A list of successful iMac 27" (2012-2019) SSD upgrades

[legaleye3000]

Will the 512gb blade ssd from my late 2015 27inch iMac fit in a motherboard that says it will accept a blade m2 socket 3 with M key? It lists a bunch of socket sizes such as: The M.2 (Socket 3) with M Key supports type 2242 (22mm x 42mm), 2260 (22mm x 60mm), 2280 (22mm x 80mm), and 22110 (22mm x 110mm) PCIe/SATA interface storage devices.

 

[mbosse]

To all who installed the Western Digital Black SN750, e.g. @MBehr2 , @natheyshaw or @antnythr , how are your experiences over time?

Thanks for feedback!
Magnus

 

[antnythr]

To all who installed the Western Digital Black SN750, e.g. @MBehr2 , @natheyshaw or @antnythr , how are your experiences over time?

Thanks for feedback!
Magnus

@mbosse The drive itself seems to be working great, but sleep/hibernation doesn't work on my late 2015 iMac. I usually keep my system on during the day and then shut down at night. Having a working sleep function would be ideal as I don't actually know how much keeping the system on all day affects the lifespan of the drive.

After hearing that this issue was fixed on the 970 EVO Plus with a firmware update, I contacted WD Support to ask about the possibility of getting this issue fixed on their end. I asked if the ticket could be referred to someone that would actually be involved in the firmware department as this is a very specific and niche issue.

Their response was "It does appear that our SN750 does not match the iMac's adherence to NVMe specs, and there does exist some incompatibilities. Unfortunately at this time we have no plans to release any new firmware now or in the immediately foreseeable future to make this drive compatible with that iMac."

Whatever Samsung did to make the 970 Evo Plus to work with Sleep and Hibernation, it doesn't seem that WD will be following suit.

 

[mbosse]

@mbosse The drive itself seems to be working great, but sleep/hibernation doesn't work on my late 2015 iMac. I usually keep my system on during the day and then shut down at night. Having a working sleep function would be ideal as I don't actually know how much keeping the system on all day affects the lifespan of the drive.

After hearing that this issue was fixed on the 970 EVO Plus with a firmware update, I contacted WD Support to ask about the possibility of getting this issue fixed on their end. I asked if the ticket could be referred to someone that would actually be involved in the firmware department as this is a very specific and niche issue.

Their response was "It does appear that our SN750 does not match the iMac's adherence to NVMe specs, and there does exist some incompatibilities. Unfortunately at this time we have no plans to release any new firmware now or in the immediately foreseeable future to make this drive compatible with that iMac."

Whatever Samsung did to make the 970 Evo Plus to work with Sleep and Hibernation, it doesn't seem that WD will be following suit.

Thank you very much for these detailed information - much appreciated. I guess I stick to the 970 Evo Plus.

Best,
Magnus

 

[kazaka]

Hi guys,

I just have upgraded my iMac 27" mid 2015 with a 1TB NVMe Samsung EVO Plus and I am getting low speed results for this kind of SSD.. before I was getting almost the same speeds as an external USB SSD drive.

Anyone knows why I am getting these low speed values ?? These are abnormal speeds for these kind of Samsung SSD.

Here is some info from my system:

 

[Khaleal]

Hi guys,

I just have upgraded my iMac 27" mid 2015 with a 1TB NVMe Samsung EVO Plus and I am getting low speed results for this kind of SSD.. before I was getting almost the same speeds as an external USB SSD drive.

Anyone knows why I am getting these low speed values ?? These are abnormal speeds for these kind of Samsung SSD.

Here is some info from my system:

View attachment 927108

View attachment 927110

The link speed is x2, it’s supposed to be x4

 

[kazaka]

So what can I do?? Is it possible to have it x4?? I read in some forums that people have upgraded their iMacs mid 2005 with these SSDs and have averqage speeds of 2500MB/sec...

 

[rbart]

You probably have something wrong with the m2 adapter

 

[kazaka]

The adapter I have bought is this one: this one

This adapter was recommended by various persons on youtube videos tutorials.

 

[mbosse]

So what can I do?? Is it possible to have it x4?? I read in some forums that people have upgraded their iMacs mid 2005 with these SSDs and have averqage speeds of 2500MB/sec...

Try to reseat the SSD. Also, you might need to apply Kapton tape to the prevent short-circuit.

Magnus

 

[kazaka]

I have applied Kapton tape and i have placed the SSD adapter and SSD correctly... the imac is closed now... to reseat the SSD i need to open it again...

Is it possible that my adapter have a malfunction? Should I buy the Sintech NVMe SSD adapter instead of the one I have.. but they look the same...

 

[mbosse]

Hi, has anybody ever tried a Toshiba XG5-P in an iMac?

Thanks,
Magnus

 

[pumanger]

Bump.

I have a iMac 27" late 2013 base model with 1T HDD (no blade SSD option). I will replace the HDD with Samsung 1T 2.5" SSD.

