that because O have the op sys on the SSD the HDD is not doing any work and thus runs cool anyway.
Do you have the the partnumbers, @piercedasian? Good video btw :)
all the part #'s are listed in the description of the video.
So, in this case the SSD doesn't need a temp sensor?
Also, if installing ONLY the SSD doesn't need the temp sensor?
Great video, very detailed, thanks
+Isidoro Maich you are correct. If you're installing an SSD in conjunction with the stock hard drive like how I did it then you don't need to worry about installing a temperature sensor.
I have a NEW imac video coming out showing how to completely circumvent the stock hard drive temperature issue and make it work EXACTLY as designed from factory. Simple implementation but now my iMac has a 5TB hard drive :)
+piercedasian thanks bud! your detailed videos are pure gold. Wow! 5TB... I must see that!
yep, I have completed the upgrade along with a few other things but I've just go to do the edit of the vid so that it can be made to be presentable...
Hello, i have a question, do you need an addiotional sensor for the ssd drive?
Chris RG nope, if you're SSD is the secondary drive that you're ADDING in then no additional cables required other than ones specified in my video. If you're replacing the primary drive and removing the factory apple drive then you'll need to jury rig an EXTRA sensor cable (not mentioned in the video) to prevent the fans from going all crazy on you when you boot up your mac.
Make sure you document everything that is going on with your eyes just in case you have to go to court! I feel for ya
yep, got all my information in a file. To be honest it is my own body doing weird things to me and not the doctor performing the treatment. Just a nuisance that things are progressing SOOOO slowly.
also i cant find the bracket you have, i have checked the apple store and can not see it. do you have a link?
stuprint182 search on google "applecomponents.com" That is where I purchased my original OEM fit bracket. Apple store definitely won't sell you anything like that as Apple's stance is "if you didn't order it from us that way then too bad - buy a new computer".
Followed this video step by step to install my SSD. piercedasian literally covered every single step and actually made installing the SSD a fun project. If you want a short video demonstrating the effects of the SSD I made one you can check out here: Should you install an SSD (Solid State Drive)?
Glad you liked my video. Thanks for sharing your video - useful vid for those wondering how much faster an SSD drive is over a traditional spinning platter hard drive.
2011 mid 21.5 model 4gb ram, 500 gb hdd . Do these procedures apply?
it would be very similar but you'd be best to look online for someone that has done a detailed write up as the cable locations would be different. Last thing you want to do is tear into your computer and then break it.
Hey There, firstly thanks for the info and secondly, I'm beginning to edit 4K video on my 2010 and it's killing my drive, it bogs down so slow it's agonizing! Will this upgrade help alleviate this issue? What's your opinion? Thanks in advance!
SSDs and maxing out your RAM would be a good start however, the problem with trying to edit 4k video is the sheer size of 4K video files. I personally haven't edited any 4k myself but when I have to I can promise you that I will likely be buying a new top of the line iMac to do it. Buying the biggest and fastest SSD in conjunction with 32GB of RAM will probably help you squeak by but chances are you'll fare better with a new iMac that is purpose built to handle 4k video. I'm waiting for 4k editing to become the mainstream so that when I buy a new computer that the hardware inside will have NO issues processing my content. My iMac from 2010 believe it or not was actually purchased specifically to edit 1080 video as my 2006 iMac just couldn't do it no matter what I upgraded it with.
+kendawgz fitness Hey mate, have you done this upgrade yet with new SSD? Keen to know what your experience is like with editing 4K video and weather its smooth or not. I'm trying to put off having to buy a new Mac or Build a Hackintosh.
Fujiboy99 I thought to myself prior to the upgrade would it be worth it? Hell to the No!!!! If I did attempt to swap out the drive for an SSD...not only would I have been frustrated, I'd have more gray hairs, be pissed off at the mess.....and screaming at the top of my lungs "why the hell I didn't just buy a new one?" Therefore, I just went out and got the retina 5K iMac. Editing on external thunderbolted LaCie SSD's and 32 GB RAM....this sucker sails through town without you even knowing! Thanks to piercedasian for going through the upgrade affording me!
Cheers for the info, what spec did you end up get for your iMac? Eg what internal HDD option did you choose and did you get model with AMD GPU? If so which one? Thanks again.
