Anyone familiar with the inside of a 2011 27" iMac? (Sata cable placements)

[SPNarwhal]

I'm looking to do some upgrades to my iMac 2011 27" and I was wondering if anyone knows if I can take the SATA cable that runs to the superdrive and run it to the main hard drive bay (and vise versa)

I've looked at teardown videos and whatnot but can't seem to find out how long the cables are, nor where they connect to the board and route to.

Reason I want to do this is because the main drive SATA is 6Gb/s while the Superdrive is 3Gb/s. I want to use the Superdrive to install an SSD and I'll keep the main bay as a 3.5 storage, so I'd rather give the storage drive the slower 3Gb/s from the superdrive's cable.

Is the cable long enough to route the cable from the Superdrive to the main drive? and the main drive's cable to the Superdrive?

If not, any suggestions on what cable to purchase for replacing it?

Thanks!

 

[Juicy Box]

You can get an adapter to add some length to the ODD cable, but the problem might be power, which IIRC, there isn't enough power for a 3.5" drive via the ODD cable.

BTW, there are a total of 3 SATA ports on the Mid 2011 iMac, one SATAIII for the HDD, one SATAII for the ODD, and one SATAIII that is for the BTO secondary SSD. It takes a little more work getting the logic board out, but you could use that other SATAIII port for your SSD.

Another thought, it is your device, and of course do what you want, but I personally wouldn't leave the hot HDD inside the iMac.

While there is no definitive proof, some think the hot HDD and insufficient cooling for the heat of the HDD is the reason for the high GPU failures on that generation.

Personally, if I really needed to use a HDD, I would use it externally.

 

[Juicy Box]

but the problem might be power, which IIRC, there isn't enough power for a 3.5" drive via the ODD cable.

Now that I am thinking about it, this shouldn't be that big of a deal.

If power ends up being an issue with the ODD cable, you could just keep the power from the ODD cable for the SSD, and just swap the data cables.

 

[SPNarwhal]

Now that I am thinking about it, this shouldn't be that big of a deal.

If power ends up being an issue with the ODD cable, you could just keep the power from the ODD cable for the SSD, and just swap the data cables.

Yeah I was thinking of just swapping the data cables if the power cables didn't reach. I just can't seem to figure out where the cables are mounted or how long they are. I've actually already utilized the 3rd SATA cable a while back but I wanted to add a 2nd SSD so I can have Windows on its own drive rather than a partition.

Leaving the main drive in, that's fair. I was originally not wanting to leave a 3.5 drive inside but buying a large capacity 2.5 is pretty expensive and I already have a few 8-12TB 3.5 drives I could install. The good thing about it being a storage drive is that it shouldn't spin unless I actively access it, so the heat thing shouldn't be much of an issue I'd assume since it would only run sometimes.

 

[Juicy Box]

If you end up replacing the OEM drive with a SSD or another HDD, make sure you update your firmware first to the latest version, if you have not already.

If you at some point had High Sierra, 10.13.6 installed (not cloned) on the OEM drive, then this should have updated to the latest firmware on your Mac.

Check the firmware by - Apple symbol > About this Mac > System Report > Hardware Overview > Boot Rom Version. It should say "87.0.0.0.0" for the Mid 2011 iMacs.

Also, don't forget to enable TRIM if you have not already.

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

I'm looking to do some upgrades to my iMac 2011 27" and I was wondering if anyone knows if I can take the SATA cable that runs to the superdrive and run it to the main hard drive bay (and vise versa)

I've looked at teardown videos and whatnot but can't seem to find out how long the cables are, nor where they connect to the board and route to.

Reason I want to do this is because the main drive SATA is 6Gb/s while the Superdrive is 3Gb/s. I want to use the Superdrive to install an SSD and I'll keep the main bay as a 3.5 storage, so I'd rather give the storage drive the slower 3Gb/s from the superdrive's cable.

Is the cable long enough to route the cable from the Superdrive to the main drive? and the main drive's cable to the Superdrive?

If not, any suggestions on what cable to purchase for replacing it?

Thanks!

