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

[jbjo]

Hi All, I stumbled on this thread in the past week. There is a lot to absorb. Thank you to the community for putting this all together! Apologies for any ignorance as I try to get up to speed. I have skimmed this thread and these two other posts:

Apple Proprietary SSDs: Ultimate Guide to Specs & Upgrades | BeetsBlog

Apple’s SSDs are confusing. Are they M.2 drives? What connector do they use? AHCI or NVMe? What drive can I use to upgrade? We have answers. We’ll tell which SSDs work in which MacBook Pros, iMacs, Mac minis and more.

beetstech.com

iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2017) CPU and NVME SSD Upgrade Pitfalls and Tips

iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2017) CPU and NVMe SSD Upgrade Pitfalls and Tips UPDATE: Information regarding upgrading the 2019 27-inch IMac with the Intel i9-9900K CPU and 2TB Samsung 970 EVO NVMe SSD can be found in the post below...

forums.macrumors.com

(a) If there is another resource I should be consulting, please advise.

I want to upgrade a mid-2017 27" iMac (iMac18,3 with fusion drive). Currently, it is running Mojave (10.14).

(b) I want to add a 16TB SATA HHD (Toshiba MG08ACA16TE) and a 4TB SSD. The HHD is purchased. I trust any SATA HHD should work as well as any other but maybe I am being overly simplistic (e.g., power and heat constraints). Any reason to be cautious about this HHD?

(c) For the SSD, I am looking at a few options. One option is the Fleging Feather M13 Turbo 4TB SSD, which has an Apple native connector. As of now, this item is out of inventory. For cards with M.2 connectors, I see a lot of interest in Samsung units. I presume this is because the firmware is well attested and there may also be business relationships that imply continued future stability. To my knowledge, however, Samsung PCIe cards do not go up to 4TB. FastMacs sells 4TB retrofits but, it is unclear which cards they use. Therefore, I am looking at these:

TEAMGROUP MP34 4TB with DRAM SLC Cache 3D NAND TLC NVMe 1.3 PCIe Gen3x4 M.2 2280 Internal SSD
Sabrent 4TB Rocket Q4 NVMe PCIe 4.0 M.2 2280 Internal SSD SB-RKTQ4-4TB
Corsair MP400 M.2 2280 4TB PCI-Express 3.0 x4, NVMe 1.3 3D QLC Internal SSD CSSD-F4000GBMP400

My primary concern in selecting an SSD is firmware compatibility/stability (but also cost and that it be 4TB if possible). I have read that the Fleging SSDs have had some issues with OS upgrades. The company recommends a 6-8 month delay with new major OS releases. While this is not great, it does reflect an open and engaged company. With Sabrent and Corsair, is there any reason to believe we would not be left hanging at some point? I have read positive reports of the Corsair MP400 in 2017 and 2019 27" iMacs:

SOLVED: NVME M.2 SSD with adapter - iMac 27" 2017

First you may want to look at this Vid: 2017 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K Display Unboxing and Teardown jump to the 10:00 time point which shows the PCIe SSD Apple is using. It's very different from the M.2 SSD's. Apple's PCIe NVMe SSD's use a custom device driver so while you might be able to...

www.ifixit.com

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

Blade + HDD + CPU Device: 2019 27” i5 Pro 580x w/3TB Fusion Drive CPU upgrade: i5-9600k --> i9-9900k Blade upgrade: 128GB --> 4TB Corsair MP400 HDD upgrade: 3TB SATA HDD --> 1TB 850 Evo Boot Camp Drive Speed test: 2729 MB/s read, 2871 MB/s write OS: Mojave 10.14.6 M.2 Adapter: Rivo NGFF M.2...

forums.macrumors.com

For that reason alone, I am leaning toward buying a Corsair MP400. Are there reasons to think another card may be a better choice?

(d) For the M.2 adaptor, I have read conflicting accounts of what to use. I trust opinion has evolved over time. Is the "long" Sintech still the recommended adaptor?

