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new ssd drive upgrade advice needed

L

Leonh

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 4, 2011
15
0
Hi there
i have a mid 2010 iMac 27" i5 2.8 and wondered about getting an ssd installed (or installing One). I rang apple in canberra where i live and they said they don't do ssd upgrades. Seems strange what if one had a hardware drive problem!! I am not sure that i am capable of doing it my self, so wondered what is the best way to get one installed? is an external one worth the effort and money in terms of a speed upgrade. Its interesting that such a thing is so difficult in a iMac?
any help appreciated
thanks
leon
 
Regarding the SSD of choice, just remember your bus is SATA II (3 Gbps). Amazon sells MX100 Crucials at a very interesting price.
This one, for example,

http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-MX100...&qid=1426247183&sr=8-2&keywords=crucial+mx100

The difference between your HD and a Solid State one is night and day. I rather reinstall the OS than clone it, seems to be faster.

---------------------------------------------------------
EDIT:
Or, alternatively, you an install a SSD below the SuperDrive and make a Fusion Drive or have simply a SSD for OS and apps, and keep your current HD (or replace it altogether with a larger unit). Fact is, it is not so simple (or common) to crack open the iMac… so I will consider once it's open, make all upgrades.

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Installing+iMac+Intel+27-Inch+EMC+2390+Dual+Hard+Drive+Kit/9266
 
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
Leonh said:
Hi there
i have a mid 2010 iMac 27" i5 2.8 and wondered about getting an ssd installed (or installing One). I rang apple in canberra where i live and they said they don't do ssd upgrades. Seems strange what if one had a hardware drive problem!! I am not sure that i am capable of doing it my self, so wondered what is the best way to get one installed? is an external one worth the effort and money in terms of a speed upgrade. Its interesting that such a thing is so difficult in a iMac?
any help appreciated
thanks
leon
Click to expand...

I did a quick google search, and found these guys:

http://macservicesact.com.au/services/

Apple retail stores alas do not offer SSD upgrades for Macs, but a 3rd-party outfit like those listed above can.

As for using an SSD externally - that would not be a good idea, since your Mac has neither USB3 nor Thunderbolt, so the speed of the SSD cannot be achieved. Your best bet is to get an SSD installed internally, and since you're not confident to do the upgrade yourself (neither am I by the way, I shudder at the thought of ruining iMac screens when opening an iMac), I would recommend you budget for someone like the people listed above to install an SSD for you.

As for choice of SSD, I would agree that your best bet is a Crucial MX100, which are priced well on amazon.
 
thanks for that

thanks for that very helpful advice, i have tried to contact a mac service centre here but no luck yet with a reply, but i will try your link
leon
 
I would check the drive speed and get the fastest one you can buy. I bought Kingston Hyper X 240GB and its very fast. I do have a slower SSD and you can tell slight difference.

Also, don't worry about SATA 2 or 3. the ports and drives are backwards compatible. You won't gain speed but I find newer SATA 3 drives on sale more often.
 
You cannot simply replace your hard drive with an SSD.

Your iMac uses a proprietary thermal sensor on the hard drive. If you remove the default hard drive, the iMac fans will run at 100% ALL the time. Literally from the second you boot, to the second you shut down. It's very loud.

You need to either short out the sensor, or buy a thermal sensor from OWC, and use with an OWC SSD. You can also manually control the fans with software, but I'd personally be uncomfortable with that.

Thermal sensor: http://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/DIDIMACHDD09/

Suitable SSD: http://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/SSD7E3G240/

3.5 to 2.5 inch adapter: http://eshop.macsales.com/item/NewerTech/ADPTADRV/
 
Ifixit site says to just reverse the fan connector onto the new drive. I guess that shorts it out? Either way, their guides are pretty good.
 
i got a quote for a 500gb ssd fitted for close to $650 from a mac service centre (see above), thats is more than i want to spend at the moment.
so may have to take the other option of self made,
many thanks for your helpful and comprehensive advice

leon

I have a dell laptop that i ended up with when people did not bid at auction, it is very easy to change hard drives in so i might do that to get a feel first of the process and whether the speed difference is worth the money.It is not my main computer ( the iMac is) but it might be interesting
 
Ifixit has guides on how to change out your drive. Probably easier if you have a friend help. They sell the exact little torx screwdrivers you need plus the suction cups to pull off the glass. Cheap.
 