1. The SATA cable connected to the ODD is not the same as the SATA cable connected to a normal HDD. You'll need to either change the cable, or use a caddybay + SSD to replace the ODD. The caddy bay will fit perfectly to the ODD place. It also serves as an cable adapter, too.

OSGEAR 2.5" 9.5mm 2nd Box Caddy Bay SATA HDD SSD to BD DVD CD RW Drive Tray ODD Laptop Hard Disk for ASUS ACER Toshiba Samsung

OSGEAR 2.5" 9.5mm 2nd Box Caddy Bay SATA HDD SSD to BD DVD CD RW Drive Tray ODD Laptop Hard Disk for ASUS ACER Toshiba Samsung

www.amazon.com

2. If you want to use the 3rd SATA port on the logicboard, you should get the cable designed for it. A normal PC SATA cable may not fit nicely to the SATA socket, which provides both power and data line.

3. You can install 2 SSD to the place of the 3.5" HDD, with a proper adapter.

 

[Juicy Box]

The SATA cable connected to the ODD is not the same as the SATA cable connected to a normal HDD. You'll need to either change the cable, or use a caddybay + SSD to replace the ODD. The caddy bay will fit perfectly to the ODD place. It also serves as an cable adapter, too.

Those are not the only options for the OP if they want to use the ODD cable for a hard drive.

You can use a Slimline SATA to SATA adapter, so no need to remove the logic board to replace the cable or to use the other SATA port.

 

[SPNarwhal]

Thanks for the feedback everyone!
I'm still not entirely sure what I plan to do yet. I see the benefit of using all 2.5 drives. Mostly cable-management in my eyes since I can just use an Optibay adapter for the 2.5 storage and then a 2.5-to-3.5 adapter to hold the 2 SSD drives..

however, I'm still leaning toward replacing the stock HDD with a different 3.5 only because I already have a spare 8TB and 10TB drive and if I installed a 2.5 for storage the most I can imagine going for is 4TB and it would be an extra expense since I don't have one on hand. I'm not particularly worried about the thermals since I'll not only be replacing the GPU anywho but I'll also replace the thermal paste. Not to mention, again, the 3.5 would only be for storage and not an OS, so shouldn't be running all too often. Am wondering the temperature difference it truly makes, though. If it's a genuine concern to have then I'd be more open to a smaller capacity 2.5.

That being said, I'm still a bit confused as to how to run these wires if I went with a 3.5. I'm not bothered too much about the slimline SATA to SATA (be it an adapter or just an entire cable replacement)-- my concern is more-so with the power cable port for the main HDD.

I found this image here which shows the 3 SATA ports, but what throws me off is that it seems the extra SATA (6GB/s) and the Optical Drive (3GB/s) are both standard SATA, but the main power supply is a data SATA and a different type of supply for the power? I'm guessing this is common knowledge but what kind of cable is that? Wondering why it would be an alternate power type compared to the 16-pin SATA power like the others.

 

[Juicy Box]

Not to mention, again, the 3.5 would only be for storage

If just for storage, you could use it externally.

my concern is more-so with the power cable port for the main HDD.

This shouldn't be a concern, just use the existing power connector, and just swap the data connectors.

what kind of cable is that?

IIRC, it is a proprietary cable from Apple.

Wondering why it would be an alternate power type compared to the 16-pin SATA power like the others.

Probably Apple being Apple.

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

For your case, I would do just like below:

1. Replace the HDD with a bigger one. Keep the same SATA cable.
2. ODD keeps its own cable.
3. Get an extra SATA cable (data cable) for the SSD. This should be plenty, look around your house or ask your friend. I can buy one new in bag here for less than 1$.
4. Buy a SATA Power splitter, and connect it to the original HDD power cable (not to the logicboard). This will power both the HDD and the SSD. Something like this:

StarTech.com 6in SATA Power Y Splitter Cable Adapter - M/F - Power splitter - SATA power (M) to SATA power (F) - 6 in - PYO2SATA

The PYO2SATA SATA power splitter cable features a SATA male power connector that connects to a single computer power supply SATA connector, and breaks out into two SATA female power connectors. The SATA power splitter/Y-cable overcomes the limit of the number of SATA drives that can be installed ...

www.amazon.com

5. Find a place for your SSD. The space under the ODD is ideal. Just use double-side tape to stick it to the aluminum case of the iMac.

