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

[Terraaustralis]

Sorry Riley,
I do not understand what you mean by
‘I used the Samsung driver iso to make a bootable usb,’
What is iso and how did you use it specifically?

 

[sdean7855]

An upgrade I want to do, details.
iMac , High Sierra has an Apple 500GB blade, no HDD. When I open it up, will have the circuitry, pinout and cabling to attach a 2.5" SSD? This is a late 2013iMac running High Sierra, i7, 27" 14,2. Help!

 

[Terraaustralis]

Hi Guys,

I said living dangerously sort of tounge in cheek. We know hard drives eventually fail but pretend spinning disks will last forever. SSD on the other hand we KNOW will die one day when they run out of writes, and yet we use them anyway. Two SSD fusioned together increases the odds the combination will die, and then there's who knows how many writes burned through by the algos moving data back and forth optomizing. The fusion combo will certainly wear out/die sooner than either drive alone, but by the time that happens we'll be a couple of upgrade cycles down the road.

I used the Samsung driver iso to make a bootable usb, then booted the iMac and let it update the NVME drive back when I was trying to get it to boot the machine. Rebooted from external usb drive and formatted the SS with disk utility. SS worked great read/write but was never able to boot so I ordered an external case for it.


EDIT: I've answered the next post by editing here rather than continue to hijack this thread with off topic posts.

Intel based macs are basically just UEFI pcs. They're really really really nice UEFI pcs, but under the hood windows and Linux don't care. If you completely nuke MacOS from a machine and start it up with a boot cd/dvd or thumb drive you can install windows or linux and pretend it's a Dell if you feel like it.

Knowing that, Samsung distributes a cd image, an ISO, on their drivers download page which will boot a mac/pc and update the NVME or SATA firmware.

*As an aside, the 2009-2011 era iMacs where it's getting harder and harder to install a current version of MacOS can be nuked and turned into a lovely W10 or Linux machine. Couple of 'em at work were finally ready to be put out to pasture but I cleaned the heatsinks out and made 'em into dual boot win10/Linux boxes. The guys at work that have to use Fusion360 weren't thrilled at first but they quickly fell in love with the 27" screens all over again.

A bootable thumb drive usually has just a GPT partition table and a fat32 partition. Easy to create in disk utility. I opened the ISO and copied all the files to the thumb drive fat32 partition. Easy as pie. Then rebooted the mac while holding down the option key and when the "pick a device to boot from" screen came up selected the usb thumb drive. It booted into what looked like a tiny version of Linux, asked if we're really sure about this update, waited for me to hit y, then flashed the firmware and rebooted. Takes all of maybe 5 mins start to finish. Different ISOs but same process for the 970 NVME and my 2TB Samsung 870 EVO sata drive.

 

[Terraaustralis]

Hi Riley,
Thank you for the clarification. very important as I did not know or see a disc image/iso on offer on Samsung page and was mystified how you got a .exe file read by mac os. I have since observed from a YouTube video that Terminal will read the .exe driver file if selected through diskutil.

 

[vilart]

When I changed a 128GB drive to 1024GB, I also thought about replacing the standard HDD with an SSD (Micron 5100 Eco 1.92Tb is like a server drive and probably almost indestructible in home use), but there is such a TRIM procedure. How it will work out, you need to turn it on forcibly, and this is a "crutch". I don't feel like it.))) Well, from personal experience, HDDs die sooner or later, but they do it gradually. Then the file opens for a long time, the top does not come off, slow work as a whole, as if the system is trying to read this or that part of the disk - and this is the message to you, pay ATTENTION, I'm sick and dying.
You start to disassemble and here it is happiness the files are saved, maybe not all. With an SSD, the situation is the opposite. He dies without raising a flag.
Was on order. The client wrote applications for IOS and Android, a programmer. New computer on windows. An update came to the system and a reboot was needed, he postponed until the end of the working day. Finished the working day and with a clear conscience rebooted the computer and left. The morning corp did not boot. The BIOS message "No bootable device" hung. This happens when the main boot area is corrupted, but this is purely a software bug in most cases. But not in this. The BIOS of the company did not see the disk. The disc went to the land of lost things. What it is connected with is not clear, windows update - what he did not like.
One of the SSD manufacturers also had similar problems. Under certain conditions, the disk firmware blocked access to the disk. With the support service, this was explained by an error in the firmware of the disk and was changed under warranty. The information has been lost.
Somehow I watched a video about server wilds. So, in order for the 8GB database to work normally, they put the disk on 240GB.
Here's a chatterer, sorry.)))

