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

[Alvin777]

Thanks Oscar. Now I'm thinking of buying the SATA SSD as well before tall the parts for the NVME upgrade hack get here, :-D but on the other hand SATA SSDs have almost the same price as NVME but about 10x slower.

I wish Sintech, Fun or Utake would create a crazy dual NVME adapter whereby the other one extends to the space where the hardisk is so you can have RAID 0 with NVMEs or use the other one as Time Machine or Superduper! clone backup (what's better than Superduper! for cloning by the way? Any good cloner for Boot Camp? [mention]mbosse[mention\])

 

[oscarchd]

Does iStat also provide drive health data?

hei mbosse, i think drivedx will be more advance in reporting health of the nvme and ssd. will try it out also

 

[oscarchd]

Thanks Oscar. Now I'm thinking of buying the SATA SSD as well before tall the parts for the NVME upgrade hack get here, :-D but on the other hand SATA SSDs have almost the same price as NVME but about 10x slower.

I wish Sintech, Fun or Utake would create a crazy dual NVME adapter whereby the other one extends to the space where the hardisk is so you can have RAID 0 with NVMEs or use the other one as Time Machine or Superduper! clone backup (what's better than Superduper! for cloning by the way? Any good cloner for Boot Camp? [mention]mbosse[mention\])

if nvme ssd is same price as sata ssd, go with a bigger nvme ssd, for me nvme ssd is still quite steep compared to sata ssd, that's y i've chosen these 2 parts to upgrade to.

if there's such devices, do let us know here so we all can benefit.

 

[Alvin777]

if nvme ssd is same price as sata ssd, go with a bigger nvme ssd, for me nvme ssd is still quite steep compared to sata ssd, that's y i've chosen these 2 parts to upgrade to.

if there's such devices, do let us know here so we all can benefit.

Hi. Great news! After a few hours of intense, focused research and 60 pages (like in the bible: seek and you shall find) this could work but let's recommend en masse first to Linus Tech Tips first or to Max Tech (who specialized in extreme Mac tests) on Youtube or Barefeats or even iFixit or OWC Youtubes before we buy it and try it (I might save up for five 256GB Western Digital Black which has 7GB/s read and set it in RAID 0 if this works but I feel it's most likely just as fast as one single modern NVME SSD, coz' the speed might be shared among the five M.2 SSDs [mention]mbosse[/mention]):

1. buy this:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/400...exp_id=3693dec2-e361-41e3-b57b-7ece50ca188e-8

then use the Utake, Fun or Sintech adapter

2. then buy this: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100...xp_id=3693dec2-e361-41e3-b57b-7ece50ca188e-57

3. then install Western Digital M.2 SSDs (or M.2 SSDs one can afford)
4. then screw the 5 slot PCIe card to the Hardisk screw hole and maybe use backingtape

bonus finds, if one's Blade SSD has a read of 1200 MB/s and one has USB 3.1 ports:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100...xp_id=3693dec2-e361-41e3-b57b-7ece50ca188e-31

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/328...exp_id=af84750a-7416-4ad9-ac2d-51022a3c4809-1

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/330...exp_id=3693dec2-e361-41e3-b57b-7ece50ca188e-3

 

[Alvin777]

Hello MacRumors and 2012- 2019 iMac SSD Upgrader friends.

Would anyone know the tracking website used by Sintech.cn when you order direct from them?

Thank you.
God bless, Rev. 21:4

 

[Alvin777]

There is nothing in the system information, under ‘SATA’?

Hi mbosse and everyone.

My Sintech ST-NGFF2013-C arrived today (after 15 days with weekends). It came with a 1 x 1cm sticker foam. Where is that foam going to be used? I never thought NVMEs were tiny, I hope it become cheap enough to replace SATA SSD, soon. It's quite exciting, I could install this now just tape the screen w/ kapton or something like that until the adhesive arrives. [mention]orcharchd[/mention]

Also, how do I insert my Teamgroup MP34 (1TB) NVME SSD? Do I just click the SSD into the adapter's slot (it's a bit tight) horizontally or you need to have some kind of angle?

Will the bus speed be x4 lanes (max of PCIe 3.0) or x2 lanes only?

Thank you.
God bless, Rev. 21:4

 

[oscarchd]

Hi mbosse and everyone.

My Sintech ST-NGFF2013-C arrived today (after 15 days with weekends). It came with a 1 x 1cm sticker foam. Where is that foam going to be used? I never thought NVMEs were tiny, I hope it become cheap enough to replace SATA SSD, soon. It's quite exciting, I could install this now just tape the screen w/ kapton or something like that until the adhesive arrives. [mention]orcharchd[/mention]

Also, how do I insert my Teamgroup MP34 (1TB) NVME SSD? Do I just click the SSD into the adapter's slot (it's a bit tight) horizontally or you need to have some kind of angle?

Will the bus speed be x4 lanes (max of PCIe 3.0) or x2 lanes only?

Thank you.
God bless, Rev. 21:4

hei alvin777,

refer to ifixit page here (last step), there should b an angle to remove and installing the nvme ssd. make sure it's fully tugged into the slot, press firmly to insert it. the page also show step by step guide, do refer it!

