iMac 2011 SSD Upgrade (IcyDock)

Written By: Arthur Shi

Comments: 11

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

40 minutes - 2 hours

Introduction

Follow this guide to upgrade your iMac's hard drive with an SSD. It includes steps on installing the SSD's temperature sensor so that the Mac's fans will operate at the correct speed.

Prerequisite-only guide. SSD upgrade with temperature sensor for mid 2011 iMacs.

Tools

Phillips #1 Screwdriver

Parts

iMac Intel 21.5" and 27" (Mid 2011) SSD Upgrade Kit

Step 1

Only follow the next 9 steps if you are replacing your hard drive with an SSD kit.
Depress the enclosure's front plate latch with your finger. While holding the latch down, swing the plate out.
Remove the front plate.

Step 2

Line up the small SATA connectors so that the narrow side of the connector on the SSD matches the narrow side on the enclosure connector.
Slide the drive in through the front of the enclosure until the SATA connector is fully seated.
The SSD's ports connect with the enclosure in only one way. If the ports are not lining up, rotate the SSD and try again.

Step 3

You may optionally install two Philips #1 screws that came with the enclosure kit to secure the SSD in the enclosure.

Step 4

Plug the included sensor-enabled SATA power cable into the wide side of the enclosure's SATA connector.
The cable is keyed to connect in only one way. If you can't connect the cable, rotate it 180°, and try again.

Step 5

Peel the backing off of the adhesive back of the small temperature sensor board.
Adhere the temperature sensor board to an exposed, metal area of the surface of the SSD, as close as possible to the SATA connector.
Fold the excess temperature sensor wires so that they are out of the way while you install the enclosure.

Step 6

Install the mounting pins from the old hard drive onto the sides of the enclosure.
The holes on the enclosure may not be threaded, so screwing the mounting pins into them may require extra effort. Take your time and screw them in slowly, making sure they go in straight.

The technique used when tapping holes with a thread tap can make this much easier:

After getting about one and a half threads started back the pin or screw out about 1/4 turn, then turn in again 1-1/2 or 2 turns then back 1/4 turn again. Repeat this three steps in -one step back until its all the way in. This technique lets the “chips” clear from in front of the first thread making it much easier to cut the new threads.

John - 18/02/20

The photo shows 4 of these, but to original hard drive only had 2…what to do now?

jinnifer douglass - 20/09/20

Go ahead and transfer the two posts to the new drive.

Arthur Shi - 21/09/20

Step 7

Attach any mounting brackets removed from the old hard drive onto the enclosure.

Step 8

Connect the iMac's SATA power cable to the new temperature-capable SATA power cable.
Route the SATA cables where they will not interfere with any other components.

Step 9

Connect the iMac's SATA data cable to the enclosure's SATA data connector.

Do you have a photo of how you arranged the wires? The hand in the photo is the way. I’m having trouble making space for the Sata cable

Silvia Llopis - 20/09/18

Unfortunately I don’t have additional photos. I understand your issue; the cabling was hard to fit. I ended up bending and carefully folding it so that it didn’t catch anything. Try to find room where it won’t be pinched.

Arthur Shi - 20/09/18

i thought everything was good, but i just turned on my imac to install the OS and it’s not seeing my new ssd. i’m trying to install the os using a bootable usb and the dialogue asking me to select a drive pops up, but my new ssd wasn’t on the list! Do you think my SATA cables are pinched? What can it be? i guess i’ll just have to open it and inspect all connections?

Silvia Llopis - 20/09/18

lol nevermind i just didn’t realize I had to format the new drive *face palm*

Silvia Llopis - 21/09/18

Anyone faced the problem of the “Grey Blinking Question Mark Folder” after this upgrade? I followed all the steps:

- Tried to reset SMC and NVRAM

- Formatted the SSD using Disk Utility

- Tried to reinstall MacOS High Sierra from scratch via recovery mode

The problem usually comes when the computer goes to sleep, and never comes back alive. When I shut it down and start it up again, the blinking folder came back. Can’t seem to find any other solutions.

Raynor GAN - 02/05/19

Mine does not reconize the new SSD - what did I do wrong?

bennie9922 - 28/07/19

I was not able to organize the wires in a way to get enclosure to screw into bracket. So basically its just sitting in there, i was able to attach all the wires and everyting, i just didnt screw it back in.

I was actually able to screw in box to the bracket, but when i tried to put the computer screen back on, it was not able to flatten out so i couldnt put case back on. So i just left it unscrewed and didnt use the bracket…

Computers still working after a month or so.

jacob d - 20/12/20

The internal SATA cable housing is configured with an "L" shaped form used to orient the proper insertion of the cable connector pins. The SATA cable installed in the 2011 iMAC 27" is blocky a pin placed at in the position for the "L". The pin will not allow coupling of a replacement SSD thermal cable adapter unless it is removed.

Can it be removed without damage, allowing for operation of the drive? Or should it be replaced by a new internal SATA cable?

JB-Nov 2022

Jerome Boyd -