27" - 21.5" iMac SSD upgrade tutorial

[All Taken]

Originally Posted by henryonapple

do you guys have problems with dust sticking onto the LCD?

No, if you adequately cover your display using a towel or lint free cloth the dust contamination will be minimized. The very low dust exposure the screen receives in its time outside of the machine is easily countered and removed by using a handheld pump (Bicycle Tyre pump), or using a quick blast of compressed air before replacing the front of the machine.

If you have exposed your screen/front panel to excess dust I find the easiest, and most effective remedy is to use a micro fiber cloth on any affected areas. Resist the urge to use glass cleaner or similar to keep dust at bay, in my experience the glass and screen are easily smudged by residual oils and moisture.

Minimal exposure via fast covering with a large towel or similar.

If exposed and you have dust particles, micro fiber is your friend.

It goes without saying but try and use a room with minimal airflow and do not disturb nearby objects whilst working with an open machine.

Hope that helps.

[henryonapple]

Originally Posted by All Taken

No, if you adequately cover your display using a towel or lint free cloth the dust contamination will be minimized. The very low dust exposure the screen receives in its time outside of the machine is easily countered and removed by using a handheld pump (Bicycle Tyre pump), or using a quick blast of compressed air before replacing the front of the machine.

If you have exposed your screen/front panel to excess dust I find the easiest, and most effective remedy is to use a micro fiber cloth on any affected areas. Resist the urge to use glass cleaner or similar to keep dust at bay, in my experience the glass and screen are easily smudged by residual oils and moisture.

Minimal exposure via fast covering with a large towel or similar.

If exposed and you have dust particles, micro fiber is your friend.

It goes without saying but try and use a room with minimal airflow and do not disturb nearby objects whilst working with an open machine.

Hope that helps.

thanks for the tips, i've been eyeing a 2011 iMac and an SSD upgrade is a must

[Tigerman82]

I'm doing the HDD replacement procedure on my Mid-2010 iMac 21.5". I'm probably going to install Samsung 830. I've pretty much got every base covered except the problem with the brackets -- iMac takes 3.5" drives and an SSD is 2.5". I know one solution is using velcro and electric tape (which I do have) but it seems to me a bracket/adapter would be more secure.

The problem is that apparently the iMac's 3.5" drive bay is non-standard: while doing my research I've read so much about people buying brackets/adapters that wouldn't be compatible with the iMac. So I could just buy the Samsung 830 Desktop Upgrade kit with the bracket:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-2-5i...1928219&sr=8-1

However, I'm not sure if the bracket is compatible with the iMac.

There is also the OWC Newertech AdaptaDrive but it is kind of expensive.

Finally, I do know that I could buy the Apple versions of brackets (and screws separately ) but the prices are insane (especially since most sellers selling Apple parts have 3-5x more expensive shipping rates than what 'normal' US sellers use).

What is your suggestion?

[All Taken]

Originally Posted by Tigerman82

I'm doing the HDD replacement procedure on my Mid-2010 iMac 21.5". I'm probably going to install Samsung 830. I've pretty much got every base covered except the problem with the brackets -- iMac takes 3.5" drives and an SSD is 2.5". I know one solution is using velcro and electric tape (which I do have) but it seems to me a bracket/adapter would be more secure.

The problem is that apparently the iMac's 3.5" drive bay is non-standard: while doing my research I've read so much about people buying brackets/adapters that wouldn't be compatible with the iMac. So I could just buy the Samsung 830 Desktop Upgrade kit with the bracket:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-2-5i...1928219&sr=8-1

However, I'm not sure if the bracket is compatible with the iMac.

There is also the OWC Newertech AdaptaDrive but it is kind of expensive.

Finally, I do know that I could buy the Apple versions of brackets (and screws separately ) but the prices are insane (especially since most sellers selling Apple parts have 3-5x more expensive shipping rates than what 'normal' US sellers use).

What is your suggestion?

The iMac uses a standard 3.5 inch hard drive meaning any adaptor, so long as it is the same size as a 3.5 inch drive will fit. I personally use a product called Icy box.

