Dual HDD imac 24, is it possible?

Question

Level 1

5 points

Dual HDD imac 24, is it possible?

Ok,

So, I have an aluminim imac 2.4 GHZ core 2 duo that was my first ever mac!

I got it in late 2007, but since then it has gotten a little slower than some of my other computers, it needs wiping and a new OS.

I thought the best way to breathe new life into old computers was with an SSD drive. I always thought the imac 24" used laptop components, and therefor a laptop HDD.

After researching on the internet I found out it has a 3.5" HDD.

This requires an adaptor so it will fit.

When I was looking for adapters, I found an object of curiosity!

http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/harddrives-ssd/twinmounter.html

This is a 3.5" HDD adapter what can fit 2 smaller 2.5" drives inside it.

I was wondering, would it be possible to use both drives in place of the original HDD?

The idea would be to have an OS/apps SSD drive maybe around 60GB with an aditional 320GB maybe 500GB regular HDD.

I know space is limited inside an imac, but is there a spare SATA port on the motherborad?, or is there a way to link the HDDs together to one port? Or could a port multiplier be used?

I think this is just wishful thinking on my part, but if it is possible, would using 2 drives for one SATA port reduce bandwidth?
That would defeat the point of an ssd.

The alternative is just to have one SSD and a fw 800 drive for storage, although that wouldnt be as cool!

Any help / advice on this would be great.

I tried searching for a similar project on google, but no luck!

Thanks,

James

iMac, Mac OS X (10.7.1)

Posted on Nov 3, 2011 5:51 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Fortuny

Level 7

21,461 points

Nov 3, 2011 6:10 AM in response to XEdwardX

iFixit claims that the 2001 24" iMacs are "

Internally, the iMac Intel 24" EMC 2134 and 2211 were nearly identical to the late 2006 plastic intel iMacs. 2.4, 2.8, and 3.06 GHz Core 2 duo processors and an external graphics card set the performance of EMC 2134 and 2211 iMacs apart from previous generations."

http://www.ifixit.com/Device/iMac_Intel_24%22_EMC_2134_and_2211

And for the 2006 24" iMac there is a repair manual on harddisk replacement http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Installing-iMac-Intel-24-Inch-EMC-2111-Hard-Drive-Re placement/5211/1

That's the best I could find.

Stefan

Reply

Answer 2

XEdwardX Author

Level 1

5 points

Nov 4, 2011 8:31 AM in response to Fortuny

Thanks for the link,

Yeah I heard they were identical apart from the outer casing and a few minor upgrades etc.

It doesnt really detail how much room there is for some sort of sata adapter or 2 sata ports on the motherboard.

It will come in handy when I finally make the upgrade tho!

Reply

Answer 3

Fortuny

Level 7

21,461 points

Nov 4, 2011 9:09 PM in response to XEdwardX

While that Novatech twinmounter you linked to looks very nice/promising I am not so sure if I would use it in an iMac.

I would fear some serious heat issues with the two SSDs so close together plus in a tight space like the iMac with its usually very sophisticated heat-dissipating design.

In a more open space Mac Pro I would feel more comfortable using such thing, but I think it's not compatible with a MacPro.

Stefan

Reply

Answer 4

XEdwardX Author

Level 1

5 points

Nov 5, 2011 6:54 PM in response to Fortuny

Yeah, the heat dissipation would probably be a limiting factor.

But, if there is an SSD and a mechanical eco drive, would it get that hot?

I thought SSDs didnt heat up, or at least by a noticable amount?!

Also, the imac 24" has a plastic back, not a metal one like the new models, so no heat sink there!

Its crazy how buying a dual mount adapter, a 750gb hdd and a 40/60gb ssd is cheaper than buying a 320gb ssd!!!

Reply

Answer 5

Fortuny

Level 7

21,461 points

Nov 5, 2011 9:12 PM in response to XEdwardX

SSDs do heat up too. Where there is electric flow there is heat...

Plus given how tight they seem to fit into the Twinmounter and then the tighter fit in an iMac than in a Mac Pro for example, it could be a problem in the long run.

As said, Apple designed the iMacs for specific hardware components and doesn't consider the harddisk to be user-replaceable.

Personally I am not so sure If I would do such 'upgrade'.

Stefan

Reply

Answer 6

XEdwardX Author

Level 1

5 points

Nov 6, 2011 4:58 AM in response to Fortuny

Yeah, it is quite daunting, but I think my current hdd is on its last legs!

It runs at around 54˚C which is a little too hot for a HDD isnt it?

Also, its out of warranty and I would rather just do it myself than pay loads to have apple do it!

I once removed the PSU from a powermac G5 and took it to bits and orderd some parts and made it work again!!

So it cant be harder than that!

Reply

Answer 7

Fortuny

Level 7

21,461 points

Nov 6, 2011 8:00 PM in response to XEdwardX

Mine's is 35 C (2009 27" iMac) but the ambient is quite low with 17 C.

What fan RPMs do you have ?

And a PowerMac (or a Mac Pro) is like countryside-open space compared to an iMac.

Stefan

Reply

Answer 8

XEdwardX Author

Level 1

5 points

Nov 9, 2011 5:23 PM in response to Fortuny

Everytime I press the backspace key on this thing it bloody goes back a page and forgets what I have written! It is intensly annoying and there is no way to disable it!! (hence the late reply)

My fans run at around 1199 RPM, higher when gaming.

The HDD when idling/sleeping runs at about 35/40˚C But when in use it goes way up to 50/55˚C.
Because it is a mechanical drive, it could be an early sign of the bearings wearing down causing an increase in friction.

I cant increase the fan speed on the 24" because the screens arent sealed properly causing dust to be sucked into the LCD screen making these huge brown smudges, it has a few already from when I used SMC fan control once. (Some genius on here posted how he actually opened up his LCD panel to clean it, and it worked again afterwards! crazy!)

Apple doesnt care though.

Maybe the whole thing is just full of dust and needs a good clean out!

Reply

Answer 9

Fortuny

Level 7

21,461 points

Nov 9, 2011 8:21 PM in response to XEdwardX

My HD-Fan is at 1096RPM with 36 C today.

Not idle, but just usual surfing.

Dust is indeed on of the worst enemy to computers.

So a look inside might be worth.

And while inside look for the avaiable HD-space in it...

Stefan

Reply