replace Samsung HD with WD drive?
 

I have read that for the new iMacs (I have the 21.5) you need to replace the hard drive with one with a temperature sensor. I had read that the WD Caviar were drives that come in an iMac, however my iMac has Samsung drive.

Think it's safe to replace the Samsung with the Western Digital?

Thanks

I think the temperature sensor is actually part of wiring in the iMac and sticks onto Hard Disk with a bit of tape. I have replace quite a few iMac hard disks with third party Hitachi, WD drives.

Ok I tried to put my new WD Caviar 2tb drive into my new 21.5 iMac and it will not boot. I had a Samsung hd in there when i opened it up.

Do I need to do something special to make it work?

When I boot it, I get a flashing question mark. I know the hd works because i had previously backed up the computer onto it.

Any ideas?

I would suggest booting the machine with your iMac DVD. Choose a language at the first prompt, then at the next screen you should have a Utilities menu. From that choose Disk Utility. If Disk Utility sees the drive, that's a good sign and you may need to simply reformat the drive. If the new hard drive doesn't appear in Disk Utility, that's a sign that the installation may not have been properly done.

Seems a little unlikely, if your hard drive was original to your 21.5-inch iMac. The service manual shows different sensor cables (actually plug in to the accessory jack on the SATA drives) for Hitachi, Seagate, and Western Digital. Apple's service manual does not list anything about Samsung hard drives, so I suspect that a Samsung hard drive did not come with the iMac when new.
But, if you restored to that W-D hard drive, there shouldn't be anything preventing that drive from working. If you are missing the temp sensor cable on the W-D hard drive, the fans will run at high speed, but all should work.

Hmmm...well the mac sure seemed new (bought it from maconnection and the box was sealed) and it is definitely a Samsung drive. I do not see the drive when i boot up so it either won't work or i installed it wrong.

So it *should* work then, is that what you are saying?

Erin

Maybe I will look at what kind of sensor cable it is. Should I buy a WD sensor cable?

An original (Apple-supplied) hard drive always has an Apple symbol or sticker on the hard drive, usually as part of the label. If you don't see an Apple icon on the hard drive, then it's not original, and the iMac was not brand new when you bought it.
If you get it to work, and the correct temp sensor cable is not installed, then you'll hear the fans going full speed all the time.
Why exactly were you replacing the hard drive, when the unit (supposedly) was brand-new?
A Samsung hard drive might be your best choice for a replacement, too - same sensor cable...
Was there a temp sensor cable on the Samsung hard drive (a 3rd connector cable)?
Where would you be planning to find a W-D temp sensor cable? The only place that I am aware of that would have those, will be an Apple service shop, and they are not likely to sell you one, unless they actually install the hard drive.

Hmmmm....it certainly seemed new (all the plastic on it, etc)

Because I wanted a 2TB HD but I didn't want to pay for all the extras (faster chip, etc). To get the 2 TB HD I could only get it through Apple (and pay tax on it) and it would have cost like $500 more. Instead I ordered it through MacConnection and shipped to WA for no tax. The 2TB HD cost me < $100 so I figured I would come out ahead and get what I want.


Yes.

http://applecomponents.com/

So the fact that it doesn't work at all has nothing to do with the sensor cable.

I will try to install it again and see if I can at least make ti work and while I am in there I will check out the HD (for the Apple sticker) and the temp sensor cable.

What process are you using to transfer files to the new hard drive?

I would use one of two methods:

Using Disk Utility: Restore from the old HD to the new HD. Best if you already have been using your system, and have a lot of files already in place.

Or, if the system is just new, and you haven't done much, just replace the hard drives, and boot to your restore DVD - restoring a fresh system to your new hard drive.

I used Superduper to clone. The problem is that my new drive is not recognized by disk utility.

Trying again right now and I'll look at everything.

Samsung HD has Apple logo on it. Sensor cable is part 593-1233, vendor LW

If I plug in the sensor cable upside down, my machine boots but the fans are going full blast. So I'm thinking that if I get a WD cable I should be good to go. Or try to sell my WD drive and buy a Samsung drive.

Thoughts?

This is the hard drive that came with my computer: http://www.samsung.com/global/busine...=fea&ppmi=1219

But is this compatible with my 2010 iMac? http://applecomponents.com/items/922...60&per_page=30

I doubt the temp sensor has anything to do with your HD issue. Is this the same sensor that is actually fastened to the drive "slide rails" as I have seen on older iMac models?

I cant explain it any other way. It boots with the sensor in one way but not another. Hw can it be anything other than the sensor?

The sensor cable on the newest iMacs uses the temp sensor that's built inside the hard drive. The cable plugs in to the manufacturer's 'accessory' connector, and each manufacturer has a different pinout for that extra connector. The hard drives in the iMac do not have a sensor taped to the side of the drive as on older Macs.
If your iMac won't boot when that sensor connector is improperly connected, then don't do that :D
Apple's service manual shows that sensor cable that you have linked - for the 2009 iMac only, and not the 2010. It's likely a difference in the W-D hard drive models that Apple uses. That site does show accurate Apple service part numbers, so you would be looking for Apple # 922-9622 for W-D drives. Maybe that site does have that part number if you contact them directly: http://applecomponents.com/?p=contact

That is the right part number for any WD drive? Or am I better off getting a Samsung drive and keeping the cable I have?