[Tigerman82]

Originally Posted by All Taken

The iMac uses a standard 3.5 inch hard drive meaning any adaptor, so long as it is the same size as a 3.5 inch drive will fit. I personally use a product called Icy box.

You mean Icy Box adapter like this one? I was looking into these as well but then one commenter on Newegg said that it could not fit into an iMac. However, this wasn't about this 2B-version but a similar-looking version.

I would be interested in buying this Icy Box 2B-adapter if it is indeed compatible with the Mid-2010 iMac HDD bay.

[Tigerman82]

I did a little reseach. First of all the dimensions of my Seagate HDD are 26.1 (H) x 101.6 (W) x 146.99 (L). Icy Box has two SSD converters: MB882SP-1S-1B (@Amazon in 2009) and MB882SP-1S-2B (@Amazon in 2010). According to the Icy Box site, the dimensions of both are 25 (H) x 101 (W) x 145 (L). It seems that the Icy Box should not be bigger than the HDD.

However, there was a disturbing comment on Newegg concerning the 1B-model:

Wont fit in an iMac
Pros: Solid construction

Cons: Not the same size as a Western Digital 3.5inch HDD

Other Thoughts: This enclosure will not fit in a 2009 i7 27inch iMac. The enclosure is too big.

However, in 2010 this was written in a forum (although the user had 2007 iMac 24"):

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR IMAC OWNERS: I strongly recommend purchasing the Icy Dock MB882SP-1S-1B 2.5" to 3.5" hard drive converter; it's $22.98 at Newegg as of the time of this post. The iMac will NOT play nice with the brackets that come with many SSDs, and this particular enclosure has the same exact dimensions as your standard 3.5" hard disk. The SSD will slide right into the enclosure, and doesn't require any screws except the ones used to lock it into the iMac's chassis itself.

One thing about the 2B model is (especially since I'm getting the Samsung 830 SSD):

Note: This particular device is designed to fully support any standard 2.5" SATA 9.5mm height SSDs or HDDs. For 2.5" drives that are 7mm in height (e.g Samsung 830 SSD), the tool-less drive load may not work properly. Performing a manual install into the device is an alternative method to provide better compatibility. Please see the installation video for more information

There is also an all-metal version, Icy Dock MB982SP-1S, which is about twice as expensive. The dimensions of this product are 25 (H) x 102 (W) x 147 (L). W and L dimensions seem to be slightly bigger than Mac HDDs.

Apprently MB882SP-1S-1B and MB982SP-1S do not have the slight problem with the Samsung 830 (or a 9mm SSD).

Could "All Taken" or someone perhaps confirm what model of the Icy Box they are using in their iMacs (preferable 2009-2010 models and, if someone has it, a 21.5" model)?

[dufreyne]

Hi guys,

I replaced the original faulty drive with another seagate 1TB in Imac 21.5 2010 MC508 (iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389) and used this cable (Apple Part #922-9229) to make HDD fan work quite. I also replaced Optical drive with a optibay caddy and SSD Crucial M4 inside.

Problems:

(small) Optical drive fan runs quite noisy, when the computer is becoming hot, it runs up to 2620 RPM when playing (idle is 1095RPM). When not using a computer the RPM decreases. I reattached the temp sensor the caddy, as if it was on the original ODD.

(big) Screen sometimes goes black for a unknown resason. I cannot make go back, only after reboot (with holding the power key). The system seems to run, fans a running as well, but screen is OFF. It happened a number of times when iMac went was idle with screen off (power saving mode). One time it happened when I ran a game.

Some tech info, when writing this question:

CPU fan: 1198 RPM
ODD fan: 1698 RPM
HDD fan: 1095 RPM
HDD Temp: 48C
ODD Temp: 47C
CPU: 46C
Ambient: 27C
GPU Diode: 52C
GPU Sink: 51C
Power Supply 2: 59C

Please help me guys! Thanks in advance.

[All Taken]

Originally Posted by dufreyne

Hi guys,

I replaced the original faulty drive with another seagate 1TB in Imac 21.5 2010 MC508 (iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389) and used this cable (Apple Part #922-9229) to make HDD fan work quite. I also replaced Optical drive with a optibay caddy and SSD Crucial M4 inside.

