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Model A1311 / Late 2009 / 3.06 or 3.33 GHz Core 2 Duo processor

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Replace HHD with SSD drive

I would like to know if its possible to replace HHD in iMac with a SSD drive ECM 2308

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Upgrading the hard drive in an iMac is a DIY project that has always been a difficult, though not impossible, task. With the advent of the late 2009 edition iMacs, there’s a new twist that limits how you can upgrade the iMac’s hard drive.

iMacs have always had a temperature sensor for their internal hard drive. The Mac operating system monitors hard drive temperature and adjusts the internal fans to ensure optimal airflow to keep the hard drive, as well as the rest of the iMac’s inner workings, cool.

Up until the late 2009 model iMacs, the temperature probe for the hard drive was mounted to the hard drive’s cover. When you upgraded the hard drive, all you needed to do was to re-attach the temperature sensor to the new hard drive’s case and you were ready to go.

That changed with the 2009 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMacs. The temperature sensor that was attached to the external case is gone. In its place is a cable that connects directly to a set of pins on the hard drive, and reads the temperature from the temperature probe that is built into almost all hard drives. Sounds like a better system, and it is, at least as far as gathering accurate temperatures from the iMac’s hard drive.

The problem is that there is no standard for which pins to use on a hard drive for the temperature sensor. In fact, the cable Apple uses must be custom made for each brand of hard drive Apple puts in the late 2009 iMacs.

For the end user, this means that if you decide to upgrade the iMac’s hard drive yourself (something we don’t actually recommend for the average user), you can only use a hard drive from the same manufacturer. If your iMac came with a Seagate drive, you can use only a Seagate drive for a replacement. Likewise, if it came with a Western Digital drive, you can only replace it with another Western Digital drive.

If you use a drive from a different manufacturer, there is a very good chance that the temperature sensor will not operate. In order to compensate, your iMac will set its internal fans to the maximum RPM, creating a nerve-wracking noise that will not be pleasant to be near.

http://macs.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&z...

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A stock drive from the same manufacturer will not work with Apple's temp sensing cable - it would need to have Apple's Firmware in it as well. The solution I've used many times is simple and free: http://exirion.net/ssdfanctrl/

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Sorry John - History has shown us these software solutions are not that good. We have found systems suffer with either wornout fans or burnt out components from over heating and/or heat shock. The best solution is the OWC thermal sensor adapters. I nolonger use software I only use hardware solutions with much greater success and reliability.

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There's no need to buy hddfancontrol - ssd fan control is free/donationware and works a treat using the S.M.A.R.T. data from the SSD. I've used it on mine and many other iMacs, download from here: http://exirion.net/ssdfanctrl/

You'll also need a caddy to convert the SSD to 3.5" - the basic little tray that for instance Crucial sell is not good enough and leaves the SSD hanging on one screw. Buy something like this one: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00F3QFKNS

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The connectors and power would not work (AAFAIK you can't find an adapter) . You could remove your optical drive and use iFixits SDD Optical Bay conversion kit, & set that to be the boot drive.

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what is (AAFAIK you can't find an adapter)

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"AFAIK" is "as far as I know".

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My favourite adapter is this one: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00F3QFKNS it looks a bit elaborate but works perfectly. Simple metal tray versions aren't usually long enough to fit the mounting and leave the SSD hanging on one screw. No need to buy any cables or other bits.

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I believe the old style drive temperature sensor is available for purchase from various sites around the web. I have an early 2008 iMac that has the old style sensor, so I didn't have to deal with this particular issue.

However, if you can solve the temperature sensor issue, I found that mounting a 2.5" SSD into the iMac with the Newer Tech AdaptaDrive 3.5"–2.5" adapter worked flawlessly.

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You may want to try out this software, it can monitor the temperature of any hard drive without the apple temperature sensor using the S.M.A.R.T protocol built into all hard drives. Once you purchase it, it will fix the issue with your fans running at full speed unnecessarily. Hope this helps for anyone who was wondering!

http://www.hddfancontrol.com

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Does the newer tech adaptadrive go in the same spot as the hd in the late 2009 iMacs? What do you do with the temp sensor issue?

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Does the newer tech adaptadrive go in the same spot as the hd in the late 2009 iMacs?

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Joseph will be eternally grateful.
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