Chattering iMac

[MarkWebb]

I have a Late 2009 iMac which is now very frustrating to use. It takes forever to fire up from sleep and chatters away for several minutes. I have 127GB free on a 1TB Hard Drive.
I am guessing that the only solution would be to have the Hard Drive replaced? Would this be worth doing on a machine of this age?

 

[chscag]

Are you making backups? If not, do it as soon as possible. If the hard drive is noisy and slow, it's probably a sign that it's failing. If you can replace the hard drive yourself you'll be saving some money and maybe get another year or two out of the machine. Take a look at the procedure: www.ifixit.com They also sell the tools you'll need to do the job. You didn't say which version of macOS you're running, but your machine can run the latest version - High Sierra.

 

[MarkWebb]

Thank you. Yes I have an auto backup running constantly. Looks fairly straightforward to replace but are there any pitfalls to be aware of?
Should I only use Apple parts or would a generic hard drive do the job?

 

[chscag]

You can use any hard drive or SSD but you do need to take note of thermal problems. Our advice is to go to www.macsales.com (OWC) and find out if your model iMac needs a thermal adapter so that the fans don't rev up. Apple has used proprietary hard drives in many of their iMacs. Those drives have a special thermal sensor, however, with an adapter any hard drive or SSD can be used.

 

[pm-r]

Those drives have a special thermal sensor, however, with an adapter any hard drive or SSD can be used.

And the late 2009 iMacs do need the OWC thermal connector kit.
And a pretty good price on a drive here:
https://eshop.macsales.com/item/Toshiba/DT01ACA100/

And maybe some others… :Blushing:




- Patrick
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[harryb2448]

Seriusly consider a Mercury Electra 3Gbps SSD from OWC. Your iMac is limited to that speed. An SSD will give your iMac a complete face lift and you will be amazed at the speed of nthe old girl. Regardless which way you go you will need the thermal heat sensor kit.


https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/ssd/owc/imac-27-inch/late-2009