How do you upgrade the hard drive in the Aluminum iMac models? What type of hard drive do they support?

All of the Aluminum iMac models -- regardless of generation -- have an SATA connector for a hard drive or SSD and different models have a variety of different drives installed by default.

Apple considers the memory in the Aluminum iMac models to be a "customer installable part" but the hard drive is not intended to be upgraded by end users. Upgrading the memory is extremely easy -- there is a small removable "door" on the bottom of each system for this purpose -- but upgrading the hard drive requires one to remove the display and effectively disassemble the entire computer.

Nevertheless, for adventurous -- and highly skilled -- users interested in replacing or upgrading the hard drive in 20-Inch or 24-Inch models themselves, iFixit provides hard drive upgrade guides for the 20-Inch Original/Early 2008 and Early 2009 models, OctoMac provides a hard drive upgrade walkthrough for the 24-Inch models, and C|Net provides a helpful blog posting for the 24-Inch models as well. ThatSiebGuy covers installing an SSD specifically in the 24-Inch models.

Photo Credit: iFixit

Adventurous and skilled "hacker" types also could use disassembly photos of the 21.5-Inch and 27-Inch "Late 2009" Aluminum iMac models from Kodawarisan and iFixit, respectively. Note that these models have significant "hooks" behind the display and removing the glass is particularly tricky.

Site sponsor OWC also discovered that the "Late 2009" models use a "connector that seems to use the drive’s internal sensors" rather than an external sensor like earlier Aluminum iMac models. This means that the only way to upgrade the hard drive is to "replace the drive with another model from the same manufacturer that [OWC or another third-party has] confirmed works properly with this thermal sensor cable". OWC provides a list of compatible drives.

Please remember that because upgrading the hard drive is not recommended by Apple, and is in violation of the warranty, it is consequently not endorsed or recommended by EveryMac.com.

Site sponsor Other World Computing sells hard drives and other upgrades for the Intel iMac models (and all other Macs).