Is it worth replacing the motherboard and upgrading to an SSD on my late 2011 iMac?

The idea of upgrading to an SSD had not been recommended by several persons, as there are potential problems in simply replacing the actual HDD; the SSD is another story, and a costly way to get a small capacity drive.

If it were to work OK (against several upgrade warnings & issues resulting from attempts to do so) there could be a gain in speed. However there is a matter of a sensor the computer requires that is in the original type hard disk drive, which is often lacking in replacement HDDs and lacking in SSDs.

Did you have an AppleCare plan in effect on this unit? Apparently not if the Apple people you talked to said there would be a price. Of course AppleCare does not necessarily cover user-caused damages, when there is one.

Is there any qualified independent computer tech with Apple training, and skill, who could attempt to remove the broken headphone jack from the computer's port? That may be costly, too; these computers are not really designed for any kind of easy access. Take a look into the iFixit.com repair guides for these models online.

Good luck & happy computing! 🙂

The drive device with both a HDD and an SSD in the same case, is called a 'fusion' drive and is somewhat different (by the tell of it) on web sites describing the technology differences between third-party and Apple's implementation of their product, Apple Fusion.

The Apple device (say, the 1TB Fusion) has about 250GB SSD with about 750GB HDD. Other brands do not usually have that large of a percentage size SSD in the case with the HDD.

I can't say how (or if) the Seagate drive would work, and/or IF the drive has the internal sensors along with appropriate wires to connect the sensor to the computer; so the temperature will be read corrrectly by the iMac. If the temperature/sensor is not correctly seen by the computer, the fans will run fast as by default.

On the OWC (macsales) site they have information about SSDs in general, along with their disclaimer citing difficulty in a user replacement of drives in troublesome configurations.

You may be able to email such a company along with information about your computer model and perhaps serial number, and ask what fusion drive would best suit the computer and still allow the sensor to work. Also, mention the broken headphone plug/jack situation, as they may (or not) have a suggestion regarding repair or the parts that may be replaced by an experienced tech, short of the logic board.

If you were considering the removal & replacement of a HDD or an SSD, had you looked to see if someone online had posted instructions on how to repair the headphone jack, or replace the logic board? Could be if the issue with the headphone jack is a broken piece of plug stuck inside, that may (or may not) require replacing the whole logic board. There are experts who have equipment to re-solder components on logic boards, as they do replace graphic cards that otherwise are considered part of the logic board when soldered on, too.

Anyway, this is well beyond earlier Macs where you could more easily open them, even then most were not really easy; they were just less difficult to access and attempt a repair. I feel lucky that my 200+ Mac repairs went as well as they did. Maybe because I wasn't doing them for money, under pressure of a time frame. And was able to use other broken computers for parts. Some would be considered relics of an earlier time, now.

Good luck & happy computing! 🙂