OWC HDD Installation tools & SMC Compatibility Solution For 2011 iMac

OWC Complete Hard Drive Upgrade Kit including tools for all iMac 2011 Models

Required for any drive installed into the main drive bay.

Eliminate fan noise and maintain correct system fan control when upgrading your 2011 iMac.

The only iMac HDD upgrade option on the market certified to pass the Apple Hardware Test.

Fixes firmware incompatibility issues with third party hard drives.

Engineered in-house and backed by OWC's award-winning customer support.

Already have all the tools necessary to perform this upgrade?

You can purchase the sensor cable separately here.

Improve Performance and Capacity. Upgrade Your iMac with Confidence.

OWC's in-line solution is the only hardware digital thermal sensor on the market allowing a third-party SATA drive to be installed in your iMac. A convenient, plug-and-play cable, the In-line Digital Thermal Sensor eliminates fan noise and maintains proper system fan control through the iMac's System Management Controller. This innovative device is designed specifically for the iMac, requires no software hacks and ensures compatibility with Apple's built-in diagnostic processes.

Using an OWC Internal HDD DIY Kit (sold separately), replace your iMac's original hard drive with up to an 8.0TB hard drive or a lighting fast SSD with a NewerTech Adaptadrive, for dramatic upgrades in storage capacity or data speed while maintaining the original system's fan and diagnostic performance.

Note: Before attempting to perform this installation, please watch the OWC Install Videos below to determine your ability to perform this complex upgrade.

OWC assumes no responsibility for damage that may occur during the install. Technical support for this DIY product consists only of the OWC Install Video.

Have OWC Upgrade Your iMac

While OWC encourages the DIY philosophy, this is a very difficult upgrade that requires advanced skills. If you are not fully confident in your ability to upgrade the drive in your 2009-2010 iMac after watching the OWC Install Video, you can have OWC upgrade your iMac where our certified technicians will expertly upgrade your iMac and ship it back to you.

Already have the tools? Then purchase just the OWC In-line Digital Thermal Sensor.

Install Videos

Includes

OWC In-line Digital Thermal Sensor Cable
2 suction cups for the outer glass removal
OWC Torx T8S Driver
OWC Torx T10S Driver
NewerTech Pry Tool
OWC Microfiber Pro Cleaning Cloth
1 Year OWC Brand Standard Limited Warranty

NOTE: This kit contains consumable and/or one time use components and therefore is non-refundable if opened. If you have any concerns about your ability to perform the upgrade, you can return the unopened kit for a refund.

This kit is compatible with... Learn how to find your Mac's model ID

iMac (21.5-inch Late 2011)

(August, 2011)

Model ID: iMac12,1

3.1GHz i3

Detailed specs

Install Videos

iMac (21.5-inch Mid 2011)

(May, 2011)

Model ID: iMac12,1

2.5GHz i5, 2.7GHz i5, 2.8GHz i7

Detailed specs

Install Videos

iMac (27-inch Mid 2011)

(May, 2011)

Model ID: iMac12,2

2.7GHz i5, 3.1GHz i5, 3.4GHz i7

Detailed specs

Install Videos

Customer Ratings

Write a Review 4.7 / 5 34 out of 36 (94%) reviewers would recommend this product

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Verified Buyer

Reviewer: Lionheart410 Location: Baltimore Age: Over 65 Experience Level: Power User Owned Product: 1-3 months

Rating: 5/5 Excellent Support Quality products September 13, 2016 I received Excellent technical support in identifying the model of my iMac and required parts and tools. The repair went smoothly due to the excellent high quality instructional video, tool kit and well designed install kit.

I would recommend this item to a friend! Customer Videos:

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: terence Location: Singapore Age: 45-54 Experience Level: Home User Owned Product: less than a month

Rating: 5/5 Tried and tested products. September 5, 2016 Well designed products. Tested and working well.

