Solid video. Are you still using the imac at this point? I was gifted a 27" late 2012 and I want to do a 512 swap. Screen crack is not the biggest deal really.
Thanks! And yes, I'm actually writing this reply using the same iMac in the video. It's still working great. With the 27" iMac there was an additional part that you needed to purchase or else the fans would run at full blast the whole time. Sorry I don't have more info than that....I was just focused on the 21". I'm sure someone in UA-cam land has the info. Best of luck to you!
Here is a link to a 27" iMac hard drive swap. The steps at 5 minutes and 20 seconds I didn't have to do on the 21", but are needed for the 27". I hope this helps! ua-cam.com/video/ROVQLonvs8Q/v-deo.html
Thanks mate, I have a 27" iMac that's sitting with a dead HDD and need to do this. They were so much easier to work on when the screens were magnetically fastened! Also, a word of warning, be careful when working around the power supply area as I've had a few jolts in the past, even after it was powered off for more than 30 mins. That was on the older magnetic screened ones though so this might be different.
Great video man.. really appreciated the video and the links with the repair kit. Hope you keep posting great videos like this. Have already subscribed . Cheers
I didn't bother to do all this. I just connected an external SSD and installed MacOs on it. I use the internal 1gb drive as my storage, synced to the cloud. So when i sell the mac or it dies, nothing is wasted.
I considered that as well. Was the performance noticeably faster with the external SSD? I figured it would be, but I took the path of greater resistance. Thanks for the comment!
@@obiwan19771 Yes, the performance is ok. I get a 160mb write and 240 read on external ssd. I did look at the ifixit option, but i got this mac for €100, so it would be sad if i destroy it in the process. I am clumsy as well, you know..haha..
thats not great for an external Tiqo. More like a Sata 2 interface speed. using a LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt SSD, i get about 350 write, 400 read using a Samsung Sata 3 drive in the enclosure. Enclosure is dual interface, thunderbolt or USB3 and the speeds are pretty consistent regardless of interface. In comparison, i have the 128gb nvme and a 3tb 7400 rpm drive internaly, the nvme gives about 300 write, 700 read and the 7400 rpm 3tb drive consistently gives about 200 write, 200 read. Speeds are performance metrics on a late 2013 27 under opencore Monterey.
When I upgraded to SSD on my 2013 iMac 27 everything went very well until I placed the screen and didn't line up properly. I opened it up again and luckily I already had some 3M dual stick tape, it was tedious to put it on but finally was able to place back the screen properly. The iMac still operational and works very well, not bad for a 10 year old iMac.
I did this on a 2014 and it was not as easy as I thought. Using an external ssd which isnt quite as fast, is very convenient. Plus, as others have mentioned, you still get the internal HDD for extra storage. My external 3.0 usb ssd drive runs at 469mb while the internal one runs about 510mb. So the difference not a deal breaker.
Agreed. The difference may not be that much.....but I was glad I did it. Learned a lot and the computer is much faster than the original HDD. Thanks for the comment!
Thanks for this video. I’d already done my 2011 iMac which has the magnets holding the glass on. I’d put off doing my 2015 iMac due to having the adhesive method of holding the screen on, but this video gave me the confidence to do it. It worked a treat. The only thing I did different was to lay my iMac on its back, face up, and used suction cups to remove the screen after cutting the adhesive. Also after doing the install and fixing the screen back on, I went to work and left the iMac screen side down on a clean towel so the weight of it would help the adhesive to fully bond. I actually went to work, and left the iMac till the next day before lifting it back up. Anyway, thanks for making this helpful video
Thank you very much for the comment. I made the video for exactly this reason. Glad I could help! Did you notice a big improvement with the SSD? Mine was a lot faster. Thanks again!
I pacifically chose a used iMac 2011 instead of 2012 because after researched 2011 was the last glass removal with suction cups may be 5 year ago when I looked for used iMac, in case of upgrading.
Its to bad when the macs are so freaking beautiful on the inside and we cant see it. Seen inside of a macbook 2014 pro 15" and upp how good trhey look? amazing is the word.
