I got 3 of these mid2011 i5 iMacs for extremely little money and gave them an SSD and RAM Upgrade, one even 32GB of RAM, the one I kept one for myself. And for most of my photo-editing and Lay-Out and Webpage work I don't even "feel" the difference with my much newer MacBook Pro. Of course, it is all "only" 2D-work what I do. Maybe I will build in a Xeon CPU with 8 threats some time.
@ luxembourger , wish Apple would support Catalina on them as these are still a good machine, it's the GPU that lets it down now. Agree great little iMac for the money !!
@@joewoodford9428 You could buy f.e. an used Nvidia GTX 765M (with full Metal support) out of a broken Windows laptop, flash the Firmware, which got easy now, to keep full EFI boot access and run Mojave. A friend already did this, I consider to do this also this winter, at least when I got a good deal somewhere.
You'll need to check the 2009 model by opening it but I can not see Apple making much of a difference between the late 2009 to mid 2011. Maybe others can comment?
Not sure as its part of the motherboard. But found this on the web www.macworld.com/article/673059/how-to-fix-a-mac-usb-port-that-isnt-working.html Hopefully one of these will help you out.
Thanks- interesting vid. I have the same model and am considering this but you dont show how you used the Y splitter to install the ssd. Are there any step by step instructions available? Am also guessing its best not to use the caddy?
@chris turner, Connecting the Y Power Splitter to drive is straight forward as the cable is keyed to the drive plus you just connect the data lines next to it (its the original iMAC smaller socket) . You just plug in one end to the MAC's SATA power cable and the other to Drive. Its very obvious when you have the drive out. The caddy with the Y Splitter does get in the way due to the heat pipe for the graphics card being up against the cable. If you are happy to use double side tape fitting together will be simple. As I had bought the caddy I wanted to use it. Sorry I did not film these as the step are simple and I wanted to prove the a Y Splitter did work to fool the MAC to not need Temp sensor. It been working well and very happy with this solution.
@@Chris-ug7bi Hi Chris, yes the Y splitter's single end connects to the iMac SATA power lead this splits into two leads, only 1 lead plugs into the SSD the other is loose (in my case under the caddy). As it is power just make sure it does not touch anything metal. The spare original iMac SATA data lines just plug in the SSD drive👍. You are then sorted😎.
On another video, there was a comment from someone saying he tried with just a SATA cable extension (not Y splitter) and it worked. Another comment said that a 4 wire SATA Y splitter will also work.
I wonder if this works with the late 2009. Probably. I just found "Benfei 15 Pin SATA Power Y-Splitter Cable 8 Inches - 2 Pack" in amazon in the US, no Akasa. But I guess is the same. Also, you can swap the dvd temperature sensor with the hdd, some people reported that works.
Hi Deftoner, as the late 2009 and mid 2011 are similar my guess (and it is) would be that it will work. I've not had and issue with the temp senor and the iMac has been on almost every day since since the build. If this help please LIKE the vid!
I don't understand how but... it work on my iMac mid-2011 A1312 27" with Windows 10. Any of "Y" splitter, the brand is not important (Or maybe i'm lucky). And my method to avoid Cirrus audio driver (CirrusAudioCS4206x64) not working on Windows : Install Windows 10 on a separate PC in legacy mode (Not UEFI) then put the HD/SSD in the iMac, start, install Bootcamp 5.1.5621 (For the A1312 mid-2011) and all is done.
Hi Ezio Auditore, having researched it, the best for the money. You can go for other brands but I think there are only a few factories that produce SSD's so it really a Brand thing. I'm very happy with the SSD and the performance increase on my old iMac !
@Joe Woodford If I choose to go with a dual hard drive setup without disturbing the 3.5' HDD and add an SSD beneath the CD/DVD drive . Could I use the SATA Y splitter power cable and power the SSD with the HDD's power source? Would be great if you could help me out. Thanks !!!