I would recommend this item to a friend! Customer Videos:

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: Anonymous Location: Providence, RI Age: 25-34 Experience Level: Power User Owned Product: 3-4 months

Rating: 4/5 Great kit April 14, 2016 Everything you need, and it all works. The only issue is there are no instructions on where to place the temp sensor on an SSD...

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: Anonymous Location: PA Age: 45-54 Experience Level: IT Professional Owned Product: 1-3 months

Rating: 5/5 Works great - like having a new computer! March 27, 2016 I purchased a 2TB WD Black HDD to replace the 500GB drive in my mid-2011 iMac that was almost at capacity. The new drive has 4X the space, 4X the cache size and spins at 7200 RPM vs 5400. The difference is astounding - it's almost like having a new computer! Opening the iMac was challenging but it didn't take that long. I had my 11 year old son hold the display so I didn't have to remove the main display cable (which I heard was a real pain to remove / replace) - I only had to remove the 2 cables on the left side of the display, was able to get at the old drive, remove and replace. This is an EXCELLENT product and works as advertised.

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: Anonymous Location: Oceanside, ca Age: 55-65 Experience Level: Home User Owned Product: 3-4 months

Rating: 5/5 Exactly as advertised March 25, 2016 With a little trepidation, I decided to replace the OEM hard drive on a mid 2011 21.5" iMac and replace it with a 480G SSD from OWC. I watched the installation video a couple times to get myself oriented before actually doing the work. The video was perfect. The supplied tools worked well. I did not have issues with the suction cups as others have noted. From start to finish was just under an hour--I was in no rush. The hardest part was reconnecting the smallest cables. I would recommend this to my friends. For a couple hundred bucks (this kit and SSD), the life of the machine has been extended and the speed difference booting and opening programs is phenomenal.

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: Anonymous

Rating: 4/5 Fit for the job at hand! January 30, 2016 As a end user who will use the tools for just the odd repair it worked very well. Durability may be a challenge for frequent user.

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: Anonymous Location: Los Angeles, CA Age: 35-44 Experience Level: Power User Owned Product: 1-3 months

Rating: 5/5 Saved some money w/ this January 30, 2016 Got a quote from a local Mac reseller to install an SSD in my 2011 27" iMac, which was way more than I'd expected, so decided to embark on this installation myself. Honestly, the parts probably don't equal the cost, and you could likely find all the pieces separately for cheaper overall. However, the convenience of having everything I needed in one package, combined w/ the overall savings compared to the local reseller's quote, made this so very, very worth it. The installation video was extremely helpful as well! Definitely recommend.

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: Anonymous Location: Sweden Age: 45-54 Experience Level: IT Professional Owned Product: 1-3 months

Rating: 5/5 Excellent value January 24, 2016 So, I've finally bitten the bullet and opened my iMac to get that SSD upgrade in place. This kit, and above anything else, the video, made all the difference in the world. Really good stuff.

Taking apart the iMac wasn't all that hard, considering, and I'd might even try it without the tools in this package now that I know how but why take the risk?

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: Anonymous Location: New Jersey Age: 55-65 Experience Level: IT Professional Owned Product: 3-4 months

Rating: 5/5 Perfect Kit for the job January 7, 2016 Replacing the drive in my iMac was simple and with the kit it just made it that much easier. The video was a great help.

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: Anonymous Location: Omaha, NE Age: 35-44 Experience Level: IT Professional Owned Product: less than a month

Rating: 4/5 Ensure you have the right tools for the job November 30, 2015 This tool kit was helpful to ensure you can handle the unique screws and the like inside your Apple products. The tools are of decent enough quality and the case helps to keep them together nicely.

The only concern I have is regarding the suction cups. They state they are a heavy duty model, but they just didn't hold when pulling the glass away from the iMac. One would lose grip and the glass would twist. I don't trust them and wouldn't use them to lift the glass. They did provide a good grip, but just were not the quality I expected.

