Other World Computing announced today it has lowered prices and added new drive performance and capacity options to its OWC Turnkey Upgrade Installation Program for the 2010 27″ Apple iMac and 2011 21.5″ or 27″ iMac models. Starting from less than half the cost of factory SSD options, iMac owners can have OWC professionally install up to three award-winning OWC Mercury Solid State Drives up to 480GB each and with data rates over 2x faster than factory SSD options. Program options also include a larger capacity hard drive up to 4.0TB and certified Memory Upgrades up to 32GB. 27″ iMac owners also have the option of OWC installing the industry’s only eSATA interface and experience data transfer rates up to 600MB/s. OWC’s installation service program offers multiple configuration options starting at $169 with a 48 business hours or less installation turnaround.
Higher Performance At A Lower Cost
Owners of a 2010-2011 iMac can now enjoy these new pricing and configuration options being offered by OWC’s Turnkey Upgrade Service:
2010 27” Apple iMac
– SSD only package…was from $299.00, now from $259.00
Adds an OWC Mercury Electra 3G SSD—offering the latest generation 3G performance and reliability—with capacity from 60GB to 480GB to complement the existing factory hard drive.
– eSATA and SSD package…was from $319.00, now from $299.00
Includes adding the industry’s only eSATA interface and an OWC Mercury Electra 3G SSD with capacity from 60GB to 480GB.
-Main Bay Hard Drive Upgrade
Offers up to 8x the factory platter based storage capacity with drive options up to 4.0TB.
2011 21” & 27” Apple iMac
– SSD only package…was from $249.00, now from $239.00
Adds an OWC Mercury Electra 6G or an OWC Mercury Extreme Pro 6G SSD with capacity from 60GB to 480GB to complement the existing factory hard drive.
-Main Bay Hard Drive Upgrade
Offers up to 8x the factory maximum platter based storage capacity with drive options up to 4.0TB.
OWC Options Create A Better Than Factory Built iMac
Owners of a 2010-2011 iMac can experience the following benefits from the OWC Upgrade Program and enjoy a superior performing iMac than what is available direct from the factory:
- Over Twice As Fast & Double The Capacity Solid State Drive
OWC Mercury SSDs offer capacities up to 480GB, up to nearly double the capacity than the single factory 256GB SSD option, and offer read/write speeds in excess of 550MB/s…over twice the performance than the factory 3G speed limited SSDs. Support for a RAID-0 configuration allows data rates of up to 1GB/s (1000MB/s), nearly four times the data performance vs. factory options in available multi-SSD configurations. Depending on other options selected, up to three OWC Mercury SSDs can be installed for a total of up to 1.44TB SSD capacity.
- More ‘Main Bay’ Storage Configuration Options
iMac owners requiring more storage capacity than the factory stock 500GB-2.0TB hard drive can select from available 3.0TB and 4.0TB drive options for up to 8x greater platter based storage. Or, instead of a traditional hard drive, OWC can add an additional OWC Mercury SSD with capacity up to 480GB to the 3.5″ drive bay.
- Additional & Lower Cost Memory Options Than Factory
Add up to 4x the factory maximum installed RAM with the OWC 32GB MaxRAM option. This option offers double the factory maximum 16GB option with 20 percent lower cost savings. Or, select from OWC Memory Upgrade kits to upgrade to 12GB total RAM starting from $60 – a savings of 70% less than the factory 8GB option cost. For iMac owners only seeking a memory upgrade, OWC Memory Kits for 2010-2011 iMac models are also available with savings up to 84% compared to same-sized factory upgrades and come backed by OWC’s free installation videos and lifetime support
- Only eSATA Interface Option Offered For iMac
With fast data transfer rates up to 600MB/s, OWC’s external eSATA port option for 2010 and 2011 27″ iMacs lets users take advantage of plentiful and affordable eSATA external drives for data backups and transfers at up to 6x faster than the built in FireWire 800 interface. This includes new OWC’s Mercury Elite Pro mini USB3/eSATA solutions specifically designed to take full advantage of a 6Gb/s connection.
“Since this program launched mid-2010, iMac owners around the world have utilized it to unleash the full performance potential of their machines,” said Larry O’Connor, Founder and CEO, Other World Computing. “By expanding the hard drive and SSD options as well as lower the cost of adding an SSD and/or the only eSATA upgrade, we expect more iMac owners will want to create a machine they can’t get from the factory.”
I have a 27″ iMac 2010 (2.93 i-7 model) with two hard drives (1 SSD, and 1 SATA).
Can I still add an eSATA port to it with your Turnkey program? How much would it cost? Will it void my Apple Care warranty?
Thanks
It is our preference to receive iMacs without the factory SSD due to a significant increase in time and labor to add the eSATA port. Please contact a sales representative via email, live chat or phone at 1(800)275-4576 to obtain pricing and processing options for upgrading a machine with a factory SSD. Nothing being performed should void your warranty entirely. However, OWC cannot guarantee the actions of the original manufacturer. OWC suggests that consumers familiarize themselves with their consumer rights per US law and regulation. The Federal Trade Commission has very specific laws that provide consumer warranty protection.
Additional frequently asked questions on the program can be found here: http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/turnkey/iMac_2010_27/faq/
I honestly don’t think I’ve ever seen a company work so hard to NOT deliver the products that people want.
We are still working on the development of a DIY kit, but currently we have no ETA.
UPDATE: Our 2011 iMac SSD installation kit should be available in just a couple of weeks.
Woot! Nice update!
Hi OWC,
Any ETA or time estimate on when you’re releasing a VoyagerQ like drive dock with Thunderbolt, USB3, and FW800? Or ANY TB perepherials for that matter? LaCie already have theirs in the form of external drives.
Dan
Currently we have a mid summer target for bringing the first OWC Thunderbolt products to market but we can’t divulge information regarding the development status or projected release date or specifics.
When we do come out with new products, they will always be announced here on the OWC Blog right away, so bookmark us to be among the first informed on new products from OWC and Newer Technologies.
i ‘third’ whoda’s comment. i have a 27″ imac with a factory installed SSD and would love for a DIY kit to add a HDD to the empty bay. let’s us know what’s up!
I too would like there to be a DIY kit (shipping an iMac half way around the world and back isn’t practical so finding a local tech would be better).
I second whoda’s question.
Where’s the DIY kit?
Speaking of upgrade options…
Are there plans to offer a kit or upgrade service to add a second drive (SSD or platter) to the new Mac Minis?
I would love to have a Mini with a Sandforce SSD and a terabyte hard drive without having to buy Apple’s SSD and 750GB hard drive so I have the mounting hardware and cable in order to upgrade.
I haven’t asked forever, so how about that DIY kit you guys said would be offered when the turnkey program first came out for the 2011 iMacs. No takesies backsies!
I’m itching to take my baby apart!