Other World Computing today introduced the OWC DIY Kit for 2010 27″ iMac models. The kit enables owners to add a high-performance SSD in addition to the existing factory hard drive. Fully supported with a step-by-step video, iMac users can add an OWC Mercury Electra 3G SSD up to 480GB in capacity – nearly double the optional factory SSD 256GB capacity — starting from $49.99 and enjoy near instantaneous booting and application launches along with an incredible boost to overall system and application performance thanks to data rates of up to 272MB/s. While OWC highly recommends its Mercury Electra 3G SSD for the Apple iMac, this kit is fully compatible with all 2.5″ Serial ATA SSDs.
OWC DIY Kit for 2010 27″ iMac Includes:
- Newer Technology 11-Piece Toolkit
- NewerTech Microfiber Pro Cleaning Cloth
- iMac to SSD SATA 3Gb/s data cable
- iMac to SSD/HDD power “Y” cable
- 2 suction cups for the outer glass removal
- Thermal safe adhesive mounting set
Double the Factory RAM
To complement the improved drive performance that the OWC DIY Kit provides, 27″ iMac owners can also choose to add up to double the factory RAM with OWC’s 32GB MaxRAM Kit. Same-sized factory memory upgrades of 8GB and 16GB are also available from OWC with savings up to 84 percent compared to factory upgrade costs and come backed by OWC’s free installation videos and lifetime warranty.
Let the OWC Pros DIFY
If, after watching the how-to video, 2010 27″ iMac owners are not fully confident of their ability to add an SSD to their machine, they can choose to have OWC “Do It For You” via their Turnkey Upgrade Installation Program. 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 300MB/s. OWC’s installation service program offers multiple configuration options starting at $169 with a 48 business hours or less installation turnaround.
“This DIY Kit rewards 2010 27″ iMac owners for patiently waiting to add a SSD to their machine,” said Larry O’Connor, Founder and CEO, Other World Computing. “The only factory SSD option was 256GB, so owners can now choose the SSD size they want, from 30GB all the way up to 480GB for nearly double the maximum factory SSD storage capacity as well as dramatically faster system performance.”
Other Topics You Might Like:
OWC Envoy Pro mini Wins Silver Award From Best in Biz Awards 2015
OWC Introduces DIY Kit to Add SSD to 2011 27″ Apple iMac
OWC Announces Upgrade Service For All Mid-2011 Apple iMacs
OWC SuperSlim Turns Any 9.5mm SATA Slot Loading Internal Optical Drive Into An External Enclosure For Plug And Play CD, DVD, and/or Blu-ray Disc Burning/Playing
I bought this kit, followed the video, and successfully installed an SSD. I booted from the original (1TB) HDD, then installed Mavericks onto the SSD, and the whole time the fans have been running full blast. Looking for ideas on what might I have done wrong? I’m thinking that the temperate sensor on the HDD may have come loose? Or the display temperature sensor wasn’t re-connected properly?
Sorry to hear about the issues. I’d begin with installing iStat Menus. This application will tell you which fan is spinning full speed. Once you know that you will need to go back into the computer to check the corresponding sensor is firmly attached to the drive and logic board. Also check to make sure the sensor cable is not pinched or damaged.
Thanks for the reply. It looks like the HDD fan is spinning 5500+ RPM. I’ll check the HDD temp sensor connector, I think it looks like a small black rectangle with 6 pins? Is it obvious how it should go back in?
If you disconnected the sensor cable it is possible you put it on upside down. This blog post will be your best help trying to troubleshoot it – http://blog.macsales.com/19617-diagnosing-2009-2010-imac-fan-speed-issues-after-upgrading-the-main-hard-drive.
It could as simple as it being pinched or not securely connected though.
I have a few questions: I read things about SSD drives not having something called TRIM enabled resulting in the iMAC not using the SSD at its highest potential. Is this still an issue?
The other thing is about the iMAC not being able to read the temperature sensor of some SSD drives resulting in the fan to go at full speed all the time. What about that?
Thirdly: I am using Maverick and probably soon I will be using Yosemite, does all of this also work on these operating systems and if I upgrade to newer operating systems in the future, will that all go smoothly or do I have to go special procedures then?
