In relation to installing new hard drive 2011 i7 27. Using external thunderbolt ssd to speed up mid 2011 27 imac in reply to bent christian jun 20, 2017 seconded either i or my sister found the monster ssd when she was looking for a way to upgrade her older imac instead of buying a new one, and it worked so well, i had my wife buy one for her late2012 21. Firewire 800, such as on your imac will be faster that usb, but still would. Which hard drive for my imac mid 2011 upg apple community. What external storage options are available for the imac pro. This procedure was performed on a 27 imac which has slightly more room to install an ssd. I have been reading some notes on the internet that not any hd will suit an imac mid 2011. Using external thunderbolt ssd to speed up mid2011 27 imac.
This cable is for most likely in your case the unused sata port that is present on the logic board in 2011 models. Add an ssd to your hard drive equipped imac to experience faster booting, near instant application launches and lightning fast data transfer speeds. Since they sell the vertex 3 and the industry is moving towards sata 3, it would not be in their commercial interest to make this statement were it not true. Our stepbystep installation videos guide you through upgrading your mac, iphone. I decided to replace the original 1tb internal hd with a 120gb ssd and 3tb bulk hd. Technical specifications for the imac 27 inch core i5 2. This includes the new hard drive, all labor, and a clone of your data to the new hard drive. Does anyone have, or can point me to the tech manuals, service manuals on how to test the ps, or any tips. Mar 18, 2016 upgrade your apple imac 27 inch late 2015. In our lab, we have all the different flavors of imac 21. Jan 14, 2018 came across a 27 2011 a12 imac, that wont start. Lift the hard drive off its two lower positioning pins and remove it from the outer case. Just for information a few days back i replaced the original 1tb seagate drive with a 6 tb wd green and placed a 1tb samsung behind the optical bay.
Apr 10, 2018 macs have a reputation for being hard to upgrade or repair, but that isnt always true. Owc diy drive upgradeinstall kits for apple imac models. Mac ssd upgrades for all imac models macs by capability. Nand flash memory within crucial ssds allows you to boot up in seconds and load, save, and transfer files almost as soon as you click on them. I am going to add a samsung 850 evo ssd drive to my 2011 imac 27. After i replaced my hdd with a 250gb ssd, i got one of these and replaced the optical drive with a 750gb hdd. The late 2015 imac with fusion drive has a standard 3. Maxed out i7, 16gb, 2gb gpu except the hard drive which is a 3tb that i installed and subsequently the fans run nonstop. May 12, 2011 dont replace the hard drive in your new 2011 imac s aapl, or the fans will scream like a banshee as they spin up to fullspeed and the apple hardware test will fail. Replacing the hard drive on any imac means removing the screen. You can choose a fusion drive of up to 1tb on the 21. To reiterate, apple does not support individuals upgrading the hard drive or ssd in these models. We also deliver a dual hard drive solution for your 21. Upgrading the ssd yourself also appears to void the warranty.
Is the hard disk of a late 2015 27 imac 5k still replaceable. The issue is that the factoryinstalled apple hard drives have a builtin thermal sensor that is connected to the logic board by a proprietary sata power cable that includes. Opened it up and poked around, and it appears it needs a ps at first blush. Storage info for each imac details on speed, dimensions, and hard drive and ssd interface specifics is listed below along with common identifiers suitable to identify a imac in order to determine which hard drives and ssds are compatible.
Owc digital thermal, smc compatible inline solution for all apple 2011 imac 21. Owcs stepbystep video of how to install a hard drive in the 27inch apple imac 2011. Ultimately, it is possible to upgrade the hard drive in these 21. Use that for additional storage, including large libraries of pics, movies, music. Replace the hard drive in your imac intel 27 emc 2390. Owcs imac drive upgrade kit is the only solution on the market to offer full compatibility with the digital thermal reporting in apples smc. Owc solid state drives for imac 27 inch mid 2010 8 x. Apple imac 21 mid2011 hard drive replacement youtube. The ultimate guide to apples proprietary ssds remember the good ol days of carrying a spare battery, upgrading your own ram, maybe even adding a second hard drive. Get everything you need to upgrade your 2011 27 inch imac ssd for a total system performance and capacity boost.
