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Model A1312 / Mid 2010 / 3.2 GHz Core i3 or 2.8 & 3.6 GHz Core i5 or 2.93 GHz Core i7, ID iMac11,3

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Replacing old 2010 27" iMac Hard Drive with SSD

Hello,

I am planning on replacing my old hard drive in my 2010 27" iMac with an SSD.

I have found instructions on how to do this, however, there are a few things I would like to get clarified before I start.

My model of iMac should include a spot to install the new drive without having to put a mount in correct?

My old hard drive is basically dead. My computer gets stuck booting up. Will I still be able to leave my old hard drive in and use my SSD as my main drive without any problems or will I need to completely remove my old hard drive to prevent my computer from trying to ever use it?

Thank you,

Jacob

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You have a few possible ways to go here. If your HD is dying then I would recommend just getting a SSHD hybrid drive like: Seagate FireCuda 3.5" SSHD. It would be the cheapest way to gain speed and still have lots of storage. Here's the IFIXIT guide you'll need to follow: iMac Intel 27" EMC 2390 Hard Drive Replacement

If you really want a dual drive setup if you think you can get your HD going again. Then you could go with a smaller sized SSD (128 ~ 256 GB). Unlike the HD there is no frame to support it as you're gluing the drive the the case using mounting foam tape. Here's the IFIXIT guide you'll need to follow: Installing iMac Intel 27" EMC 2390 Dual HDD or SSD Drive. You'll need this set of parts: iMac Intel 27" (Mid 2010) Dual Hard Drive Kit. Your system is only a SATA II (3.0 Gb's) so you'll need to review the drives spec sheet for the drive you want. As an example the Samsung SSD 850 EVO. You'll see this line: Interface - SATA 6Gb/s (compatible with SATA 3Gb/s and SATA 1.5Gb/s)

1 TB SSD Hybrid 3.5" Hard Drive Image

Product

1 TB SSD Hybrid 3.5" Hard Drive

$109.99

iMac Intel 27" (Mid 2010) Dual Hard Drive Kit Image

Product

iMac Intel 27" (Mid 2010) Dual Hard Drive Kit

$27.99

iMac Intel 27" EMC 2390 Hard Drive Image

Guide

iMac Intel 27" EMC 2390 Hard Drive Replacement

Difficulty:

Moderate

—

40 minutes - 2 hours
iMac Intel 27" EMC 2390 Dual Drive Kit Image

Guide

Installing iMac Intel 27" EMC 2390 Dual HDD or SSD Drive

Difficulty:

Difficult

—

1 - 2 hours

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7 Comments:

Thank you! So if I cannot get my computer to boot with its current old, will I be forced to go with an SSHD instead of an SSD? I want to completely replace the hard drive, either with an SSD or the SSHD you mentioned, so it will be fast and reliable.

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PS I have a backup of the old dead hard drive on an external drive.

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Your drive may only need to be reformatted to save it. I would first find a friend with a Mac so you can create a bootable USB thumb drive unless you still have the grey disks the system came with. If you do boot up with it and then run Disk Utility to see if the drive is fixable. But before you do that you may want to backup your stuff.

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Ok thank you for your help!

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I will receive the SSHD that I ordered today. Before I install it into my iMac, is there anything else that I will need to do to it first? I don't want to go through the entire process and then realize I needed to like do something to it first haha.

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Jacob Robinson will be eternally grateful.
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