Thunderbolt SSD win..No disassembly required. Faster than the onboard SATA port. No chance of killing your iMac.
although that is true Thunderbolt is so crazy expensive that I couldn't justify the cost of it when I knew I had the skills to dismantle and upgrade my iMac for far less money with little risk in damaging my computer. This isn't to say someone else won't screw up their computer but if people are careful not likely.
hello do this upgrade will work on 27" i3 mid 2010? please let me know i want to know before i purchase any thing my pro tools run out cpu
This should work as the mid 2010 i3 as the i3 used the same logic board and internal configuration as the speedier i7 version. When I opened up a mid 2010 i3 it sure as heck looked identical to my i7 configuration.
Thank you for your video. I wished you lived in Australia so you could work here. I have been quoted $175 just to replace sata drive. I imagine you could charge at least $250 to perform this upgrade. Your work is very thorough and neat. Great work!
@ Carlos Oraison - I'd love to come to Australia! If you want to fly me out I'll fix EVERYTHING on your Mac at no charge! LOL
Where did you purchase the apple bracket? Cheers
I purchased it from a website called www.Applecomponents.com
Hi again Pierce, No I am still waiting for the new cable from OWC. They are selling the cable that plugs into the power connection and then adheres to the drive and then another cable that goes back to the logic board. I could not afford the enormous $11 for 5 days delivery charge so I am waiting for the good ol Postal Service to get the cable to me. I am very curious to see your new video regarding the optical drive cable because that is what the Apple store sold me and I have absolutely no clue how that was supposed to help me with the new Western Digital Drive. I can only tolerate being on my Mac for 10 minutes because those fans are so annoying and I don't want to burn them out , that's the last thing I need. What time zone are you in?
I'm in the mountain time zone. I can dig up my optical temp sensor and cable assembly that I purchased from applecomponents.com and probably describe to you how that would replace the factory built in hard drive temperature sensor. It is really just a matter of removing the temperature sensing cable that would go to the hard drive from the logic board and then plugging in the optical drive sensor cable/sensor assembly and then tacking the sensor to the side of the new hard drive using some double sided tape or a dab of contact cement. Not sure when I'm going to make the video as having 2 kids and my inability to see properly (you can watch my personal blog on laser eye surgery for the full explanation) makes it painfully difficult to publish anything new in a timely manner. Either way, let me know if you'd like me to dig up the part numbers for you for your reference purposes.
piercedasian Finally!! My IMac is back to normal. The technician spliced the gray and black wires and soldered them somehow to the connected/pin. Anyway, the fans are quiet. For anyone else, I would suggest buying that Digital In-line Thermal sensor cable from OWC. Luckily I will be getting my $45 back and just had to pay the tech an extra $10. He was being kind because of all the crap I had to experience. I am still interested in watching your new video and since I am subscribed to your channel, I will be notified whenever you get around to the next one. I do want to tell you that the tech pointed out that you can disconnect that rotten SATA cable from the monitor/screen instead of the logic board. The connector is so much easier to reconnect than trying FOREVER to slip that stupid wafer thin cable back into place. You just have to be careful of peeling of the tape.
I am so glad to hear you got your iMac back up and running. To be honest with you the iMac is anything but easy to work on for the average person. Permitted you're super observant and work extremely slowly then you'll likely not run into major issues but one single slip can ruin your machine. The issue with Apple (and many other computers) is that the wiring and the components are so fine and delicate that it doesn't take any force to break them. It is the nature of the beast and thus one has to be super vigilant in how they disassemble things. I will try very hard to post a video explaining the "mod" for the hard drive fans (my iMac is actually due for a hard drive replacement soon because the factory 1TB drive is too small for my purposes. You're already subscribed so you'll see it when it gets posted. Have patience as my vision and my life is all outta whack still :)
How much memory do you have installed in your iMac?
weird that I never saw this question. If you're still following this video I have 8GB of RAM. I had 12GB but was able to downgrade it to 8GB so I could take that extra RAM and dump it into my Mac Mini.
