Everything Apple (the Mac heads thread)

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Dom
So I'm looking to upgrade my girlfriend's mid-2011 2.5 GHz (Core i5) iMac next week, I'm going to replace the mechanical drive with a 256GB SSD and add another 2x2GB sticks of RAM, bringing the total from 4GB to 8GB.

@amey @Soul you guys mentioned you've done the HDD/SSD swap; I have a couple questions if you don't mind?
1. Did you guys buy the suction cups? Care to point me in the direction of some that'll do the job?
2. Did you replace the optical drive or the hard drive?
3. Did you require a 2.5>3.5 drive adapter? Any recommendations? The reviews for those on Amazon are terrible.
4. Will I require any additional cables or can I reuse the existing one(s) from the mechanical drive?
Cheers for any help!

PS. I'll be following this guide: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iMac+Intel+21.5-Inch+EMC+2428+Hard+Drive+Replacement/5954

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alasdairw in reply to @Dom
1. Don't need suction cups, its just magnets holding the screen on so get your fingernails out.
2. personal choice. I know on the 27" iMacs theres a bit of dead space behind the main board which you can use so you'd have an SSD, HDD and disc drive, but its a pita and I don't think you can on this one
3. You'll need an adaptor as the SSD probably won't come with one
  http://www.amazon.co.uk/TRIXES-Mounting-Adapter-Bracket-Holder/dp/B00HFSMHDI/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1417041772&sr=8-5&keywords=2.5+3.5+adapter
4. If you're just swapping HDD for SSD no additional cables, with optical drive you'd need an extension i'd imagine and some re routing and you have to set up the SSD as the main drive.
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Soul in reply to @Dom

Exactly what @alasdairw said basically although i used a suction cup from one of those bathroom organisers as it was just easier...
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amey in reply to @Dom

I have done this with a couple of 27" imacs; one of them I use at work with Kingston HyperX 256gb
I used suction cups; if you can collect and drop in central London you are welcome to borrow.
Did not need adapter or any extra cables.
I use yosemite with SSD fan control and TRIM enabler.
Its faster than my colleague's newer/thinner better processor iMac with optical drive.
Since its you I dont have to tell you to do it in a clean dust free environment ;)
I'll post some screenshots tomorrow. Benchmark, trim, SSD fan control etc.
My next work mac is going to be retina iMac. Pictures of bikes will never be same ..

On a diff note; I have a 27" decent spec with ssd imac at work with USB issues i.e. the thing doesent turn on if anything is plugged into USB and powers off if anything is plugged in after. Anyone had any similar issues?

Everything Apple (the Mac heads thread)

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