@Bhuvanesh Kumar , the Y Splitter can offer power to the HDD and the SSD, I can not remember but you might not have a SATA spare data line to connect the SSD to unless you use the bay space under the CD drive as I seem recall there is another SATA data cable around there. But check out RUclips and see what others say. Good luck!
Great video! I'm planning to upgrade it with SSD, only one thing though, I can only find SATA Power Cable Y splitter with 4 wires without the 3.3v wire (or at least the white wire in your video), will it still work?
@hariz danial, have you tried Amazon. There is a link in the description to the one I used. Most SATA Y splitters are 5 wire. No seen any which are just 4 wire.
@@harizd2001Thank you and one more question please: I found a video says that those Y SATA power cable that has the plastic ends completely molds and closes around the wires, are not safe and can cause fire. Which SATA Y power splitter did you use?
Do you think it matters what double-sided tape to use for holding the new SSD against the back of the monitor? I see there's some Gorilla brand mounting tape on Amazon for $5 & they're a good brand. I just don't want anything catching on fire inside lol
Actually it's apparently pretty strong. Maybe I shouldn't use it in case I ever wanted to upgrade it again, however, it's gonna be used in a used 2011 iMac with 500 GB SSD so there wouldn't be much to upgrade it in the future anyway. It's meant to just be a bridge iMac so I could use it casually for 1-3 years til I move onto the next, more modern iMac
@@thatwallscominggirl5359 , I would not put in on the monitor/screen but it would work quite happily on the back of the aluminum case of the iMac. SSD's not likely to catch on fire, not enough power going to it, the main power supply is the only area where that could be a problem. I think you are all good to place it there.
@@joewoodford9428 oh my bad the back of the case is what I meant lol. I was gonna remove the screen protector, remove the screen, & then after unscrewing the hdd I was gonna connect the ssd along with a y splitter for the fans to not be on 24/7 & then stick the ssd to the back there, maybe let the y splitter cable hang loose or tuck it under. Then put the screen back on followed by the screen protector
@@thatwallscominggirl5359 Just wanted to be sure ! Good luck, the tricky part is just getting the glass off the surround and not getting figure marks on it!
@@joewoodford9428 out of curiosity, how did you get the iMac to setup after making this ssd upgrade? I had backed my hdd up through Time Machine, took my iMac apart & made the ssd upgrade. When I booted it up, I was met with a blinking question mark folder so I tried to reboot using internet recovery but apparently our 2011 iMac isn't compatible with that. So I have a sata to usb adapter w/ a power adapter & plugged it into my hdd externally & the other end into the usb port. Using that, when I boot up holding option only the external HDD plugged in comes up. Using that, I was able to login & thought I restored the data onto my ssd because it even says that there is the same amount GB of data on it now that matches what is in my external HDD data but if I unplug the adapter & go to boot up, it shows the flashing question mark folder. Do you have any idea how to fix this? I also went to disk utility & erased the internal ssd which replaced it with a new one. So it should be replaced & it does have the time machine backup on it. But for some reason it's not showing up in the startup manager (holding option on power up?
@J L, The other spot is to remove the CD/DVD drive as that will also give you extra room. If you wanted 2 SSDs and you don't use the bracket then you should be able to double up the drives on top of each other. Not sure about the thermals if you did.
