most people would agree that a sandforce controller based ssd is the way to go. some examples - corsair force, ocz vertex 2, owc - not sure which models - maybe all?
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iMac 27" SSD Upgrade - Important Tip!
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most people would agree that a sandforce controller based ssd is the way to go. some examples - corsair force, ocz vertex 2, owc - not sure which models - maybe all?
thanks SandForce controller based SSDs are winner now (except may be RealSSD but expensive) until the next Intel SSD refresh happens...
If you're adding an SSD in addition to the primary hard drive, you will need these three items:
922-9485 - Pressure Wall, Optical/SSD/MXM
This is the caddy that Apple uses to install the SSD. It sits right between the HDD and the optical drive.
922-9538 - Cable, SSD HDD Data
This cable is at a 90º angle and is small and the exact length to go form the S-ATA connector to the Pressure Wall caddy where the SSD will go. No extra cable lying around.
922-9531 - Cable, AC/DC Power/Backlight/SATA, SSD
This will provide power to the SSD, the HDD, the SuperDrive and the Display. A single cable without the need to install a S-ATA splitter.
All three parts are $19 each, so you can do the official, non warranty-voiding upgrade for only $57 bucks and you can leave it if you ever need to take it for repair. You need to take out about 30% of the computer to install it and if you know what you're doing, you can be done in less than an hour. It's just basically removing part of the logic board, installing the pressure wall, hooking cables and putting everything back together, nothing out of this world.
Any idea if this upgrade would work on a 27" Core i7 2.8GHz ("Late 2009", one version older then the current)?
I would really like to keep my 2TB drive and add a 120GB SSD
No, there are not enough SATA ports im afraid. The only way you can do it is remove your optical drive and replace it with the SSD.
Just had a go at installing an SSD in a 27 2010 imac. Was going along quite well. Got everything in. It is a lot harder than it looks, I'll say that much in my defence. Anyway, when I turned the big fellow back on for the first time I got the black screen beeping. One long beep, which supposedly means that the RAM is bad.
Now, I don't know exactly what to do. Guess I'll have to lie to Applecare and see if I can get some repairs done.
Any suggestions?
Now, I don't know exactly what to do. Guess I'll have to lie to Applecare and see if I can get some repairs done.
Any suggestions?
I had the same problem too. I took out the RAM, took out the screws on the logic board, and made sure everything sit perfectly again. Then put the RAM back in. It took me a few tries, and a few hours before I got it up and running. That beep is scary!
Just make sure when you put the logic board back, it is aligned with the ports on the back case of the iMac. I had to go through the long process of taking everything apart again and realign the logic board to the case to make sure iet lined up as I couldn't even plug a USB into the USB port!
All the best with it!
Takamine, seriously dude I think that's the best advice anyone has ever given me! I was worried, but I went back inside and just lined everything up properly like you said. And bang! Away she went!
You are a lifesaver. Or a macsaver at least.
Cheers dude!
To anyone else attempting this mod; it seems to help a lot if you connect something up through a usb port while screwing the logic board back into place. It forces the screws to line up properly and makes it easier to screw in. This was the hardest part of the mod, in my opinion.
You are a lifesaver. Or a macsaver at least.
Cheers dude!
To anyone else attempting this mod; it seems to help a lot if you connect something up through a usb port while screwing the logic board back into place. It forces the screws to line up properly and makes it easier to screw in. This was the hardest part of the mod, in my opinion.
I didn't even know they came out with a mid-2010 model. Once I read your post, I really got excited and planned to buy the parts, only to see that the Late 2009 models can't do this. Now I'm just sad. I'll have to go with my original plan of just going with putting the stock 1TB drive into another external enclosure.
Great post though. I hadn't seen any other place that mentioned the ability to install the SSD like this. I'm sure 2010 owners would love to see a detailed guy about how to remove the logic board and such to place the pressure wall caddy.
~Paik
Glad it worked out well. She's fast isn't she
What SSD did you end up putting inside?
Fast? Wow, like nothing I've ever seen! It goes from the boot chime to fully usable in 13 seconds. Applications are simply instant. It feels like I'm using a genuine 21st century computer, especially since I'm migrating from PC.
I went with the 160gb Intel x-25. A real piece of work!
