Installing two 2.5" SSD on a 3.5" adapter on an iMac 27" (2011)

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ASGR.SYS Author

Level 1

31 points

Installing two 2.5" SSD on a 3.5" adapter on an iMac 27" (2011)

Hello,

I've been looking into ways of getting two 2.5" SSD drives

mounted in a dual 3.5" adapter and completely removing

the original 3.5" HHD from my iMac 27" (2011). So that I've

got two independently recognised drives but I'm not having

much luck finding out if I can do it and what I need if I can.

I have been informed that the iMac only has one SATA

connector for the hard drive and connecting a second drive

is not possible. Elsewhere, I found this link on iFixit that

seems to suggest that there is a spare second SATA

connector on the reverse of the Logic Board here:

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Installing+iMac+Intel+27-Inch+EMC+2390+Dual+Hard+Dr ive+Kit/9266

at Step 28. This is for the 2010 model.

Which if true, means that I can have two independently

connected drives but I'm not sure if it has always been

spare or if it belonged to the CD/DVD drive.

I was also looking into a dual SATA connector possibility

so that the S in SATA (i.e. Serial) would live up to it's name!

But again, it was suggested that you can't 'serially' attach

SATA drives together.

Has any one opened up one of these things and knows

wuts under the hood?

TIA.

iMac, OS X Yosemite (10.10.2), null

Posted on Feb 17, 2015 8:39 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

rkaufmann87

Level 10

140,190 points

Feb 17, 2015 8:41 AM in response to ASGR.SYS

OWC, www.macsales.com has a link.

http://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/

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Answer 2

ASGR.SYS Author

Level 1

31 points

Feb 17, 2015 9:57 AM in response to rkaufmann87

From what i can make out, their shouldn't be any particular problem

installing two drives in a adaptor. Both SATA and power connectors

seem the same and I should still have access to the CD/DVD drive.

If anything, it looks a lot more elegant having two drives amounted

in the adapter rather than sticking it to the casing. However, I may

have to buy a different adaptor to account for the locator pins and

brackets that Apple uses.

Now to decide if I do it my self or get someone else to do it!

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Answer 3

rkaufmann87

Level 10

140,190 points

Feb 17, 2015 10:22 AM in response to ASGR.SYS

I Would recommend using OWC as your vendor for the parts you will need including the tool kit. Then you can call, e-mail or video chat with them for support. They are an extremely trusted vendor that many experienced users use!!!

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Answer 4

ASGR.SYS Author

Level 1

31 points

Feb 17, 2015 10:32 AM in response to rkaufmann87

Awsome!

You can't pay enough for good customer service.

Thanks for all the help.

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Answer 5

ASGR.SYS Author

Level 1

31 points

Feb 18, 2015 3:39 AM in response to ASGR.SYS

OK then... I may be doing this myself.

The question now is, what type of SATA connector do I need.

I've tried asking locally (UK) but no one seems to have a clue.

I did manage to find this cable that at least looks like the one

used in the iFixit and OWC videos, but I just need confirmation.

http://www.lindy.co.uk/cables-adapters-c1/i-o-c125/sata-c128/0-3m-internal-sata- extension-cable-22-pin-male-female-extension-p6724

It's only 30cm long but the SATA connector on the back of the

Logic Board is only about 20 cm from the back of the drive and

should be long enough.

I did get one reply from Lindy saying that I probably need a

slimline combined data and power full SATA to full SATA but

they didn't stock it.

For an established technology that almost every computer uses

it seems somewhat extraordinarily difficult to get components!

Any help would be appreciated.

TIA.

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Answer 6

mirzoni

Level 1

4 points

Apr 21, 2015 3:01 AM in response to ASGR.SYS

How did it go? Did you manage to mount 2 2.5" drives in adapter instead of the original 3.5" one?

I'm about to start the process myself - so hard to find the details online..

TIA.

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