Problems:

(small) Optical drive fan runs quite noisy, when the computer is becoming hot, it runs up to 2620 RPM when playing (idle is 1095RPM). When not using a computer the RPM decreases. I reattached the temp sensor the caddy, as if it was on the original ODD.

(big) Screen sometimes goes black for a unknown resason. I cannot make go back, only after reboot (with holding the power key). The system seems to run, fans a running as well, but screen is OFF. It happened a number of times when iMac went was idle with screen off (power saving mode). One time it happened when I ran a game.

Some tech info, when writing this question:

CPU fan: 1198 RPM
ODD fan: 1698 RPM
HDD fan: 1095 RPM
HDD Temp: 48C
ODD Temp: 47C
CPU: 46C
Ambient: 27C
GPU Diode: 52C
GPU Sink: 51C
Power Supply 2: 59C

Please help me guys! Thanks in advance.

The temperature sensor on the hard drive is not reporting correctly, in-turn giving you inaccurate temperature response.

Ensure all of the cables are reconnected and seated, it's easy to miss one or not connect properly. Have you tried a PRAM reset? 'CMD, ALT, P and R' when starting the iMac.

If the above does not work the cable you have used needs to be removed, use a wire/paper clip to short the terminal of the temperature sensor on the logic board or buy an original Apple drive.

[jsolares]

Originally Posted by Tigerman82

I'm doing the HDD replacement procedure on my Mid-2010 iMac 21.5". I'm probably going to install Samsung 830. I've pretty much got every base covered except the problem with the brackets -- iMac takes 3.5" drives and an SSD is 2.5". I know one solution is using velcro and electric tape (which I do have) but it seems to me a bracket/adapter would be more secure.

The problem is that apparently the iMac's 3.5" drive bay is non-standard: while doing my research I've read so much about people buying brackets/adapters that wouldn't be compatible with the iMac. So I could just buy the Samsung 830 Desktop Upgrade kit with the bracket:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-2-5i...1928219&sr=8-1

However, I'm not sure if the bracket is compatible with the iMac.

There is also the OWC Newertech AdaptaDrive but it is kind of expensive.

Finally, I do know that I could buy the Apple versions of brackets (and screws separately ) but the prices are insane (especially since most sellers selling Apple parts have 3-5x more expensive shipping rates than what 'normal' US sellers use).

What is your suggestion?

This is the adapter i used : http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0061GEORW

It's plastic so in any case it can be easily modified, i used it on a 2010 27" model to put two SSDs instead of the HD.

[dufreyne]

Thank you, All Taken for reply.

The HDD temp i wrote before is taken from S.M.A.R.T., it's correct.

True that the cable doesn't seem to work, the RPM is always the same. But I manually set RPM speed to 1800 RPM with software and the temp is fine.

Yes I tried PRAM reset.

I'm sorry, English is not my native language, didn't understand the idea "use a wire/paper clip to short the terminal of the temperature sensor on the logic board". I think it will act the same as currently - the fan will run at min RPM. People say that if you will not connect a sensor at ALL the fun will run max RPM.

What about the problem with a screen? I'm experiencing exactly the same issue as this guy:
http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost...7&postcount=14

[All Taken]

Originally Posted by dufreyne

Thank you, All Taken for reply.

The HDD temp i wrote before is taken from S.M.A.R.T., it's correct.

True that the cable doesn't seem to work, the RPM is always the same. But I manually set RPM speed to 1800 RPM with software and the temp is fine.

Yes I tried PRAM reset.

I'm sorry, English is not my native language, didn't understand the idea "use a wire/paper clip to short the terminal of the temperature sensor on the logic board". I think it will act the same as currently - the fan will run at min RPM. People say that if you will not connect a sensor at ALL the fun will run max RPM.

What about the problem with a screen? I'm experiencing exactly the same issue as this guy:
http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost...7&postcount=14

If you use a piece of wire or a paperclip you can short the temperature sensor for the hard drive. To do this you need to go to the logic board (follow the temperature sensor cable you installed, and short the terminal located on the logic board. Power on the machine and you should have a stable system again.