Well, I did this to my new iMac Retina 4K 2019 model. You can check it out in a video I made. But, I know these screens are fragile, so don't set the computer to an upright position when cutting it off. And may as well put it on a sheet or something that would soften the blow if it fell.
So, I did this today. I remembered to connect up the cables before closing, BUT, one of them wasn't pushed in enough! So, I had to do the same as you and open again (and the fresh glue is MUCH stronger than the old) and I cracked the screen. Gutted. If the connector had just been pushed in a tiny bit more I'd have been fine. Oh well, the question now is, can I live with the edge crack or will I have to get a used replacement screen. Thanks for a really helpful video too.
Man, I'm sorry to hear that! I was so deflated when I cracked the screen as well. Fortunately, It's barely noticeable when the monitor is on so I just live with it. Do you have to get a replacement screen?
I have to do this. What did you mean you had to order a SATA/USB cable to clone your hard drive? Do you have to format the HD? If I have back ups on my external / Time Machine, do I still have to clone the HD?
I'm not sure if time machine backing up to another drive will do it??? It might??? I made a copy of the drive onto the ssd using the special USB cable. I followed the video that I have linked in the description. I hope that helps! Best of luck to you. It is a nice upgrade.
Wrong way of installing the screen back, it should be lay down flat and it does not matter if the stand is a bit pain in the ass but still that way is far safer than installing the glass in upward position and use a hair dryer and prying tool instead of a heat gun as it produces too much heat and affect some parts. Great reviews mate and thanks!
Thank you for the suggestion! I tried a few different ways to get the screen back on, upright worked the best (for me). I appreciate the comment. Thanks again
I changed my harddrive without problems, put everything back together. Now the screen turns on but nothing appears. And I don't know what could be the problem. Tried disconnecting/connecting the two cables again but same thing... Driving me crazy. :(
@@obiwan19771 Thank you for the reply. I originally wanted to go with a fresh and empty ssd like many other 'how to' videos are showing and simply boot into internet recovery mode, which didn't work out. I just put the old hardrive back in to make sure nothing is broken and it works so that's a slight relief. Gonna try to put the Os on a flash stick next. If that doesn't work out I'm gonna do the cloning thing. I already ordered a USB case with sata connection. Still weird but maybe that's gonna work. Edit: The Mac somehow doesn't recognize the new Samsung SSD even when connecting it via USB to SATA Cable. it DOES recognize the USB Stick but not during booting which is also weird.
I upgraded to Catilina from Mojave on SSD but slower than Mojave. Still have Mojave as my main HD so staying with Mojave. Any clue why? I have a late 2012 iMac with 8gigs of memory and 2.9 ghz processor.
Hey i have a question maybe you could answer .. i just bought a 2012 imac and all the parts to replace the hd .. unfortunately the girl i bought it from didnt reset the computer so it atill has her password and she has disappeared.. can i get around her password with the new drive
I'm not sure. I would look up how to reformat existing hard drive (See link in the description that explains how to reformat then clone to the SSD - the person that posted that did a really good job explaining how to do it). My brother gave me this computer, and it did have a password.....but I was able to get it from him. Good luck to you and let me know how it works out. Thanks for the comment/question.
Hello, I don't think it would have helped much with getting the screen removed. You definitely need to tool (don't be like me and improvise with a broken tool). Even with the screen off, I don't think my adhesive would have been easier to remove with hairdryer assistance. Let me know if it helps you. Thanks again for the comment.
I noticed that as well. I couldn't find a thermal sensor on mine; I just swapped the drives and it works great. I have no idea if the 27" iMac has the thermal sensor.....however, there are a lot of videos out there (better than mine) that could be more specific for the 27". Best advice I can give: Take is apart and see if it has one. If so, order it and wait (the ones I saw were relatively cheap on Amazon). Best of luck to you and thank you for the comment!
27" late 2012 requires a thermal sensor on the main drive otherwise the drive fan runs 100%, MacsFanControl app however controls the fans. So your choice really. The Late 2012 27" however also has facilities on the logic board for a dual channel PCI-E NVME drive, OWC has a guide if installing one ( requires a small interface adapter if using a standard PC NVME drive )
Obviously I'm not a professional UA-camr......I'm just a guy trying to help out others. Maybe be a pal and let me know what part of the video could be improved (timestamp) so I can address it.