(e) The area I am least clear on is heat management. I have read that the OWC in-line thermal sensor on the SATA connector is not recommended for iMacs after 2012 (or there about). For the PCIe SSD, how do I know if (or what type of) heat management (e.g., heat sink) may be advised?

Thank you for any advice you may have!

 

[mbosse]

Hi All, I stumbled on this thread in the past week. There is a lot to absorb. Thank you to the community for putting this all together! Apologies for any ignorance as I try to get up to speed. I have skimmed this thread and these two other posts:

Apple Proprietary SSDs: Ultimate Guide to Specs & Upgrades | BeetsBlog

Apple’s SSDs are confusing. Are they M.2 drives? What connector do they use? AHCI or NVMe? What drive can I use to upgrade? We have answers. We’ll tell which SSDs work in which MacBook Pros, iMacs, Mac minis and more.

beetstech.com

iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2017) CPU and NVME SSD Upgrade Pitfalls and Tips

iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2017) CPU and NVMe SSD Upgrade Pitfalls and Tips UPDATE: Information regarding upgrading the 2019 27-inch IMac with the Intel i9-9900K CPU and 2TB Samsung 970 EVO NVMe SSD can be found in the post below...

forums.macrumors.com

(a) If there is another resource I should be consulting, please advise.

I want to upgrade a mid-2017 27" iMac (iMac18,3 with fusion drive). Currently, it is running Mojave (10.14).

(b) I want to add a 16TB SATA HHD (Toshiba MG08ACA16TE) and a 4TB SSD. The HHD is purchased. I trust any SATA HHD should work as well as any other but maybe I am being overly simplistic (e.g., power and heat constraints). Any reason to be cautious about this HHD?

(c) For the SSD, I am looking at a few options. One option is the Fleging Feather M13 Turbo 4TB SSD, which has an Apple native connector. As of now, this item is out of inventory. For cards with M.2 connectors, I see a lot of interest in Samsung units. I presume this is because the firmware is well attested and there may also be business relationships that imply continued future stability. To my knowledge, however, Samsung PCIe cards do not go up to 4TB. FastMacs sells 4TB retrofits but, it is unclear which cards they use. Therefore, I am looking at these:

TEAMGROUP MP34 4TB with DRAM SLC Cache 3D NAND TLC NVMe 1.3 PCIe Gen3x4 M.2 2280 Internal SSD
Sabrent 4TB Rocket Q4 NVMe PCIe 4.0 M.2 2280 Internal SSD SB-RKTQ4-4TB
Corsair MP400 M.2 2280 4TB PCI-Express 3.0 x4, NVMe 1.3 3D QLC Internal SSD CSSD-F4000GBMP400

My primary concern in selecting an SSD is firmware compatibility/stability (but also cost and that it be 4TB if possible). I have read that the Fleging SSDs have had some issues with OS upgrades. The company recommends a 6-8 month delay with new major OS releases. While this is not great, it does reflect an open and engaged company. With Sabrent and Corsair, is there any reason to believe we would not be left hanging at some point? I have read positive reports of the Corsair MP400 in 2017 and 2019 27" iMacs:

SOLVED: NVME M.2 SSD with adapter - iMac 27" 2017

First you may want to look at this Vid: 2017 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K Display Unboxing and Teardown jump to the 10:00 time point which shows the PCIe SSD Apple is using. It's very different from the M.2 SSD's. Apple's PCIe NVMe SSD's use a custom device driver so while you might be able to...

www.ifixit.com

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

Blade + HDD + CPU Device: 2019 27” i5 Pro 580x w/3TB Fusion Drive CPU upgrade: i5-9600k --> i9-9900k Blade upgrade: 128GB --> 4TB Corsair MP400 HDD upgrade: 3TB SATA HDD --> 1TB 850 Evo Boot Camp Drive Speed test: 2729 MB/s read, 2871 MB/s write OS: Mojave 10.14.6 M.2 Adapter: Rivo NGFF M.2...

forums.macrumors.com

For that reason alone, I am leaning toward buying a Corsair MP400. Are there reasons to think another card may be a better choice?

