Chosen Solution

I have a question. My Mac has the Seagate drive, which was replaced on the warranty program. It is 1Tb. I’m planning on doing a fresh install on the OS, as I have a lot of Finder issues (freezing), computer overheating sometimes, etc… So I’m planning in also take it apart and clean inside. Since it will be open, why not to change the original hard-drive for a better one, either a 2TB or 3TB or the hydrids available… BUT, I don’t want to have to deal with the fan issue… Don’t want to have the extra software to control, etc… Is there any drive for sale in the site that would be the directly replacement (as original) which has the firmware tricked to work as the Apple drive (I know there is no Apple drive, but I mean, those sold by Apple)… Are the drives here capable of communicating directly with the system and pass the right information to control the fans? Thanks!

Unibody iMacs include thermal sensors on the drives. Those sensors are brand-specific (maybe even model-specific?). For example, if you replace a Seagate drive with a non-Seagate drive, the thermal sensor won’t detect the drive temp correctly, and the fans will go nuts trying to keep the drive cool, even if the drive doesn’t need the extra cooling. The fix is to get a NewerTech thermal sensor from OWC, which will send the correct temp information to the system and keep the fans running normally. It’s also brand-agnostic, so you can pick any replacement drive you want. According to OWC, the sensor is supported under Apple Hardware Test. There are a variety of different packages: OWC In-line Digital Thermal Sensor for iMac 2009-2010 Hard Drive Upgrade

  • on sale for $40, no installation tools OWC Complete Hard Drive Upgrade Kit including tools for all iMac 2009-2010 Models
  • on sale for $57, includes installation tools OWC Internal SSD DIY Kit for All Apple 27" iMac 2010 Models
  • on sale for $22, no installation tools OWC Internal SSD DIY Kit for All Apple 27" iMac 2010 Models
  • on sale for $43, includes tools The pages for the hard drive kits include links to installation videos. To me, the SSD assembly looks like it would also work with HDs/hybrids, but maybe not. Why would there be two parts when one would do? It might be worth phoning OWC to ask whether the SSD sensor will work with an HD/hybrid; if so, the $43 sensor+tools kit is a killer deal.

Ok, here’s the deal… Apple is leveraging the thermal sensors the drive manufactures added internally for their testing purposes when the drives are burnt-in. That is why each manufacturers pin out is different. So if you get a newer drive from the same manufacture you can just slide it in. If you want to use a different manufactures drive that works as well. But you’ll need to swap out the sensor cable for the correct one based on what you get. You stated you had your Seagate drive replaced was it replaced with another Seagate? Here’s the Apple replacement thermal sensor cables per drive manufacture: 922-9223 - Hitachi 922-9224 - Seagate 922-9225 - Western Digital 922-9628 - HD sensor jumper (for SSD only configs)

Just replaced the drive in a 3.1GHz i5 27” Mid 2011 with a bad 1TB Seagate drive. Thought Apple had a replacement program, but they told my customer NO. (they say a lot of things lately). Ok so when I took it apart there was no thermal sensor on the HD, nor a cable. SO I put in a Black WD 2TB. When reassembled, high fan noise on the middle HD fan. So I put on a fan regulation program, dialed down the HD speed and all is fine. Q - with no cable and no sensor… why did this happen?