Originally i wanted to buy an i7 with ssd and a conventional but got stuck in a time crunch, needed the hardware fast, so i bought an off the shelf unit at a local apple store with a single conventional 1gb drive that has just packed it in. The ultimate guide to help you upgrade your imac with an ssd, now 2019 updated and still free to download. Remove the hard drive and left hard drive bracket from the imac. Using external thunderbolt ssd to speed up mid2011 27. I will also install the mac osx and most application in a second 500 gb of solid state hd.
My os and apps live on the ssd, and my large music and photo libraries live on the hdd. If you should choose to upgrade the drives or change the configuration, there are. This is not for the faint hearted, but with the right instructions, it can be done. Currently your only option is to replace this hard drive. Diese anleitung wird dir beim einbau einer zweiten hdd oder ssd helfen. Mac specs by capability mac storage upgrades imac models. I wish there was a way to add an ssd to my 09 27 imac without replacing the internal hd or optical drive. Upgrade the storage and improve boot time and readwrite speed in your imac intel 21. Upgrading apples 27 imac with an ssd by achim roos, benjamin kraft 11 may 2012 love apple or hate it, the companys imac is a popular machine. New imac drives not meant to be replaced, and i hate it. Well, i really wasnt planning on doing an imac 27 20 fusion hard drive replacement with ssd post, but my hard drive failed earlier this week i was having some previous random issues on my imac where chrome would lock up and sometimes the whole system would lock up, but, i kept blaming it on the 50 60 tabs i usually had open in chrome.
Upgrade your desktop pc, laptop, mac system, or workstation today by installing an ssd thats extremely energyefficient and inherently more durable than a hard drive. But if youre going to swap the hard drive for an ssd, youll probably want a. Mac mini late 2012 and later, imac late 2012 and later. I usually blamed this on having 5060 tabs open in chrome until one recently i couldnt get it to boot. The 1tb fusion drive pairs a 1tb hard drive with 32gb of fast ssd enough to store important macos files and applications to ensure fast startup, near instant wake from sleep, and quick application launching, with room left over for your most. The hard drive or ssd is one component that you often can replace yourself, especially in older macs. If you have replaced the hard drive on your mac with an ssd. First, your 2011 imac only has usb2 ports and regardless of what kind. Hard drives, power supplies, and small parts all tested and guaranteed with fast shipping and easy returns. Do reinitialize the ssd drive, and set it up as your boot drive with os, apps, accounts. Another note to add is that if you rarely or never use your optical drive, you can replace it with a 2nd hard drive. Installing imac intel 27 emc 2429 dual drive kit hdd or ssd featured. As i already owned an 160 gb intel x25 g2 ssd i wanted to use this in my new imac as well.
Other world computing today introduced the owc hard drive diy kit for 2011 21. This procedure does not require you to permanently remove or disable your optical drive. The rest of your imac is still working great, but the time has come to replace the hard drive inside your imac. Increasing the ram gets you part of the way, but for a new imac for the cost of an upgrade you need an imac ssd upgrade. Installing imac intel 27 emc 2429 dual drive kit hdd or ssd.
Slightly rotate the top edge of the hard drive away from the outer case. Jun 06, 2017 the ultimate guide to apples proprietary ssds remember the good ol days of carrying a spare battery, upgrading your own ram, maybe even adding a second hard drive. Installation was easy once i watched the available video. I purchased the imac 27 base model mc8lla, which comes with a 2. Upgrading replacing the hard drive in a laptop with a solid. Jul 02, 2019 well, i really wasnt planning on doing an imac 27 20 fusion hard drive replacement with ssd post, but my hard drive failed earlier this week i was having some previous random issues on my imac where chrome would lock up and sometimes the whole system would lock up, but, i kept blaming it on the 50 60 tabs i usually had open in chrome. The complete solution for your 2011 imac experience the extreme performance of an owc ssd upgrade with this easy diy ssd and hard drive replacement kit. Feb 05, 2016 apple imac 21 mid 2011 hard drive replacement shane mcretro. Same day service for replacing imacs hard drive or upgrading the imacs hard drive to solid state drive ssd. Install ssd imac 2011 howto diy guide tutorial brian tobey. Owc owcdiyim27ssd11 solid state drive diy kit for apple imac. May 08, 2012 the imac has two sataiii connectors, one is already in use by the orginal 1tb hard drive. Mar 20, 2014 hi everyone, i just thought i would share my recent experience with updating my mid 2011 27 model imac with an external thunderbolt ssd drive to avoid the cost and hassle of installing an ssd drive internally. The ssd equipped imac even posted a higher score than the previous fastest imac, a 2011 bto 27 inch 3.
