Introduction
Upgrade your hard drive for more storage space!
This guide also includes steps to upgrade your iMac's hard drive with a SSD. It describes how to install the SSD's temperature sensor so that the Mac's fans will operate at the correct speed.
Before beginning any work on your iMac: Unplug the computer and press and hold the power button for ten seconds to discharge the power supply's capacitors.
Be very careful not to touch the capacitor leads or any exposed solder joints on the back of the power supply.
What you need
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Tool used on this step:Heavy-Duty Suction Cups (Pair)$14.95
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Stick a heavy-duty suction cup near each of the two top corners of the glass panel.
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While lightly holding the suction cup against the glass, raise the movable handle until it is parallel with the other handle (as indicated by the third picture).
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Gently lift the glass panel perpendicular to the face of the LCD, enough to clear the steel mounting pins attached along the underside of the top edge of the glass panel.
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Pull the glass panel away from the lower edge of the iMac and carefully set it aside.
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Carefully lay the iMac stand-side down on a flat surface.
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Use a thin hooked tool to lift one side of the top edge of the display by its steel outer frame.
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Using your fingers, carefully pull the vertical sync cable out of its socket on the LED driver board near the top left corner of your iMac.
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Squeeze the two display data cable connector arms together to unlock it from its socket on the logic board.
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Pull the display data cable connector away from its socket on the logic board.
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Rotate the display out of the outer case enough to disconnect the LED backlight power cable from the LED driver board.
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Lift the display for enough clearance to disconnect the LCD thermal sensor cable connector from its socket on the logic board.
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Carefully pull the display toward the top edge of your iMac and lift it out of the outer case.
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Disconnect the thermal sensor, SATA power, and SATA data cables by pulling their connectors away from the sockets on the hard drive.
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Slightly rotate the hard drive away from the outer case.
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Lift the hard drive off its two lower positioning pins and remove it from the outer case.
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Remove the two T8 Torx screws securing the upper bracket to the hard drive.
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Remove the upper bracket from the hard drive.
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Line up the SSD connectors with the metal enclosure's sockets.
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Press the drive against the enclosure sockets until the SSD is firmly seated.
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Use a Phillips screwdriver to install the four silver screws (two on each side) along the edges of the SSD to secure it to the enclosure.
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Peel the white liner off the back of the small temperature sensor board in order to expose the adhesive.
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Adhere the temperature sensor board to an exposed, metal surface of the SSD, close to the SATA connector.
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Fold the excess temperature sensor wires so that they are out of the way while you install the enclosure.
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Use a T8 driver to install the mounting pins from the old hard drive onto the sides of the enclosure.
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Slide the SSD enclosure into the space previously occupied by the hard drive.
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Route the SATA cables so that they will not interfere with any other components.
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Find the connector on the motherboard labeled HD TMP or HDD TEMP.
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If the previous temperature cable is still connected to the board here, disconnect and remove it. You will no longer need it.
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Connect the temperature sensor's two-wire red-black cable to the motherboard plug labeled HD TMP or HDD TEMP.
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Route the excess wire so it does not interfere with any other components.
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