@Louis Wilson, RU leaving the original SATA HD in the machine? If so then I don't believe you will need to do anything as the DVD/CD has no temp sensor on it. If you are looking to take out the old HD and place the SSD in the space of the DVD/CD then yes you will need the Y Split as the iMac reads the temp from the old HD. Finally if you taking out the old HD and DVD/CD then you will need the Y splitter to plugged in to the HD SATA cable as this grounds out the Temp sensor pin on the the HD SATA cable. If this helped please Like and Sub ... cheers Joe
@@joewoodford9428 Actually, there WAS a sensor stuck to the top of the CD/DVD drive. And as soon as I put the SSD in its place (with the CD/SATA adapter out of an OWC Disk Doubler frame) and booted it up, the fans came on full force. This is a LATE 2011 iMac, with the i3 processor. I have installed the software to slow down the fans again, but was wondering about the splitter
@@LouisWilsonGluefish As I did not remove the CD/DVD drive on my iMac I can only guess that Y Split will work if the iMac uses the same pin on the SATA cable to sense the CD/DVD temperature? If you are using s/w to control the fan speeds then you probably have the best solution👍
@@joewoodford9428 thanks. what I meant was the link to get that one. There are different types! Is it this: www.amazon.co.uk/Akasa-AK-CBPW05-30-SATA-Power-Splitter/dp/B004BSFSVS. I am getting a used mac mid/late 2011 27" a1312
Thanks for the video - digging deeper there is even easier solution - the whole temp sensor is almost a fake ))) it is a trigger 0 or 1 detailed explanations here - just short 2 wires in the SATA power lead or solder them together on board : logi.wiki/index.php/iMac_HDD_Thermal_Sensor_Bypass
I got 3 of these mid2011 i5 iMacs for extremely little money and gave them an SSD and RAM Upgrade, one even 32GB of RAM, the one I kept one for myself. And for most of my photo-editing and Lay-Out and Webpage work I don't even "feel" the difference with my much newer MacBook Pro. Of course, it is all "only" 2D-work what I do. Maybe I will build in a Xeon CPU with 8 threats some time.
@ luxembourger , wish Apple would support Catalina on them as these are still a good machine, it's the GPU that lets it down now. Agree great little iMac for the money !!
@@joewoodford9428 You could buy f.e. an used Nvidia GTX 765M (with full Metal support) out of a broken Windows laptop, flash the Firmware, which got easy now, to keep full EFI boot access and run Mojave. A friend already did this, I consider to do this also this winter, at least when I got a good deal somewhere.
Will this trick work for a late 2009 iMac model?
You'll need to check the 2009 model by opening it but I can not see Apple making much of a difference between the late 2009 to mid 2011. Maybe others can comment?
Our USB ports in the 2011 model aren’t working. Can they be replaced?
Not sure as its part of the motherboard. But found this on the web www.macworld.com/article/673059/how-to-fix-a-mac-usb-port-that-isnt-working.html
Hopefully one of these will help you out.
Thanks- interesting vid. I have the same model and am considering this but you dont show how you used the Y splitter to install the ssd. Are there any step by step instructions available? Am also guessing its best not to use the caddy?
@chris turner, Connecting the Y Power Splitter to drive is straight forward as the cable is keyed to the drive plus you just connect the data lines next to it (its the original iMAC smaller socket) . You just plug in one end to the MAC's SATA power cable and the other to Drive. Its very obvious when you have the drive out. The caddy with the Y Splitter does get in the way due to the heat pipe for the graphics card being up against the cable. If you are happy to use double side tape fitting together will be simple. As I had bought the caddy I wanted to use it. Sorry I did not film these as the step are simple and I wanted to prove the a Y Splitter did work to fool the MAC to not need Temp sensor. It been working well and very happy with this solution.
@@joewoodford9428 thanks- so that means u have one cable plugged into the ssd and the other free?
@@Chris-ug7bi Hi Chris, yes the Y splitter's single end connects to the iMac SATA power lead this splits into two leads, only 1 lead plugs into the SSD the other is loose (in my case under the caddy). As it is power just make sure it does not touch anything metal. The spare original iMac SATA data lines just plug in the SSD drive👍. You are then sorted😎.
On another video, there was a comment from someone saying he tried with just a SATA cable extension (not Y splitter) and it worked. Another comment said that a 4 wire SATA Y splitter will also work.
I wonder if this works with the late 2009. Probably. I just found "Benfei 15 Pin SATA Power Y-Splitter Cable 8 Inches - 2 Pack" in amazon in the US, no Akasa. But I guess is the same.
Also, you can swap the dvd temperature sensor with the hdd, some people reported that works.