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Verified Buyer Top 250 Contributor

Reviewer: Anonymous

Rating: 5/5 Part of the Arsenal November 20, 2015 This is a must have you intend to get into your 2011 iMac 21.5" and 27" Model. In my case a 27"

The kit is great quality all around, I am delighted that I bought from OWC. The in-line thermal cable is an ABSOLUTE must. DO NOT go with an SMC fan control solution. This is a hardware solution and work precisely as advertised. Easy to install once you are inside the mac.

This is a GREAT solution by OWC, very well engineered material!

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: Anonymous Location: Miami, FL Age: Over 65 Experience Level: Home User Owned Product: 1-3 months

Rating: 5/5 Did what is built for. Very satisfied November 14, 2015 It has been installed for several months and is working fine.

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: Anonymous Location: Hong Kong Experience Level: IT Professional Owned Product: 1-3 months

Rating: 5/5 Good DIY stuff for Mac users November 12, 2015 Provide alternative options for Mac user to upgrade their product for extending the usage life. It is very practical product for those users like to do DIY for their computer in convenient way.

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: Anonymous Location: Colorado Age: 45-54 Experience Level: Power User Owned Product: less than a month

Rating: 3/5 Cheap Chinese toolset but gets the job done October 11, 2015 I used this kit to replace the original Seagate 1TB spinning disk drive in my 2011 27" iMac with a 500GB Solid State Drive (SSD). I had only used about 1/3 of the capacity of the original 1TB drive so a 500GB drive was sufficient. I decided to replace it before it died and replace it with a higher performance SSD. Installing the SSD in the iMac went well. In fact it went faster than expected and took less than an hour to take apart the iMac, remove the old drive, install the new drive, and then reassemble. I referenced a how-to video on this website. I held the old drive in one hand and the new drive in the other hand and the SSD weights about 90% less than the original Seagate spinning drive. In fact the SSD was so light that I wondered if it was just an empty case. After I got it up and running and did fresh clean install of OS X El Capitan, I was able to monitor the internal temperatures and fans with software. The SSD gives off very little heat. The machine now boots up to the login screen in about 6 seconds which is phenomenal. Previously it would take maybe 45-60 seconds. The suction cup clamps in the tool kit were not strong and kept coming off the glass so they are poor quality. I broke one of the plastic pry tools while prying the display away from the case. But the thermal sensor is required to keep the fans from running stuck on high speed. The Torx tools worked well.

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: Anonymous Age: Over 65 Experience Level: Power User Owned Product: 1-3 months

Rating: 5/5 Great tool kit October 4, 2015 Perfect for taking the iMac apart. Everything you need.

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: Anonymous Location: Summit, NJ Age: 45-54 Experience Level: IT Professional Owned Product: less than a month

Rating: 4/5 Good stuff - but really check for the right kit September 18, 2015 I had a late 2009 iMac 27 whose hard drive was failing. I watched the excellent OWC Videos and then ordered the parts. I decided to replace the drive with an SSD so needed a Drive converter bracket, and this toolkit. The Toolkit was excellent quality, nicely packed and something that will be useful in other projects.

Sadly there is a small difference in the packages for the inline thermal between the 2009 models and the 2011 models. So even though my iMac is an (iMac 11,1), its a late 2009 model and I had to replace the inline thermal for the one from the 2009 kit at the cost of 4 lost days and 2 sets of shipping

This would have been a 5 star review if a) MacSales had allowed me to return the incorrect item for free, or b) while I was emailing them about the parts I needed checked i had the right one for this model.

Whats even more infuriating is that the difference between the two kits is a small wire pair that connects their fan controller board to the iMac - they seem identical in all other ways. Why have two kits with one missing a piece of wire? Ship one kit and you can remove the wire if not needed and save hassle and time.

Their staff are very friendly, and patient, and the stuff is good. The iMac has a new lease of life.

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: Anonymous Location: Calgary, AB Age: 25-34 Experience Level: Home User Owned Product: less than a month

Rating: 5/5 Couldn't have went any smoother! September 3, 2015 I can't express enough how happy I am with this product and the fantastic (free) video tutorial that accompanied it. I had a failing hard drive yesterday morning before I went to work. I ordered the HDD kit yesterday after dinner and had it on my doorstep (in a different country!) the next day before lunch! Super easy to install, and not 24 hours from the time I ordered, my iMac is back up and running with twice the capacity. Will definitely recommend to anyone needing an upgrade!