I'll throw in that I just did this upgrade on my iMac (Mid-2011) and it was much easier than I thought. Getting the glass cover off the LCD is easy (I actually did it with my fingernails and wedged a credit card between that and the aluminum to slowly work it off), and removing the LCD itself was also easy (just be very careful with the various cables that attach it to the inverter, logic board, and such). The hardest item to get back into place was the display signal cable that connects with a ZIF item.

I actually used these instructions: http://9to5mac.com/2015/02/13/how-to-swap-imac-hard-drive-for-ssd/

You'll need two things besides the tools - a 2.5"->3.5" adapter bracket to hold it. I spent a bit more and got the AdaptaDrive and you'll also need a thermal sensor (or thermal sensor and tools). The 2011 model (like mine) was a bit different, but it's the same idea.

I installed a Crucial mx100 and the install took about a half hour. My computer is much faster (boots in 12 seconds instead of about 50), and I'm planning on repurposing the stock drive for something else.

I understand your desire to pay to have someone do the installation, but a lot of places will charge you more than the machine is worth - perhaps check with a local Apple Authorized Service Provider and see if you provide the supplies and pay them labor to do it?
 
thanks for that very encouraging, but your right about it being expensive. I also have a older mid 2007 iMac which is what i have replaced (still goes well) and i am tempted to try it on that first. But people's comments make one feel like having a go
leon
 
Leonh said:
thanks for that very encouraging, but your right about it being expensive. I also have a older mid 2007 iMac which is what i have replaced (still goes well) and i am tempted to try it on that first. But people's comments make one feel like having a go
leon
Click to expand...

Yeah - I was a bit skiddish, and probably would've been very angry with myself if I broke something in the process, but as most instructions say, taking it slowly and being careful is your best friend. The only things besides being careful with the glass cover when it's removed are not to lose any of the Torx screws that hold the LCD in place and to not stretch out or force any of the cables.

For context, I've done the "easy" installs like the unibody MacBook Pro SSD replacements and I've done crazy repairs like taking apart old iBooks and I'd say it skews toward the tamer side of Mac teardowns.

Good luck!
 
thanks again for that
to Doc z i see the difference but from the videos it seems that the front comes off both and then the screen etc so it might provide a learning curve? can one just leave the sensor as it is in the 2007? i have not quite got my head around the sensors in the 2010 though. The sensor you linked to is suitable for the 2010?
leon
 
Leonh said:
thanks again for that
to Doc z i see the difference but from the videos it seems that the front comes off both and then the screen etc so it might provide a learning curve? can one just leave the sensor as it is in the 2007? i have not quite got my head around the sensors in the 2010 though. The sensor you linked to is suitable for the 2010?
leon
Click to expand...

On both you do remove the screen first to get to everything. Basically the 2007 model has the sensors taped on the drive itself:

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iMac+Intel+20-Inch+EMC+2133+and+2210+Hard+Drive+Replacement/1008

On the 2009-2010 models, you might be able to reuse the old sensor, too:

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iMac+Intel+27-Inch+EMC+2390+Hard+Drive+Replacement/8919

If not, here's the sensor you'd need: http://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/DIDIMACHDD09/

On any of these, if the sensor is disconnected or not present, the fans run at full blast because the computer errs on the side of keeping things cool.

On the 2011 models, the sensor doesn't exist at all, as the computer polls the temperature from one of the SATA pins thanks to custom drive firmware. If you use a non-Apple drive, that signal doesn't exist and so the computer thinks the sensor is missing and runs the fans at full-blast. The only way around it is to add an in-line one that sends a signal on the appropriate pin that the computer is expecting.

Also, this video might help a bit more: http://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/DIDIMACHDD09/
 
kit ordered

i have ordered the 2007 mid upgrade kit and a 225 g ssd drive from owc so lets see
thanks for your advice i may be back.
Just for info a beginners mistake i bought what i thought was a samsung evo840 ssd but it turned out to be a msata card. So now am trying to find ways to put it into my dell latitude e4310
leon
 
Leonh said:
i have ordered the 2007 mid upgrade kit and a 225 g ssd drive from owc so lets see
thanks for your advice i may be back.
Just for info a beginners mistake i bought what i thought was a samsung evo840 ssd but it turned out to be a msata card. So now am trying to find ways to put it into my dell latitude e4310
leon
Click to expand...

