Which replacement HD should I buy?

[YourActual]

Hi,

I need to replace the HD in my Mid 2010 27" iMac. The drive that it came with is a 1TB Western Digital, and I've read somewhere that the replacement needs to be the same brand due to variations in the connectors. Is that the case? I would have thought it'd be a standard SATA connection no matter which drive I use.

Also I understand there is an issue with monitoring temperature and the resulting fan speeds if I don't use the same drive as the one it came with. Is that also true?

I was hoping I could replace it with a Seagate 2TB Desktop 3.5inch 8GB SSD SSHD, a hybrid drive, but not sure if that is possible.

Thanks in advance for your help.

iMac, Mid 2010 27"

 

[redheeler]

iMac, iOS 8.1.3, Mid 2010 27"

Your iMac runs iOS?

 

[yjchua95]

Hi,

I need to replace the HD in my Mid 2010 27" iMac. The drive that it came with is a 1TB Western Digital, and I've read somewhere that the replacement needs to be the same brand due to variations in the connectors. Is that the case? I would have thought it'd be a standard SATA connection no matter which drive I use.

Also I understand there is an issue with monitoring temperature and the resulting fan speeds if I don't use the same drive as the one it came with. Is that also true?

I was hoping I could replace it with a Seagate 2TB Desktop 3.5inch 8GB SSD SSHD, a hybrid drive, but not sure if that is possible.

Thanks in advance for your help.

iMac, iOS 8.1.3, Mid 2010 27"

What the...?

Your Mac runs iOS? Bahahahahaha...

I wouldn't recommend SSHDs.

I'd just go for a pure SSD straight away, like a 250GB Samsung 840 Evo.

 

[YourActual]

Sorry, not sure how iOS got there.

It has no OS now, it was Yosemite before the drive failed.

Is the SSD a straight swap, or is there anything else I need think about, for example monitoring HD temperatures for fan speed.

 

[redheeler]

Sorry, not sure how iOS got there.

It has no OS now, it was Yosemite before the drive failed.

Is the SSD a straight swap, or is there anything else I need think about, for example monitoring HD temperatures for fan speed.

In terms of speed, a pure SSD is the way to go. You will need a 2.5" to 3.5" adapter if you intend on replacing the HDD with it.

You can get an external temperature sensor that will work with a third-party hard drive or SSD. OWC even offers a complete kit with all necessary tools and a temperature sensor which can also be bought separately.

This thread reminds me that I badly need to put an SSD in my 27" mid 2010, the 7200 RPM HDD really slows it down. I may eventually go for similar tools myself.

 

[YourActual]

Thanks for your help, that's really useful

 

[matreya]

I'd just go for a pure SSD straight away, like a 250GB Samsung 840 Evo.

I'd steer clear of the 840 EVO, despite a firmware update it still has slowdown issues.

 

[dezzy443000gto]

In terms of speed, a pure SSD is the way to go. You will need a 2.5" to 3.5" adapter if you intend on replacing the HDD with it.

You can get an external temperature sensor that will work with a third-party hard drive or SSD. OWC even offers a complete kit with all necessary tools and a temperature sensor which can also be bought separately.

Not sure if this will help but i have just converted my 5k iMac to a 2.5" ssd . I did read all the posts forums etc , i will say i have no problems with ramping fans etc . I have removed the 3.5" 3tb mechanical drive and fitted a 960gb crucial m500 ssd . I found some great information on a german site stating only replacement 3.5" mechanical drives needed a hdd fan control lead . The site stated and i can confirm a 2.5" ssd will not need this lead as only the 12v hdd power supply is monitored so any 5v 2.5" drive is ok