So after some searching online i found this cable was probably what i needed. How to instructions and video to replace or upgrade the hard drive and ssd in the 2009, 2010, and 2011 21. Next, buy a usb3 external drive of sufficient capacity and plug it into a usb3 port. Nows the right time to swap your old imacs hard drive for a. I now use the internal hard drive as a copy of the ssd start up drive. Upgradeable also provides a installation service where we do all the work. Installing imac intel 27 emc 2429 dual drive kit hdd or ssd use the dual hard drive kit to install a second 2. Owc ssd upgrade bundle for 2011 imacs, owc mercury electra 250gb 6g ssd, adaptadrive 2. Once the sata cable is installed, it is easy to install and securely mount an ssd drive under the dvd drive. Replacing the original drive even with a likeforlike hdd may mean the fans run at 100%.
Owc diy kit for all apple imac 2011 for replacing the main. This guide also includes steps to upgrade your imacs hard drive with a ssd. Consequently, this definitely is not a good upgrade to perform yourself. Upgrading replacing the hard drive in a laptop with a solid state drive hp. Should i replace the hdd with a ssd in my macbook pro inch. Apple preventing aftermarket ssd upgrades on 27inch imacs. They bought one, took it apart and unequivocally state that there is no sata 3 support.
If youre an apple user, those luxuries may be behind us, but upgrading your own solid state drive is still a privilege the apple overlords allow us to have, for now that is. Lets look at how to find out if you can replace yours. Note that if you are replacing the hard drive with a non. Owc hard drive diy kit for 2011 apple imacs replaces factory.
Ive now read there might be custom firmware on the hdd. Thirdparty solutions that save you beaucoup bucks if you bought entrylevel imac with at least a fusion drive, heres how to upgrade to something faster. Get everything you need to upgrade your 2011 27inch imac ssd for a total system. I dont have a 2011 imac, however you can trust the statement from owc that you linked in your question. The imac has two sataiii connectors, one is already in use by the orginal 1tb hard drive. The apple store can replace your current drive, but they only do like for like replacement and they won t do. Deal4go second hdd dual hard drive upgrade bundle kit with sata power cable for imac a12 27 mid 2011 59330. Oct 11, 2010 macmedics purchased macupgrades in early 2011. Technical specifications for the imac 27inch core i5 2. Remove the two t10 torx screws securing the hard drive to the imac frame. Dates sold, processor type, memory info, hard drive details, price and more. By contrast, the 27 inch late 2012 and late 20 as well as the late 2014 and mid2015 retina5k imac models all have this connector on the motherboard even if the system only is configured with a hard drive at the time of purchase, so it is possible to add a pciebased blade ssd to these models after the initial system purchase.
But lets talk about your imac model first and the other cable in this computer you can put a total of three drives 1x 3. Apple 27 inch imac retina 5k replacing hdd for ssd. Diy kit for all apple 27 inch imac 2011 models for installing an internal ssd into a system currently equipped with hard drive only. Remove the hdd fusion drive and replace this with a samsung evo 850 1tb ssd. Deal4go ssd hdd hard drive cable adapter for imac a12 27 2011 hard drive sata power cable 59330 w 1 year warranty. I realize most of these installations are done in conjunction with either removing the hdd or the optical drive to make room for the ssd. To add more storage to your imac pro, the easy way is to go with an external ssd equipped with a thunderbolt 3 port. Apple technician guide imac 2009 2011 pdf apple computers. However, other world computing provides helpful videos for highly technical individuals to upgrade the hard drive and ssd alike in applicable models. Apples current latest 2011 imac models have apple model identifiers of. Owcs stepbystep video of how to install a ssd in the apple 27 inch imac mid 2011 with model id.
Ive been told several times that removing one of the original drives is a must to make. Youll need a fixed screwdriver or the 60 mm extension from an ifixit driver kit to reach it. Add ssd to 2011 imac 27 wo removing hdd or optical drive. I am planning to change my main 500 gb by a 1 tb or 1.