@@obiwan19771 The music level is too high when you boost the level in between talking that's all. Your voice is fairly quiet and then the loud music is a bit jarring.
Solid video. Are you still using the imac at this point? I was gifted a 27" late 2012 and I want to do a 512 swap. Screen crack is not the biggest deal really.
Thanks! And yes, I'm actually writing this reply using the same iMac in the video. It's still working great.
With the 27" iMac there was an additional part that you needed to purchase or else the fans would run at full blast the whole time. Sorry I don't have more info than that....I was just focused on the 21". I'm sure someone in UA-cam land has the info. Best of luck to you!
Here is a link to a 27" iMac hard drive swap. The steps at 5 minutes and 20 seconds I didn't have to do on the 21", but are needed for the 27". I hope this helps!
ua-cam.com/video/ROVQLonvs8Q/v-deo.html
Thanks mate, I have a 27" iMac that's sitting with a dead HDD and need to do this. They were so much easier to work on when the screens were magnetically fastened! Also, a word of warning, be careful when working around the power supply area as I've had a few jolts in the past, even after it was powered off for more than 30 mins. That was on the older magnetic screened ones though so this might be different.
Thanks for the tip! I have yet to mess with the older magnetic screen iMacs. Thanks for the comment as well!
Great video man.. really appreciated the video and the links with the repair kit. Hope you keep posting great videos like this. Have already subscribed . Cheers
Appreciate the reply! I hope it helped!
I didn't bother to do all this. I just connected an external SSD and installed MacOs on it. I use the internal 1gb drive as my storage, synced to the cloud. So when i sell the mac or it dies, nothing is wasted.
I considered that as well. Was the performance noticeably faster with the external SSD? I figured it would be, but I took the path of greater resistance. Thanks for the comment!
@@obiwan19771 Yes, the performance is ok. I get a 160mb write and 240 read on external ssd. I did look at the ifixit option, but i got this mac for €100, so it would be sad if i destroy it in the process. I am clumsy as well, you know..haha..
thats not great for an external Tiqo. More like a Sata 2 interface speed. using a LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt SSD, i get about 350 write, 400 read using a Samsung Sata 3 drive in the enclosure. Enclosure is dual interface, thunderbolt or USB3 and the speeds are pretty consistent regardless of interface.
In comparison, i have the 128gb nvme and a 3tb 7400 rpm drive internaly, the nvme gives about 300 write, 700 read and the 7400 rpm 3tb drive consistently gives about 200 write, 200 read.
Speeds are performance metrics on a late 2013 27 under opencore Monterey.
When I upgraded to SSD on my 2013 iMac 27 everything went very well until I placed the screen and didn't line up properly. I opened it up again and luckily I already had some 3M dual stick tape, it was tedious to put it on but finally was able to place back the screen properly. The iMac still operational and works very well, not bad for a 10 year old iMac.
Yep, that can be tricky. I hope it's still running well for you.
@@obiwan19771 Yes still running well, I'm about to sell it, I bought a new M1 Mac Mini with the new 27" Studio Display and loving it.
I did this on a 2014 and it was not as easy as I thought.
Using an external ssd which isnt quite as fast, is very convenient.
Plus, as others have mentioned, you still get the internal HDD for extra storage.
My external 3.0 usb ssd drive runs at 469mb while the internal one runs about 510mb.
So the difference not a deal breaker.
Agreed. The difference may not be that much.....but I was glad I did it. Learned a lot and the computer is much faster than the original HDD. Thanks for the comment!
Thanks for this video. I’d already done my 2011 iMac which has the magnets holding the glass on. I’d put off doing my 2015 iMac due to having the adhesive method of holding the screen on, but this video gave me the confidence to do it. It worked a treat. The only thing I did different was to lay my iMac on its back, face up, and used suction cups to remove the screen after cutting the adhesive. Also after doing the install and fixing the screen back on, I went to work and left the iMac screen side down on a clean towel so the weight of it would help the adhesive to fully bond. I actually went to work, and left the iMac till the next day before lifting it back up. Anyway, thanks for making this helpful video
Thank you very much for the comment. I made the video for exactly this reason. Glad I could help! Did you notice a big improvement with the SSD? Mine was a lot faster. Thanks again!