No worries - you might be able to sell the mSATA drive on here or you could always get a bracket to mount it in a normal 2.5" SATA bay: http://www.amazon.com/Syba-Adapter-...TF8&qid=1426632833&sr=8-2&keywords=msata+sata

(Yes, you could mount your mSATA drive in an adapter like that, then put that whole thing in a 2.5->3.5 adapter and use it in the other iMac)
 
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ecschwarz said:
No worries - you might be able to sell the mSATA drive on here or you could always get a bracket to mount it in a normal 2.5" SATA bay: http://www.amazon.com/Syba-Adapter-...TF8&qid=1426632833&sr=8-2&keywords=msata+sata

(Yes, you could mount your mSATA drive in an adapter like that, then put that whole thing in a 2.5->3.5 adapter and use it in the other iMac)
Click to expand...

the upgrade kit arrived today, amazing speed to australia so will have a go at the 2007 probably at the weekend.
I bought a late 2012 iMac at auction at the end of last week and it arrived today wow lovely machine and to ones good luck it comes with a 1.12 fusion drive, so i won't have to upgrade it. In the auction specs it just said a 1tb drive.
I bought a msata adapter and it seems to work I have cloned? my 2007 drive onto it so thats a start
thanks everyone for your help, lovely
leon
 
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ssd drive addition

well had a go at the 2007 iMac upgrade and lo and behold it worked fine, when we turned it on it was Slow to load but seems to be fine. a few small issues with the change from 3.5 inch drive to a 2.5. The caddy i got with a kingston drive did not match up with the holes etc on the iMac. So put it in upside down and strapped the heat sensor back to the caddy.
The slower then expected loading maybe related to the cloning from the old hard drive, so perhaps i should reinstall the os etc I ill have a think about it first.
However overall it was not as difficult as expected, i had trouble getting at the machine because of friends wanting to participate, I hardly got to touch a screw driver but perhaps it should be done with slightly less enthusiasm and a little slower
thanks again for the advice.
Overall the owc installation video was more thorough then the ifixit one but both are very helpful
leon
 
Leonh said:
well had a go at the 2007 iMac upgrade and lo and behold it worked fine, when we turned it on it was Slow to load but seems to be fine. a few small issues with the change from 3.5 inch drive to a 2.5. The caddy i got with a kingston drive did not match up with the holes etc on the iMac. So put it in upside down and strapped the heat sensor back to the caddy.
Click to expand...

Glad to hear it worked out - you could also try Blackmagic Disk Speed Test to see what sorts of read/write speeds you are getting. You may also need to go to Startup Disk and select the new drive (I've had that happen with a few cloned drives). Still, that's awesome. What SSD did you get, by the way?
 
ssd drive 2007 mid imac

I put into it the msata drive i bought by mistake, I did not want to put the new owc drive in saving it for the 2010 model.
However it is not that fast
read 138 write 269 for 2007 iMac with msata ssd
read 110 write 114 for 2010 iMac with sata harddrive
read 325 write 410 for late 2012 iMac with fusion harddrive with 128 ssd dive built in.
the drive seems to be selected as the start up drive (its the only drive in the machine).
so overall interesting, the msata drive was sold to me as a samsung evo 840 which its not
leon
 
Fan running constantly

I have a iMac 9,1 and replaced my hard drive with a 1 TB Samsung SSD. I bought the upgrade kit from OWC but the inline thermal sensor they supplied does not fit on my machine. I reinstalled the original sensor but the fan runs constantly at high speed (5800 rpm)

Any suggestions? OWC tells me there is no 3rd party sensor that works with my machine
 
mkahky said:
I have a iMac 9,1 and replaced my hard drive with a 1 TB Samsung SSD. I bought the upgrade kit from OWC but the inline thermal sensor they supplied does not fit on my machine. I reinstalled the original sensor but the fan runs constantly at high speed (5800 rpm)

Any suggestions? OWC tells me there is no 3rd party sensor that works with my machine
Click to expand...

I have heard that there is a software workaround but have not tried it myself, but I guess using that one can set the fan speed at a constant level could be worth checking out
Leon
 
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