 

[tah18]

Late-2015 27” retina 5K iMac SSD upgrades

I performed the SSD upgrades of both blade and SATA drives this past May. I followed the iFixit guide and also found some videos on the OWC website that were helpful. I found the OWC videos helpful not only with upgrading the drives, but for removing and reattaching the display.

Prior to this upgrade I had already moved on with a new M1 Mac Mini and an LG 4K monitor (see story in my next post). The Mini is a great new machine, but the 4K display is no match for that on this 5-6 year old 27" retina 5K iMac. New similar quality 5K displays are still quite expensive. For this reason alone, upgrading the 2015 27" iMac is worth it. I now like this older iMac more than the new Mini!


Blade + HDD upgrade

Device: Retina 5K, Late 2015 - iMac17,1 - A1419 - EMC 2834 (4 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7 w/ 3TB Fusion; 16 GB 1867 MHz DDR3 RAM)
Blade upgrade: 128GB -> 1 TB OWC Aura Pro X2 SSD (see my next post about failure of my original SSD)
HDD upgrade: 3 TB HDD drive -> 2 TB Samsung 870 EVO 2.5" SATA SSD. I used the OWC SSD upgrade kit which included the In-line digital thermal sensor, and a NewerTech AdaptaDdrive 2.5" to 3.5" converter bracket. The thermal sensor made it more expensive and was probably unnecessary, but I didn't want to deal with any fan issues and have to reopen. OWC has other combinations of upgrade kits depending on your needs for tools, etc.
CPU upgrade: none
Speed test: 2800 MB/s read, 900 - 1300 MB/s write on Aura blade; 520 MB /s read, 480 MB/s write on 2.5" SATA SSD. (Used Blackmagic Disk Speed Test). These speed tests are from now, and I believe the blade write test was initially higher.
OS: Big Sur 11.5.2
Location: New York City
Adapter: none needed with Aura Pro X2
Heat sink: GLOTRENDS Universal M.2 Heatsink NVME Heatsink SSD Heatsink for 2280 M.2 SSD with Silicone Thermal Pad
Battery: While it was open and accessible, I decided to replace the PRAM battery with a new Panasonic BR2032 3V. Not so easy to find; had to go to Amazon and pay a little more than for similar ones more readily available. Would the very similar and much easier to find CR2032 3V battery have worked? Don't know and didn't want to have to reopen and disassemble the machine again. Easy to do while logic board is already off; much harder to replace later.
Issues after fresh OS install: none. No sleep/wake problems.

I used the OWC Aura Pro X2 SSD for the blade and the Samsung 870 EVO 2.5" SSD for the SATA drive. OWC states that the Aura Pro X2 is not compatible with my particular model of Mac (17,1), but this turned out not to be the case. Seems that you must have updated firmware on your machine BEFORE starting and later formatting and reinstalling the OS on the new blade drive. You can do this by upgrading to Big Sur (or at least one of the more recent OS's) on your old drive before you start doing anything. See discussion on iFixit here: IFixit: Why OWC Aura Pro X2 NOT COMPATIBLE iMac17,1? You can check your current firmware in "Apple icon -> About this Mac -> System Report -> Hardware" and look for "System Firmware Version".

After upgrading both drives and putting in a new PRAM battery, I reattached screen with only blue painters tape around the outside for about two months to make sure everything worked well before reapplying adhesive. I have had no issues since the upgrade and am *very* pleased. It feels practically like a new Mac and I expect to get several more years use out of it.

I did not preinstall the OS prior to installing the drives. I followed Apple's instructions to create a USB bootable installer prior to starting this project. After closing up the machine, I booted from this USB and then installed Big Sur onto the new blade drive. I then formatted the SATA SSD and use it for data only.

Many ask about whether to recreate the fusion drive. I followed the general advice to NOT do this. I use the 1 TB blade for the boot drive with most files except for photos and movies. I use the 2 TB SSD for pretty much just photos and movies.

Word of warning: Handle the display with *extreme* care! Take your time removing it and be very careful to not torque or twist the screen when lifting it out of or replacing it on to the machine. While making my final reattachment with adhesives, I allowed it to twist ever so slightly and I felt a small but distinct crack. OH NO! AFTER ALL THAT TIME AND WORK! 🥵 I continued mounting it, figuring it will either work, or the entire effort is bust. Upon first startup, I held my breath and lo and behold, the display worked just fine. 🙃 There is an approximately 3 inch visible hairline crack near one side that can only be seen when the computer is off. I was probably only a degree or two from twisting the screen enough to make the entire display unusable. Very close call!

Below are some photos of the upgrade process:

OWC Aura X2 Pro blade drive with Glotrends heat sink:

New Samsung 870 EVO SATA SSD in the NewerTech adaptor with thermal sensor:

Replaced PRAM battery on logic board:

Realign display, logic board and I/O ports with case prior to closing:

Closed with painters tape for a month or two; this is the first boot after using USB boot drive to install OS Big Sur onto new blade drive:

Components used:

I will put another post shortly discussing the failure of my original blade drive which motivated me to try this whole project in the first place.