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: Anonymous Location: Lakeway, TX Age: 35-44 Experience Level: Power User Owned Product: 1-3 months

Rating: 5/5 Great way to upgrade current iMac August 16, 2015 This kit allowed me to upgrade an iMac to keep it going a bit longer rather than needing to purchase a new unit. Very happy with this purchase!!!

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: Anonymous Location: France Age: Over 65 Experience Level: Power User Owned Product: 1-3 months

Rating: 5/5 Everything needed to upgrade my iMac 2009 August 16, 2015 Went without a hitch. The only extra I need to but was an antistatic mat. One small issue was the use of the temperature sensor. I had to add a software solution to control the fan on the iMac (installed SmcFanControl). The video does not explicitly show what to do with the old cable (which I removed) and the way the new sensor operates. Once said I installed a Crucial 1TB SSD and my machine runs significantly faster - and I mean SIGNIFICANTLY.

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: Anonymous Location: San Jose, CA Age: 45-54 Experience Level: IT Professional Owned Product: 1-3 months

Rating: 5/5 Perfect for the job at hand July 4, 2015 I bought a used iMac and I wanted to upgrade it from 1 TB to 4 TB. I wanted to get the perfect solution and not settle for good-enough. Getting the right tools and the right cable from OWC made my upgrade go perfectly. After upgrading, it's great! The price has been long forgotten but, every day, I enjoy having gotten the job done right!

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: Anonymous Location: Cleveland, Oh Age: 55-65 Experience Level: Home User Owned Product: 1-3 months

Rating: 5/5 It's swell. It's all electric. June 18, 2015 The kit and tools arrived promptly. The tools are of a good quality, though there was some "flash" from the injection molding that needed to be trimmed off the handles. The suction cups worked great. The instructions provided by OWC are very clear and accurate. Easy enough to follow, though I would only recommend disconnecting the first cable and propping up the display using the mounting holes and a couple of "Bic" pens. I was able to reach all the cables and screws without any hassle. The installation of the temperature adapter was a breeze. Everything worked as advertised. Thanks.

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: Anonymous Location: Fort Worth, TX Age: 55-65 Experience Level: Home User Owned Product: 1-3 months

Rating: 5/5 HDD Installation Tools were just what was needed. June 11, 2015 I was pleased with the quality of the tools and found that they worked as advertised. The HDD installation videos were easy to understand and with the tools this job was a snap! Should you have an older iMac that has run its time out on Apple Care, I would highly recommend these tools for HDD replacement or any other work you might wish to accomplish.

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: Anonymous Location: St. Petersburg, FL Age: Over 65 Experience Level: Home User Owned Product: 1-3 months

Rating: 5/5 Internal hard drive replacement was a piece of cake! May 16, 2015 The hard drive in my 27" iMac was failing, and OWC offered a complete solution - new hard drive kit, tools needed to perform the replacement, and an easily understood instruction video of how to do it. I called OWC Tech Support before buying the replacement drive to confirm that I was purchasing the correct items. Tech support was friendly and helpful. Product fair price, good quality and speedy delivery were a plus. My iMac model required the addition of a temperature sensor cable that was not on the original drive, but the video showed just how to do it. The total job took about a half hour; the video instructions were easy to follow, and everything worked perfectly when I closed the computer back up and turned on the power. What more can you expect? By the way, I am 80 years old!

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: Anonymous

Rating: 4/5 It works, but... April 23, 2015 The glue pad came off my unit before install.

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: Anonymous Location: Arizona

Rating: 5/5 With the help of the video March 6, 2015 With the help of the video (viewed on the laptop beside the desktop), I was able to actually accomplish what I had set out to do. Couldn't have done it w/o your help. Thanks so much.

Ham-handed in AZ

I would recommend this item to a friend!

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