Upgrading Apple iMac 2011 27 Hard Drive to SSD, Huge Improvement
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- Опубликовано: 6 авг 2024
- In this video I upgrade my 27 inch Apple iMac 2011 with a new SSD and get rid of the slow 1TB HDD. I am going to be using this computer as my daily rig for the next little bit.
🚀 Upgrading My 2011 iMac with a 1TB SSD! | Step-by-Step Guide
Hey, tech enthusiasts! 👋 Welcome back to another exciting video on CircuitSphere!
In today's tutorial, I'm diving into the world of upgrades by adding a lightning-fast SSD to my trusty 2011 27-inch iMac with an i7 processor. This iMac was a powerhouse in its time, and I'm turning it into my daily driver after parting ways with my Mac mini M1.
🛠️ Upgrades Galore!
A while back, I swapped out the CD drive for a 120GB SSD (check out that video [here](Link to Previous Video)). Now, I'm taking it up a notch by replacing the old hard disk drive with a spacious 1TB Samsung 860 Evo SSD, all neatly packed into a 3.5-inch drive adapter.
🔧 DIY Adventure:
Watch as I carefully disassemble the iMac, remove the old hard drive, and seamlessly install the new SSD. It's a straightforward process with just a few screws and cable connections. I'll share tips and tricks along the way, so you can confidently tackle this upgrade on your own.
🖥️ Boosting Storage:
With this upgrade, I'm rocking a total of 2TB internal storage, making my iMac a storage beast. Perfect for my daily tasks and content creation needs.
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Products featured in this video:
SAMSUNG 870 EVO 1TB 2.5 Inch SSD: amzn.to/2QZxras
SAMSUNG 870 EVO 2TB 2.5 INCH SSD: amzn.to/3tNfXBP
3.5 to 2.5 Hard Drive Mounting Bracket: amzn.to/34vhZ9j
16GB Ram Upgrade Kit: amzn.to/3S3P5Fr
Mediasonic USB 3.1 4 Bay 3.5” SATA Hard Drive Enclosure: amzn.to/3yLIfdy
OWC in-Line Digital Thermal Sensor HDD Upgrade Cable: amzn.to/41ZgzAN
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My Gear:
- Apple MacBook Pro: amzn.to/3seRZ1t
- Canon EOS M50 Mark II: amzn.to/49hXYDf
- Wireless Microphone System: amzn.to/46VZLfw
- USB Microphone: amzn.to/34P4Fgf
- iFixit Pro Tool Kit (I’ve used this tool kit for 10+ years): amzn.to/3i2m1xF
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Email Me: youtube@buyesource.com
#iMac #SSD #upgrade #2011imac #apple #ram
00:00 Intro
01:28 Teardown
04:38 Upgrade Installation
05:35 Cleaning
06:00 Reassembly
07:59 Final Thoughts
#SSDUpgrade #iMac2011 #TechTutorial #DIYTech #HardwareUpgrade #Samsung860Ebo #StorageSolution #DIYUpgrade #TechEnthusiast #ComputerUpgrade #MacTips #RUclipsTutorial #TechReview #SolidStateDrive #StorageUpgrade #DIYComputing #TechGadgets #GadgetGeek #SpeedUpYouriMac #GamingSetup #ContentCreation #RUclipsTech #UpgradeYourTech #DigitalLifestyle #NewSSD #AmazonTech #TechGear #SubscribeNow #TechCommunity #ProductivityBoost 
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I did the steps but when I turned on the computer, it only gives me a blinking file with a question mark.
Thank you so much!
Nice video and great work keeping these older guys alive! Btw for opening the NeXT time, it’s probably worth it to replace the thermal paste
I knew I forgot something haha, I just got my second SSD today so I'll do the thermal paste tonight when I install it. Thanks for watching:)
BTW, what do you do with the start-up OS disk? Or did you have it in another disk?
Hi , i liked your video, my imac is hardly starting , in save mide it tells me error disk . Can i just buy a new hard drive and reolace it just like you did without any other necessities. Would it work?
I was hoping for benchmark testing before and after the SSD install.
this system also works with the imac 27 MID 2011 model?
How much faster did the ssd make it?
Hi, do you know by any chance how much can I upgrade my old Apple iMac "Core i5" 2.8 27" (Mid-2010)
Thanks for the video. You did not include how you migrated your system to the new hard drive so it would properly boot up after the new one was installed? Any info you can supply?
You need to make a backup using Time Machine or other 3rd party software then restore it .
Or do a clean install of MacOS .
Great video! I have an iMac and the hd just died, the computer stopped booting and is stuck on the apple loading screen. I was contemplating just getting rid of it until I saw your video. Thanks for the info! Going to try and resesitate this as it was a great pc for everything from Adobe apps to sound editing.
I’m glad you enjoyed the video, definitely try the SSD and Ram upgrade and you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the performance increase.
@@CircuitSphereUT so i was able to upgrade to a 1tb ssd and it feels just as fast as it did when i first bought it. However i noticed that the fans are going crazy now. I am assuming its some kind of sensor from the previous hard drive. How did you get around this?
What version are you using?
Great job on the video. Very informative!
Glad it was helpful!
Great "how to" but I noticed you didn't use a thermostat chip in line with the SSD to stop the cooling fan from freaking out. How did you avoid this issue?