 

[tah18]

Background story: My motivation to upgrade this computer was mostly due to complete failure of the original blade drive. It took me awhile to figure this out My computer had become quite slow over the previous year or so, which I initially attributed to it simply running ever newer OS's on a five year old machine. But then I started to get odd errors telling me something like "The disk you inserted was not readable by this computer..." I didn't understand this as while I had some external HDDs attached, I had never "just inserted" anything, and those drives seemed to work fine. I removed all the external drives, but I continued to receive this message. I looked for virtual drives. And I searched many forums, only to find discussions about bad external drives (and some about failing internal HDDs). I guess this does not happen often.

Anyway, over time the message appeared with increasing frequency and the computer started behaving badly: frequent kernel panics. I tried all kinds of SMC resets, PRAM resets, safe boots, installation and removal of various anti-virus and malware programs, Etre-checks, OS re-installations, and on and on. You name it and it didn't help. And every reboot and startup took forever (20 min at least) - complete torture. I was stumped and ready to give up on it. I bought a new Mac Mini and was ready to move on.

But I continued to investigate and realized that the computer no longer recognized the internal blade drive (see output from disk utility below; the internal 121.3 GB drive cannot be identified). I tried splitting up the fusion drive and reinstalled everything on the internal HDD, which sort of worked, but did not stop the errors or kernel panics. I also tried "ejecting" the blade drive, which sometimes seemed to work if I clicked on that option after the aforementioned error appeared. But performance remained very slow and kernel panics continued. I then tried reformatting the blade drive with disk utility (see screenshot), which would attempt for awhile but eventually fail. After reading through this thread and the iFixit guide, I decided to give this upgrade a go. Now here I am with a machine that works better than when it was new in 2015!

I give this background only because I was never able to find posts anywhere else about the same problem. Maybe this will help someone else revive an otherwise still excellent 2015 iMac (with a still incredible retina 5K display) that is being held back by a failing internal SSD blade drive.

That said, if your original blade drive works fine and you don't want to do the more complicated process of removing the logic board to replace the blade drive as well, you will still probably see significant performance improvement by replacing the HDD with a SATA SSD alone. If you forge ahead with replacing the blade drive as well, study the iFixit guide thoroughly before starting and take your time. Just make the decision before you apply any new adhesive to close the display back up: removing the screen a second time is reportedly quite difficult (thus leading to higher risk of cracking the display).

Two screenshots showing failure of original blade drive:

diskutility shows internal 128 GB blade drive but doesn't seem to recognize it:

Failed attempt to reformat the original blade drive

 

[mbosse]

Background story: My motivation to upgrade this computer was mostly due to complete failure of the original blade drive. It took me awhile to figure this out My computer had become quite slow over the previous year or so, which I initially attributed to it simply running ever newer OS's on a five year old machine. But then I started to get odd errors telling me something like "The disk you inserted was not readable by this computer..." I didn't understand this as while I had some external HDDs attached, I had never "just inserted" anything, and those drives seemed to work fine. I removed all the external drives, but I continued to receive this message. I looked for virtual drives. And I searched many forums, only to find discussions about bad external drives (and some about failing internal HDDs). I guess this does not happen often.

Anyway, over time the message appeared with increasing frequency and the computer started behaving badly: frequent kernel panics. I tried all kinds of SMC resets, PRAM resets, safe boots, installation and removal of various anti-virus and malware programs, Etre-checks, OS re-installations, and on and on. You name it and it didn't help. And every reboot and startup took forever (20 min at least) - complete torture. I was stumped and ready to give up on it. I bought a new Mac Mini and was ready to move on.

But I continued to investigate and realized that the computer no longer recognized the internal blade drive (see output from disk utility below; the internal 121.3 GB drive cannot be identified). I tried splitting up the fusion drive and reinstalled everything on the internal HDD, which sort of worked, but did not stop the errors or kernel panics. I also tried "ejecting" the blade drive, which sometimes seemed to work if I clicked on that option after the aforementioned error appeared. But performance remained very slow and kernel panics continued. I then tried reformatting the blade drive with disk utility (see screenshot), which would attempt for awhile but eventually fail. After reading through this thread and the iFixit guide, I decided to give this upgrade a go. Now here I am with a machine that works better than when it was new in 2015!

I give this background only because I was never able to find posts anywhere else about the same problem. Maybe this will help someone else revive an otherwise still excellent 2015 iMac (with a still incredible retina 5K display) that is being held back by a failing internal SSD blade drive.

That said, if your original blade drive works fine and you don't want to do the more complicated process of removing the logic board to replace the blade drive as well, you will still probably see significant performance improvement by replacing the HDD with a SATA SSD alone. If you forge ahead with replacing the blade drive as well, study the iFixit guide thoroughly before starting and take your time. Just make the decision before you apply any new adhesive to close the display back up: removing the screen a second time is reportedly quite difficult (thus leading to higher risk of cracking the display).

Two screenshots showing failure of original blade drive:

diskutility shows internal 128 GB blade drive but doesn't seem to recognize it:

View attachment 1827346

Failed attempt to reformat the original blade drive
View attachment 1827347

Excellent walkthrough and reasoning. Well done, and instructive for others for sure!