Hi Deftoner, as the late 2009 and mid 2011 are similar my guess (and it is) would be that it will work. I've not had and issue with the temp senor and the iMac has been on almost every day since since the build. If this help please LIKE the vid!
I don't understand how but... it work on my iMac mid-2011 A1312 27" with Windows 10. Any of "Y" splitter, the brand is not important (Or maybe i'm lucky). And my method to avoid Cirrus audio driver (CirrusAudioCS4206x64) not working on Windows : Install Windows 10 on a separate PC in legacy mode (Not UEFI) then put the HD/SSD in the iMac, start, install Bootcamp 5.1.5621 (For the A1312 mid-2011) and all is done.
Hello
Is there a need to short wires 1 and 4 of the original cable with this system? or just put the extension? thank you
Hi Giuseppe, I just used the extension listed in the description and it it all worked without any further modifications.
great! thank you! is the SATA 6.0 Gb/s the right ssd hard"drive" I need? it is about 80€ ...
Hi Ezio Auditore, having researched it, the best for the money. You can go for other brands but I think there are only a few factories that produce SSD's so it really a Brand thing. I'm very happy with the SSD and the performance increase on my old iMac !
is this sata spliter suitable for IMac mid 2010 27" as well ?
Can not see why it would not work for you. But I only have iMac 2011 - 21". It is cheaper than buying the temp sensor.
@Joe Woodford If I choose to go with a dual hard drive setup without disturbing the 3.5' HDD and add an SSD beneath the CD/DVD drive . Could I use the SATA Y splitter power cable and power the SSD with the HDD's power source? Would be great if you could help me out. Thanks !!!
@Bhuvanesh Kumar , the Y Splitter can offer power to the HDD and the SSD, I can not remember but you might not have a SATA spare data line to connect the SSD to unless you use the bay space under the CD drive as I seem recall there is another SATA data cable around there. But check out RUclips and see what others say. Good luck!
Great video! I'm planning to upgrade it with SSD, only one thing though, I can only find SATA Power Cable Y splitter with 4 wires without the 3.3v wire (or at least the white wire in your video), will it still work?
@hariz danial, have you tried Amazon. There is a link in the description to the one I used. Most SATA Y splitters are 5 wire. No seen any which are just 4 wire.
I have the same question because most SATA Y splitters on ebay are 4 wires. Did it work with you with 4 wires?
@@hatemkamal1682 Well I tried it with the 4 wires, and I have no problems with it at all. Still works! You can try it out :)
@@harizd2001Thank you and one more question please: I found a video says that those Y SATA power cable that has the plastic ends completely molds and closes around the wires, are not safe and can cause fire. Which SATA Y power splitter did you use?
@@hatemkamal1682 actually similar to what the video uses. I’d think that it shouldn’t be a problem anyway; Most sata Y splitters have plastic ends.
Do you think it matters what double-sided tape to use for holding the new SSD against the back of the monitor? I see there's some Gorilla brand mounting tape on Amazon for $5 & they're a good brand. I just don't want anything catching on fire inside lol
Actually it's apparently pretty strong. Maybe I shouldn't use it in case I ever wanted to upgrade it again, however, it's gonna be used in a used 2011 iMac with 500 GB SSD so there wouldn't be much to upgrade it in the future anyway. It's meant to just be a bridge iMac so I could use it casually for 1-3 years til I move onto the next, more modern iMac
@@thatwallscominggirl5359 , I would not put in on the monitor/screen but it would work quite happily on the back of the aluminum case of the iMac. SSD's not likely to catch on fire, not enough power going to it, the main power supply is the only area where that could be a problem. I think you are all good to place it there.
@@joewoodford9428 oh my bad the back of the case is what I meant lol. I was gonna remove the screen protector, remove the screen, & then after unscrewing the hdd I was gonna connect the ssd along with a y splitter for the fans to not be on 24/7 & then stick the ssd to the back there, maybe let the y splitter cable hang loose or tuck it under. Then put the screen back on followed by the screen protector
@@thatwallscominggirl5359 Just wanted to be sure ! Good luck, the tricky part is just getting the glass off the surround and not getting figure marks on it!
