SATA I / II / III what type of disk to use?

[tymixx]

Merry Christmas all,

I had a Mac desktop dual-quad cord that reports "mid 2010". I believe it's time to start replacing disk drives. Question is, what type of drive should I get as there are many types of SATAs out there.

Where it says "AHCI Version 1.20 Supported" does that mean I'm only SATA I disks?

Thank you
- ty
Here's what my system report says about the SATA interface

Intel ICH10 AHCI:

Vendor: Intel
Product: ICH10 AHCI
Link Speed: 3 Gigabit
Negotiated Link Speed: 1.5 Gigabit
Physical Interconnect: SATA
Description: AHCI Version 1.20 Supported

HL-DT-ST DVD-RW GH61N:

Model: HL-DT-ST DVD-RW GH61N
Revision: PA03
Serial Number: K16B3P22253
Native Command Queuing: No
Detachable Drive: No
Power Off: No
Async Notification: Yes
Bay Name: Upper

 

[chscag]

If you have a Mid 2010 iMac, it doesn't matter whether it's SATA 1, 2, or 3 as the hard drive will fall back to whatever speed your iMac can generate. What matters, however, is that your 2010 iMac needs some special consideration since the heat sensor cable is designed for whichever hard drive is currently in the machine. You should replace the drive with the same type or the hard drive fan may run full speed.

There are quite a few articles about replacing the hard drive in your model iMac. Do some Googling and make sure you understand all the technical aspects of undertaking the job yourself.

 

[tymixx]

chscag,
I noticed in your reply that you kept using "iMac" and perhaps I should have been specific to say "Mac Pro" instead of just mac desktop.

I have the big old aluminum case that sits under the desk. It had 4 3.5" HDD's inside and I believe that I read that SATA III drives are backwards compatible with SATA I and II. I'm guessing my system is SATA II technology. My profile has been edited to include system info and avoid future misunderstandings.

Thanks for the reply however.
- ty

 

[chscag]

Yeah, I see you updated your system specs. It does make a difference. Anyway, you have it right that the SATA 3 drive is backward compatible with 2 and 1. The drive should work OK.