For how long a time is your iMac now running on the new SSDs, and did the error messages stop?

Best,
Magnus

 

[tah18]

Thanks and hope it helps others.

Mac has been running new SSDs since last May, so about 4 months now. And yes, error messages stopped as soon as new drives installed. Runs very well now.

 

[Alvin777]

Late-2015 27” retina 5K iMac SSD upgrades

I performed the SSD upgrades of both blade and SATA drives this past May. I followed the iFixit guide and also found some videos on the OWC website that were helpful. I found the OWC videos helpful not only with upgrading the drives, but for removing and reattaching the display.

Prior to this upgrade I had already moved on with a new M1 Mac Mini and an LG 4K monitor (see story in my next post). The Mini is a great new machine, but the 4K display is no match for that on this 5-6 year old 27" retina 5K iMac. New similar quality 5K displays are still quite expensive. For this reason alone, upgrading the 2015 27" iMac is worth it. I now like this older iMac more than the new Mini!


Blade + HDD upgrade

Device: Retina 5K, Late 2015 - iMac17,1 - A1419 - EMC 2834 (4 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7 w/ 3TB Fusion; 16 GB 1867 MHz DDR3 RAM)
Blade upgrade: 128GB -> 1 TB OWC Aura Pro X2 SSD (see my next post about failure of my original SSD)
HDD upgrade: 3 TB HDD drive -> 2 TB Samsung 870 EVO 2.5" SATA SSD. I used the OWC SSD upgrade kit which included the In-line digital thermal sensor, and a NewerTech AdaptaDdrive 2.5" to 3.5" converter bracket. The thermal sensor made it more expensive and was probably unnecessary, but I didn't want to deal with any fan issues and have to reopen. OWC has other combinations of upgrade kits depending on your needs for tools, etc.
CPU upgrade: none
Speed test: 2800 MB/s read, 900 - 1300 MB/s write on Aura blade; 520 MB /s read, 480 MB/s write on 2.5" SATA SSD. (Used Blackmagic Disk Speed Test). These speed tests are from now, and I believe the blade write test was initially higher.
OS: Big Sur 11.5.2
Location: New York City
Adapter: none needed with Aura Pro X2
Heat sink: GLOTRENDS Universal M.2 Heatsink NVME Heatsink SSD Heatsink for 2280 M.2 SSD with Silicone Thermal Pad
Battery: While it was open and accessible, I decided to replace the PRAM battery with a new Panasonic BR2032 3V. Not so easy to find; had to go to Amazon and pay a little more than for similar ones more readily available. Would the very similar and much easier to find CR2032 3V battery have worked? Don't know and didn't want to have to reopen and disassemble the machine again. Easy to do while logic board is already off; much harder to replace later.
Issues after fresh OS install: none. No sleep/wake problems.

I used the OWC Aura Pro X2 SSD for the blade and the Samsung 870 EVO 2.5" SSD for the SATA drive. OWC states that the Aura Pro X2 is not compatible with my particular model of Mac (17,1), but this turned out not to be the case. Seems that you must have updated firmware on your machine BEFORE starting and later formatting and reinstalling the OS on the new blade drive. You can do this by upgrading to Big Sur (or at least one of the more recent OS's) on your old drive before you start doing anything. See discussion on iFixit here: IFixit: Why OWC Aura Pro X2 NOT COMPATIBLE iMac17,1? You can check your current firmware in "Apple icon -> About this Mac -> System Report -> Hardware" and look for "System Firmware Version".

After upgrading both drives and putting in a new PRAM battery, I reattached screen with only blue painters tape around the outside for about two months to make sure everything worked well before reapplying adhesive. I have had no issues since the upgrade and am *very* pleased. It feels practically like a new Mac and I expect to get several more years use out of it.

I did not preinstall the OS prior to installing the drives. I followed Apple's instructions to create a USB bootable installer prior to starting this project. After closing up the machine, I booted from this USB and then installed Big Sur onto the new blade drive. I then formatted the SATA SSD and use it for data only.

Many ask about whether to recreate the fusion drive. I followed the general advice to NOT do this. I use the 1 TB blade for the boot drive with most files except for photos and movies. I use the 2 TB SSD for pretty much just photos and movies.

Word of warning: Handle the display with *extreme* care! Take your time removing it and be very careful to not torque or twist the screen when lifting it out of or replacing it on to the machine. While making my final reattachment with adhesives, I allowed it to twist ever so slightly and I felt a small but distinct crack. OH NO! AFTER ALL THAT TIME AND WORK! ? I continued mounting it, figuring it will either work, or the entire effort is bust. Upon first startup, I held my breath and lo and behold, the display worked just fine. ? There is an approximately 3 inch visible hairline crack near one side that can only be seen when the computer is off. I was probably only a degree or two from twisting the screen enough to make the entire display unusable. Very close call!