The only facts that I have - 922-9622 is the Apple part number for the sensor cable for W-D hard drives, and only for the 2010 iMac 21.5-inch. The 27-inch has a different part, for example.
I also can't tell you if that connector port is the same wiring pinout for all W-D SATA drives. That information is not available on the public sites.
I also can't tell you if that same cable that was on the original Samsung would also work on a different Samsung model. I have no knowledge about that, except that Apple doesn't tell service folks everything, either. There's no mention in the most up-to-date Apple service manual that Samsung hard drives are being used, and nothing about the sensor cables for those. They can't be ordered separately, and would only come with an actual Apple-stickered Samsung hard drive. Again, I have no information if that original Samsung sensor cable will work on a different Samsung model.

hmmmm....ok. Thanks a lot DeltaMac....I guess this is why the hard drive is not user replaceable. Sigh.

OK, I was told by a tech at my local Mac shop that I should use an older analog temp. sensor. is the 922-8196 the right one to use?

http://applecomponents.com/items/922...96&per_page=30

Or even: https://www.applecomponents.com/item...-optical/?pn=1

None of those appear to show an actual sensor on the cable. There was one, but you don't know if the logic board connector is correct (might be OK)
If the Apple shop has a good guess about what might work - take your iMac in, and have them test it out.
All this time that you are taking, could have been spent better actually using your iMac with the right parts.
Another possibility is to contact applecomponents.com directly. They may know what you need.

Interesting
 

Hi,

Here is a link to a 27" Imac HDD replacement guide which shows the temperature sensor cable being plugged into a Western Digital HDD.

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repair/I...acement/1634/4

Regards,

Nick

I don't understand this statement DM, I have been using my Mac the whole time while I try to figure this out. What is your point or suggestion here?

You have been looking for the correct temp sensor cable for the W-D hard drive that you want to use. The resources that you have found do not give assurance that the parts available will work, or even fit. I also suggested that you should directly contact that non-Apple parts supplier, to see if they actually have the correct part. Apple has that part, and you'll probably have to pay to have them put it in, because Apple doesn't typically sell spare parts to every Joe who walks into the store looking for replacement parts.
You did choose to forgo the optional hard drive size when you purchased your iMac originally, and it sounded like you knew already that you wanted the larger hard drive capacity.

If you had known beforehand about the challenges to completing the hard drive upgrade, would you have decided to simply order the iMac with the larger hard drive from Apple?

the base model, the one I can afford, could not be ordered from the site I ordered it from with an upgraded HD

I knew I would need to do some work, but I didn't envision it would be this difficult. Ordering the upgraded machine from Apple would have added nearly $750 to my total cost. So for $95 for a 2 TB HD, I thought the risk was worth it. Once I find the right way to do the upgrade, even if I have to pay my local store to do it, will save me money.

I was hoping to do it myself yes, and I am still hopeful that I will be able to. If I can find the right temp sensor, then it should be doable, which is why I am trying to confirm that now.

re-read my own post, and I think I was being a little snippy (well, OK, a lot snippy!)
Not my intention, and I hope you didn't take offense.

Maybe someone else can offer a good suggestion about alternate sensor cables. It's my opinion that this internal sensor on the hard drive is not easy to discover which pins to use, as they are undocumented by each manufacturer, AFAIK.Apple knows what you need, eh?

no worries, you have been v. helpful so far.

Probably, but I doubt they will release that information. I'm hoping to either talk to one of these parts companies or convince my local store to help me (which he may not, and I would understand).

I'm also considering buying 3 or 4 sensors and seeing which one works and returning the rest. Still saves money and gets me going.

I can still buy a Sammy HD, but my local tech said that sometimes that doesn't work either and these analog ones are the best.

Success!

I purchased this cable with my Western Digital Caviar 2 TB drive (WD20EARS).

The key is to have the white dot on the connector facing up.

I would also recommend keeping the original cable and drive as if you want to get warranty work done, apparently you have to put it back to original state.

My machine is still extremely quite (like it was before) and I now 1.75TB free to fill up!

I posted this follow up in case anyone else is searching for this (as I couldn't find anyone else who had done this successfully).

Thanks for all your help.

Thanks for the followup. Others have replaced the drive, just generally without the temp sensor connected and living with full-blast fans going.

Temperature sensor was trivial to replace if you've gone as far as getting the hard drive out.

Apple Hardware Test Error Code, Samsung HD and loud fan on iMac 27inch i5
 

I have a new 27″ iMac and the 1.0TB Samsung HD inside. Once booted the fan will begin running at ~ 2500 RPM. It will continue to increase in speed until it reached very near max speed…..4500 RPM!!!!!!!!!! not quiet.

Running hardware diagnostics generates error 4SNS/1/40000000:TH00-9.000

If you replaced that hard drive yourself, then you don't have the correct sensor cable, as has been discussed on this thread. If, OTOH, your hard drive is original, then take your new iMac to an Apple service shop or retail store for more testing.

WD thermal sensor pinouts?
 

edalzell, do you know what pins on the Western Digital HDD were for the thermal sensor? Personally I would rather refit my Seagate cable than have to buy a new one. Especially since Apple Components is currently down.

Sorry man, I don't remember which pins they were and I found that the Samsung cable did not fit on the WD drive. They probably make them specific for each drive.

Mine 21.5 2011 iMac came with a Samsung and it was branded with an Apple logo.

By the way, the cable wasn't fused to the drive, I just disconnected it and put a new one in. I hardly see what the big deal is.

Hopefully in the past 2-1/2 years he got something going (last comment added in July, 2011).