 

[Terraaustralis]

When I changed a 128GB drive to 1024GB, I also thought about replacing the standard HDD with an SSD (Micron 5100 Eco 1.92Tb is like a server drive and probably almost indestructible in home use), but there is such a TRIM procedure. How it will work out, you need to turn it on forcibly, and this is a "crutch". I don't feel like it.))) Well, from personal experience, HDDs die sooner or later, but they do it gradually. Then the file opens for a long time, the top does not come off, slow work as a whole, as if the system is trying to read this or that part of the disk - and this is the message to you, pay ATTENTION, I'm sick and dying.
You start to disassemble and here it is happiness the files are saved, maybe not all. With an SSD, the situation is the opposite. He dies without raising a flag.
Was on order. The client wrote applications for IOS and Android, a programmer. New computer on windows. An update came to the system and a reboot was needed, he postponed until the end of the working day. Finished the working day and with a clear conscience rebooted the computer and left. The morning corp did not boot. The BIOS message "No bootable device" hung. This happens when the main boot area is corrupted, but this is purely a software bug in most cases. But not in this. The BIOS of the company did not see the disk. The disc went to the land of lost things. What it is connected with is not clear, windows update - what he did not like.
One of the SSD manufacturers also had similar problems. Under certain conditions, the disk firmware blocked access to the disk. With the support service, this was explained by an error in the firmware of the disk and was changed under warranty. The information has been lost.
Somehow I watched a video about server wilds. So, in order for the 8GB database to work normally, they put the disk on 240GB.
Here's a chatterer, sorry.)))

Appreciate the comments Vilart. I have used Macs continuously since 1992 and never had an HDD problem. I have favoured Seagate Barracuda and they are still running in my old G4.
So the message about regular backups means in the SSD age, Time Machine will be our saviour!

 

[Terraaustralis]

Appreciate the comments Vilart. I have used Macs continuously since 1992 and never had an HDD problem. I have favoured Seagate Barracuda and they are still running in my old G4.
So the message about regular backups means in the SSD age, Time Machine will be our saviour.

Device: Early 2019 - 19.1 - MRR12LL/A (3.7GHz i5-9600, Fusion 2TB HDD + 128GB blade)
Blade upgrade: 128GB Blade -> Samsung SSD 970 Pro 512GB
HDD upgrade: 2TB SATA HDD -> N/A (Fusion drive completely removed)
Speed test: see below
OS: Catalina 10.15.3
Adapter: Adapter: Sintech ST-NGFF2013-C + EKWB Heatsink
Location: South Africa
Temperature sensor: none
Issues after install: None.

Installation performed by Apple Service Provider.

Hi Kretek,
I am considering the an upgrade on the same 19.1 iMac you own with a Samsung EVO Plus 2TB. There are several posts confirming that with an EVO Plus NVMe, TRIM checking progressively increases startup time. But all the posts were on earlier models (2017 or 2015).
I would very much appreciate learning whether your speed performance has remained constant since your upgrade? Perhaps you would upload Black Magic Speed readings which would be helpful to know what to expect.

Best Wishes,
Terraaustralis

 

[rc3105]

With the Intel SSDs there's no need for a firmware update, better speed, Trim works out of the box, Trim doesn't slow things down as the drive ages, and you don't have to bypass MacOS System Integrity to enable it (csrutil disable).