Do I need the thermal sensor cable or not?

I have the MacsFanControl app installed.

Thanks in advance.

 

[mbosse]

Bump.

I have a iMac 27" late 2013 with 1T HDD. I will replace the HDD with Samsung 1T SSD. Do I need the thermal sensor cable or not? I have the MacsFanControl app installed.

Thanks in advance.

SATA SSD? You need neither (temperature cable nor software).

Magnus

 

[pumanger]

SATA SSD? You need neither (temperature cable nor software).

Magnus

Thanks! Yes, normal SATA 2.5" Samsung 860 EVO.

 

[mbosse]

Thanks! Yes, normal SATA 2.5" Samsung 860 EVO.

Works just plug&play - no sensor or software needed!

 

[antnythr]

Just as an update to this (Late 2015 iMac w/ WD SN750):

A list of successful iMac 27" (2012-2019) SSD upgrades

Device: Late 2015 - 17,1 - MK482LL/A (3.3GHz i5-6600) Blade upgrade: 128GB Blade -> 1TB WD Black SN750 NVME HDD upgrade: 2TB SATA HDD -> No Change Speed test: 2800 MB/s read, 2650 MB/s write OS: Catalina 10.15.3 Adapter: Sintech ST-NGFF2013 (Wasn’t listed as version “C”) Location: Canada...

forums.macrumors.com

After updating to 10.15.6, my Boot ROM Version changed from 175.0.0.0.0 to 428.0.0.0.0, and sleep appears to be working without issue.

Perhaps it includes the full NVME driver now?

 

[MauriceG]

The Intel 660p looks to be the almost fool proof SSD upgrade for the 2013 iMac. Not the fastest nvme on sale but they can’t take advantage of the extra speed another drive might bring anyway.

So, to all those that have used the 660p in a late 2013 iMac: Any issues with sleep/hibernation, or anything else?

I’m using the 2tb size in a MBP 2015 13” for about a year now. Very good price, significant faster than with the original 512 gb Apple SSD. If you want to do video editing 4k than I would recommend an other type (not Q). My system is rock stable. Battery time has decreased with an hour.

 

[Jumme_Cph]

Very happy to report the Samsung EVO Plus 2TB works with Sintech ST-NGFF2013-C in my iMac 27" Late 2015. Sleep is NO issue and im getting very reasonable read/write speeds.


Device: Late 2015 - 17,1 - MK462LL/A (3.2 GHz Core i5 (I5-6500), HDD only)
Blade upgrade: NONE -> 2TB Samsung 970 Evo PLUS NVMe SSD
HDD upgrade: 1TB SATA HDD -> NONE
Speed test: 2900 MB/s write, 2940 MB/s read
OS: Catalina 10.15.6
Firmware: 428.0.0.0.0
Adapter: Sintech ST-NGFF2013-C
Issues after fresh OS install: NONE (Installed from USB thumb drive)


After having performed this upgrade I think it would be fair to remove the wiki warning about the Samsung EVO 970 PLUS, or at least specify in exactly which machines any problem can be reproduced. Its working perfect on mine.

I personally used THIS GUIDE in a MacBook Air to update the SSD firmware to a newer version (only to find that it already had the updated version out of the box).

I also installed THIS HEATSINK on the SSD, which has an low enough profile to fit on top without issues.

 

[jdoth]

Very happy to report the Samsung EVO Plus 2TB works with Sintech ST-NGFF2013-C in my iMac 27" Late 2015. Sleep is NO issue and im getting very reasonable read/write speeds.


Device: Late 2015 - 17,1 - MK462LL/A (3.2 GHz Core i5 (I5-6500), HDD only)
Blade upgrade: NONE -> 2TB Samsung 970 Evo PLUS NVMe SSD
HDD upgrade: 1TB SATA HDD -> NONE
Speed test: 2900 MB/s write, 2940 MB/s read
OS: Catalina 10.15.6
Firmware: 428.0.0.0.0
Adapter: Sintech ST-NGFF2013-C
Issues after fresh OS install: NONE (Installed from USB thumb drive)


After having performed this upgrade I think it would be fair to remove the wiki warning about the Samsung EVO 970 PLUS, or at least specify in exactly which machines any problem can be reproduced. Its working perfect on mine.

I personally used THIS GUIDE in a MacBook Air to update the SSD firmware to a newer version (only to find that it already had the updated version out of the box).

I also installed THIS HEATSINK on the SSD, which has an low enough profile to fit on top without issues.

View attachment 939588 View attachment 939587

That's great news! For the adapter that you used, did you have to use kapton tape? As well, do you know if any of the NVMe SSD with Heatsink will work or would you recommend just purchasing the SSD and adding the heat sink on? I have the same iMac 5k and am looking to upgrade it soon as the HDD is too slow for bootcamp and my VM use.

Thanks!