Below are some photos of the upgrade process:

OWC Aura X2 Pro blade drive with Glotrends heat sink:
View attachment 1827175

View attachment 1827176

New Samsung 870 EVO SATA SSD in the NewerTech adaptor with thermal sensor:
View attachment 1827177


Replaced PRAM battery on logic board:
View attachment 1827178

Realign display, logic board and I/O ports with case prior to closing:
View attachment 1827322

Closed with painters tape for a month or two; this is the first boot after using USB boot drive to install OS Big Sur onto new blade drive:
View attachment 1827179

View attachment 1827180

View attachment 1827183

Components used:
View attachment 1827323

I will put another post shortly discussing the failure of my original blade drive which motivated me to try this whole project in the first place.

Thanks for sharing. Extreme skills.

I didn't know there's still button battery for the PRAM on these Intel Mac (Apple support on Twitter says there's none), that's interesting.

Was the PRAM coin battery (sometimes called button battery) already low voltage, that's why you replaced it with a rechargeable coin battery (BR2032)?

What was the factory coin battery (what brand and model)?

How much did you spend for the upgrade and how long did it take from the time of first order of the first part?

Also how fast was the factory installed Apple 128GB Blade SSD? What's the read speed?

I also get frequent kernel panics with macOS Big Sur, the most unstable OS in Apple history, for sure. I fixed it by sadly minimizing the just one app, usually Safari with three windows (5K native resolution), each window having 50 to 60 tabs which is great for extreme, heavy research. I hope macOS Monterey would be the most stable, to make up for things.


Stay safe, God bless all. Revelation 21:4

 

[tah18]

Hi Alvin777. The PRAM battery is certainly there on the 27" retina 5K iMac 17,1 and was easily visible once the logic board was removed.

I chose the Panasonic BR2032 3V because it was *identical* to the existing factory battery (also Panasonic). As far as I know, the BR2032 is not rechargeable (but maybe it is?).

As I mentioned, the BR2032 was more difficult to find and more expensive. About $12 - 14 USD for single battery on Amazon US. The same sized 3V CR2032 is about $2 USD and easy to find anywhere, but I wasn't sure if it was a suitable substitute.

I do not know if the existing battery still had enough life and did not know how to check. But I considered it a reasonable investment given that the computer was already open and apart, and that I am hoping to extend its life by several years. I certainly do not intend to open it a second time!

I do not know how fast the original Apple 128 GB blade SSD was. I had never checked before, and when I finally figured out what was plaguing my computer, it was already completely nonfunctioning had probably already been long dead. Looking back, the machine's performance had slowed considerably for at least a year. Once I realized this, I had tried splitting the fusion drive(*) and reformatting the blade, but disk utility would consistently fail. And unless I "ejected" it shortly after startup, the kernel panics would start soon after. Ejecting it did help keep the computer functioning, but performance remained still pretty slow -- not surprising as the machine was relying entirely upon the existing spinning HDD.

I will answer your other questions about overall cost and time for the project shortly. Will take a look.

* When I split the fusion drive, I had to erase both drives, then "eject" the blade drive, and reinstall the OS on the HDD only. Then I had to restore everything from Time Machine onto the HDD. Laborious.

 

[Alvin777]

Hi Alvin777. The PRAM battery is certainly there on the 27" retina 5K iMac 17,1 and was easily visible once the logic board was removed.

I chose the Panasonic BR2032 3V because it was *identical* to the existing factory battery (also Panasonic). As far as I know, the BR2032 is not rechargeable (but maybe it is?).

As I mentioned, the BR2032 was more difficult to find and more expensive. About $12 - 14 USD for single battery on Amazon US. The same sized 3V CR2032 is about $2 USD and easy to find anywhere, but I wasn't sure if it was a suitable substitute.

I do not know if the existing battery still had enough life and did not know how to check. But I considered it a reasonable investment given that the computer was already open and apart, and that I am hoping to extend its life by several years. I certainly do not intend to open it a second time!

I do not know how fast the original Apple 128 GB blade SSD was. I had never checked before, and when I finally figured out what was plaguing my computer, it was already completely nonfunctioning had probably already been long dead. Looking back, the machine's performance had slowed considerably for at least a year. Once I realized this, I had tried splitting the fusion drive(*) and reformatting the blade, but disk utility would consistently fail. And unless I "ejected" it shortly after startup, the kernel panics would start soon after. Ejecting it did help keep the computer functioning, but performance remained still pretty slow -- not surprising as the machine was relying entirely upon the existing spinning HDD.

I will answer your other questions about overall cost and time for the project shortly. Will take a look.

* When I split the fusion drive, I had to erase both drives, then "eject" the blade drive, and reinstall the OS on the HDD only. Then I had to restore everything from Time Machine onto the HDD. Laborious.

Thanks for the info. Did you put the Apple Blade 128GB as an external SSD drive? What enclosure and adapters did you use, if you did? I'm thinking, the 128GB Apple Blade SSD, would be wasted when I make this NVME upgrade (I have the parts, I'm just waiting for the adhesive for the bezel and screen, though I could open it up now but I'm still very slowly backing up things up and still need to back up the Boot Camp volume).

 

[tah18]

I did not reuse the original Apple blade 128 GB. I am not sure it would work in a regular enclosure as I believe Apple's blades have a proprietary design. My blade had stopped working anyway, so I don't think an enclosure would have helped.