*Plus, Intel didn't dump 4 million gallons of sulfuric acid in a creek 2 miles from my house like Samsung did.

 

[Terraaustralis]

With the Intel SSDs there's no need for a firmware update, better speed, Trim works out of the box, Trim doesn't slow things down as the drive ages, and you don't have to bypass MacOS System Integrity to enable it (csrutil disable).

*Plus, IBM didn't dump 4 million gallons of sulfuric acid in a creek 2 miles from my house like Samsung did.

Thanks Riley.
I am not dismissing Intel 670 altogether and I recognise you clearly appreciate the upgrade process better than I do. Comparing the two, Writes are much lower and TBW much lower with Intel. Reliability explanation below:

Regarding QLC/TLC, according to Pure Storage:
Reliability: Because they have sixteen different voltage levels, compared to TLC’s eight, QLC SSDs are usually less reliable than TLC SSDs because the smaller difference between the voltage levels make the read process more sensitive to noise, leading to a higher bit error rate.
Performance: QLC SSDs are generally slower than TLC SSDs because they have eight more voltage levels, each of which needs to be checked and translated back to bits when reading data.
Endurance: The more charge levels an SSD has, the fewer P/E or write cycles it can support. Thus, QLC SSDs have lower write endurance than TLC SSDs.
QLC SSDs can store more data than TLC SSDs and they also cost less. However, they don’t perform as well or last as long, and they can be more error-prone. TLC SSDs perform better and last longer than QLC SSDs but store less data and cost more.

Of course for day to day use this information is not discernable. But it does seem logical to spend for maximum reliability if possible.

I would like to follow the Samsung question to its ultimate conclusion as a matter of personal satisfaction. The info may help others as well.

•What has IBM got to do with anything - did you mean Intel? I hope US environmental law prosecutes Samsung accordingly!

 

[rc3105]

Installing a Samsung was a pain.

Installing Intel was easy.

In my benchmarks on the same machine 2TB Intel was significantly faster. I have terabyte Intel ssds going on 5 years old now with no loss of performance so I'm not worried about the 2TBs slowing down.

Lower overall write lifetime is a little disappointing but we should all be several upgrade cycles along before that ever crops up.

 

[Terraaustralis]

Installing a Samsung was a pain.

Installing Intel was easy.

In my benchmarks on the same machine 2TB Intel was significantly faster. I have terabyte Intel ssds going on 5 years old now with no loss of performance so I'm not worried about the 2TBs slowing down.

Lower overall write lifetime is a little disappointing but we should all be several upgrade cycles along before that ever crops up.

Hi Riley,
You make your case well and I certainly do not disagree. As I said, I like to follow through on each and every detail before making a decision.
I hope to make a decision in the New Year when I expect to see a few more Gen 3 price reductions happening as we get closer to launch of more Gen 5 Gear in 2023. Meanwhile you have greatly helped me understand process and options.
Best Wishes,
Terraaustralis.

 

[SketchyClown]

Hi SketchyClown,
An interesting result. I understood a Fusion Drive HAD to comprise SSD and HDD. How did you configure your two SSD and call it Fusion. Surely you broke Fusion before installing and configuring the SSD’s. So after installation what did you do, go into Terminal to configure them as Fusion ?

I am contemplating an upgrade but I would imagine combining two SSD’s would result in the faster NVME drive being being reduced by the SATA SSD slower drive.

I also would be hesitant to combine two SSD’s as the failure of one ensures all data is lost from both. I cannot see an upside?

That said, I would be interested to see your speed with each individual SSD drive run seperately. I would expect better results. This is a most interesting experiment.

Cheers,
Terraaustralis

@Terraaustralis a Fusion Drive can be comprised of either.

You DO use the Terminal to recreate the Fusion drive. Using the diskutil resetFusion command, macOS will detect your drives and automatically configure the blade drive as the primary (faster) drive and the SATA as the slave.