Hi Pierce, I have been going through hell since first writing that post. I ended up damaging the LVDS cable and then later found out from a local Mac repair guy that you can disconnect the Cable from the back of the monitor instead. Still having issues with the fan and probably going to buy the cable made by OWC . The Apple Store who were a pain in the you know what, sold me the wrong cable which is used for the optic drive what a joke so the tech wants to install the old thermal sensor cable that was used on the 2008 models but I feel more comfortable with 0WC's version. How come in your video you did not discuss the fact that the thermal sensor cable was not going to work? There is so much chatter on the internet regarding people with 2009 and 2010 IMacs having the same issue
Hi dcwatashi - sorry it took me so long to reply. I am slowly regaining my vision now so it is time that I start replying to my fans. The reason why I didn't mention too much about the thermal cable in this particular video is because I wasn't messing with the factory drive and was adding in a 2ND drive which was the SSD. Adding in the 2nd drive won't cause issues with the fan and is only problematic if you decide to switch out the factory drive (which I left in my iMac). I am very sorry to hear about your struggles. The iMacs are great computers but man are they a PITA to deal with (as you can tell by how much stuff had to come out when you did the upgrade). As for the thermal sensors from older iMacs depending on the vintage of your iMac they are interchangeable with the optical drive sensors.
I actually have a video planned showing how to swap out the factory drive and show the "factory" component workaround using an optical drive sensor and cable assembly and attached it to the side of the new hard drive so that the iMac continues to operate like it did from the factory.
Is your computer up an running again?
@ total trollo - that is way to long. A sign of a failing hard drive or something is terribly wrong. Is 1.5 hours to load an exaggeration as I don't know of any Mac that would take that long to boot. Yes SSD is the way to go and considering how cheap they are, definitely worth upgrading to breathe new life into an otherwise aging computer. My iMac runs like a brand new iMac and sometimes I think it IS a new Mac b/c it is so fast.
I have the Same iMac of this video. I upgraded to an SSD, but removing the old HHD. Do you know If there is any chance to use one of the internal SATA ports (ex. that one of the Superdrive, or that one prepared for the second Hard Drive/SSD) to come out with a USB 3 port?
Usb 3 definitely not as that year of iMac never had the chipset to support usb 3.0. As far as converting the SuperDrive to usb 2.0 I don’t think that is possible either BUT I DO know that you can convert it into an eSATA port where you can then attach a fast external eSATA drive. Check out owc’s website for the specific upgrade details.
@@piercedasian dear, thank you for answering. Don't you think a device such this one I am linking below would allow me to get.a usb 3 port fron an internal Sata port:
it.gearbest.com/cables-connectors/pp_009502367922.html?lkid=16192119
took a look at it and no it will not work b/c it is meant to make a USB 3 port work as a SATA port not the other way around.
@@piercedasian I hoped that once the connection is set, the dat transfer could be in both directions...
As far as I know it won't in the manner that you've proposed. It would be different if you were starting out with a USB to SATA connection but not the other way around even though you are correct in stating that data does run back and forth between the ports. The USB port would need a host controller and since you're connecting it to your imac via SATA then the host controller wouldn't exist on your imac but on the other computer or device you're hooking it up to. Not sure if I'm explaining myself right. You can certainly try but I'd be leery on testing this theory out on a very expensive mac computer that is still very much relevant in 2018.
Wow! Very helpful so thank you for doing this! However, I am an auto and aircraft mechanic. I can get around just about anything but I will happily pay to have someone install this for me! That way, it's on them if they inadvertently break it! ;)
Now, can I drop a 6 or 8 TB drive in as well as a 256 or 512 Gb SSD drive, or am I limited to a 2 or 3 TB standard drive? I take large size videos regularly and also have an extensive collection in iTunes so I need the space, desperately!
+Karl Buckles Hi Karl, I've never installed a drive so large in a mac before but remember one thing... the hard drives on the iMacs contain proprietary firmware/temperture sensors in the drive that is specific to apple. If you swap the rotating drive with a new one then your fans will go all crazy on your iMac and you'll have to use an aftermarket software solution to fix it. One thing I didn't cover in my video is to purchase an optical cable temp sensor and do the mod so that you have a external temp sensor that will work with ANY drive. I can explain more in detail if you'd like but rather than having to buy more parts and go through the hassles of using a solution that may not work I just left the stock drive in the computer and then installed an SSD and made that into my boot drive and used 1TB drive (original drive) as my data drive. For large video files I use an external firewire/thunderbolt/usb 3.0 drive.
