imac 2011 - swapping 3,5 SATA HD into 2,5 SSD

[amt976]

Hi All,
I have a 2011 imac and HD seems dead...time for replacement.
I´m thinking about moving to SSD around 500gb - I would need a 3,5 to 2,5 adapter and a good quality SSD, any suggestions?
I would need also to get High Sierra macOS but I don´t have a 2nd mac to prepare a bootable USB - what options do I have? I´ve seen some bootable USB sold on Amazon and I should have some backup on time machine.
tks

 

[barbu]

having done similar upgrades, I'd say don't worry about the 3.5-2.5 adapter unless it comes free in the box. SSDs are so light that double-sided tape (I personally use commander strips for this) is quite adequate to hold them in place.
I would never consider purchasing a bootable USB off amazon since that would be an illegal product and I wouldn't ever trust it, even if it did work. Do you know anyone who owns a Mac? You need a Mac that is compatible with High Sierra. You can get the installers here. Run the installer on the borrowed Mac, then use the createinstallermedia tool or something graphical like DiskMakerX. Just be sure you target the correct disks. Once complete, your USB should boot your Mac.

 

[Ausdauersportler]

Never heard about internet recovery? Google helps...

First switch the drives, then recover from the net. The sabrent 2.5 frame works quite good. A cheap black piece of plastic or metal. Buy a StarTech SATA Y splitter cable from amazon, too. Use it between the iMac power cable and the SSD. You may also search the web why this might a good idea, although it is not widely spread.

You will not need any Fan Control Software it everything works out well. If, not - search for this free software and please visit ifixit.com and get the proper tools to disassemble an iMac. Tools you may get cheaper from Amazon, too.

Ebay is full of damaged systems from people tried to be very smart and ruined the glas panel, the LCD connector to the logic board or better the complete logic board. It is no rocket science, but you need tools and a pair of two right hand side hands....