The only issue I have, and this is unrelated to the SSD, is the stupid riplock ont eh dvd drive. It took over an hour to install Mass Effect 2. I mean, come on. Is that supposed to be helpful? Sure it sounds quiet, but it is soooo slow.
I'm getting micro center to install mine $60.Don't want to attempt it. Have a few concerns.
1. read a lot of reviews about how vertex 2 just dies within weeks. known problems?
2.I am kind of undecided on which ssd to get. OCZ vertex 2,Corsair Force,Intel X25
3.I'm also concerned if i get a dead drive and micro center installed it. then i will have to send it back to new egg. might be a problem.
4. I was thinking of just buying a ssd from micro center,but they don't have the vertex 2. they have ocz vertex and the Agility2,cosair force and intel.
would i see any noticeable speed difference with the vertex 2 compared to agility 2,cosair force,intel x25 or even the regular vertex?
1. read a lot of reviews about how vertex 2 just dies within weeks. known problems?
2.I am kind of undecided on which ssd to get. OCZ vertex 2,Corsair Force,Intel X25
3.I'm also concerned if i get a dead drive and micro center installed it. then i will have to send it back to new egg. might be a problem.
4. I was thinking of just buying a ssd from micro center,but they don't have the vertex 2. they have ocz vertex and the Agility2,cosair force and intel.
would i see any noticeable speed difference with the vertex 2 compared to agility 2,cosair force,intel x25 or even the regular vertex?
buy a drive, put it in an external case and use it ia firewire 800 for a while to see if its a dud or not.
i was thinking of going with 2.5 version, so i can run it in a laptop for a while before installing it into the imac. would that be a problem for the imac being 2.5?
To all my fellow cheapskates who don't want to buy a $50-$100 bracket:
I've been looking forever for the simple adapter depicted in one of the very early messages ... and I found it!
http://cgi.ebay.com/SATA-22P-ODD-Sl...Accessories&hash=item1e5fed5bea#ht_1518wt_768
$11 shipped
I'm planning to use something like a releasable 3M command strip to secure the drive http://rvtravel.com/blog/rvnow/uploaded_images/command-strips-740464.jpg
I've been looking forever for the simple adapter depicted in one of the very early messages ... and I found it!
http://cgi.ebay.com/SATA-22P-ODD-Sl...Accessories&hash=item1e5fed5bea#ht_1518wt_768
$11 shipped
I'm planning to use something like a releasable 3M command strip to secure the drive http://rvtravel.com/blog/rvnow/uploaded_images/command-strips-740464.jpg
Seriously, it's so tight in there, with so many cables, that the SSD has no chance of moving around. You dont need velcro or resealable strips or anything to hold it in place. It aint gonna move.
In the end...
I was considering buying an i7 quad with just the 1Tb HDD, and adding a smaller SSD, but decided in the end that the risk of failure, coupled with the fact that (due to a deal here right now*) I get a 30% rebate on new Apple kit, meant that just upping the spec to the 256Gb SSD+1Tb was the sensible option. Sure, probably won't be as fast as a carefully selected SOTA SSD, but neither will it be as slow as any comparable regular HDD.
* not an Apple thing - it's a local business incentive thing we have here, which my small company was fortunate enough to qualify for. Gift horses, mouths, not looking in....
I was considering buying an i7 quad with just the 1Tb HDD, and adding a smaller SSD, but decided in the end that the risk of failure, coupled with the fact that (due to a deal here right now*) I get a 30% rebate on new Apple kit, meant that just upping the spec to the 256Gb SSD+1Tb was the sensible option. Sure, probably won't be as fast as a carefully selected SOTA SSD, but neither will it be as slow as any comparable regular HDD.
* not an Apple thing - it's a local business incentive thing we have here, which my small company was fortunate enough to qualify for. Gift horses, mouths, not looking in....
I had a Vertex 2 die on me in about 2 months. Normal usage. Was purposely keeping writing to a minimum too. Only had a max of about 100gb on it. It was the 3.5" 240gb version. Its in the process of being RMA'd. I hope they send me a new, sealed one, as its going right on eBay. Not worth the hassle for me at this point...
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Actually they do.
I just looked at the Mid-2010 iMac Service Manual and when they just install the 256GB SSD instead of a hard drive, they use Apple Part #922-9628 to "shorten" the sensor, they just call it a jumper and it's this one:
You can get it for around $19 and it's Apple approved and it will not void your warranty.