+piercedasian "For large video files I use an external firewire/thunderbolt/usb 3.0 drive."
Please expand... the fastest external connection (on these models) seem to be the Firewire 800. Is your set up using the firewire to connect the Thunderbolt/USB 3.0 or are you referring another thing?
Hi BeaverBill - on my iMac there isn't actually a thunderbolt port. The 2011 iMacs had thunderbolt. On my mid 2010 iMac I have my video drive attached to a firewire 800 interface. Works very fast and I don't experience any appreciable lag when editing using final cut pro X. For everything else like docs and photos I either use the internal HDD or I use an external USB 2.0 depending on what it is. My iTunes library as well as other "archive" data is on my NAS. The setup is a bit confusing but I've got at least 10TB of storage attached to my iMac at any given time :)
+piercedasian So to make sure I'm reading this correctly. You keep the video files (from camera etc) on the external hdd connected via FireWire 800. Would it also make sense to save your FCPX Project files on the same drive? Or should the project file be save on the internal HDD? Just wanted to see what other video editor's workflow was like.
+ Fujiboy99 - I put both the raw vid files and the FCPX project on an external RAID 1 firewire drive. I have however, since upgraded the internal drive to a WD black series 5TB internal HDD and I'm even HAPPIER now with the performance since it is considerably faster than FW800's interface. You could honestly go external or internal. For me it's all or nothing for EITHER way.
Where can I find the power cable ? Thanks
the power cable is beside the "SATA" connector on the drive. Trace that back and that's your power cable.
did you have to reinstall all your software over again?
nope. I just cloned my old drive before I removed it using a program called super duper
This is a very informative video. I am using it because I am actually replacing the original and now failed hard drive with a new hard drive. However, after I meticulously go through everything and put it all back together, I get nothing from the display. I hear fans turn on, the optical drive spin up, but nothing from the display. I've taken things apart once again and re-seated the 4 cable connections required and still no go. :( What next? Any insight and assistance greatly appreciated! Thanks for a great video!
@ Dennis St. John - If the display is not lighting you'll need to double check that the display power cable is fully seated in on the upper left corner of the screen + making sure that very thin data cable is also securely plugged in. I would personally remove the screen again and double check the cables and the pins to make sure none are bent + check the other ends of the cables to make sure they too are fully seated. Odds are if you reseated the cables that they're probably not locked properly in place on the logic board or power supply. Just out of curiosity did you replace the hard drive with a factory apple one? If not you need to purchase an optical drive temperature sensing cable otherwise you're fans will run at full speed after a few minutes.
piercedasian Thanks for the reply! The reason I started this in the first place is to simply replace a failed original hard drive, so, I'm simply swapping out the same exact hardware here... not to upgrade to SSD as the video goes into depth on. I have re-seated all cable connections multiple times but I probably need to do so again. I did not replace the hard drive with a "factory apple one" but I think it's very close. The original is a Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200 RPM and I replaced with the same. I think this really has to do with one of the cable connections but just not sure. The most suspect is the thin data cable which to me has been the hardest to work with and get plugged back in. Since this computer is 4 years old, the plastic notches (on the sides) easily broke off when I took the cable off but not sure that really matters. Still going to keep trying. Thanks for the reply!
@ Dennis St. John - okay to save you a bunch of heartache make sure you purchase the optical drive thermal cable (assuming you have a mid 2010 iMac like mine). The reason why you need this cable is to tell the iMac you have a thermal sensor attached. The stock apple HDD has it built in (stupid design) so when you swap drives it won't have that proprietary sensor in the drive. So that connector that you see me pulling off the hard drive is completely removed and then the newly purchased optical drive cable is then plugged in place on the logic board and the sensor part gets taped to the external casing of the hard drive. If you don't want to go down that path then there is a $40 app you purchase that will use SMART status temperature sensing to control the fan speed.
But I guess that probably isn't your priority - get the display working first (use tape if you have to) and then perhaps figure out the hard drive fan fix afterwards - I suspect in your case you probably don't want to re-open up the computer a million times to get at the HDD sensing cable.