(d) For the M.2 adaptor, I have read conflicting accounts of what to use. I trust opinion has evolved over time. Is the "long" Sintech still the recommended adaptor?

(e) The area I am least clear on is heat management. I have read that the OWC in-line thermal sensor on the SATA connector is not recommended for iMacs after 2012 (or there about). For the PCIe SSD, how do I know if (or what type of) heat management (e.g., heat sink) may be advised?

Thank you for any advice you may have!

@ (a) update your machine to Monterey first to get the most recent firmware updates- even if you intend to use an older macOS later after your conversion.

@ (b) no experience with tis HDD or even with a drive of that capacity, but I guess its fine.

@ (c) if you look closely the Fledging Feather is just a normal M.2 SSD with an M.2 to Apple adapter...

So there is no specific reason to opt for it. I cannot comment on your other choices but I am sure others have experience.

@ (d) yes, long Sintech.

@ (e) the OWC thermal sensor is not necessary as usually the iMac can ready from the SATA drive. NVMe SSDs run hot so a heatsink is advisable. Use a 3mm one only as the space in the 2017 and 2019 iMacs is quite tight, see here ( #514 ).

Best,
Magnus

 

[jbjo]

Thank you Magnus! Will take a few weeks for me to get to this but, hopefully will have some positive results to share

 

[Backslashnl1]

I ended up getting the 2TB Fusion 2017 27". The specs were much better than the iMac with the 256GB blade (i5 3.8GHz, Radeon Pro 580 8GB, 16GB vs i5 3.4GHz, Radeon Pro 570 4GB, 8GB) and I snagged it for AUD1200 (around US800 I think) which is a decent price for Australia, especially South Australia.

Now deciding on what path to take next; 1TB NVME or 1TB Apple Polaris. The 2017 could be configured with up to 2TB SSD so the Polaris would make the iMac factory spec, especially as I intend to dump the spinning drive. On the other hand, I could add a 1TB WD SN750 and a 1TB MX500 for the same money - double the storage, the main drive would be faster and, as an added bonus, I could have everything in hand within a week.

I've split the fusion drive and am running Monterey on the 128GB blade. My local storage requirements aren't as great as some (networked RAID storage helps there) so I can get away with it for a short while.

Decisions, decisions...

UPDATE: Purchased a genuine "never used" 1TB Polaris from an ebay seller with very good feedback.

This is the item I purchased:

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/144325089832 - a very reasonable $149 USD which became almost $300 AUD by the time shipping and taxes were added. A Fair bit more than the equivalent NVME equivalent but it keeps the iMac "stock".

DriveDX shows the 2TB HDD has a few errors, so it's definitely going in the bin.

Wow, that's a really nice deal for $149. Too bad the shipping and the taxes doubled the price for you...
If you can get a genuine Apple Blade SSD that's always best. Unfortunately it comes with an Apple price tag...

Initially I was sceptic against the advice not to use Samsung M2 SSD's. However.... my boot times have increased with the Samsung 970 EVO plus drive after a couple of months of use. After fresh install the iMac booted in about 22 seconds. Now it is about 50~55 seconds. I've ran the command in terminal:

log show --last boot | grep "trims took"

trims took 29.955314 s

Before I have used the Crucial MX500 Sata SSD for almost a year, which always had a stable boot time around 30 seconds. I'm considering to switch back to use the Crucial Sata SSD as the main boot disk. In real life scenarios I don't really notice the speed difference between the M2 and the Sata SSD.

 

[Amsterdamned]

Wow, that's a really nice deal for $149. Too bad the shipping and the taxes doubled the price for you...

$300 AUD is around $200 USD so not a massive price hike - definitely a LOT better than I've seen them priced at before. Gone are the days when the Australian $ was parity with the US $ :-(

In real life scenarios I don't really notice the speed difference between the M2 and the Sata SSD.

I can fully understand your point of view. Speed is always nice to have but not everyone really needs the 3GB/s that a good NVME can give you - I certainly don't. I'm still undecided on whether or not to add a secondary (SATA) SSD. I wouldn't use it myself so might leave that for the next owner to add.

