2nd hard drive failure in Late 2011 iMac

[dizmonk]

So I've got a 21" iMac purchased in Jan 2012. The hard drive failed and had to be replaced in June 2012. Paranoid that I was, I purchased Applecare (only time). Just a few minutes ago (after taking it back in again) my local apple store called me to tell me the hard drive failed again. So here we are with 2 hard drive failures in less than 18 months.

I tried to talk Apple into giving me some kind of upgrade but (shocker) it didn't work. They are replacing the hard drive again! I've got 11 months left of Applecare and am worried that it will failed a 3rd time, the day after it runs out.

Doesn't this seem a bit too much?

I back up a lot of my stuff to Dropbox but I'm wondering if I should move all of it to the cloud? How reliable are iMac 2011 hard drives???

All advice is welcome.

 

[S.B.G]

Hard drives fail. It was probably just bad luck that you drew two in a row that went bad. Some people, myself included, have had drives last for up to 10 years, and sometimes they only last 10 months.

It's the nature of having a mechanical drive which has moving parts and generates heat.

The best thing to do is ensure you have a proper backup of your stuff using Time Machine or your backup software of choice on another drive. That way if you have another failure, you'll be able to restore everything easily.

 

[Lucianrider]

I've never actually had a hard drive failure in a Mac, I've always swapped them out for larger ones before that has ever happened...

However my father has a brand new Mac Mini, less than two months old and the hard drive died completely! I ended up changing it for him as it was not worth Fedexing it back to Apple in the US (there is no proper Apple repair center here in St. Lucia) and then paying for the return shipping!

So it can happen, just the luck of the draw I guess...

 

[accountforit]

There isn't a late 2011 model; it's mid 2011. The mid 2011 model had a recalled hard drive that Apple would replace for free for an allotted time. I had mine replaced right after I bought my iMac in 2011. This is probably why your first one failed; you had a bad/recalled drive. It failing for the second time was just bad luck.

I wouldn't worry about it. Even if you have horrible luck, and your new drive fails in the future, you can open up your machine very easily and replace the drive for $50-60.

Personally, in 20 years of owning TONS of computers, I have never had a hard drive fail.

 

[dizmonk]

You're right about the model. From what I remember the drives that were bad were the 1TB. I purchased the 2TB which at the time was backordered due to floods in Thailand.. I just hope this one works... I just want the damn thing to last...

There isn't a late 2011 model; it's mid 2011. The mid 2011 model had a recalled hard drive that Apple would replace for free for an allotted time. I had mine replaced right after I bought my iMac in 2011. This is probably why your first one failed; you had a bad/recalled drive. It failing for the second time was just bad luck.

I wouldn't worry about it. Even if you have horrible luck, and your new drive fails in the future, you can open up your machine very easily and replace the drive for $50-60.

Personally, in 20 years of owning TONS of computers, I have never had a hard drive fail.

 

[xraydoc]

Mac or not, all hard drives eventually fail. Backup, backup, backup.

 

[yjchua95]

You're right about the model. From what I remember the drives that were bad were the 1TB. I purchased the 2TB which at the time was backordered due to floods in Thailand.. I just hope this one works... I just want the damn thing to last...

In that case, get an SSD. It's got no moving parts and should last one helluva lot longer than a regular spinning, slow HDD.

 

[dizmonk]

Don't know how to install it. What's the largest SSD that could fit in that model? I assume if I went to a authorized 3rd party place, they could install it, right?

In that case, get an SSD. It's got no moving parts and should last one helluva lot longer than a regular spinning, slow HDD.

 

[yjchua95]

Don't know how to install it. What's the largest SSD that could fit in that model? I assume if I went to a authorized 3rd party place, they could install it, right?

IFixit has guides to tear down any Mac. Locate your model identifier and search it on IFixit.

Any 2.5" SSD will fit into your iMac.

For the best value for money, I highly recommend the Samsung 840 Evo.

For the best IOPS performance, go for the 840 Pro.

I use the 512GB 840 Pro myself.

 

[dizmonk]

getting worse

So of course the Apple store calls me telling me the repair is completed and I can pick my computer up.

When I get there the guy shows me the work order and they put in the WRONG hard drive! They installed a 1 TB when the work order and my history says it's a 2TB drive.. Of course they don't have it in stock and they tell me it will take another 5-7 days.....

 

[xraydoc]

So of course the Apple store calls me telling me the repair is completed and I can pick my computer up.

When I get there the guy shows me the work order and they put in the WRONG hard drive! They installed a 1 TB when the work order and my history says it's a 2TB drive.. Of course they don't have it in stock and they tell me it will take another 5-7 days.....

Wait. Doesn't the 21" iMac use a 2.5" HD? Does Apple have 2TB 2.5" drives? The ones I've seen are all over 12mm, meaning it doesn't fit in standard 2.5" mounting spaces. Will one fit in a 21" iMac? 1TB may be all that's available.

Never mind. I just noticed we're talking about a 2011 model, not the thin 2012+ models.