Thanks, Jelle
Applications that enable TRIM support for third party drives on Mac OS are considered a hack; TRIM is not needed and the use of the TRIM enabler programs is not advised to use with OWC SSDs.
Apple has made it difficult to upgrade the main hard drive bay of their iMacs, beginning in late 2009. We offer a variety of DIY kits to add SSDs to iMacs in the SSD bay or the main HDD bay, depending on the model
All of our kits and SSDs work with Mavericks. We will not be able to speak to Yosemite until it is officially released.
Ben, I really want to use the OWC turnkey program to upgrade the stock hard drive in this iMac. But I’d also like you guys to replace the stock disc drive with a slim blu-ray drive. That’s not an option on the web form. Any chance I can pay via a custom order?
Hello Matt P,
Please feel free to contact our Technical Support Team for further assistance! We look forward to hearing from you!
Will this kit work for the iMac 11,1?
No.
Could I use 6g wire to connect a 6g ssd for my Imac 2010
The system bus speed for the iMac 2010 models is 3Gb/s – no change in cabling or other components is going to change that.
Hello,
Thank you, can we use this DIY kit to replace the primary drive of the late 2009 iMac with an SSD drive instead?
Also, I’ve been reading that this model can also be maxed out to 32 gb of RAM as well as some have done it. You list the 32 gb RAM upgrade only compatible with 2010 and up.
Best,
cwo
No – the 2009 iMac is a COMPLETELY different machine inside.
The 27″ Late 2009 iMac is OWC certified for up to 16GB of memory and DOES NOT have the additional port to add a second drive.
For the main hard drive bay, you need to keep the same brand hard drive in that bay.. for more details see our post from when those machines were released.
http://blog.macsales.com/2751-proprietary-cable-can-put-the-brakes-on-upgrading-late-09-imacs
Michael,
i just installed my SSD with this kit, and everything was working fine for the day. I shut down the computer and now it won’t power back on. I’ve tried reinstalling the RAM to troubleshoot, and the system will occasionally turn on, but only for a few seconds before it spontaneously shuts off. Would you have any idea what the problem here is? Is this a faulty RAM, power supply, or logic board issue?
There’s several things that could be causing that behavior. For troubleshooting assistance, please feel free to contact our Technical Support Department via email, live chat, or phone at 1(800)275-4576.
Will this kit work with MB953LL/A ? if not, can you recommend any other kits that will work with my system. Thank you!
The MB953LL/A is the 2.66 GHz 27-inch iMac from Late 2009 and does not have the additional SATA port or the space available to install a secondary SSD.
This looks really cool. One question: If I add a SSD drive to my 2TB 2010 (11,3) iMac 27, what’s the easiest way to get my system to boot off the ssd drive instead of the existing 2TB drive? Of course I want to keep my 2TB drive and data, I just want to use the SSD to boot and maybe for some apps. Anyone have any pointers? Open to migrating existing data or, if have to, doing a fresh install. Thank you!
We just so happen to have a video showing you step by step how to do that: http://blog.macsales.com/13511-owc-introduces-techknowlogy-video-series
Does this kit also work with the current 2011 model iMacs?
If not, are you likely to release a kit for the 2011 models?
Thanks!
The 2011 model iMac DIY its were released previously:
http://blog.macsales.com/13606-owc-introduces-diy-kit-to-add-ssd-to-2011-27-apple-imac
http://blog.macsales.com/13749-owc-introduces-diy-kit-for-adding-ssd-to-2011-21-5-apple-imac
The video says iMac 2011 at 40 seconds. I assume this is incorrect?
Correct, the video is for the 2010 27″ iMac only – thanks for notifying us of the typo.
Is this solution compatible with the 27″ version of the iMac 10,1 line which was introduced in late 2009, but which continued until mid-2010?
No, this kit works with the iMac11,2 and iMac11,3 only. The 2010 27″ iMac was the first to include the necessary SATA port.
I have an Intel Core 2 Duo iMac7,1 model. Can I add and internal SSD like a Mercury 3G or 6G to my unit?
The only SATA Revision 2.0 (3Gb/s) bus in those models is the main hard drive bay itself. So to install an internal SSD would require replacing the primary drive with one.