 

[MBehr2]

Interesting experiences with updating to Monterey. I have a 'candidate' here, a Late 2015 i7 with original factory 256 GB SSD which is one of those that infamously are stuck with older firmware (mine: 170.0.0.0.0.). I had no issues however to update the machine to macOS 12.2 Monterey (from Catalina).

I plan to replace the SSD with a WD SN 750 - will it fail to properly install Monterey?

Thanks,
Magnus

I believe there's a supplemental update for Mojave when I originally did my iMac 2015 with an Apple 512Gb SSD blade upgrade in February 2019 to a WD SN750 NVMe blade. I had to use the "sudo pmset -a hibernatemode 25 standby 0" to prevent wake up errors till Apple updated the boot rom 3 years later in one of the Mojave Supplemental updates. I also updated the CPU and added a data cable, bracket and 1Tb WD SSD.

Here is my history:

EFI Firmware and Boot ROM versions iMac 2015


Model Name: iMac17,1
Processor Name: Intel Core i7
Processor Speed: 4 GHz
Number of Processors: 1
Total Number of Cores: 4
L2 Cache (per Core): 256 KB
L3 Cache: 8 MB
Memory: 32 GB

Model Identifier: iMac17,1

Board ID: iMac-DB15BD556843C820

EFI Version: IM171.88Z.F000.B00.2109250327 October 2021
IM171.88Z.F000.B00.2011032259 December 2020
IM171.88Z.F000.B00.2010192002 November 2020
IM171.88Z.F000.B00.2006161817 November 2020
IM171.88Z.F000.B00.2006161817 July 2020
IM171.88Z.F000.B00.2004240904 June 2020
IM171.88Z.F000.B00.2001311733 April 2020
IM171.88Z.F000.B00.1912161452 January 2020
IM171.88Z.F000.B00.1906171551 November 2019
IM171.88Z.F000.B00.1906171551 September 2019
IM171.88Z.F000.B00.1906171551 August 2019
IM171.88Z.F000.B00.1904111656 May 2019
IM171.88Z.F000.B00.1902141953 March 2019
IM171.88Z.F000.B00.1809251200 February 2019

Boot ROM Version: 447.40.12.0.0 October 2021
429.60.3.0.0 December 2020
429.50.1.0.0 November 2020
428.0.0.0.0 November 2020
428.0.0.0.0 July 2020
178.0.0.0.0 June 2020
176.0.0.0.0 April 2020
175.0.0.0.0 January 2020
170.0.0.0.0 November 2019
170.0.0.0.0 September 2019
170.0.0.0.0 August 2019
166.0.0.0.0 May 2019
164.0.0.0.0 March 2019
161.0.0.0.0 February 2019

SMC Version (system): 2.33f12 October 2021
2.33f12 November 2020
2.33f12 July 2020
2.33f12 April 2020
2.33f10

 

[Andrew149]

Does anyone have a 2015 27” with a 970 pro m2 with the 128gb fusion ssd and the hard drive removed Monterey will not install for me at all I keep getting stuck on the same part. I tried just about everything.

 

[mbosse]

Does anyone have a 2015 27” with a 970 pro m2 with the 128gb fusion ssd and the hard drive removed Monterey will not install for me at all I keep getting stuck on the same part. I tried just about everything.


View attachment 1970788

I assume it's a Late 2015? Did you try updating via the 'Software Update' function? If not, did you try with a USB installation stick?

 

[Andrew149]

I assume it's a Late 2015? Did you try updating via the 'Software Update' function? If not, did you try with a USB installation stick?

I’m using a bootable usb with a iso of Monterey on it.

 

[Andrew149]

I assume it's a Late 2015? Did you try updating via the 'Software Update' function? If not, did you try with a USB installation stick?

