Upgrading a 2009 iMac ?

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alex7375 Author

Level 3

702 points

Upgrading a 2009 iMac ?

Hello,

I would like to give my old 2009 iMac a 2017 hardware refresh.

I would like to upgrade my 2009 iMac with an SSD and New hard-drive.

By removing the Super drive and replacing it with the SSD.

Also I want to upgrade the original hard-drive with a 4tb. hard-drive.

Parts I am considering using:

1) HGST 4tb Hard-drive

Amazon.com: HGST Deskstar NAS 3.5-Inch 4TB 7200RPM SATA III 64MB Cache Internal Hard Drive Kit (0S03664): Computers & Ac…

2) Crucial MX300 SSD ( 512gb. )

Amazon.com: Crucial MX300 525GB SATA 2.5 Inch Internal Solid State Drive - CT525MX300SSD1: Computers & Accessories

3) OWC Data doubler.

OWC Data Doubler Optical Bay Hard... in stock at MacSales.com

Can this be done?

Will there be a problem with the temperature sensor on the Super drive as it will now be an SSD ?

I don't see why a Super drive has a temp sensor anyways ?

Will I be able to use the NEW SSD as a boot drive and the NEW hard-drive as a backup /storage drive ?

I will attach an inexpensive USB super drive should I ever need one.

Posted on Jun 4, 2017 9:37 PM

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Answer 1

Jun 5, 2017 1:11 AM in response to alex7375

If you have an early 2009, 20 or 24 inch screen, I would only add memory, that model does not run Sierra, and can be considered obsolete..

A 21.5 or 27 inch late 2009, runs Sierra. However, while replacing the hard drive is moderately easy, pulling the Super Drive (CD/DVD) is hard...

Another factor to consider is the SATA interface is 3 gigs a second, SATA II, not all SSD's are compatible, they run at 6 gigs/sec, SATA III...

I would put an OWC 3G SSD in the iMac, you will also need a 2.5 to 3.5 drive tray, and a 2009-2010 temp sensor. Now put the platter drive (HGST) in an external FireWire case.

Much easier...

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Answer 2

SeaPapp

Level 7

26,492 points

Jun 5, 2017 3:55 AM in response to alex7375

I replaced the working optical drive in my late 2009 iMac with a 3G SSD from OWC using a DataDoubler, it's not hard. The temp sensor on the optical drive is external and you just stick it right back on the new SSD. You will need an external sensor for the hard drive though or your fans will run full speed. I didn't replace my hard drive at the time.

If you're going to install a larger capacity hdd you might want to get a fan control software to up the speed on the hdd fan, that larger drive is going to generate more heat.

I have my OS and applications on the SSD and all of my user data is on the hdd, works great. I used this article to set it up http://mattgemmell.com/using-os-x-with-an-ssd-plus-hdd-setup/

I put my working SuperDrive in an inexpensive USB external enclosure removing it from the heat and vertical alignment that makes them fail prematurely.

You might consider sourcing everything from OWC.

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