I pacifically chose a used iMac 2011 instead of 2012 because after researched 2011 was the last glass removal with suction cups may be 5 year ago when I looked for used iMac, in case of upgrading.
Yes, much easier to swap out the parts with the older model. This computer was given to me, so my risk on investment was relatively low.
pacifically or atlantically?
Its to bad when the macs are so freaking beautiful on the inside and we cant see it. Seen inside of a macbook 2014 pro 15" and upp how good trhey look? amazing is the word.
Well, I did this to my new iMac Retina 4K 2019 model.
You can check it out in a video I made.
But, I know these screens are fragile, so don't set the computer to an upright position when cutting it off.
And may as well put it on a sheet or something that would soften the blow if it fell.
ua-cam.com/video/IV-APzyITcA/v-deo.html
Nice vid! The music was pretty relaxing. Thanks for sharing
Thx 4 showing your failures !
Helps alot !!!
Awesome! I'm glad it helped!
So, I did this today. I remembered to connect up the cables before closing, BUT, one of them wasn't pushed in enough! So, I had to do the same as you and open again (and the fresh glue is MUCH stronger than the old) and I cracked the screen. Gutted. If the connector had just been pushed in a tiny bit more I'd have been fine. Oh well, the question now is, can I live with the edge crack or will I have to get a used replacement screen. Thanks for a really helpful video too.
Man, I'm sorry to hear that! I was so deflated when I cracked the screen as well. Fortunately, It's barely noticeable when the monitor is on so I just live with it. Do you have to get a replacement screen?
@@obiwan19771 Yea, it was annoying me too much so I got a used one off Ebay and got it connected without any more issues. You live and learn!
Brilliantly presented. Thank you
Thanks for the comment! I'm just starting out with the how to videos. Reply's like these keep me going.
Hi !
Sir, can I put 2013 imac (early/late) motherboard on 2012 imac (late) ?
Sorry, I have no idea on that one.
Thank you for this video, you gave a lot of useful advice and answered quite a few questions. 🙂
I'm glad it was helpful, and I really appreciate the comment! Let me know if you tackle this project and how it went.
@@obiwan19771 definitely 🙂
@@obiwan19771 ua-cam.com/video/IV-APzyITcA/v-deo.html
I have to do this. What did you mean you had to order a SATA/USB cable to clone your hard drive? Do you have to format the HD? If I have back ups on my external / Time Machine, do I still have to clone the HD?
I'm not sure if time machine backing up to another drive will do it??? It might??? I made a copy of the drive onto the ssd using the special USB cable. I followed the video that I have linked in the description. I hope that helps! Best of luck to you. It is a nice upgrade.
Wrong way of installing the screen back, it should be lay down flat and it does not matter if the stand is a bit pain in the ass but still that way is far safer than installing the glass in upward position and use a hair dryer and prying tool instead of a heat gun as it produces too much heat and affect some parts. Great reviews mate and thanks!
Thank you for the suggestion! I tried a few different ways to get the screen back on, upright worked the best (for me). I appreciate the comment. Thanks again
If i upgrade do i loss all my files on the the iMac ????
Hmm, I'm not sure
I changed my harddrive without problems, put everything back together. Now the screen turns on but nothing appears. And I don't know what could be the problem. Tried disconnecting/connecting the two cables again but same thing... Driving me crazy. :(
Did you clone the old drive to to new SSD? I have a link on the page to someone that has a step by step.
@@obiwan19771 Thank you for the reply. I originally wanted to go with a fresh and empty ssd like many other 'how to' videos are showing and simply boot into internet recovery mode, which didn't work out. I just put the old hardrive back in to make sure nothing is broken and it works so that's a slight relief. Gonna try to put the Os on a flash stick next. If that doesn't work out I'm gonna do the cloning thing. I already ordered a USB case with sata connection. Still weird but maybe that's gonna work.