Update after talking to my dad who gave up on this late 2015 iMac 27" 5k machine and passed it on to me. It has a Samsung 4tb 980 Evo in its place the HDD was removed and the stock 128GB recovery drive is still installed.

here's what I was trying to overcome my dad got everything repaired and used recovery to restore the machine on big sir and when he went to update Monterey on the machine he had the question mark on reboot. he went back to recovery and tried to restore multiple times over the air and his backups and nothing just completely bricked.

I tried to install a fresh iso with Monterey using a USB drive and I was constantly getting stuck on the apple logo so no good. after hours and hours, I decided to try the Big Sir iso and bamn the mac loaded it just fine. gonna be a daredevil and try updating to Monterey.

 

[mbosse]

Update after talking to my dad who gave up on this late 2015 iMac 27" 5k machine and passed it on to me. It has a Samsung 4tb 980 Evo in its place the HDD was removed and the stock 128GB recovery drive is still installed.

here's what I was trying to overcome my dad got everything repaired and used recovery to restore the machine on big sir and when he went to update Monterey on the machine he had the question mark on reboot. he went back to recovery and tried to restore multiple times over the air and his backups and nothing just completely bricked.

I tried to install a fresh iso with Monterey using a USB drive and I was constantly getting stuck on the apple logo so no good. after hours and hours, I decided to try the Big Sir iso and bamn the mac loaded it just fine. gonna be a daredevil and try updating to Monterey.

Ok, so many question marks here:

(1) you cannot install two blade drives at once in an iMac, so a 4 TB NVMe SSD cannot be installed at same time with original 128 GB Apple SSD;

(2) a ‚Samsung 980 Evo 4 TB‘ does not exist. Samsung currently offers its 980 series of NVMe SSDs as the Standard ‚980‘ or the performance ‚980 Pro‘, but not as a ‚980 Evo’, and all 980 versions top at 2 TB;

(3) so I assume your dad left the original 128 GB Apple SSD and just replaced the FusionDrive HDD with a 4 TB SATA SSD, such as the Samsung 870 Evo 4 TB;

(4) I also assume your Dad might not have a ‚Late 2015‘ iMac but a ‚Mid 2015‘ one which indeed is not compatible with Monterey but with Big Sur (however, it might still be a Late 2015, but, e.g. an impeding graphics card failure prevents it from updating to Monterey);

(5) does your Monterey USB stick work with other compatible macs you have access to?

Thanks for more info!
Magnus

 

[Andrew149]

Ok, so many question marks here:

(1) you cannot install two blade drives at once in an iMac, so a 4 TB NVMe SSD cannot be installed at same time with original 128 GB Apple SSD;

(2) a ‚Samsung 980 Evo 4 TB‘ does not exist. Samsung currently offers its 980 series of NVMe SSDs as the Standard ‚980‘ or the performance ‚980 Pro‘, but not as a ‚980 Evo’, and all 980 versions top at 2 TB;

(3) so I assume your dad left the original 128 GB Apple SSD and just replaced the FusionDrive HDD with a 4 TB SATA SSD, such as the Samsung 870 Evo 4 TB;

(4) I also assume your Dad might not have a ‚Late 2015‘ iMac but a ‚Mid 2015‘ one which indeed is not compatible with Monterey but with Big Sur (however, it might still be a Late 2015, but, e.g. an impeding graphics card failure prevents it from updating to Monterey);

(5) does your Monterey USB stick work with other compatible macs you have access to?

Thanks for more info!
Magnus

So the replacement drive he's installed is a 2.5" Samsung 870 EVO 4tb ssd that replaces the hard drive. the nvme is still the same one that came with the computer. here are pictures I have the iMac up and running on Catalina. I tried to update to Monterey and no success the computer bricked again. the computer is a late 2015 iMac I just uploaded some photos.

sorry for the 980 eve typo I have a 980 on my mind 🤦‍♂️

870 EVO SATA 2.5" SSD 4TB Memory & Storage - MZ-77E4T0B/AM | Samsung US

Discover the latest features and innovations available in the 870 EVO SATA 2.5 inches SSD 4TB. Find the perfect Memory & Storage for you!

www.samsung.com

 

[mbosse]