There is no difference of combining 2 SSD's or a SSD/HDD combo, failure of either scenario results in data loss. That's why rule #1 is to have a backup.

I tested the speed of the blade SSD without Fusion and it was the same. This is because Fusion uses the blade until it is full.

 

[SketchyClown]

Create Fusion Drive SSD 860 2TB + SSD nvme 970 Plus 2TB iMac 27 Mid 2017 A1419 speed slow. At the end of the video is a speed test of the Fusion drive.

And here is a test of the original Apple Fusion disc. "Feel the difference"

3TB Fusion Drive Speed Test: Two Years Later • Apple iMac 27" 5K (2017) • Comparison

The first video, the person making the video is the problem from what I can see.

They recreated the fusion drive incorrectly. They put the SATA disk as the primary instead of the NVMe, hence the slow speed.

Using diskutil resetFusion normally eliminates this human error.

 

[Terraaustralis]

This wonderful thread has been really helpful in my upgrade process and I want to give back to it in some capacity, so I'm sharing my own experiences.

Configuration: 2019 27" iMac, 3.0, 1TB FD, 570X.
Upgrade: 1TB FD to Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1TB NVME & remove HDD

I bought a 2019, 27" base model with a fusion drive a while ago because the price was really decent. In fact, just glancing at eBay now shows a number of base- and middle-tier 2019 27" models going for between $850 and $1150 CAD, which is a pretty good deal up here. So I hope this thread encourages more people to renew these models with SSDs and set them up as really solid, usable machines.

Anyway, my own experience couldn't have been better. I ordered a 970 EVO Plus 1TB from Amazon, a Sintech long adapter from Amazon, and some OEM adhesive tape from eBay. Nothing else. And nothing fretted about. The whole retrofit process took about 75 minutes from cutting into the display to starting the reinstallation of macOS. I reviewed much of this thread beforehand and watched a few instructional videos. I encountered no real problems in the upgrade process.

I will try not repeat what has already been shared in this really useful thread, but I will add a few of my own experiences/thoughts. These reflections are coming from a place of casual comfort and familiarity with computers and a career as a hand-worker, so I have a certain sensitivity and patience with technical tasks:

1. I did not find this to be a difficult process. Much has been said about the risks and challenges of replacing the blade drive in these machines. I agree with these sentiments and cautions, but I think that being systematic and patient can make this procedure much more approachable. It is complex, but it is also just a series of steps. Be thorough and patient and organize your work and you'll be fine. Really.

2. The Samsung EVO 970 Plus that I purchased has a manufacturing date of November 2021, so no firmware update was needed. I did not seek out a late model 970, I just ordered whatever was currently in stock. I took it from the box and plugged it into the adapter and then into the machine. That's it. Also, the iMac was updated to the most recent version of Monterey before the procedure. I reused the Apple OEM blade screw. I did not use a heatsink.

3. After reassembly (and using masking tape to temporarily secure the display for testing), I reinstalled macOS Monterey using internet recovery. No bootable USB was used. I just used Command-Option-R to enter Internet Recovery on startup.

I've had absolutely no issues with the machine since (although limited runtime so far), including OS reinstallation, booting, Time Machine data transfer, and general usage. No issues with sleep. Boot time is about 20-30 seconds. In terms of timeline: I started to cut the glass off at about 5:30pm, finished the upgrade and replaced the screen by 6:45pm, reinstalled macOS by 7:30pm and I'm typing out this post on the same (although snappier) machine at about 10:00pm (with a dinner break in there too!).

Happy to keep the thread updated with my experiences as they evolve/change, but am loving the new, snappier experience for now!