You had asked about total time and cost: I spent about $550 USD on parts including the OWC Aura X2 1 TB blade, the Samsung 870 EVO SATA 2 TB SSD, the NewerTech SSD adaptor bracket, SSD heat sink, the SATA thermal sensor, PRAM battery, and adhesives. I also spent about $60 on tools, a static mat, and a service wedge; probably could have saved a little if I had looked harder and maybe didn't need all of it. Time to get everything is not an issue in the U.S. with Amazon, Best Buy, MicroCenter and a plenty of other options.

I could have saved money by skipping the thermal sensor. If I were to do it again, I would consider using the Samsung 970 EVO blade instead, which is about $100 less than the relatively pricey Aura X2 for same size, but would require the Sintech adaptor. I was concerned about mounting issues with the adaptor, and sleep/hibernation and firmware issues and that had been reported earlier with the Samsung blade. However those issues seem to have been resolved. Samsung read/write speeds are also reportedly higher than those of the Aura X2 Pro. Nevertheless, I am pleased with its performance and with real-world use, it probably doesn't make much difference.

So in all, at over $600 USD this is not an inexpensive upgrade -- could almost get a new Mac mini for that. But then you'd need a screen. And the 2015 27" retina 5K screen is still unbeatable in 2021, making this very much worth it in my opinion.

 

[Alvin777]

I did not reuse the original Apple blade 128 GB. I am not sure it would work in a regular enclosure as I believe Apple's blades have a proprietary design. My blade had stopped working anyway, so I don't think an enclosure would have helped.

You had asked about total time and cost: I spent about $550 USD on parts including the OWC Aura X2 1 TB blade, the Samsung 870 EVO SATA 2 TB SSD, the NewerTech SSD adaptor bracket, SSD heat sink, the SATA thermal sensor, PRAM battery, and adhesives. I also spent about $60 on tools, a static mat, and a service wedge; probably could have saved a little if I had looked harder and maybe didn't need all of it. Time to get everything is not an issue in the U.S. with Amazon, Best Buy, MicroCenter and a plenty of other options.

I could have saved money by skipping the thermal sensor. If I were to do it again, I would consider using the Samsung 970 EVO blade instead, which is about $100 less than the relatively pricey Aura X2 for same size, but would require the Sintech adaptor. I was concerned about mounting issues with the adaptor, and sleep/hibernation and firmware issues and that had been reported earlier with the Samsung blade. However those issues seem to have been resolved. Samsung read/write speeds are also reportedly higher than those of the Aura X2 Pro. Nevertheless, I am pleased with its performance and with real-world use, it probably doesn't make much difference.

So in all, at over $600 USD this is not an inexpensive upgrade -- could almost get a new Mac mini for that. But then you'd need a screen. And the 2015 27" retina 5K screen is still unbeatable in 2021, making this very much worth it in my opinion.

Thanks, so true, after many years, the 5K screen is still not that common in the PC market- it's ahead of it's time. My 5K screen already has burn-in from the icons and menus- any fix or hack for this. I wish you can remove the glass screen off the LCD.

Also, I wish there was a hack or adapter to make the 5K iMacs become an external monitor for the  Silicon Macs, just like old times Apple should not get rid of features like that because that reduces waste and pollution and costs. They really don't need any more profit being a US2 trillion company- they need to be more mindful of the environment and costs for customers at that level.

I was considering the OWC upgrade too with the NVME SSD but I think I remember it wasn't compatible with the 5K 2015 iMac with Fusion Drive- I could be wrong.

Stay safe, God bless, world.

 

[tah18]

Fully agree about wanting to use it as an external (target) display! Had I been able to do this, I would have skipped all of this and just attached it to a brand new Mac Mini. Oh well, it was a fun exercise and now we have two computers instead of one, which we really needed anyway.

 

[chrisdazzo]

Not sure if I already posted this elsewhere, but... I did the OWC upgrade from HDD to SSD, and it's fast af, but holy crap, the adhesive they use is not OEM and I cannot recommend the OWC kit unless you want a broken display.

After removing the display and completing the SSD install myself (Dec 16, 2020), I opened my office (Jan 02, 2021) after hearing a "thud" to see my 27" iMac's display had fallen off and shattered! Nearly ripped the display connector off the mobo, too! I called OWC, explained the situation, and took them up on their warranty offer in which they graciously offered to pay for the iMac's repairs - granted I sent it to their facility in Illinois. I had the iMac back in a matter of days with a new display and adhesive, despite the mic array becoming newly-muffled. I'm guessing a sub-standard install or wrong adhesive strips (I read some adhesive strips require cutting if they're not specifically made for the 2019+ models).

Not 60 days later (Feb 17, 2021), the display started coming away from the chassis again. Large gaps, enough to fit a penny in (on top at least). After contacting OWC once more, trying to convince them to use an actual AASP locally instead of sending the iMac in a second time (I developed trust issues), and being denied, I opted to pay the $125 to my local AASP to use the proper OEM adhesive and called it a day. Good since then, despite the AASP installing the screen 1-1.5mm to the left.

Woof. Install with caution, y'all.