I don't doubt that the S.M.A.R.T reading you are receiving is correct, I do doubt that the firmware on your new drive is capable of the same level of interaction the original drive did - hence the increased fan speed in the system.

[All Taken]

Originally Posted by dufreyne

What about the problem with a screen? I'm experiencing exactly the same issue as this guy:
http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost...7&postcount=14

My best technical guess is that when a user performs modification and needs to re-set the backlight cable it is not seated properly, causing such issues.

[dufreyne]

All Taken, thank you very much.

I'll reassemble the system as soon as I can and short the temp sensor socket.

Will surely check the backlight cable though I have some doubts about this. the computer works pretty great for 10 hours now, if there would be a problem with backlight, it should be more obvious (?) And one thing I should also note is that I'm working in boot camp Windows 7 all the time. So I didn't have a chance to reproduce the issue (if it's reproducible on Mac) yet.

Will also try to run Apple Hardware Test, didn't manage to do this without a Optical Drive at the moment.

Anyway thank you, will keep everybody informed in this great thread.

UPDATE: Apple Hardware Test found no errors.

[dufreyne]

UPDATE 2: ODD sensor becomes running faster when GPU is heating (3D gaming for example)

[jsolares]

Originally Posted by dufreyne

UPDATE 2: ODD sensor becomes running faster when GPU is heating (3D gaming for example)

Yes, the ODD fan also cools down the GPU

[tonyy]

All Taken,

Thanks for posting this up although its been a few years since the OP.

I'm getting ready to throw in an SSD into my late 09 21.5" imac. Is an adapter cable needed when installing an SSD into optical or HD bay?

On OWC, they sell the data doubler kit which includes the bracket, a 128GB SSD, and an adapter cable. Is this cable necessary for any SSD replacement? The kit is under $160.

I really want to get a Samsung 830 and a generic bracket which would be a lot less by my calculations. The only issue I'm concerned with is the cable.

If OWC sells a kit that has everything I may shell out the extra $40. But I would consider all options to save some coin.

Thanks

[photosbynick]

I had 16gb of ram and loved it. I was installing an SSD so I decided to add more ram too since it was dirt cheap. I put in 32GB of ram and 2 512 SSD drives. 1 in the optical bay and one in place of the original HDD.

The iMac recognized the 32gb of ram just fine and now it freaking floats with the SSD drives and ram. It feels like a brand new machine. SHould get my by another year while I decide if I want a new imac or MBPr

[Boogsephine]

Originally Posted by BulletToothTony

it depends on which model you get.. 2010 and up yes since they have an additional Sata connector, 2009 no cause there's only two SATAs

I've been thinking about replacing my optical drive in my late 2010 27" iMac with the caddy and SSD drive but I'd much rather keep the optical drive in there and install the SSD since I am still ripping quite a few of my CD's into iTunes.

Where exactly would the drive mount at if I did keep the optical drive in there as well as my OEM Seagate HDD?

I may have missed over it but if I throw in the SSD and leave the optical drive and OEM HDD untouched, will this void my AppleCare I have on it?

Thanks!

[BulletToothTony]

Originally Posted by Boogsephine

I've been thinking about replacing my optical drive in my late 2010 27" iMac with the caddy and SSD drive but I'd much rather keep the optical drive in there and install the SSD since I am still ripping quite a few of my CD's into iTunes.

Where exactly would the drive mount at if I did keep the optical drive in there as well as my OEM Seagate HDD?

I may have missed over it but if I throw in the SSD and leave the optical drive and OEM HDD untouched, will this void my AppleCare I have on it?

Thanks!

No warranties are voided only when you break a Warranty sticker that if i'm not mistaken holds the CPU cooler, which means that you removed the cooler and maybe changed the cpu or something else, This sticker is on the motherboard and you can't miss it, anything else will not void your warranty.

And yes there is a special spot for you to install an SSD right next to the OEM hdd, i believe you need a special bracket that you can buy from many places.

I'm sure you probably figured it out by now but i had not visit this site in a few weeks. Best of luck

[jonnymorris]

Thank you for this guide, I probably would not have attempted this upgrade without it.

