Skip to main content

Easy 2011 iMac Memory and Hard Drive Upgrade

My iMac (2011, 21.5-inch model) was feeling down.  It was running out of disk space and everything was slowing down to a crawl.

So a about six months ago I decided to upgrade my iMac with a larger hard drive and increased memory, restoring performance to be faster than ever.  It was far cheaper to upgrade my Mac, and it was much easier than I expected.

It took me about 30 minutes to do the upgrades, and my iMac is much, much faster.

Here are the specific parts I used for my upgrade:

Hard Drive

I went with this 4 TB Seagate Hybrid drive for a few reasons:
  1. It's HUGE.  At 4 TB, it is eight times bigger than the stock 500 GB hard drive.
  2. It is affordable.  Per GB, it is far cheaper than any SSD.
  3. Being a "Hybrid" SSD/Hard drive device, it is FAST.  The modern OS really expects fast disk devices. This sped up my Mac a lot.
  4. It is a one-for-one replacement for the old device.  It easily fits inside the case.

[Update: this driver has remained fast and reliable for over a year now]

 Thermal Sensor

To upgrade the hard drive in a 2011 iMac, you need to add either a special temperature sensor or special software to make sure the fans run properly.  I went with the OWC thermal sensor hardware because it is priced somewhat similarly to a software solution, and it should be more reliable than software, which can go out of date.

Memory

Memory is cheap, and the 2011 iMac has four (!) slots.  I added this inexpensive 4 GB of memory, and in doing so it brought my available RAM up to 8 GB - which is plenty for the average Mac user.  If you want to go nuts, bigger RAM chips are a possibility - according to Internet lore, you can add four 8GB SIMs to bring it to an unreasonable 32 GB.

Upgrade Instructions

For tools, all I needed was the following items
I used a few different instruction on-line to do this upgrade.  I won't repeat them blow-by-blow, but will just say that I had an easy and trouble-free time using the following directions:

iFixIt Hard Drive upgrade instructions
Excellent printable instructions for upgrading the hard drive, but doesn't cover the thermal sensor.

OWC Hard Drive upgrade video instructions
Video instructions.  Covers the 27" iMac, but it is very very similar to the 21.5"

iFixIt Memory upgrade instructions
Excellent printable instructions for upgrading the memory.

And there you have it!  I personally think that a Mac from 2009 on forward can be inexpensively upgraded to be a fast and speedy machine.  Do it!

UPDATE: Authors Comments
  • I've been running this setup for more than a year now, and I've been very happy.  The machine is much faster than it was, and it has been perfectly reliable.
  • Tools.  When dealing with any mechanical component, you should always use the right tool for the job.  I often hear complains that Macs require "special" tools.  But to be honest, the tools are not special or weird.   The reality is that the proper tools required when working on a Mac are common and inexpensive.
 


Labels

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Fixing a SodaStream Jet, part 1: Disassembly Guide

I've had my SodaStream Jet for years, and once in a while something has gone wrong. Disassembly is the first step to repair.  Start with this article to see how to disassemble the SodaStream, and then once you have that down, scroll through my other articles to see how I repaired specfic SodaStream problems. SodaStream Jet Disassembly Guide Tools Required Flat head screwdriver Phillips head screwdriver 1. Remove the Carbonator.  Duh. 2. Remove the black panel lever The front big black tilt lever needs to be removed first. Removing this panel is tricky, but it isn't impossible. Looking up at the bottom of the black panel, there are two tabs, one on the left and one on the right. These tabs fully secure the panel in place. The trick is to use a flat-head screwdriver under the plastic to gently lever the tabs out of the way.  Note in the pictures how I approach these tabs with my screwdriver.  I usually release the left side first, and then I release ...
Read more

Sodastream Carbonator Leakage, Usage, and Weight

SodaStream 60L "Carbonator" CO2 cylinders have a specific weight when empty, plus about 410 or so grams for the CO2 they should have when they're "full".  A little while ago I went to buy a replacement Carbonator from my local hardware store. The dealer pulled a new Carbonator out of the box and sensed it was lighter than usual.  He put the "light" Carbonator in the "empty" pile and sold me a different one.  At that moment I concluded that it would be smart of me to weigh both new and empty SodaStream carbonators.  Here are the results. Weighing a SodaStream Carbonator - for both Science and Consumer Protection.       The dealer told me that sometimes the carbonators leak after they leave the SodaStream filling facility.  That means there could be an opportunity for customers like me to get ripped off! The SodaStream cylinders I buy claim to have a net product weight of 410 grams - and that means that a full Soda Stream Carbonator shou...
Read more

