iMac 2012-2017 SSD Upgrade (IcyDock)

Written By: Arthur Shi
  • Comments: 20
iMac 2012-2017 SSD Upgrade (IcyDock)

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

8

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 2012-2017 iMacs.

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    • Only follow the next 8 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.

    Ich denke die Frontplatte hätte anschliessend auch wieder eingesetzt gehört - bin die Anleitung Schritt für Schritt durch gegangen, und mir ist leider gar nicht aufgefallen, dass dieser Schritt fehlt. Nun ist der iMac bereits wieder verklebt und beim Aufräumen ist mir die übrig gebliebene Frontplatte untergekommen.

    Aber halb so schlimm, die SSD ist angeschraubt, kann sich also eh nicht bewegen.

    Gerhard Dietrichsteiner -

    My enclosure doesn’t look like this. All I received was a black back plate. Where is the rest of it? Oh boy

    Selwyn Arnold -

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    • Line up the small SATA connector so that the short side on the SSD connector matches the short side on the enclosure connector.

    • Slide the drive in through the front of the enclosure until the SATA connector is fully seated.

    • The SSD connects with the enclosure in only one way. If the connectors are not lining up, rotate the SSD and try again.

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

    • Replace the front plate.

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    • Plug the included sensor-enabled SATA cable into the enclosure's port.

    • Line up the narrow side of the cable connector with the narrow side of the enclosure connector. The cable is keyed to connect in only one way. If you can't connect the cable, rotate it 180°, and try again.

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    • 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.

    Does the small temperature sensor board have to be purchased separately for a 2015 iMac or is there one already attached to the HDD?

    Richard Lee -

    Hi Richard, our upgrade kit does come with a temperature sensor, but a hard drive bought by itself will not come with one.

    Adam O'Camb -

    The enclosure that came with my kit is all plastic, does the sensor have to be connected to metal? If yes, where would it go given the all-plastic enclosure?

    Lynne Mitchell -

    Hi Lynne,

    It does not have to be connected to metal. However, the sensor should be stuck on the drive and not on the enclosure so that it can sense the drive’s temperature.

    Arthur Shi -

    My iMac (27-inch, Late 2013) (Model Identifier: iMac14,2) (EMC: 2639), had a Seagate Barracuda 1.0TB HDD installed. There was no temperature sensor on the HDD. I have the Fan Controller that is pictured in this manual on Steps 39, 40 and 41. The photos do not show a small two-conductor cable connected from the Fan Controller circuit board to the logic board. There is usually a cable that connects the small circuit board, where the drive’s temperature is measured, to a connector on the logic board, but not in this iMac. For now, I have installed the Samsung 860 EVO 500GB SSD without a fan controller and it has been running for over two hours without a hint of the fan ramping up. Should I still install the Fan Controller and not worry about connecting the controller sensor to the logic board? Thank you for creating an excellent manual!

    David Higgins -

    Hello, what if I don’t buy the temperature sensor? Could I break my computer or the SSD? Thank you in advance for your answer.

    kurdonet -

    You can use Mac Fan Control as a software solution. You won’t break your computer as it will slow down and throttle itself to protect it. More than anything, your SSD will run warmer than usual, which could shorten its lifespan.

    Arthur Shi -

    I just did this procedure with an A1419 (EMC # 2806) and didn’t buy the temperature sensor. I didn’t experience any loud fans afterwards. The machine was originally ordered with 3TB Fusion Drive. After installing the new 2TB SSD (WD Blue WDS200T2B0A) the Disk Utility showed an original 128GB PCI drive in addition to the new SSD. I ignored this PCI SSD and reinstalled OS X on the SATA SSD. All is good here! Oh, also I didn’t use any fancy 3.5” to 2.5” drive adapter, but a simple 3-dollar eBay adapter (can be found with this title, “2.5" to 3.5" Bay SSD Metal Hard Drive HDD Mounting Bracket Adapter”). I keep these laying around just in case. I did have to re-thread the screw holes to re-use the iMac’s HDD screw-posts (used tap & drill set, size 6-32 NC).

    Andy Blakely -

    I just upgraded my late 2015 iMac with a 1TB Samsung 860 EVO and did not use a sensor. No fan or heat issues over the last week of use. Please note this Samsung drive is not the primary workhorse on the machine as I also upgraded my PCI ssd and use that as the primary drive. I have read on other sites that this model iMac does not need the sensor but I am not 100% on that.

    Chip T -

    une fois la sonde collé sur le ssd ou est ce que celle ci ce branche ? sur la carte mere ?

    Charly Dewost -

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    • 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.

    This was an understatement for my drive adapter. The adapter had threads that I believe were M3 threaded whereas the mounting pins are what I believer are 6-32 screws. The mounting pins are not threaded well for self-tapping, so I recommend finding an old screw that used to be used for mounting optical drives into PC cases and using those to thread the holes. You can make sure you have the correct size by screwing the sacrificial screws into the old hard drive where they should fit easily before using them to cut new threads into your 2.5” drive adapter. After that, the mounting pins went into the adapter with very little effort.

    Jakegub -

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

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    • Attach the iMac's SATA-combo cable to the new temperature-capable SATA-combo cable.

    • Route the SATA cables where they will not interfere with any other components.

    • Try to keep the cables free from any sharp bends and route them such that they are not pinched.

    How much time after gluing the screen can we use it?

    Maurya Gajjar -

    A few hours should be fine. I suggest checking the screen after a week and after a month to make sure the adhesive is still fully bonded.

    Arthur Shi -

    Ensure the glass lines up with the edge of the iMac

    After replacing the adhesive strips with new ones and the screen connectors have been reconnected, place the lower edge of the screen on the bottom shelf” to take the weight, but don’t press it back in the shelf too much.

    At this point if you’re careful you still have the ability to ensure the edges of the glass line up with the aluminium edges. As soon as the adhesive strips make contact with the glass you will quickly lose the ability to adjust this to line up.

    pohutukawa -

    What position should the iMac be in before doing this final comment related to setting the display on the “shelf”?

    joseph sis -

Conclusion

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

Author

Arthur Shi

Member since: 03/01/18

248651 Reputation

3 comments

I love the guide~ it is super easy to follow. My computer is not recognizing the disk and I can’t figure out why. I feel like I missed something in reassembly. Any suggestions? Common errors?

Julie Cain -

Hi Julie!

Was the new drive formatted before you installed it? You can try to boot the iMac in recovery mode and reinstall the OS from there. If that doesn’t work, please post your question on our Answers forum and someone may be able to help you out!

Arthur Shi -

when doing internet recovery First run the disk utility and Format it using mac journal, then continue to install the new disk will be visible.

SreckoVuka -