Let me know if I can offer up any other assistance.
piercedasian Hah, you are indeed correct. My priority at this point is just to get the display up and running again, otherwise, the fan issue is a mute point. I am starting the re-assembly process again now and yes, I'll be using some tape to ensure good connections. Here goes nothin'!
piercedasian Sad to report, still a no go here. I think this computer is so old that something else in the computer has failed and is now beyond repair. Oh well, it was worth a try. Next stop for this iMac > my local Best Buy recycling bin! :(
First thanks for the info and reply
Hi guys I just want some help to install the ssd in my imac mid 2010 i3 actually I'm going to upgrade from i3 to i7 too while im doing this upgrade
My questions is the ssd that I got here there some difference in price and number do you guys know what's the difference like one is HDTS251and the other is
HDTS351XZSTA
Which will be better ?
Toshiba Q Series HDTS251XZSTA 512GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive
Toshiba HDTS351XZSTA Q Series Pro 512 GB Internal Solid State Drive SATA
Yikes, not sure what the real differences are. Perhaps one has a longer life with a high # of write cycles? It might be best to contact Toshiba and ask them directly.
Ok thanks
The man (or woman) who holds the camera can't stay steady for a single moment. Never stops moving the camera! I'm already dizzy! Despite this a very good work was done in the iMac. Greetings.
+DoNaSbaR sorry about the shaky vid. The video person holding the camera is inexperienced and I couldn't use a tripod otherwise you'd miss the important elements of the DIY upgrade. FWIW the camera person is a lot better today than they were when I shot this vid.
Keen to do this upgrade. Has anyone thats done this upgrade know if editing 4K video footage in FCPX a smooth experience?
+Fujiboy99 I can't speak for 4K video editing but I can tell you that editing 1080 video is BUTTER smooth and is even faster with 32GB of RAM ;) I suspect that 4k editing will be a bit slow but remember if you have a computer as old as mine that it shouldn't come as a surprise that it *might* be a tad slow compared to a modern iMac.
i have same model with 16gb ram. Overtime with OSX updates (now running ELCapitan) everything just loads up slowly. Hence the interest in addingba SSD. your method seems to be a lot more in depth compared to other videos ive watched. in that you've taken apart a lot more components etc.. Thanks for doing this video btw.
glad you liked my video. Yes I am all about the details (most times at least). SSD makes the WORLD of difference in an older computer and I just recently gutted the iMac in this video and replaced the SSD with a 1TB one AND even put in a 5TB Western Digital Black series hard drive. All purpose built to do MORE video editing for CZcams content... SSDs are a great investment but you need to make sure you know the vintage of your iMac so you know what brackets, cables and temperature sensor breakout cables you'll need to purchase otherwise your cooling fans get all stupid and run on full blast if done incomplete or incorrectly...
Do you have a tutorial video for reinstalling OSX to the new SSD? ☺
I don't but I definitely can do one when I've got some time next week...
hello i need help. i have reformatted my imac to snow leopard 10.6.4 and everything seems to operate slow, like the installation intro was slow and selecting things doesnt work like it should, my internet runs slow, opening programs is slow. i have read its a hard drive problem. i am thinking of upgrading to SSD, but first would i still have to replace my internal HDD?
stuprint182 sounds like a bad hard drive. Time to replace it with a super fast SSD. New SSD's are so cheap now that honestly why more people don't upgrade their computers with them is mind boggling.
Just remember that if you switch out your factory hard drive on your iMac that you'll need to either use a software based fan control OR go to applecomponents.com and purchase an optical drive temperature sensor cable assembly to replace the built in hard drive temperature sensor. If you need more details on this I can explain but it is well documented online.