I might not have included it in the video, but I used the cooling chip that was attached to the dvd drive and just placed it on the ssd during install
I have a similar iMac (built May 3, 2011 based on the SN) that can't locate its boot drive and it just shows a question mark icon. Would replacing the the current HD with an SSD like yours be a solution? Thanks.
same problem With me how can Fix Thanks
Whoa! Did that thing boot up like 5 secs...Damn i gotta get an SSD for my 27" ASAP yes!! 🤣🤣
Thats hands down the best upgrade you can do to the older 27 inch iMacs, the SSD makes a world of difference.
Hi, I have the very same iMac, since new. My mac runs solely on the 1TB HDD and its ok, but very slow accessing data and boots up in a week at least. The existing HDD has every bit of crap since new and 500gb of the 1TB of mostly old files that haven't been cleaned off, my photos and TimeMachine are all on a USB connected backup drive so mostly I'd love to be able to do a clean install but afraid to lose some installed apps that you cant get now AND my OSX was installed from CD way back when so I fear that I will get stranded trying to install a newer version with requiring a licence key. I have the original OSX CD bt I dont think apple recongnise that now. Current OX is 10.13.6 and I cant go any further.
HELP: What i have been advised is there are 2 options for me to keep this iMac running.
1) install an SSD drive using the spare Drive cables. Use this SSD for the Mac OS as the boot drive and leave all the other crap in the HDD
2) Replace the CD drive with an SSD and have that as the OSX drive.
1) I researched and I need cables and a far more involved pulldown of the Mac to install the SSD behind the mainboard. I am not keen on that as too much risk for me.
2) Install the SSD in the CD bay looks way better option and I guess one just sets the boot sequence to load from the 'old' CD to have it boot up as the OSX drive.
Would appreciate any suggestions or corrections. cheers
it takes a WEEK to boot????? did i read that right?
Tried this with my mid 2011 iMac, it would not recognize the drive when installed inside the machine but the drive works fine in an external enclosure connected via USB, any idea why this is?
(1) Did you format the SSD then clone your existing drive to it? (2) Did you boot from an installer and clean install an os to it then migrate from Time Machine, then install? (3) Could be the unit needed a firmware update first.
Is the glass front magnetic?
It is
if i want to remove the optical drive and put an ssd on a caddy instead, i can use the sata cable from the optical drive right? , its been so long so i dont remember
That’s correct, that’s what I did!
Nope, actually the worst and slowest way to connect the SSD. the DVD SATA connection is just half of the speed. This iMac has 3 SATA connectors in total! Only Two of them are SATA6 and will give you the full speed. That second fast SATA connector is slightly hidden on the backside of the logicboard. You will need an extra cable!
Can a 2TB SSD be added to a preexisting 1TB HDD? I have a mid 2011 iMac 27" 8GB RAM i7 Intel 3.40 ghz 1TB HDD. I plan to get the OWC 8x4 GB RAM upgrade package so iI'm hoping to have it upgraded to 32GB RAM / 1TB HDD + 2TB SSD if at all possible
You would just need to replace the CD Drive with an SSD adapter. Thats what I did with this iMac.
@@CircuitSphereUT So I'd have no internal CD/DVD drive?
In other words I'd have to buy an external CD / DVD drive in order to still have one. Correct?
@@Chad_Fuckhammer correct
I think there's a way to install two 2.5" drives, either two SSDs or one SSD and one HDD in the same location. This will allow retention of the super drive for those of us who find it still useful.
That 2.5" to 3.5" tray used to replace the HDD? Just use one that holds two 2.5" drives. There's a 3rd SATA port behind the motherboard and a cable kit is avaliable to connect to it. Why nobody has documented this via a RUclips video beats me... But I am going to try it on my 2011 27" iMac. The old spinning rust 1 TB HDD? It can be used elsewhere or placed in an external enclosure that connects via USB. Why not have your cake and eat it too?
How'd it go?
@golf5555555 I got the two drives installed. The OEM harness for the 2TB WD spinner is hooked up to its SATA port. Once the slot loading Blue Ray burner arrives, I will pull out the motherboard in order to attach the cable to the unused SATA port on the rear of the motherboard. At the same time, I will also install the Xeon CPU and the replacement optical drive. Currently, I've installed Linux Mint Cinnamon on the 500 gb SSD, and the iMac runs like a champ. But I am 100% sold on my method of installating two 2.5" drives while retaining the optical drive. I don't like deleting the optical drive or hiding an SSD behind it.
I still have a iMac 27 2011 i7 3.4 Ghz with 3 SSD's in it, 2 connected via 6Gb/s SATA ( the extra one via the SATA connection at the back of the motherboard) and 1 connected via 3Gb/s Sata which is the optical drive conection. It's a very powerfull machine if you have at least 16GB RAM in it. But you can run only up to MacOS High Sierra 10.13.6 . and it doesn't have security updates,can't run the latest updates of application etc. B.t.w. there is a RUclips video about how to do it,
Search for " Other World Computing update SSD imac 27 2011 updated "
You caution us to be careful not to get fingerprints on the LCD but you fail to wear gloves that would prevent it
Why are all these imac ssd videos on youtube worthless? If your not showing how to install the os its just a blank drive