6. Find a way to control the HDD fan. (OWC SATA cable, reposition the ODD sensor, or Mac Fan Control)

 

[Juicy Box]

To the OP, just to be clear, the method that I suggested in post #9 with reusing the SATA power cable for the HDD and swapping the HDD and ODD SATA data cables was if you were going to NOT remove the logic board, and just swap the ODD with a SSD, removing your ODD and putting a SSD in its place.

This would give you SATAIII for your SSD, reusing the ODD power for the SSD, but using the SATA data cable that was for the HDD for the SSD. It would require 2 SATA extension cable and 1 slimline to SATA adapter with the correct male and female parts.

Post #10, if I am understanding correctly, leaves the ODD in place along with its cables, leaves the HDD along with its cables, and utilizes the unused SATA port on the logic board to provide data for the SSD, and uses a splitter for the power connector on the HDD to provide power for the SSD.

That method would also work, and I would recommend it, as long as you are comfortable with removing the logic board. It isn't that big of a deal, but could intimidate people.

Not that the above method is incorrect at all, but I would suggest instead of buying a SATA cable and SATA power splitter, I would get Apple slimline to SATA cable for the SSD, similar to this one here:

Cables Occus SSD Hard Drive Data Power 922-9875 593-1330 for iMac 27" A1312 HDD Cable SSD Power Cable 2011 Year - (Cable Length: SSD Cable)

Cables Occus SSD Hard Drive Data Power 922-9875 593-1330 for iMac 27" A1312 HDD Cable SSD Power Cable 2011 Year - (Cable Length: SSD Cable)

www.amazon.com

That cable would go from the unused SATAIII port to under the ODD for a SSD.

There is also a mount for the SSD to be mounted under the ODD if you wanted a cleaner setup, but double face tape is widely used for people that do this install.


EDIT: The slimline to SATA cable I linked on amazon is crazy expensive, shop around, it is less than $10 on eBay.

 

[Juicy Box]

Oh yeah, I also currently have a Mid 2011 iMac with the logic board removed to upgrade the GPU to a K4100m.

I am going to be installing a SSD in place of the ODD using the OWC Data Doubler mount using the existing ODD cable:

OWC Data Doubler Optical Bay Hard Drive/SSD Mounting Solution for iMac 2009-2011.

OWC Data Doubler Optical Bay Hard Drive/SSD Mounting Solution for iMac 2009-2011.

www.amazon.com

Also, two SSD in a RAID0, both will be mounted in the HDD bay using this mount:

CORSAIR Dual SATA Drive Enclosure for 2.5" Solid-State Drives Black CSSD-BRKT2 - Best Buy

Shop CORSAIR Dual SATA Drive Enclosure for 2.5" Solid-State Drives Black at Best Buy. Find low everyday prices and buy online for delivery or in-store pick-up. Price Match Guarantee.

www.bestbuy.com

I will reuse the HDD cable for one of the SSDs, and use the unused SATA port and the slimline to SATA cable that I posted above for the other SSD, this one here:

Cables Occus SSD Hard Drive Data Power 922-9875 593-1330 for iMac 27" A1312 HDD Cable SSD Power Cable 2011 Year - (Cable Length: SSD Cable)

Cables Occus SSD Hard Drive Data Power 922-9875 593-1330 for iMac 27" A1312 HDD Cable SSD Power Cable 2011 Year - (Cable Length: SSD Cable)

www.amazon.com

I am currently waiting for a 3 pipe GPU heat sink to be delivered to complete the mod, but until then, if you have any questions about the logic board, or need some photos of anything while it is gutted, let me know.

 

[Juicy Box]

One more thing, don't get that slimline cable from the amazon link I posted. It is crazy expensive. Here is some on eBay for much cheaper:

922-9875 593-1330 for sale | eBay

Get the best deals for 922-9875 593-1330 at eBay.com. We have a great online selection at the lowest prices with Fast & Free shipping on many items!

www.ebay.com

 

[The_Croupier]

Just get a SATA power y splitter and a regular SATA cable cost less than $6 like what @Nguyen Duc Hieu suggested.

