OWC In-Line Digital Thermal Sensor HDD Upgrade Cable and Install Tools for iMac 2012, (OWCDIYIMACHDD12)

I had the very unfortunate event of my 2017 iMac’s fusion drive going failing one random day, and rather than paying over the odds for a repair through Apple, I hunted around on YouTube and forums for DIY tutorials. Now, this is no easy task and be aware that using one of these kits will likely void some kind of warranty, but I went for it and glad I chose this product. I followed the guide that came with it, and it felt genuinely straight forward. I had to purchase my own SATA SSD and mount, but this was honestly not that hard to do by yourself. I read many horror stories about the iMac screen falling out a few days/weeks after but mine is rock solid and I chose to wait a month before writing this review. This is a top quality product and if like me, you’ve had the fusion drive give up on you, or if you just want to speed up your ageing iMac, get this product, a decent SSD drive and you’ll really notice a difference. My 2017 model is incredibly fast now and completely silent.

If the description matches what you are looking for then this is a great option. I would say however that this is not an easy job. Even with all the correct equipment it is easy to make a mistake and end up with a broken computer. I've been working on computers for over 20 years and apple devices nearly as long and I've broken (irreparably) at least 1 iMac trying this. Before buying this think really carefully about whether you should.

Top quality kit as part of hard drive replacement. Very easy to use. Would have no problems in recommending this to anyone and would certainly purchase again for another machine.

The glass cups were of good quality, the cable for the fan cooling was a bit long and bulky, didn't fit very well with the Imc 27" 2014 which seemed a little odd. The Screw driver and bits are cheap and instantly binable but they're there if you don't have a better set. The plastic disk/pizza cutter seems ok but didn't use it. Haven't used the adhesive strips yet but I expect them to be somewhat naff and certainly not the safest way to reaffix your screen. I will be using some dabs of silicone on the corners and the tape as a wedge to make sure the screen is the right distance off the frame. I have the same job to do to another Imac but will only buy the fan cable. I don't think the tape is really necessary. The fans seem to run 'normally' now instead of at full blast so job done. Although I've now got some black vertical lines on the screen. You don't hear about that when changing the HDD to an SSD. It's only when you get the black lines and research it, you see it's a hugely common problem with this upgrade. Cracking the screen is not the only issue you have to worry about damaging the pixels is also a huge potential. Now off to buy a £400 replacement screen, even though I didn't crack it.

Unfortunately the only brand I know that produce this thermal sensor. This means that can be quite expensive. With that said, the product is well made and the kit includes all the necessary parts.

Don’t use the suction cups. Including them with the kit is a huge blunder on part of OWC. Tried to do this job to save myself money and it was much harder than I thought it was, took several hours and broke my screen. I was so livid I was fit to throw my iMac out of the window. The adhesive sticks are not foam based like the original ones so I don’t know how good they are—especially when some people are complaining about screens falling off. Worst DIY project ever. I should have paid the money and trusted this job to professionals. Regret 101. To get a new screen including installation third resellers quoted me €700 ($770) so I passed and will continue to use this 2014 iMac 5K with a 2.5” black vertical band down on the left 1/3 of my display and work around it. Money doesn’t grow on trees around here. Lesson learned: never use suction cups on a computer display, and probably leave display removal jobs to the professionals, especially given Apple’s current glued on design.

This is a good toolset. It does the job well. The tape is good. At least my screen didn't fall down after a month.

It's probably unfair for me not to rate this product higher. I ordered the kit (which is good quality) plus a 1GB SSD and adapter. I followed the iFixit guide having watched a couple of videos. The kit is good and comes with a 'pizza cutter' style opener. Unfortunately I was viewing the iFixit guide and used a couple of credit card sized plastic cards (not in this kit) and pushed them in too far on one part of the screen. After I put the iMac back together I found I had a vertical black band about 3" wide because I had damaged one of the very delicate plastic ribbons. If you open the comments on the iFixit online guide I can see there has been a few people that have done this. I've now wrecked my iMac and replacement screens are prohibitively expensive. Having learned from my mistake, I would use this kit again but I do think it should come with a big health warning as if you push a plastic card in too far you can irreversibly damage your screen. As I say, not the suppliers fault but please don't make the same mistake I did.