 

[Jumme_Cph]

That's great news! For the adapter that you used, did you have to use kapton tape? As well, do you know if any of the NVMe SSD with Heatsink will work or would you recommend just purchasing the SSD and adding the heat sink on? I have the same iMac 5k and am looking to upgrade it soon as the HDD is too slow for bootcamp and my VM use.

Thanks!

Regarding kapton; my Sintech adapter, while purchased long ago, already came with factory issued black tape covering the copper contacts. No issue, negotiated to 8x link.

Reg. heat sink; I specifically chose to install a heat sink on the EVO Plus, as it has a reputation of running way too hot, with the dreaded ‘throttling’ as consequense.

The heat sink I link above fits snug between mainboard and back of the iMac. I don’t have any experience with other heat sinks.

Regarding VM use you might also consider RAM upgrade options.

NOTE I used (presumably) iFixit adhesive tape, but from EBay.
I will NEVER do it again and strongly recommend getting OWC tape, or any other vendor selling ‘OEM-like’ foam tape!
I used 3 sets of tape, having to take the machine apart after applying one of the sets, took 2-3 hours of cleaning adhesive (compared to 10-15 minutes with OEM foam tape). Damn!

 

[zeratul75]

hello guys. I have been reading this 3d carefully.
I have an imac 27'' retina late 2015. 24gb blade ssd + 1tb hard drive.
Planning to open it and replace the spinning drive (too slow) and the blade ssd (too small size).
Just some question.
what do you think about buying an used official apple ssd blade? like this one?

(655-1860) 1TB SSD - Apple MacBook Pro Retina 2015

OEM Apple 1TB solid state drive for MacBook Pro Retina 13″ A1502 (Early 2015), MacBook Pro 15″ A1398 (Mid 2015). 655-1860A, 655-1860F, 655-1860H, 655-1860K or MZ-KPV1T00/0A4 on part.

beetstech.com

There are many listing on ebay and seems fully supported.

So the question are:
- this official samsung-apple blade ssd SSUBX will avoid the problem of resume from sleep?
- the NVME ssd you are discussing here is faster than this one? SSUBX has AHCI interface and I am not sure about AHCI and NVME differences......if any......

thanks a lot

 

[turbomacs]

Hi, has anybody ever tried a Toshiba XG5-P in an iMac?

Thanks,
Magnus

It works fine.

 

[Jumme_Cph]

hello guys. I have been reading this 3d carefully.
I have an imac 27'' retina late 2015. 24gb blade ssd + 1tb hard drive.
Planning to open it and replace the spinning drive (too slow) and the blade ssd (too small size).
Just some question.
what do you think about buying an used official apple ssd blade? like this one?

(655-1860) 1TB SSD - Apple MacBook Pro Retina 2015

OEM Apple 1TB solid state drive for MacBook Pro Retina 13″ A1502 (Early 2015), MacBook Pro 15″ A1398 (Mid 2015). 655-1860A, 655-1860F, 655-1860H, 655-1860K or MZ-KPV1T00/0A4 on part.

beetstech.com

There are many listing on ebay and seems fully supported.

So the question are:
- this official samsung-apple blade ssd SSUBX will avoid the problem of resume from sleep?
- the NVME ssd you are discussing here is faster than this one? SSUBX has AHCI interface and I am not sure about AHCI and NVME differences......if any......

thanks a lot

The drive fits and works for it’s purpose.

In my humble opinion; getting into the iMac is a hassle, and in case your drive goes bad you have to break open your iMac again.

Personally I wouldn’t buy a 5 year old second hand drive UNLESS seller offers specific wear level (read/write) data from the drive!

Different from a harddrive, an SSD disk doesn’t offer ‘unlimited’ writes to the drive. Ssd’s are build quite differently, thus with a limited life expectancy.

I wouldn’t do it personally, even if it was a bargain.

 

[turbomacs]

hello guys. I have been reading this 3d carefully.
I have an imac 27'' retina late 2015. 24gb blade ssd + 1tb hard drive.
Planning to open it and replace the spinning drive (too slow) and the blade ssd (too small size).
Just some question.
what do you think about buying an used official apple ssd blade? like this one?

(655-1860) 1TB SSD - Apple MacBook Pro Retina 2015

OEM Apple 1TB solid state drive for MacBook Pro Retina 13″ A1502 (Early 2015), MacBook Pro 15″ A1398 (Mid 2015). 655-1860A, 655-1860F, 655-1860H, 655-1860K or MZ-KPV1T00/0A4 on part.

beetstech.com

There are many listing on ebay and seems fully supported.

So the question are:
- this official samsung-apple blade ssd SSUBX will avoid the problem of resume from sleep?
- the NVME ssd you are discussing here is faster than this one? SSUBX has AHCI interface and I am not sure about AHCI and NVME differences......if any......

thanks a lot

Beetstech is a good company that tests everything. I have personally purchased a lot of these blades and most of them have 95% or more life remaining. I would say go for it, they work perfectly.