Samsung EVO 970 Plus:

Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1TB NVMe M.2 Internal SSD (MZ-V7S1T0/AM) [Canada Version]

For intensive workloads on PCs and workstations, the Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus delivers ultimate performance powered by Samsung's NVMe SSD leadership. The ultimate in performance, the 970 EVO Plus is upgraded to be faster than the 970 EVO. It maximizes the potential of NVMe bandwidth for unbeatabl...

www.amazon.ca

Sintech Adapter:

Sintech NGFF M.2 nVME SSD Adapter Card for Upgrade 2013-2015 Year Macs(Not Fit Early 2013 MacBook Pro)

NOTICE:because too many customers can use it,I suggest you to try it again if your MAC can't detect nVME SSD. Pls notice to insert card fully into SSD slot and you must prepare bootable USB disk(see third point) with High Sierra to format M.2 SSD first, it can't support recover from internet. mai...

www.amazon.ca

Dear Krazy Kanuck,
Like you I have a 2019 K5 iMac 19.1. running Monterey
Reading feedback, I get the impression the Bad Press on Samsung EVO Plus is generally from computers models 2017 and older.
Two questions please:

1. Would you please give me feedback on your 2019 iMac startup experience with the EVO Plus as so many have found TRIM issues progressively slowing down startup times.
2. Also how has the EVO behaved with temperature? I favour using a heatsink as I understand the Controller gets into the 80° territory. What has been your experience with thermals? Maybe fan adjustment manages the issue well?

Your feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

 

[Jefke Peeters]

Crazy... I did exactly the same upgrade in February. I used the same Blade SSD as KrazyKanuck, in the same iMac.
But... after the first OS upgrade my computer started to slow down in booting.
After first install, he booted an empty Monterey in 15 secs. Two months ago, it took almost 3 mins.

Firstly, I hoped Ventura will solve the problem, so I upgraded to Ventura (at night, don't have any idea about the upgrading time). Still, +3 mins boottime.
Next, I made a TimeMachine backup, format the Samsung blade and reinstalled Ventura and my backup.
Boottime was about 25-30 secs.
After the upgrade to Ventura 13.1, he slows down till almost 1 min. So this 970 Evo Plus will be removed as soon as possible.

I already saw some very positive experiences with WD Black blades. They seems to be cheaper compared with last year, so I will order such drive.

 

[Terraaustralis]

Crazy... I did exactly the same upgrade in February. I used the same Blade SSD as KrazyKanuck, in the same iMac.
But... after the first OS upgrade my computer started to slow down in booting.
After first install, he booted an empty Monterey in 15 secs. Two months ago, it took almost 3 mins.

Firstly, I hoped Ventura will solve the problem, so I upgraded to Ventura (at night, don't have any idea about the upgrading time). Still, +3 mins boottime.
Next, I made a TimeMachine backup, format the Samsung blade and reinstalled Ventura and my backup.
Boottime was about 25-30 secs.
After the upgrade to Ventura 13.1, he slows down till almost 1 min. So this 970 Evo Plus will be removed as soon as possible.

I already saw some very positive experiences with WD Black blades. They seems to be cheaper compared with last year, so I will order such drive.

Thanks Jefke.
That seems to absolutely condemn the Samsung Evo Plus as far as far as 19.1 Intel iMac is concerned.
Just one detail Jefke:
to confirm your iMac specs: Krazy Zanuck used a 2019 5K 3.0Ghz. Is that your spec?

I am looking at WD Black awaiting New year deals.
Much appreciate your input.

 

[Jefke Peeters]

I just have the 3,7GHz i5 CPU. Further it's also a 2019 5K 27" machine.

I ordered yesterday the Western Digital Black SN770 1TB. I think I did a good deal with it.

Normally two days at home after New year. Time enough to do the installation.

 

[Terraaustralis]

Crazy... I did exactly the same upgrade in February. I used the same Blade SSD as KrazyKanuck, in the same iMac.
But... after the first OS upgrade my computer started to slow down in booting.
After first install, he booted an empty Monterey in 15 secs. Two months ago, it took almost 3 mins.