Edit: The Mac somehow doesn't recognize the new Samsung SSD even when connecting it via USB to SATA Cable. it DOES recognize the USB Stick but not during booting which is also weird.
what happens when you replace it? Will the operating system be gone and need to install it? Or where does the operating system go inside?
I had to clone the drive using a cable and I followed another video that I have linked above. I hope this helps!
Thanks for the easy to follow instructions.
You're welcome! I hope it helped if you were doing something similar.
I upgraded to Catilina from Mojave on SSD but slower than Mojave. Still have Mojave as my main HD so staying with Mojave. Any clue why? I have a late 2012 iMac with 8gigs of memory and 2.9 ghz processor.
Sorry, I have no idea.
Hey i have a question maybe you could answer .. i just bought a 2012 imac and all the parts to replace the hd .. unfortunately the girl i bought it from didnt reset the computer so it atill has her password and she has disappeared.. can i get around her password with the new drive
I'm not sure. I would look up how to reformat existing hard drive (See link in the description that explains how to reformat then clone to the SSD - the person that posted that did a really good job explaining how to do it).
My brother gave me this computer, and it did have a password.....but I was able to get it from him. Good luck to you and let me know how it works out. Thanks for the comment/question.
Just take out the old one and place in a new driver . Or use recovery to change the password
did you clone the old drive to the new?
Yes, I think I left the link in the description. Someone else did a great job on walking you through that. Best of luck to you!
can i use nvme ssd to upgrade late 2012
Honestly, I'm not sure.
hi would it help if you used a hair dryer arounds the screen to remove it better .but not to long with the heat on it
Hello, I don't think it would have helped much with getting the screen removed. You definitely need to tool (don't be like me and improvise with a broken tool). Even with the screen off, I don't think my adhesive would have been easier to remove with hairdryer assistance. Let me know if it helps you. Thanks again for the comment.
@@obiwan19771 it's splitting hairs; to warm adhesive gets gummy, too cold adhesive becomes rigid.
Weird that Crucial does not list a compatible SSD for the 21.5 model. Maybe just pushing their external SSD :D
Yeah maybe.....gotta make a buck right? Thanks for the comment!
why do other videos say we need to add a thermal sensor? I have a late 2012 27" imac so do i need the sensor? Thanks
I noticed that as well. I couldn't find a thermal sensor on mine; I just swapped the drives and it works great. I have no idea if the 27" iMac has the thermal sensor.....however, there are a lot of videos out there (better than mine) that could be more specific for the 27". Best advice I can give: Take is apart and see if it has one. If so, order it and wait (the ones I saw were relatively cheap on Amazon). Best of luck to you and thank you for the comment!
ssd don't get any heat but sata drives get very hot
27" late 2012 requires a thermal sensor on the main drive otherwise the drive fan runs 100%, MacsFanControl app however controls the fans. So your choice really. The Late 2012 27" however also has facilities on the logic board for a dual channel PCI-E NVME drive, OWC has a guide if installing one ( requires a small interface adapter if using a standard PC NVME drive )
should have upgraded the ram while it's open.
True! But it was already maxed out.
turn down the music/noise
right? when he stops talking it gets 3x louder than his mic.
Sorry about that. It seemed ok in editing. I'll keep it in mind for future vids
Goodness, the crack is 😭
Yep! I lucked out and it isn't noticeable when the screen is on.
The music is so damn annoying.
Thank you for the constructive feedback. I am not a pro at this. Music was copyright free.
This Extremely Annoying Music Stinks, !!!! There Was No Need For This !!!!!!!
Thank you for the constructive feedback. I am not a pro at this. Music was copyright free.
You forgot to use a heat gun...
Isnt necessary
the audio is terrible. who needs drums banging (over your voice) on a tutorial?
Obviously I'm not a professional UA-camr......I'm just a guy trying to help out others. Maybe be a pal and let me know what part of the video could be improved (timestamp) so I can address it.
@@obiwan19771 The music level is too high when you boost the level in between talking that's all. Your voice is fairly quiet and then the loud music is a bit jarring.
Got it. Thanks for the constructive feedback Cyba IT! Much appreciated and I'll see what I can do.
ANNOYING MUSIC
Hey, free music, is free music right????