iMac accelerometer query

[thomas223]

Hi,

I have a strange random question... Does the mid-2011 iMac have a built in accelerometer (or g-sensor or whatever you want to call it) to protect the hard drive against failure in case something might bump against the imac? I accidentally bumped the side of the iMac today when reaching for a book and I was wondering if it could cause any damage to the hard drive.

As far as I know, 3,5" desktop hard drives can not withstand as much force and vibration as 2,5" laptop hard drives.

Thanks,
Thomas

 

[50548]

Hi,

I have a strange random question... Does the mid-2011 iMac have a built in accelerometer (or g-sensor or whatever you want to call it) to protect the hard drive against failure in case something might bump against the imac? I accidentally bumped the side of the iMac today when reaching for a book and I was wondering if it could cause any damage to the hard drive.

As far as I know, 3,5" desktop hard drives can not withstand as much force and vibration as 2,5" laptop hard drives.

Thanks,
Thomas

No, only Apple laptops have that.

 

[thomas223]

Hmmm. That's not good. Do you think it's possible to damage the hard drive by tilting the imac's screen or inserting a flash disk and bumping the imac a little bit?

 

[TC400]

Hmmm. That's not good. Do you think it's possible to damage the hard drive by tilting the imac's screen or inserting a flash disk and bumping the imac a little bit?

Not really. I'm sure its enclosed and in there very tight! The display doesn't move around that much at all. I wouldn't be to worried about the HDD I've had my 2010 iMac since September of 2010 no issues what so ever.

 

[50548]

Hmmm. That's not good. Do you think it's possible to damage the hard drive by tilting the imac's screen or inserting a flash disk and bumping the imac a little bit?

Don't think so - in any case, HDDs have moving parts and are always prone to failure sooner or later...just make sure you have an updated backup elsewhere (Time Machine or the like) and check your SMART status often.

 

[thomas223]

I can't wait for all hard drives to be replaced with solid state storage.

 

[omvs]

Hmmm. That's not good. Do you think it's possible to damage the hard drive by tilting the imac's screen or inserting a flash disk and bumping the imac a little bit?

No, the hard drives are much, much more durable than that. The accelerometers in the laptops are actually to protect against a hard-drop - I believe the way they work is sense when the laptop goes into free-fall, and parks the heads before the laptop hits the ground.

Unless you 'bumped' you imac hard enough to leave a scratch/dent, or you imac falls off the desk, I doubt you'd affect the hard drive.

I've done some not-so-gentle handling of drives in past, and the only times I've killed them is dropping them on a hard surface. Not that I recommend being rough though...

 

[antman2x2]

I can't wait for all hard drives to be replaced with solid state storage.

That makes two of us, hard drives are just ticking time bombs