ssd in a late 2009 iMac i7 2.8

[gryphon69]

Hi guys.
Posted this question in the Apple forum earlier, Maybe it gets more traction here ;-)
I have a late 2009 iMac with a 2 TB drive, 16MB ram, my machine is getting a bit slow, exspecially using Aperture.
I would like to buy the http://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/DDIMSSD480/ for my mac.
In this regard, I have some questions for you smart people on this forum.
Having checked my machine system imformation, it looks like the the shipset for the dvd drive only suports
( I want to keep my 2TB drive & put the ssd in the dvd drive)
Negotiated Link Speed: 1.5 Gigabit


Will there still be a big improvement in speed, is there a way to get the speed up to 3 Gigabit?
also how about the fans on the machine, will they spin out of control?

Hope for some answers
ps. I run all the lates software

Thanks

 

[mossy]

I put an SSD in place of the dvd drive on my 2009 i5 iMac before (since then I actually put the dvd drive back in and replaced the HD with the SSD. I couldn't stick the noise of the HD. It was new also. Replaced under the Apple Replacement program. It was particularly grumbly. Out of control!).

You will definitely notice a speed increase. No doubt at all about that. There are kits that you can buy on ifixit.com that fit in where the dvd drive goes. I recommend you buy one or similar. The sata (I think thats what its called) connection plugs in with that kit - so the ssd temperature can be read using SMART. HDD Fan control does a good job at reading the SMART temperature.

I'm not sure if the true read/write speed is utilised with the dvd sata connection though. Hopefully someone else with experience of that will shed some light on it. In general - well worth the effort though

 

[gryphon69]

Talked with a guy at OWC, he assured me that the product would work with 3Gigabit throughput.

 

[p3ntyne]

Talked with a guy at OWC, he assured me that the product would work with 3Gigabit throughput.

The negotiated link speed is the speed that tho HDD currently in there runs at. The link speed is the highest speed that it run. Therefore, putting an SSD will run it at 3Gbps.

One thing to note however, is that some SSD's that are rated for SATA3, when used with a SATA2 connection will run at SATA1. This, I believe, is specific to SandForce based drives such as OWC, Kingston. I would recommend a Crucial M500 for you.

 

[gryphon69]

Hmm, have order it already ;-) will find out the speed when it arrives, I guess it can not be slower than the hard drive inside the iMac!

----------

It's a 480GB OWC Mercury Electra 3G SSD 7MM

 

[whatevs]

One thing to note however, is that some SSD's that are rated for SATA3, when used with a SATA2 connection will run at SATA1. This, I believe, is specific to SandForce based drives such as OWC, Kingston. I would recommend a Crucial M500 for you.

I'm considering this upgrade for my late-2009 27" iMac as well. Thanks for recommending which SSD to get to avoid the SATA I speeds.

How does the Crucial M500 compare to the newer Crucial MX100? Which do you recommended?

thanks!

 

[eduardrw]

I have a late iMac 2009 (iMac11,1) with an OWC Mercury Electra 3G SSD installed in a data doubler (replacing the superdrive).
Getting
Link Speed: 3 Gigabit
Negotiated Link Speed: 3 Gigabit

It's running now for more than a year without problems. Significant speed improvements.
If I do it again I would install a M500 960GB - prices have come down! (installed that one in my friends iMac - runs like a charm)
Since the late 2009 iMac only runs SATA II - 3GB and not the faster SATA III - 6GB you don't need the newer/faster M550 or MX100. Go for the cheaper M500.

Word of caution - after you take out the superdrive you won't be able to:
- Boot from CD for Hardware Test
- install Bootcamp (need DVD drive)
- update OWC SSD firmware (need CD drive to boot in installer - Windows in Bootcamp might work?)
Exernal DVD drive won't work for that!!

If you replace the original HD with an SSD you will need an temperature sensor otherwise the Fans will run at full speed all the time.

 

[p3ntyne]

I'm considering this upgrade for my late-2009 27" iMac as well. Thanks for recommending which SSD to get to avoid the SATA I speeds.

How does the Crucial M500 compare to the newer Crucial MX100? Which do you recommended?

thanks!

As eduardwr said, the M500 will saturate your SATA speeds anyway so there will be no benefit in getting the faster drive unless you plan on using the SSD in another computer in the future. However, Apple is going with proprietary PCI-e SSD's so there wouldn't be much use for a SATA SSD unless you purchase an older mac or a different brand of computer.

Just out of interest, what size SSD will you be getting?

 

[whatevs]

Thanks for all the tips. I'm still considering the MX100 as it actually cheaper on Amazon at the moment (240GB for $99.99) than the M500. Some reviews I read said it was a clear but modest improvement over the M500, but not the M550.

I was planning to just get the 240GB for booting and applications, keeping my 1TB original HDD for personal files. I already have bootcamp on the HDD so I assume that will continue to work, though I rarely boot Win7 these days anyway.

I was planning on ordering the SSD, a generic caddy, and some suction cups from Amazon over the weekend.

Thanks again for the advice.