So the replacement drive he's installed is a 2.5" Samsung 870 EVO 4tb ssd that replaces the hard drive. the nvme is still the same one that came with the computer. here are pictures I have the iMac up and running on Catalina. I tried to update to Monterey and no success the computer bricked again. the computer is a late 2015 iMac I just uploaded some photos.

sorry for the 980 eve typo I have a 980 on my mind

870 EVO SATA 2.5" SSD 4TB Memory & Storage - MZ-77E4T0B/AM | Samsung US

Discover the latest features and innovations available in the 870 EVO SATA 2.5 inches SSD 4TB. Find the perfect Memory & Storage for you!

www.samsung.com

View attachment 1971177
View attachment 1971178
View attachment 1971179

Interesting that the 128 GB does not show under drives. Could you install DriveDx and post a screenshot?

 

[Andrew149]

Interesting that the 128 GB does not show under drives. Could you install DriveDx and post a screenshot?

Yep it’s showing the apple ssd

 

[mbosse]

Yep it’s showing the apple ssd

Can you format it and then try to reinstall Monterey?

 

[Andrew149]

Can you format it and then try to reinstall Monterey?

So, I’ve tried format it when I boot the computer and hold options I believe and you get into utilities and it fails every time.

 

[mbosse]

So, I’ve tried format it when I boot the computer and hold options I believe and you get into utilities and it fails every time.

So you can’t format it?

 

[Andrew149]

So you can’t format it?

Correct I just get errors when I do

 

[mbosse]

Correct I just get errors when I do

Can you photograph the error message?

 

[Andrew149]

Can you photograph the error message?

Let me try it right now and see what happens

 

[Andrew149]

Can you photograph the error message?

 

[mbosse]

Alright, so also when you have Disk Utility set to show you 'all devices' you cannot format it? If so, I really think the drive is gone (also, that DriveDx shows no 'Important Health Indicators' or 'Temperature Information' points to this).

If my experience with a Late 2013 27" iMac is transferable, the fact that the defective drive is still recognised by the system might indeed cause your iMac to crash when trying to update to Monterey. My Late 2013 had a defective HDD (it would make strange noises but nothing else) and only the 128 GB SSD from its FusionDrive was working, and whenever I tried to upgrade from El Capitan to Catalina it would crash or hang exactly like yours.

Only after I opened it and physically disconnected that defective drive it would - then without any hiccup - upgrade its OS.

Hops this helps!

Best,
Magnus

 

[cagri123]

Hi all,
I need some advice on upgrading 24GB blade SSD on my 27" Late 2015 iMac.

Two options I am considering are:
1 - A 1TB SSD + adapter, many reports of successful installation, some negative feedback about adapters
2 - 1TB OWC Aura Pro X2 PCIe NVMe SSD

I like #2 because it eliminates the need for the adapter, however I could only find one report of successful install here: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...-2012-2019-ssd-upgrades.2162435/post-29759775
However, OWC website says 17,1 is not supported hence I am reluctant.

Which option do you recommend? Any other success reports with OWC?

Furthermore, in either option:
1 - Should I still expect crash from sleep issue? Or has this been resolved at some point? I cannot find system boot ROM version on my System Information however System Firmware Version is reported as 447.60.3.0.0, if it is relavant.
2 - There was some mention to bootcamp no longer working after the SSD upgrade. Will I still be able to create a dual-boot Monterey + Windows 10 system? There will also be SATA SSD, I don't mind booting windows from that if it helps, it doesn't have to be on the blade.
3 - Anything else I need to consider before ordering things?

Many thanks,
Ali

 

[Amsterdamned]

I would suggest booting from USB (download Monterey from the App store and create a bootable drive) as you may be attempting to wipe the drive recovery is running from

 

[Andrew149]

I would suggest booting from USB (download Monterey from the App store and create a bootable drive) as you may be attempting to wipe the drive recovery is running from

Yep I already did the whole bootable usb and everything. I just ordered a adapter so I can do my Samsung 980 pro 2tb in the blade slot. And I’ll remove my 4tb ssd.