thanks for the info bro, i finely bought a new ide hard drive its a samsung 1tb. i noticed i had got the wrong type of hard drive because the one i took out was a western digital and the 3rd small cable wouldn't plug in to the new hard drive, I'm not sure what the cables called but I'm guessing temperature sensor cable. i know the fat cable is power, then medium cable is data. but i took the connector off the sensor cable and found a connector that would fit the new hard drive. i took the connector off an old desktop pc, the connector was speaker connector. so everything was better and working great but i was stuck on snow leopard 10.6.4 and i would try to update it and it found updates and try to restart but goes to the spacey pink and blue background with nothing else on the screen like boarder and icons and it just stays there for ages. i tried downloading yosemite but it wouldn't let me because it was saying failed on the web page. so then i decided to download each update individually and they installed successfully and i was able to install yosemite. the problem i have now is when i power my iMac it shows white screen and no apple logo then goes straight to black screen. i have had this problem before and done the pram reset and its done no change. i have checked reviews and all they saying is about pram reset and I've done that many times, i had to do it like once a month it seemed like. but this problem is different, so for now I'm using mini display port on my sony bravia 1080p tv. i hope u can help me and thanks again and sorry i wrote a lot lol
hmm interesting. I can't say I have experienced these issues before. So a few corrections to your post. The HDD you purchased isn't an IDE hard drive (IDE was so early 2000s. What you're using is SATA II/III interfaces. You got the SATA and power cable correct but that extra lead that wouldn't fit the new drive is the HDD temp sensor cable which you do not use on the new drive. What you need to do is purchase an optical drive external temperature sensing cable from applecomponents.com where you swap the factory cable out with the one you purchased and "stick" the new sensor to the outside of your SSD. IF you choose to not buy the new temperature sensing cable then you could always use a program such as SMC Fan control to lower the speeds of your fans (they will run on max speed if you don't). Try fixing the HDD issue properly first and then we'll move on to tackle the weird screen issues. You may want to replace your PRAM battery while you've got it all apart as a bad PRAM battery could be causing your issues too. It is just a plain 3 volt lithium coin cell battery that shouldn't cost you more than a few $$ for a good quality cell.
thanks very much for the info bro i will get that cable and install the SSD i have. and sorry yes ur right its a sata hard drive i meant lol and i will get one of them batteries too. ill get back to you and again thank you for the help.
you're very welcome. Glad I could be of some assistance to you.
Can this mac handle a 500gb SSD aswell?
As a matter of fact it does! I actually upgraded to a 1TB SSD and it works flawlessly. I even dropped on. A western digital 5TB drove alongside it so I have 6TB of storage in total. Definitely doable.
@@piercedasian nice, thanks alot for the fast answer:)
you're most welcome!
All you need is a SATA Power 15-pin Y-Splitter to split/share the HDD/SSD power and then tuck your ssd under and plug it into the extra sata port. This process in the video is IMO way overkill and creates a plethora of opportunity for damaging your investment. I appreciate all the skill involved in this process but its also just not necessary.
Although you're right in saying that it isn't necessary that I purposely like mimicking EXACTLY how the factory would've installed the SSD. I'm very particular that way and had I not done it in the manner that I did that I probably would've saved over $100 but I chose to be like Apple.
Impressive but apple shouldn't make it so difficult to upgrade.
How to disconnect that fucking LCD temperature cable. It's a pain in the ass
+Smola666 it should be just a matter of pulling on the connector. On mine it wasn't hard to remove at all. Just be very careful when pulling or prying on the delicate connectors.
Why not just slide out the graphics card… it's so easy lol and then you have lots of space to connect the SSD
Rene Hupfer the graphics card is integrated in with the logic board so you can't actually undo it. The other reason why I don't want to disconnect more than necessary is because of the risk of damaging the fine circuit traces + microscopic connectors that once broken can't be re-attached. Not something I suggest anyone do with their $2000+ computer.
piercedasian Bullshit… everybody makes these false statements… it's not on the logicboard… it's an extra board… screwed onto it…
piercedasian You can even buy replacement graphics cards for 2008, 2009 - 2012 iMac Models…
That is really interesting. I've worked on so many Macs that have integrated video cards that I just assume that most are like that. I learn something new everyday!
piercedasian I'm glad they are not in all of them, even though Apple themselves would always replace the entire board. I guess just to be safe.
that not static free workplace its bad for you imac
unfortunately I didn't have an anti static mat to work on but the humidity in my house is quite high so static was NOT an issue but yes, one SHOULD use an anti static mat + anti static wrist strap where possible.
piercedasian ok thnx for you answer.
Nouredine Bady ,
Chassis is pronounced "chass-ie"
Noted. :)