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iMac Intel 27" EMC 2309 (Late 2009, Core 2 Duo 3.06 or 3.33 GHz) ID iMac10,1, EMC 2374 (Late 2009, Core i5 2.66 GHz or Core i7 2.8 GHz) ID iMac11,1

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How to replace my temp sensor cable?

Hi everybody,

I'd appreciate some advice: My late 2009 iMac has been opened for a video graphics bake (successfully!), but for some odd reason the HDD temp sensor cable has vanished and now needs to be replaced.

Should I try to find out which HDD-brand my system has and get the matching cable or might I just as well replace it by the OWC thermal sensor solution and thus be prepared for a coming HDD/SSD upgrade?

Thanks, Ulli

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First I love the older models! But I've got some bad news ;-{ Apple has now listed this model as vintage! So they won't repair or stock parts for it any more. Don't let that stop you here!

OK, so what to do???

If you are leaning towards upgrading your HD or thinking of adding a SSD then you might as well just bite the bullet here and do that now. As to which way to go about it you do have a few different options here: Swap-out the HDD for a bigger HDD or faster & bigger SSHD, or swap-out the optical drive for a SSD drive.

I like SSHD's, or better yet, dual drive setups (HDD & SSD) as you gain the most performance your system can offer. I know this is a bit off from what you asked but you might as well think it out.

Lets say we go with a new HDD or SSHD or install a SSD in the HD bay you'll then need to OWC in-line thermal sensor cable. While some 3rd party houses still have the needed Apple sensor cable you'll need to know who's drive you currently have so you can get the correct one. So if you think your current drive is good enough and you just want to use a dual drive setup this would be the better (cheaper option).

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7 Comments:

Thanks for your response, Dan. Point is, I'm going to sell this "old one". Why? I had taken it to a computer repair service and they told me the repair costs would exceed it's residual value... Diagnosis: defective graphics card + inverter board. I didn't really trust them, so I decided to try my on repair. At the same time I ordered a new iMac. Thanks to "JDW" I successfully baked the ATI Radeon 4850, but after reassembling and checking out my good old machine I was pleased by perfect video quality on the one hand (there were no issues with the inverter board as I had suspected) but also had to deal with fans running at full speed. Took me a little while until I found out that there was simply no more temp sensor cable! Well, I did not unintentionally remove it ...

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Now I want to fix the old one in the best possible way and then give it to the bay.

I'm not planning to upgrade it myself to a larger HDD or an SSD. So, back to my question: Is it correct, that the OWC-offer is suitable to a variety of newer/larger HDDs and SSDs as well? It would probably cost me around $ 20 more than replacing the original cable, but -as I think- it would also serve as a good sales argument.

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@appleseed Find another computer shop. Even Apple supports the latest OS X on that machine. Do what Dan said and do just a bit of upgrade, then try it to see what speed increase you got. Then ask yourself, "will it do the job". You machine is repairable and upgradeable. I doubt you will find that on newer models.

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@mayer Sorry if I didn't make it clear. Of course that computer shop tried to sell me a new Mac but I ordered it somewehere else and I'm actually using it at the moment... ;-). I have no use for 2 Macs, so I want to sell the old one - but of course fixed.

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@appleseed - Here's the cable you want: OWC In-line Digital Thermal Sensor for iMac 2009-2010 Hard Drive Upgrade.

Sad old Mac... Still had lots of life for ya ;-{ Find him a good home now!

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Update - unfortunately need further advice...

After having replaced the missing temp sensor cable with the OWC-solution as recommended, I still have to deal with fan(s) running at full speed. Unbelievable, but I noticed another missing cable! The "ODD temp" connector socket is empty. I then removed all connectors and took out the complete logicboard, hoping to find a loose cable behind it, but: no!

As I wasn't sure what to do next, I first of all got myself the app "TG pro" and took a photo of some of the info provided. I hope someone will thus be able to guide me on my way of fixing my good old one. Thanks for your attention,

Ulli

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The OWC sensor cable costs $40 + shipping. I went another route and bought a second ODD sensor for less than $10. It comes with an adhesive back so I stuck it to the SSD case, routed the cable and plugged into the HDD sensor port on the logic board.

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Temps seem pretty normal and no ramped up fans during boot or normal operation.

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