Fixing a SodaStream Jet, Repair #2 - Broken Fill Button

My Soda Stream Jet's fill button broke, which means I can not longer carbonate water by pressing the pushbutton. This caused all sorts of grief in my household. Here is how I managed to repair my Jet to give it another 10 years of life (hopefully). First, a look at the button The fill button on the top of the SodaStream is actually a simple lever. Pressing down on the button moves a pin that does the actual work of pressing open the Carbonator's valve. Unfortunately, the axis point is fairly thin and can see a lot of stress. That's where my Soda Stream button cracked. [ I think the usage tip here is "don't over-press the button like a gorilla, it doesn't do anything but put high stress on the button."] Cracked levering point of the button The Pesky Lever Retaining Pin The Fix It was pretty easy for me to replace the button: Take off the back of the Soda Stream and remove the carbonator. Push out the the button lever's steel retaining pin. This takes qu...
Read more

Fixing my Wahl 9918 Groomsman Beard and Mustache Trimmer

Not everyone would bother repairing a $25 beard trimmer, but why not fix something for under $5 instead of spending another $25? My  Wahl 9918 Groomsman Beard and Mustache Trimmer  has admirably performed its beauty duty for many years, but the time came when the battery just wasn't holding a charge any more.  Most people would just put the trimmer in the trash and buy a new one, but I figured I could repair my otherwise excellent Wahl and save some money. In fact, even high priced trimmer and rotary shaver brands, like Norelco and Remington, can be easily repaired using a process similar to the one I used to fix my Wahl.  Read on to find out how. I opened up the Wahl by popping off the black plastic faceplate with a tiny flathead screwdriver, which revealed two screws.  By removing the two screws I was able to easily open up the unit, revealing the guts of the device. Backplate off, Revealing the screws The internals are rather simple: a motor, a...
Read more

Robust Installation of an HDHomeRun Networked TV Tuner. 64 OTA channels!

I added an HDHomerun (HDHR) over-the-air (OTA) streaming box to my home network, bringing over-the-air broadcast TV to my computers, phones and tablets.  The HDHR is a big upgrade from my previous setup: using a simple "window mount" antenna directly connected to my TV. A TV-attached antenna is good for watching some TV for free, but the HDHR offers so much more flexibility. Figure 0: HDHomeRun on my basement wall   My original OTA TV setup was haphazard at best. It was finicky, ugly, and hard for other people at home to use. I would actually tape my antenna to a window whenever I wanted to watch OTA TV. Plus, it only worked on my TV and not with my other devices. I wanted a cleaner and more modern OTA setup. After looking at possibilities, I developed two goals: (1) bring my OTA TV into the modern Internet-connected era, and (2) set it up in a reliable and pretty way so that other family members wouldn't have to fool around with the antenna or anything else.  With that,...
Read more

Verizon FiOS Electricity Use

My house has Verizon FiOS. Part of the FiOS installation included the mounting of a Verizon network backup battery unit in the basement. I asked myself "how much electricity does this box use?" Verizon FiOS: How much electricity does this cost me? So I plugged in my awesome Kill-A-Watt electricity usage meter to find out. My Kill-o-Watt watt meter reported that there was a 16 watt load on the circuit. And since Verizon's box is powered and plugged in 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, 16 watts would quickly add up to roughly 140 kilowatt hours per year: calculation: 16 watts x 8760 hours per year ÷ 1000 = 140.16 KWH/Year How much does 140 Kilowatt-hours cost in dollars and cents? Here's a table that shows how much that would cost per year based on recent residential electricity rates (source: DOE. State Electricity Profiles , 2006 Edition): State ¢/KWH ) $/Year Alabama 7.07 $9.91 Alaska 12.84 18.00 Arizona 8.24 11.55 ...
Read more

Other Posts

Show more