Mid 2010 iMac SSD upgrade adapter plate

[yelkenli]

I am looking to upgrade my mid 2010 iMac with an SSD. I have a few questions as to what is required.

I am planning to use a Samsung 850 EVO 500GB 2.5-Inch SATA III Internal SSD. I used this on a laptop with good results. I believe this is compatible with the iMac, which has an SATA drive in it now.

I was looking at brackets to use the 2.5 inch drive in the 3.5 inch bay. A search on ebay yields very little. Why is that?
Also, they seem to have a circuit card installed. Is the 3.5 SATA connector cable a different format? Looking at some youtubes, the connectors do seem different than what I recall on the above Samsung (that I installed in my laptop).

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-5-SSD-SA...806223?hash=item51d50ddbcf:g:6EsAAOSw~gRVuEvB
and
https://www.ebay.com/itm/NewerTech-...918809&hash=item51d26b07c4:g:QjMAAOSw88NZ--nN

Thanks!



iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2010)
3.06 GHz Intel Core i3

 

[redheeler]

I am planning to use a Samsung 850 EVO 500GB 2.5-Inch SATA III Internal SSD. I used this on a laptop with good results. I believe this is compatible with the iMac, which has an SATA drive in it now.

Yes that SSD will work fine, though with a 2010 iMac it is bottlenecked by SATA II instead of SATA III. Expect a noticeable performance boost over the original hard drive.

I was looking at brackets to use the 2.5 inch drive in the 3.5 inch bay. A search on ebay yields very little. Why is that?
Also, they seem to have a circuit card installed. Is the 3.5 SATA connector cable a different format? Looking at some youtubes, the connectors do seem different than what I recall on the above Samsung (that I installed in my laptop).

No, the connectors are the same for 2.5" and 3.5" SATA drives. The reason that some of the adapters have pass-through boards is because some PC cases have slide-in drive bays or very tight clearance for cables, but I haven't found this to be a problem for the 2010/2011 iMac. The cables reach just fine.

Also, something to note is that you will need a replacement temperature sensor as the original hard drive has one built-in. OWC sells these, or see this thread for a cheaper solution (I haven't tested to confirm his findings).

 

[tyche]

You need a 2.5" SSD of your choice. I did this about 5 years ago and just used some double sided tape to hold it in place. The SSD is light and you're not juggling the machine it's not going anywhere.

You also need some way to stop the fan from running max speed. The cleanest way is to use the OWC sensor listed above. Alternately, there are software solutions but some cost as much as the sensor so why bother.

 

[yelkenli]

Redheeler and tyche: thanks for the replies.

I might still go with a bracket, but not one with a circuit card on it.

I will find out when I take my iMac apart, but in some of the youtubes, the computers already have temperature sensors - the videos show detaching the sensor prior to removing the old drive, then putting the same sensor on the new SSD.
e.g.

I have to assume some iMacs have sensors inside the drive with some way for the computer to read the temperature - via the SATA comm. protocol? and if this is what I have, then I have to use a work-around (OWC, or other).

But if the sensor is inside the drive, then the two-pin connector on the board is a spare?
Does anyone know of an overview of the temperature sensing system, maybe with a schematic?

I will find out firsthand, but would like to be prepared.

 

[redheeler]

I will find out when I take my iMac apart, but in some of the youtubes, the computers already have temperature sensors - the videos show detaching the sensor prior to removing the old drive, then putting the same sensor on the new SSD.

iMacs released prior to Late 2009 have external sensors as shown in the video. The Mid 2010 has it integrated into the factory hard drive.

 

[yelkenli]

next question: what is the story with the TRIM feature? Is this already included with the Samsung EVO? I do not see anything in the EVO ads. Or is TRIM purely a computer operating system feature?
Given that the macbook pro that I upgraded with an EVO did not have TRIM on, I have to assume this is an OS setting.

e.g.

This one states Lion had a problem with enabling TRIM
And around 8:33 recommends erasing free space. Is this necessary?

This one uses a utility, which I am not sure I like

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7434291?start=0&tstart=0
This link uses a terminal command to turn it on. Does not mention erasing free space.

 

[Zeke D]

The 2010s have apple-specific firmware on the rotational drives. When you replace it, you'll need to pick up the OWC SATA harness for $40, or a 2008/2009 ODD sensor, part #593-0493, for less than $5. There is nothing wrong with the OWC harness other than the absurd price they ask for and the flimsy quality of the plastic: