Looking through the owc videos on replacing my iMacs internal 1tb fusion drive does not seem too difficult. However, I still don't like the idea of removing the screen and replacing with new adhesive etc. Are there any issues to be aware of if I simply boot to a x5 thunderbolt drive? Are their reasons replacing the internal would be a better choice considering the added risk of damage to the iMac?
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
2019 iMac internal fusion replacement vs X5
- Thread starter Dvr6
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
What a bunch of nonsense and an utterly disrespectful way to respond to someone asking for a question. You're one of the many individuals spreading false misinformation about Fusions drives on these forums without having any sense of how great they are for many users.
[doublepost=1561253847][/doublepost]
Whats the main reason you want to swap the Fusion Drive with an SSD to begin with? I'd personally go with the X5 just to avoid any issues that might come up by opening up the iMac and the fact you'll void the warranty of the Mac. I own a 2019 27 inch iMac myself (the $2299 config) It has a built in 2TB Fusion Drive and the performance has been superb, With that being said, if i was to get an external SSD to use as a boot drive i'd get an X5. (Or perhaps even the T5)
Last edited:
I bought my 2019 iMac new for a very good price and did not have a choice other than the 1tb fusion to get it at that price.
I use my Mac as my home desktop but also run astronomy software that's feeling the effects of the slower access time on the fusion drive at times. Not the end of the world but it would be nice to upgrade to a faster drive. Even with the cost of upgrading I will come out way ahead of putting it together direct from Apple. X5 seems like the way to go and is $250 for 500gb. 500gb would be enough for my purposes as I already have a 2tb nas that I archive my photos etc to.
I use my Mac as my home desktop but also run astronomy software that's feeling the effects of the slower access time on the fusion drive at times. Not the end of the world but it would be nice to upgrade to a faster drive. Even with the cost of upgrading I will come out way ahead of putting it together direct from Apple. X5 seems like the way to go and is $250 for 500gb. 500gb would be enough for my purposes as I already have a 2tb nas that I archive my photos etc to.
I have a 2019 iMac also and use an X5. I use it as the main drive, and the internal drive is now used for time machine backups. The speed is almost identical to having a built-in ssd, due to the thunderbolt3 interface.
Like you I didn't want to open the iMac up, and the X5 is a perfect solution to that.
Like you I didn't want to open the iMac up, and the X5 is a perfect solution to that.
Do you actually loose the warranty if you go to a genuine Apple repair centre and pay them to swap the drive out.
Might cost a little extra but pretty sure the warranty wouldn’t be voided
Might cost a little extra but pretty sure the warranty wouldn’t be voided
No, you don't. I did the same with my 2017 5K iMac. Bought a 1tb Samsung 860 evo 2.5" ssd and went to nearby Apple reseller. They swapped it with the 3.5" hdd inside for 100€. Just ask the resellers, some of them don't provide such services.
You're going to buy a brand-new iMac and then open it up and attempt to replace the internal drives?
Thus... voiding any warranty?
Well... do what you want.
I wouldn't do that.
Get an X5 (whatever size your budget can afford), and plug that in and use it as a boot drive instead. It will be as fast as the internal fusion drive -- possibly faster.
Use the internal 1tb fusion drive for general storage, also keep it bootable so that you have "a second boot source" ALWAYS "ready-and-waiting".
Thus... voiding any warranty?
Well... do what you want.
I wouldn't do that.
Get an X5 (whatever size your budget can afford), and plug that in and use it as a boot drive instead. It will be as fast as the internal fusion drive -- possibly faster.
Use the internal 1tb fusion drive for general storage, also keep it bootable so that you have "a second boot source" ALWAYS "ready-and-waiting".
If you open up the iMac and replace the hard drive if I'm not mistaken you will be plugging the SSD in the sata interface with max speeds of 500 MB/s. The thunderbolt 3 port gives you access to speeds approaching the 2700mbs. So ya the X5 is the way to go, I personally use the leidian nvme adapter of ebay $150 and plugged in my own 1tb ssd. Total cost was $350 this way, but my speeds are not as good. 650 mb/s write and 2300mb/s read.
I have the 512gb X5 on my 2017 and getting 2150mb writes and 2450mb reads... not much to dislike. It runs flawless and have a 2019 i9 with an internal 1tb nvme at work and there is very little difference the writes are slightly quicker but otherwise you would never know. Once you get above that 1000mb threshold there is very little difference in day to day.
Its also nice you get trim support with any TB3 connected drive. My thunderbay 6 is also attached by TB3 and all the SSDs in there have trim which is nice, they are also speedier getting roughly 15-20% faster read/writes over usb 3.0
Its also nice you get trim support with any TB3 connected drive. My thunderbay 6 is also attached by TB3 and all the SSDs in there have trim which is nice, they are also speedier getting roughly 15-20% faster read/writes over usb 3.0
Having worked at Apple for 5+ years during the advent of the "Fusion Drive", I have direct knowledge that they fail at a much higher rate than a non Fusion Drive setup, whether it be a HDD or an SSD. They simply stress the SSD and the HDD more than a "normal" setup. They were "great" when they came out but flash prices have dropped significantly and are a MUCH better experience than a Fusion Drive.
"You are not making any sense and I see no further reason to reply to you."
He made perfect "sense".
Apple... is "Apple".
They do what they want to maximize profits (hey, that's what a business is supposed to do, right?)
He made perfect "sense".
Apple... is "Apple".
They do what they want to maximize profits (hey, that's what a business is supposed to do, right?)
Unless you have worked for Apple and been behind the curtain and know what I know (as do others), you can only have a surface level understanding of my comment "Because they are Apple."
Look at the fact that they just released a new MacBook Pro and IMMEDIATELY put it on the list of those systems eligible for keyboard service. Apple is Apple and they simply look at a cost analysis. If they can make more money with a "Fusion Drive" that "seems" as fast as an SSD when reading files, why not.
Apple is a great company and you are disregarding their innovation and engineering efforts throughout the years with software as well as hardware by stating that their actions in product development are driven purely on cost factors.
Last edited:
I'm not disregarding anything. I'm simply stating what this thread was about, the "Fusion Drive". And you better believe that some of their product development is driven by cost factors. Is it the whole equation? Nope. Is it a part of it? You better believe it!
Not so much offered as a cheaper option, other than consumer perception... More like a way to make significantly more markup on an internal SSD upgrade.
A whole lot faster on a TB3 Mac.
Yep
and defeat APFS Snapshots? Oh hell no!
APFS Snapshots is a wonderful feature of High Sierra and Mojave that lets you do a complete system restore in a few minutes. For it to work, a) You must have Time Machine on even if you don't have a backup volume and b) you cannot have another Mac OS installed on your system. It cannot be accessed except through the Repair Partition which is accessible only through Command r on startup. With APFS, if another OS is installed anywhere on the system such as another drive or partition, Command r doesn't work.
Apple hasn't spoken much about it but Snapshots is expected to be a big feature of OS 15.
Thank you all for the advice. I am set up and booting from the external X5 and it works flawless.
My internal drive usage/backup strategy is this: I split the internal fusion to the 24GB nvme and 1TB drive. Partitioned the 1TB drive to two 500GB. One 500GB partition is a time machine backup and the other is a carbon copy backup.
My internal drive usage/backup strategy is this: I split the internal fusion to the 24GB nvme and 1TB drive. Partitioned the 1TB drive to two 500GB. One 500GB partition is a time machine backup and the other is a carbon copy backup.