 

[SPNarwhal]

Y splitter is a great idea.!

I've already used the extra (3rd) SATA cable, and the ODD is being replaced. That's the issue I had was wanting to use the SATA from the ODD for the 3.5 HDD since it's slower. I just didn't know how to go about mixing around the power cables but think I've got this figured out now.

Another question, though:

Do you think a 15mm 2.5 would fit into the ODD bay? Would rather put both SATA drives where the current 3.5 is and then just do a 2.5 storage drive where the ODD is (especially since it would mean I can just use the original ODD slim-sata cable), but all the larger capacity 2.5s are the thicker ones (15mm instead of the standard 7mm)-- I assume it would fit into that area in general, but since I'd be installing it into an Optibay adapter I'm wondering if that extra thickness would get in the way of putting the screen back on.

 

[The_Croupier]

In

Y splitter is a great idea.!

I've already used the extra (3rd) SATA cable, and the ODD is being replaced. That's the issue I had was wanting to use the SATA from the ODD for the 3.5 HDD since it's slower. I just didn't know how to go about mixing around the power cables but think I've got this figured out now.

Another question, though:

Do you think a 15mm 2.5 would fit into the ODD bay? Would rather put both SATA drives where the current 3.5 is and then just do a 2.5 storage drive where the ODD is (especially since it would mean I can just use the original ODD slim-sata cable), but all the larger capacity 2.5s are the thicker ones (15mm instead of the standard 7mm)-- I assume it would fit into that area in general, but since I'd be installing it into an Optibay adapter I'm wondering if that extra thickness would get in the way of putting the screen back on.

IMO I would leave the ODD bay alone, don't remove the ODD and dont obstruct air flow to the GPU heatsink by putting a drive underneath it which will move slightly hotter air into the sink. You want to keep your gpu as cool as possible.

You will easily fit all 3 drives in the 3.5" space stacked vertically 2 SSD side by side and the platter 15mm on top but centred directly above the hdd fan. You should even have enough space to stick a small piece of cardboard seperating the SSD's from the platter to facilitate some air flow around it.

Heres a mock up example for you.
Don't worry about fancy brackets some double sided tape will suffice, once the screen is on it wont look ugly and i can guarantee those 3 drives if 2 are SSD will be cooler than a stock 3.5"

I've had my 2010 27" since release and did a SSD upgrade about 7 years ago i taped it on-top of the original 3.5" HDD in the far bottom left hard up against the PSU divider, it doesn't protrude above the divider so is clear of the LCD, 11 years and no GPU issues on the stock 5750.

Good luck.

 

[SPNarwhal]

Interesting.. definitely a route that's worth considering. I'm wondering the same about that method though about a 15mm drive fitting since it's thicker.

I wasn't thinking of putting a drive behind the ODD. I know that someone made a mount FOR that purpose and thought I'd use that mount to install a 15mm drive where the ODD is since it would be mounted further back and the thickness wouldn't be an issue that way. There would be a ton of airflow. Even more than with the ODD staying as-is.

I just can't find that mount for the life of me.

 

[The_Croupier]

You will easily fit it in the HDD bay, the drive in my photo that's horizontal and over the fan had a shroud on it bringing it to 12mm thick.

You only need another 3mm of space if you look at the side on photo there is easily more than 3mm looking at the plastic PSU divider.

Or stack 2 SSD's on top of each other vertically for about 18mm with the 15mm vertical next to them.

Obviously with this method you will not be using any fancy mount just good old double sided tape.

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

Interesting.. definitely a route that's worth considering. I'm wondering the same about that method though about a 15mm drive fitting since it's thicker.

I wasn't thinking of putting a drive behind the ODD. I know that someone made a mount FOR that purpose and thought I'd use that mount to install a 15mm drive where the ODD is since it would be mounted further back and the thickness wouldn't be an issue that way. There would be a ton of airflow. Even more than with the ODD staying as-is.

I just can't find that mount for the life of me.

If you already have the 15mm 2.5" HDD (4TB drive?), you can purchase one or two 12.7mm caddy bays (they are cheaper in one shipment) and try the installation yourself.