 

[Alvin777]

Blade + HDD upgrade

Device: Retina 5K, Late 2015 - MK482LL/A - iMac17,1 - A1419 - 2834 (i5-6600 w 2TB Fusion)
Blade upgrade: 128GB -> 512GB Samsung 970 Evo
HDD upgrade: 2TB drive -> 1TB Crucial MX500 SSD
CPU upgrade: N/A
Speed test: 2800 MB/s read, 2500 MB/s write
OS: Big Sur 11.5.2
Location: Malaysia, Asia
Adapter: Utake, I also bought FUN (I think they are Sintech clone). Used Utake (works), FUN (for backup, did not try)
Issues after fresh OS install: surprisingly the sleep issue is not present, HDD does not need the thermal sensor.

Hi Oscar. I'm making last minute readings before I commit, so I can visualize all the steps as possible for the DIY upgrade and there'd be no surprises. I noticed your HDD upgrade with the Crucial MX500 SSD doesn't need the temperature sensor from OWC/Macsales? How come?

By the way, a few days ago, the last part the Apple OEM adhesive (the one Apple uses) finally arrived, it all took about 21 days total to wait for the parts. I'm ready to DIY upgrade this Late 2015 5K iMac but I wish I was more diligent in backup up my Boot Camp volume which I'm having problems with (Winclone won't get permitted by macOS Big Sur even though I'm already the Admin), also there's a bit hesitation now to open, having seen some disassembly (where one guy even upgraded his CPU from an i5 to an i7) lol but I will for sure.

When I do, I plan to put an external monitor, so I can test without needing to plug the 5K monitor while I do tests. I'm having thoughts if I should have a 1TB NVME SSD and keep the 2TB hard drive in place (but split, not as fusion) to use as Boot Camp, but it'll be more expensive to back it up, or install another 1TB hard disk from my Late 2009 iMac in place of the 2TB (which would be more cost-effective to backup) but I don't know if has the built-in temperature sensor. I still have other SATA hard disks one of each: 160GB, two 80GBs (1 is IDE). I was thinking if I could make a DIY with a PC computer and put all the hard rives there.

Does anyone know if it's possible to do the NAS using a PC using CAT5?

Pray, fast and hope, I get to DIY upgrade this already, life is short, time is the most important resource of all.

God bless, Revelation 21:4

 

[mbosse]

Hi Oscar. I'm making last minute readings before I commit, so I can visualize all the steps as possible for the DIY upgrade and there'd be no surprises. I noticed your HDD upgrade with the Crucial MX500 SSD doesn't need the temperature sensor from OWC/Macsales? How come?

By the way, a few days ago, the last part the Apple OEM adhesive (the one Apple uses) finally arrived, it all took about 21 days total to wait for the parts. I'm ready to DIY upgrade this Late 2015 5K iMac but I wish I was more diligent in backup up my Boot Camp volume which I'm having problems with (Winclone won't get permitted by macOS Big Sur even though I'm already the Admin), also there's a bit hesitation now to open, having seen some disassembly (where one guy even upgraded his CPU from an i5 to an i7) lol but I will for sure.

When I do, I plan to put an external monitor, so I can test without needing to plug the 5K monitor while I do tests. I'm having thoughts if I should have a 1TB NVME SSD and keep the 2TB hard drive in place (but split, not as fusion) to use as Boot Camp, but it'll be more expensive to back it up, or install another 1TB hard disk from my Late 2009 iMac in place of the 2TB (which would be more cost-effective to backup) but I don't know if has the built-in temperature sensor. I still have other SATA hard disks one of each: 160GB, two 80GBs (1 is IDE). I was thinking if I could make a DIY with a PC computer and put all the hard rives there.

Does anyone know if it's possible to do the NAS using a PC using CAT5?

Pray, fast and hope, I get to DIY upgrade this already, life is short, time is the most important resource of all.

God bless, Revelation 21:4

Hi:

Every SSD has a built-in temperature sensor, just with the older iMacs Apple commissioned special versions of their HDDs which used even an additional cable to read their temperature data (see 2009-2011 iMacs). Not necessary with the iMacs Late 2012 and later in combination with a quality SSD (Samsung, Crucial, SanDisk, WD) as has been reported in this thread so maaaany times. OWC is of course happy to sell you an expensive part which in reality you don’t need.

Using an external screen to test the success of your upgrade before sealing it is a good idea, I think.

Magnus

 

[oscarchd]

Hi Oscar. I'm making last minute readings before I commit, so I can visualize all the steps as possible for the DIY upgrade and there'd be no surprises. I noticed your HDD upgrade with the Crucial MX500 SSD doesn't need the temperature sensor from OWC/Macsales? How come?

By the way, a few days ago, the last part the Apple OEM adhesive (the one Apple uses) finally arrived, it all took about 21 days total to wait for the parts. I'm ready to DIY upgrade this Late 2015 5K iMac but I wish I was more diligent in backup up my Boot Camp volume which I'm having problems with (Winclone won't get permitted by macOS Big Sur even though I'm already the Admin), also there's a bit hesitation now to open, having seen some disassembly (where one guy even upgraded his CPU from an i5 to an i7) lol but I will for sure.