If you're replacing the hard drive, this is the only part you need.
I have a Late 2009 27" iMac and will the part above ("shorten" the sensor aka jumper) work on this model?
Actually they do.
I just looked at the Mid-2010 iMac Service Manual and when they just install the 256GB SSD instead of a hard drive, they use Apple Part #922-9628 to "shorten" the sensor, they just call it a jumper and it's this one:
You can get it for around $19 and it's Apple approved and it will not void your warranty.
If you're replacing the hard drive, this is the only part you need.
If you're adding an SSD in addition to the primary hard drive, you will need these three items:
922-9485 - Pressure Wall, Optical/SSD/MXM
This is the caddy that Apple uses to install the SSD. It sits right between the HDD and the optical drive.
922-9538 - Cable, SSD HDD Data
This cable is at a 90º angle and is small and the exact length to go form the S-ATA connector to the Pressure Wall caddy where the SSD will go. No extra cable lying around.
922-9531 - Cable, AC/DC Power/Backlight/SATA, SSD
This will provide power to the SSD, the HDD, the SuperDrive and the Display. A single cable without the need to install a S-ATA splitter.
All three parts are $19 each, so you can do the official, non warranty-voiding upgrade for only $57 bucks and you can leave it if you ever need to take it for repair. You need to take out about 30% of the computer to install it and if you know what you're doing, you can be done in less than an hour. It's just basically removing part of the logic board, installing the pressure wall, hooking cables and putting everything back together, nothing out of this world.
I have a quick question about the parts you listed. These are needed (and not already installed) to add a SSD to a 2010 27" iMac that only shipped with a HDD correct? Also, these would not fit a 2009 model, right? How does the pressure wall attach? Does it use existing mounts and screws or is there more that goes with it? Thanks for your help.
I'm in the same boat, any help of pointing me in the right direction would be greatly appreciated.
So i went ahead and ordered the 3 parts that Picho posted. I also ordered an OWC Mercury Extreme Pro 120GB SSD. I installed everything a few days ago in my Mid-2010 27" Core i5 (HDD only) and everything went as expected. I didn't realize the logic board had to be pulled so it took a little longer than expected but otherwise everything was as expected. I did not note which logic board connection I connected to the SSD, and which I connected to the factory HDD (hopefully it doesn't matter). I cloned the factory drive (fresh out of the box hadn't set up or anything, its brand new) to the new SSD after formatting (Mac HFS+ Journaled). I used disk utility to restore the HDD to the SSD using the restore tab with erase destination enabled (block-level copy). I then wiped the HDD chose the SSD as startup disk, and then booted for the first time. I went through set up and then used the computer and did some more set up and customization. I ran updates, repaired permissions verified the new SSD and a few other routine items to make sure everything was normal. Everything checked out and has been working well except one thing... When waking from sleep sometimes the computer freezes. It doesn't happen every time and it seems like it happens when it has been sleeping for longer periods (not sure though). I have to press and hold power to power off the machine and reboot. I left disk utility running before sleep (accidentally, but luckily i guess) and upon wake (before freezing) disk utility does not show the SSD, only the HDD and optical drive. I know that MacBook Pro Users have been having issues with hibernate so i confirmed that it is normal (hibernate mode: 0) pmset -g returns:
Active Profiles:
AC Power -1*
Currently in use:
hibernatemode 0
halfdim 1
womp 1
sleep 10
powerbutton 1
disksleep 10
hibernatefile /var/vm/sleepimage
ttyskeepawake 1
autorestart 0
displaysleep 10
Does anyone have any idea if I did something wrong, how I can fix this, or if the SSD may be at fault. Let me know. Thank you.
Edit: I also added 4GB (2x2GB) of OWC Ram at the same time. I don't think that would be the cause but it could be.
Active Profiles:
AC Power -1*
Currently in use:
hibernatemode 0
halfdim 1
womp 1
sleep 10
powerbutton 1
disksleep 10
hibernatefile /var/vm/sleepimage
ttyskeepawake 1
autorestart 0
displaysleep 10
Does anyone have any idea if I did something wrong, how I can fix this, or if the SSD may be at fault. Let me know. Thank you.
Edit: I also added 4GB (2x2GB) of OWC Ram at the same time. I don't think that would be the cause but it could be.