Switching hard drive on dead iMac & trouble shooting help

February 22, 2019 12:07 PM

Looking to cover my bases as I switch out the hard drive on my iMac EMC2389 model #A1311. Would the Mac-friendly hivemind help me think this through, reassure, or correct me?

I am switching out the hard drive from my iMac EMC 2389 Model #A1311. I would like to make sure I have the process and supplies correct.

I pulled the old hard drive, a Western Digital 500GB SATA with a 16 MB cache just now. I've read the fixit guide, and I've watched this video.

I think I want to upgrade the drive to a 6TB drive like this one.

Is this ok? The mounting and connections look the same, the size specs work, and I am otherwise familiar with how to two the replacement, but I'd like a mac person to say yes, this should work before I order it. I mostly use my laptop, but I would like to get the iMac back up and running.

posted by Tchad to Computers & Internet (5 answers total)

I can't speak to the drive compatibility but I recently replaced a power supply on a newer iMac. My case was put together with adhesive that was the most tricky part of the whole repair. It looks like that's not the case with yours. I used an iFixIt guide that was excellent. If you have the right tools and you're comfortable using those tools you should be fine if you follow the steps carefully.

My advice would be to read every step very carefully and, I know this is counter intuitive to everything you've read on the internet, but read the comments as well. The comments will give you an idea of what problems people faced and the things you should look out for.

I am usually one to dive into things but make sure you read all the instructions before you start.

A lot of the cables and connectors are very delicate. Be careful you don't tear anything.

Keep track of which screws come from where. use a bunch of Postits, write down the step the screws came from and arrange them on the postit in the order from which they came out. You don't want to screw in a screw that is 1mm longer than the right one and screw into a circuit board.

Good luck! iFixIt is an amazing resource that somehow seems like it should be illegal given the current state of planned obsolescence and litigation and shitty companies doing shitty things to consumers.
posted by bondcliff at 12:19 PM on February 22, 2019 [1 favorite]

Best answer: The 3.5" form factor is standardized. That disk should work fine.
posted by humboldt32 at 1:21 PM on February 22, 2019 [1 favorite]

The iFixit guides are great! If you’ve prepped your work area and feel comfortable with what you’ve seen in the video you’ll be fine. That being said—any reason you’re not considering a faster drive like an SSD? Your iMac is pretty old and it would really get a huge speed boost from one.
posted by bcwinters at 1:23 PM on February 22, 2019 [1 favorite]

That same drive is on sale at Newegg right now, BTW.
posted by humboldt32 at 1:24 PM on February 22, 2019

Response by poster: Thanks everybody. I've already pulled the old one and the little guy is just waiting for a new brain.

I considered the SSD, but it seems like more steps and I've read on more than one site that this particular machine (EMC2389) needs the same brand when you replace it. But really it is just the extra steps. The super drive was replaced by Apple a couple of years ago, so probably when that dies again I'll add an SSD as a secondary drive.

I've never been unhappy with the speed, even when I've had multiple windows open, though. I've got it jam packed with RAM. I am kind of planning on using it as a dumping ground for tons of pictures and files - sorting so that my main computer (MacBook Pro Laptop) isn't bogged down by things I don't need to hand at any given moment but are more accessible with a screen than an external hard drive sitting around.
posted by Tchad at 1:39 PM on February 22, 2019