I have installed the Samsung 830 into my Late 2009 iMac, which I gather is the same procedure / requirements as the 21.5 inch Late 2009 iMac but just has more room inside.

Before I started doing anything I gave the whole computer desk and area, and the iMac itself (once switched off and unplugged) a very good clean with a damp cloth, to remove all the dust that accumulates around the back where all my cables live (I have a lot of external stuff). It won't do the iMac any harm to wipe over the entire casing, even the screen, with a damp Jeyes cloth (the type that does not have any lint).

There were a few things I discovered, which have already been mentioned in this thread -

1/ The optical bay bracket for the SSD which is linked to in the original post was not a perfect fit for the black plastic Apple bracket that the optical drive was in, I sort of fudged the screws in at an angle and also had to make my own hole in the front (where the slot would have been) because the black plastic bracket had a notch which did not fit in any of the existing holes on the new SSD bracket. No problem really. Thinking about it, I probably should have just widened the screw holes on the black bracket, thus allowing the screws to be inserted slightly back a bit so that they fitted the SSD bracket holes. Nay matter, the SSD is a non-moving part so I doubt the screws are going anywhere, they are held in place by rubber grommets anyway.

2/ I needed a torch to see into the iMac while removing / attaching the screen cables. An LED torch is sufficient.

3/ There was an additional cable to remove on the right hand side (with the iMac on its back, iSight nearest me) which is not mentioned in the guide, so there were four in total.

I took the opportunity to dust while the screen was off. Using a horse hair brush with long bristles I had a gentle brushing and poking session, holding a vacuum cleaner nozzle nearby. There are no bits to suck up so don't be shy with it, just don't knock any of the small cables out, and it shouldn't be necessary to actually touch the boards with the nozzle, brushing should get any surface dust up. I paid particular attention to underneath where the optical drive had been and the two large heat sinks; the one on the right has a black fan unit next to it with a small gap, I saw lots of matted dust down there so shoved my long bristles in and gave it a good brush up and down while sucking with the nozzle, managed to extract all of the matted dust this way. There is black sponge at the bottom down there. I also cleaned the back of the screen before attempting to lift it off the towel.

After this dusting and vacuuming there was only minimal dust around, easily removed with a microfibre cloth. I had some canned air but I found that it sprayed a bit of liquid out initially so didn't like to use it, probably the gas that is mixed with the air to allow it to be compressed. This was (hopefully) easily wiped away with a microfibre cloth though. I have found that a bit of water and a microfibre cloth do an excellent job of leaving a clean surface behind, however I would not recommend mixing water with electronics; works great for the front screen glass (on the outside) once it is back in place though, to remove the suction cup shapes.

I booted up my iMac and it worked fine from the original HD (which I did not touch), told me that the SSD needed initialising, I used Disk Utility to format it for Mac OS Extended (Journaled). The iMac was on Lion 10.7.5 at this point.

I installed Mountain Lion from a USB thumb drive (which I had previously created using the App Store download / write your own USB install thumb drive method, documented elsewhere) by holding C while booting and choosing the SSD as the install location, worked a treat, rebooted fine as a shiny new install. The old hard drive is no longer the Startup disk so just sits there as an extra internal drive, mounts by default. I installed some Apple updates and all seems to be working fine, rebooted several times during the updates with no problems.

My Time Machine drive was picked up fine, though it marks my Documents etc as empty during the first backup, all my previous backups from the original hard drive are still there and can be restored in the usual way. I became rather glad of Apple's iCloud storage too for things like Mail, Calendar, and Bookmarks which all came in automatically for me.

So, Late 2009 iMac 27 inch has no problem with the Samsung 830 SSD (so far). I have 16GB RAM from Crucial (as recommended by their advisor tool), so there's another one for anyone wondering about RAM upgrade problems - trust Crucial.

[andreascarlsson]

Originally Posted by All Taken

If the above does not work the cable you have used needs to be removed, use a wire/paper clip to short the terminal of the temperature sensor on the logic board or buy an original Apple drive.

So, which temp sensor is the smartest to short if you must short one; The HDD or the ODD?