Case 1: There are still some gap between the ODD and the LCD, so 15mm-thick HDD may just fit perfectly => Nothing else to be done.

Case 2: Still need 1 or 2mm of space: This mod requires some craftmanship, but not too difficult.
Since the Caddy bay is made of thin alumium, just cut through its back, but leave some part of the back to screw in the HDD. The mod will impact the caddy bay only, and will not interfere with the airflow under the caddy bay.

If you are about to purchase the HDD: think twice before action.
(1) Internal or external HDD?
(2) Speed + tidiness vs capacity and expandability.

 

[SPNarwhal]

If you already have the 15mm 2.5" HDD (4TB drive?), you can purchase one or two 12mm caddy bays (they are cheaper in one shipment) and try the installation yourself.

Case 1: There are still some gap between the ODD and the LCD, so 15mm-thick HDD may just fit perfectly => Nothing else to be done.

Case 2: Still need 1 or 2mm of space: This mod requires some craftmanship, but not too difficult.
Since the Caddy bay is made of thin alumium, just cut through its back, but leave some part of the back to screw in the HDD. The mod will impact the caddy bay only, and will not interfere with the airflow under the caddy bay.

If you are about to purchase the HDD: think twice before action.
(1) Internal or external HDD?
(2) Speed + tidiness vs capacity and expandability.

I could also get one of those hollow adapters that just suspend the drive. The issue is where the adapter is seated. Even if I cut a hole in the caddy it would still need to mount in the same spot since that's where it plugs into the caddy.

I have a ton of external hard drives already. I just don't ever use the ODD and I like having some extra storage just to toss files. 1 SSD will be for MacOS, 1 SSD for Windows, then a standard drive for general storage.

A while back I saw a mount that was actually meant to hold a hard drive behind the ODD but I can't seem to find it anymore. That would be perfect for what I want to do since I'd just mount a drive with that mount but not install an ODD and thus would have plenty of extra space for the thick drive to fit into.

If I can't find it I'll probably just install a 2TB 2.5 into an optibay enclosure since I believe that's the largest size you can get before the drive needs to be thicker?

 

[SPNarwhal]

There is also a mount for the SSD to be mounted under the ODD if you wanted a cleaner setup, but double face tape is widely used for people that do this install.

Do you know where I can get this mount? Can't seem to find it.

 

[Afro_]

deleted

 

[The_Croupier]

Opticaddy SATA-3 HDD/SSD Caddy for Apple iMac 2009, 2010, 2011 | eBay

Opticaddy is a sturdy but lightweight second HDD Caddy omade from aluminum (with great heat dissipation), with fully compatible SATA-3 electronics for maximum speeds. This 2nd HDD Caddy lets you add a second hard disk or SSD to your computer replacing your optical drive.

www.ebay.co.uk

Thats not what he's looking for.
"compatible with all 7mm or 9.5mm 2.5" HDDs and SSDs"

 

[Afro_]

Thats not what he's looking for.
"compatible with all 7mm or 9.5mm 2.5" HDDs and SSDs"

Oh yes. If the OP wants to put a 15 mm HDD under ODD that is probably not possible. Never seen a mount for that. Besides, that will block the airflow to the GPU heatsink which is silly. I will delete my post.

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

Thats not what he's looking for.
"compatible with all 7mm or 9.5mm 2.5" HDDs and SSDs"

OK, try this:

OSGEAR 2.5" 12.7mm 2nd Box Caddy Bay SATA HDD SSD Case Tray to Blu Ray BD CD DVD RW ROM ODD Hard Disk Drive Laptop Adapter for ASUS ACER Toshiba Samsung

OSGEAR 2.5" 12.7mm 2nd Box Caddy Bay SATA HDD SSD Case Tray to Blu Ray BD CD DVD RW ROM ODD Hard Disk Drive Laptop Adapter for ASUS ACER Toshiba Samsung

www.amazon.com

I would like to correct my statement above about modding the caddy bay:
The modification will not possible, because the SATA port on the caddy bay is fixed. But the protruding thickness is smaller than the available gap (12.7mm v 15mm).

The whole process can be viewed in the below video: