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Model A1418 / Late 2012 / 2.7 & 2.9 GHz Core i5 or 3.1 GHz Core i7 Processor

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SSD Upgrade - Fan Control & Bracket

Hi Everyone,

I know this subject has been beaten to death but I am getting different answers from everyone. I think it stems from everyone having a different version of the mac.

Going to install Samsung evo 850 on my late 2012 imac13,1 3.1ghz

I read everywhere that the fans will keep spinning because of the thermal sensor. This is also what the authorized repair sales person said. She also didn't ask for what model and wanted to charge 50$ for a bracket and 90$ for the OWC cable.

Now i went to the OWC live chat twice and first talked to support and then a technician and they said that I would not need a bracket nor the sensor. I kept on asking are you sure because i see it everywhere on the web.

The bracket seems to be right. The 21.5" computers have a 2.5" drive so that won't be a problem. So what about the thermal sensor. I don't want to have a half ass software fix. I rather do it right. Hopefully someone can finally give it to me straight.

Answered! View the answer I have this problem too

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Its all about the drive size the given system uses!

The newer 21.5" iMac's use a 2.5" drive, The older 2011 and back used a 3.5" drive.

So... You don't need a bracket and you don't need the OWC in-line sensor. These are only used in the 3.5" drive'd systems.

But before you go down this path I would recommend you review the IFIXIT guide here: iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2544 Hard Drive Replacement. Make sure you get the correct tools to remove the display assembly as you can damage it if you're not careful! Take your time and don't force things.

Frankly, given the risks here if you've never opened one of these before you may want to look at getting an external Thunderbolt 2 SSD drive leaving the HD alone. We use these: OWC Mercury Elite Pro Dual. Its faster than what the internal SATA III (6.0 Gb/s) interface, if you setup a RAID set and yes, you can set it up as the boot drive as well.

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