When I do, I plan to put an external monitor, so I can test without needing to plug the 5K monitor while I do tests. I'm having thoughts if I should have a 1TB NVME SSD and keep the 2TB hard drive in place (but split, not as fusion) to use as Boot Camp, but it'll be more expensive to back it up, or install another 1TB hard disk from my Late 2009 iMac in place of the 2TB (which would be more cost-effective to backup) but I don't know if has the built-in temperature sensor. I still have other SATA hard disks one of each: 160GB, two 80GBs (1 is IDE). I was thinking if I could make a DIY with a PC computer and put all the hard rives there.

Does anyone know if it's possible to do the NAS using a PC using CAT5?

Pray, fast and hope, I get to DIY upgrade this already, life is short, time is the most important resource of all.

God bless, Revelation 21:4

yup, from what i read, there's no need for the sensor. some ppl also reported that they just use the sata Y cable to make it work.

maybe u dont need to backup the boot camp? just do a fresh install? lol

i'm actually thinking to upgrade my i5 6600 to i7 6700k, but looking at the 2nd hand price, still not worth the money.

if budget allowed, i think u should upgrade the hdd as well. hdd lifespan is very short, after 5 years, u should be cautious about getting bad sectors. do upgrade it to ssd, since price is quite cheap nowadays.

u can diy a nas with old pc hardware, just need correct environment, eg. openmediavault, etc... i'm actually using a raspberry pi 4 with omv as a small server for some services...

i just messed up my apple magic keyboard due to spacebar stuck... tried to pry open the spacebar key and i think i messed up the hook, not too sure anyone can fix it or not... maybe it's time for a new keyboard

God Bless you.

 

[Alvin777]

Hello MacRumor and iMac SSD DIY friends.

Last Thursday, I was ready to open the iMac (Late 2015 5K) but I had to trim down Boot Camp so it fits in my backup drive for it using Winclone (recommend other Boot Camp back up apps, preferably free for Big Sur), so I used a Windows EaseUS which destroyed the fusion between the Apple SSD and the hardisk (2TB) so there was no more macOS to boot from even the Recovery Mode was gone (not erased but I think the directory was messed up by the resizing). For 7 days, I tried (from 4am to 11pm usually w/ other errands and breaks), fusing them again to get them back to normal coz' it might hinder the upgrade as what happened here, coz' the hardisk was still fused to the old SSD. Trying everything (reset SMC/PRAM, Safe mode, Internet Recovery, Hardware Diagnostics which was fine- no issues, etc.) to make macOS see the Apple SSD so I can do the diskutil resetFusion command (Disk Utiliy nor Terminal can't see the Apple SSD):

https://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View...+from+Fusion+Drive+after+upgrading+HDD+to+SSD

But, I had yesterday I just had to fresh install Big Sur then transfer the back up from Time Machine and then reinstall Boot Camp (it's a lot of time but lots learned as well) Windows, praying that Windows would see Apple SSD coz' it was a Windows app that destroyed the fusion of the Fusion drive.

I downloaded every recommended app that's related to storage but the most basic Windows tools like Disk Management, Device Manager and DiskPart could see an unknown meaning no description, Disk 1. Could this be the Apple SSD? 4 Windows tools/apps detected it, but EaseUS and HardwareInfo did. If anyone has a Late 2015 iMac with Fusion drive, with Boot Camp perhaps you can check if Disk 1 is indeed the Apple Blade SSD. I'm ok with the Fusion splitting as long as I have both the SSD and hardisk back:

not, it only saw the hardisk (just one drive). Should I initialize Disk 1 using Disk Management. Please advice:

 

[CrashZilla]

Hi, I am using an iMac (27-inch, Retina 5K, Late 2014) which has the 1TB Fusion Drive and the i5. I am planning to upgrade my mac with the Samsung 860 EVO 1TB SSD SATA and the i7-4790K to make it run faster, so is it possible to use the Samsung 970 EVO Plus to work on it? I heard it needs the latest firmware while it is plugged it with the special adapter. Has anyone tested the Samsung 970 EVO Plus SSD blade on an iMac (27-inch, Retina 5K, Late 2014)? If not, what could be a great substitute to use it?

 

[mbosse]

Hi, I am using an iMac (27-inch, Retina 5K, Late 2014) which has the 1TB Fusion Drive and the i5. I am planning to upgrade my mac with the Samsung 860 EVO 1TB SSD SATA and the i7-4790K to make it run faster, so is it possible to use the Samsung 970 EVO Plus to work on it? I heard it needs the latest firmware while it is plugged it with the special adapter. Has anyone tested the Samsung 970 EVO Plus SSD blade on an iMac (27-inch, Retina 5K, Late 2014)? If not, what could be a great substitute to use it?

Just look at the list of upgrades in the first post of this thread… should work fine.

I’d update your iMac to the latest macOS software updates before you change the SSD in order to get the newest firmware. Also, the Samsung SSD should have a new firmware installed, but all recently sold already have.

Good luck!
Magnus

 

[CrashZilla]

I am running on macOS Big Sur Version 11.6.

I found some ssd blades that could work on my iMac:
Intel 660P 1TB
1TB Samsung Evo 970 (Either Standard or Plus versions)

Also, will the WD Black SN7500 1TB ssd blade work on the iMac 27-in Late 2014?