@@joewoodford9428 out of curiosity, how did you get the iMac to setup after making this ssd upgrade? I had backed my hdd up through Time Machine, took my iMac apart & made the ssd upgrade. When I booted it up, I was met with a blinking question mark folder so I tried to reboot using internet recovery but apparently our 2011 iMac isn't compatible with that. So I have a sata to usb adapter w/ a power adapter & plugged it into my hdd externally & the other end into the usb port. Using that, when I boot up holding option only the external HDD plugged in comes up. Using that, I was able to login & thought I restored the data onto my ssd because it even says that there is the same amount GB of data on it now that matches what is in my external HDD data but if I unplug the adapter & go to boot up, it shows the flashing question mark folder. Do you have any idea how to fix this? I also went to disk utility & erased the internal ssd which replaced it with a new one. So it should be replaced & it does have the time machine backup on it. But for some reason it's not showing up in the startup manager (holding option on power up?
Hi, you just need to plug in one sata power et let the other one alone ?
yes!
@@joewoodford9428 ok, it worked, thanks
I read somewhere that there is room for a 3.5 and a 2.5 in the 2011s. I dont see it in any vids. Was there a spot for dual harddrves in yours?
@J L, The other spot is to remove the CD/DVD drive as that will also give you extra room. If you wanted 2 SSDs and you don't use the bracket then you should be able to double up the drives on top of each other. Not sure about the thermals if you did.
@@joewoodford9428 ty
Were there cables to plug in a second hdd in yours?
Will the SATA Splitter Cable trick work if I'm putting the SSD in place of the CD/DVD?
@Louis Wilson, RU leaving the original SATA HD in the machine? If so then I don't believe you will need to do anything as the DVD/CD has no temp sensor on it. If you are looking to take out the old HD and place the SSD in the space of the DVD/CD then yes you will need the Y Split as the iMac reads the temp from the old HD. Finally if you taking out the old HD and DVD/CD then you will need the Y splitter to plugged in to the HD SATA cable as this grounds out the Temp sensor pin on the the HD SATA cable. If this helped please Like and Sub ... cheers Joe
@@joewoodford9428 Actually, there WAS a sensor stuck to the top of the CD/DVD drive. And as soon as I put the SSD in its place (with the CD/SATA adapter out of an OWC Disk Doubler frame) and booted it up, the fans came on full force. This is a LATE 2011 iMac, with the i3 processor. I have installed the software to slow down the fans again, but was wondering about the splitter
@@LouisWilsonGluefish As I did not remove the CD/DVD drive on my iMac I can only guess that Y Split will work if the iMac uses the same pin on the SATA cable to sense the CD/DVD temperature? If you are using s/w to control the fan speeds then you probably have the best solution👍
@@LouisWilsonGluefish just stick the ODD sensor to ur ssd don't remove it from the system it can help u read the temp of the ssd
please post a link to y splitter. thanks
Hi its all the in the description - but here it is, SATA Power Cable Y splitter (Akasa AK-CBPW05-30 SATA Power Splitter )
@@joewoodford9428 thanks. what I meant was the link to get that one. There are different types! Is it this: www.amazon.co.uk/Akasa-AK-CBPW05-30-SATA-Power-Splitter/dp/B004BSFSVS. I am getting a used mac mid/late 2011 27" a1312
Yup that was the one i used.
Thanks for the video - digging deeper there is even easier solution - the whole temp sensor is almost a fake ))) it is a trigger 0 or 1
detailed explanations here - just short 2 wires in the SATA power lead or solder them together on board :
logi.wiki/index.php/iMac_HDD_Thermal_Sensor_Bypass
Thanks for the tip!
does any sata y splitter cable work?
should do :)