Firstly, I hoped Ventura will solve the problem, so I upgraded to Ventura (at night, don't have any idea about the upgrading time). Still, +3 mins boottime.
Next, I made a TimeMachine backup, format the Samsung blade and reinstalled Ventura and my backup.
Boottime was about 25-30 secs.
After the upgrade to Ventura 13.1, he slows down till almost 1 min. So this 970 Evo Plus will be removed as soon as possible.

I already saw some very positive experiences with WD Black blades. They seems to be cheaper compared with last year, so I will order such drive.

I just have the 3,7GHz i5 CPU. Further it's also a 2019 5K 27" machine.

I ordered yesterday the Western Digital Black SN770 1TB. I think I did a good deal with it.

Normally two days at home after New year. Time enough to do the installation.

I have the same computer specs, 2019, 3.7 GHz K5, running Monterey. It had occurred to me that Evo was unhappy with the older 4 core Intel CPU but your experience proves the 6 core do not suit Samsung. I would be curious to find out the reason. I have asked some 19.1 iMac owners to give feedback after their successful installations with Samsung Evo and Evo Plus, but little response so far except for your good self.

Please tell me how you go with the WD Black 770 installation. What did you spend and lets see your speed results.

I await with interest!
Cheers,

 

[Jefke Peeters]

As previously mentioned, I think I will be sure after a successful installation and after an OS update. The beginning of the slow booting times are begun every time after such an OS upgrade.

Normally the WD Black will be delivered today, but installation is scheduled the 2nd of January.

It's widely known that Samsung and Apple aren't the best friends. The many lawsuits speak volumes...
I didn't read anything about other brands with problems with that specific trim issue.
It's also 100% software related, because all OSes before Monterey are not affected.
All this isn't coincidence.

But for me, this SSD was the very last item I ever bought with a Samsung label on it. Samsung gives me always and always troubles.

When the swap is done, I'll be back here.

 

[Terraaustralis]

As previously mentioned, I think I will be sure after a successful installation and after an OS update. The beginning of the slow booting times are begun every time after such an OS upgrade.

Normally the WD Black will be delivered today, but installation is scheduled the 2nd of January.

It's widely known that Samsung and Apple aren't the best friends. The many lawsuits speak volumes...
I didn't read anything about other brands with problems with that specific trim issue.
It's also 100% software related, because all OSes before Monterey are not affected.
All this isn't coincidence.

But for me, this SSD was the very last item I ever bought with a Samsung label on it. Samsung gives me always and always troubles.

When the swap is done, I'll be back here.

Hi Jefke,
I trust your new WD Black SN770 will solve your problems.
I would like to pick up on a couple of comments you made:
1. To say the slow boot is 100% software related may be accurate but it is quite untrue that Mac o/s prior to Monterey a free of this problem. Scan the previous MacRumors contributions for Samsung and you will see the many Macs using various o/s suffer issues including slow start-up.

2. If slow startup is caused by TRIM, according to this article, https://www.crucial.com/articles/about-ssd/what-is-trim, TRIM can be switched off and the NVMe will do its own garbage collection.
This suggests by switching TRIM off in Terminal the EVO Plus may operate OK.

Food for thought.

 

[Terraaustralis]

I can confirm the new 2019 iMac 27” works with a 2TB Samsung 970 EVO NVMe and 1TB Samsung 840 EVO SATA SSD.

To add to the compatible list:
Device: Early 2019 iMac 27” - 19,1 (base model 6-Core 3.0GHz i5 with 1TB Fusion Drive)
Blade upgrade: 32GB Blade -> 2TB Samsung 970 EVO NVMe SSD
HDD upgrade: 1TB SATA HDD -> 1TB Samsung 840 EVO SATA SSD (old model)
Speed test: 2900 MB/s read, 2520 MB/s write
OS: Mojave 10.14.5
Adapter: Sintech ST-NGFF2013-C
Location: Sydney, Australia
Temperature sensor: none
Issues after fresh OS install: none, sleep/wake works fine, no loud fans


Here’s some details of my experiences in case someone else wants to do this:

Parts I used / installed:
2TB Samsung 970 EVO NVMe SSD
1TB Samsung 840 EVO SATA SSD (old model)
Sintech ST-NGFF2013-C long black adapter
EK-M.2 NVMe Heatsink - black
2.5” to 3.5” Metal Bracket
Replacement Adhesive Strips
2x 8GB Crucial 2666MHz SODIMM Memory

Notes:
- The iMac came preinstalled with 10.14.4, Boot ROM version 220.250.368.0.0, SMC version 2.46f12. Before pulling apart I upgraded to 10.14.5 using the combo installer and the Boot ROM version increased to 220.260.170.0.0, SMC remained the same at 2.46f12. Blackmagic reported speeds of 1450MB/s read and 880MB/s write with the Apple blade.

- Removing the screen adhesive was a lot harder than previous models, the bond is much stronger, it took about twice as long to get the screen off... probably because I was being extra cautious.

- I used genuine Apple adhesive strips meant for the 2012-2013 models (I already had them). They fit ok but I did cut them a little to fit perfectly.

- Screws and cable positions were mostly the same as the iFixit guide for 2014-2015 iMacs, but there were a few small differences. You shouldn’t have any troubles finding them.

- I attached a heatsink to the Samsung 970 as I read they get quite hot. The front clip went on easy, the rear clip required a bit of bending with pliers to make it fit as the 970 is a little thicker towards the back. I’ve been monitoring the temperature and so far it hasn’t passed 50 deg C under heavy load, mostly 46-48 deg. Currently idling at 37 deg.

- The Apple screw that holds the blade to the logic board wasn’t long enough to handle the Sintech + Samsung blade, nor was the screw that came with the Sintech adapter, probably because I added a heatsink. Had to rummage through my spare screws to find a longer one. This is very important as without a proper length screw the blade may flick up.

- There is a very thin black cable that comes from the chin of the iMac and attaches to the logic board, approx 2-3 inches to the right of the Apple logo when viewed upright. Be sure to detach and reattach when putting back together. I don’t know what it does but it’s easy to miss.

- I installed my old 1TB SATA SSD using a cheap 2.5” to 3.5” metal bracket. I drilled the side screw holes to make them a little bigger. You don’t have to do this but the Apple screws fit better this way.

- I formatted the 970 drive as APFS (Encrypted)... essentially this is FileVault, so if you format as APFS (what most people would use) your speeds may be slightly higher than mine. In theory I could've created a fusion drive, but I chose to keep them separate as a fusion drive doubles your chances of total data loss in the event of drive failure.

- Installing the memory was a little tricky. You need to push them in quite firmly, and when you put the carriage back in, push the memory in firmly once more. Moving the carriage out again sometimes makes the modules come loose.

- The 970 shows as a grey hard drive icon when holding down Option at startup, so it sees it as an internal drive.

- TRIM is enabled by default for the 970 (NVMe) but not enabled for the 840 (SATA SSD).


Just wanted to say a big thank you to all contributors, the information here has been invaluable. I hope this post helps someone else.

Thank you for the information and helpful notes.
How is your iMac performing now? Any symptoms of slow boot times? Any Sleep issues?
What speed performance are you getting?
I have a similar model 19.1 and am evaluating NVMe SSD options and your feedbac would be valuable.
Many Thanks,

 

[hifitoaster]

My iMac takes forever to boot up since I installed the SSDs. I'm guessing it takes about 5 minutes to boot. Anyone else have this issue?

 

[Terraaustralis]

Hi Hifitoaster,
Please provide specifics; Which SSD; which model computer; what method of installation?
Several people have had slow start-up issues. Take a look at Page 1 of this thread and follow the experience of others.

 

[hifitoaster]

Here is the info about my machine and the install:

Install Date: Apr 28, 2020
Device: Early 2019 - 19.1 - MRR12LL/A (3.0Ghz i5-8500, Fusion 1TB HDD + 32GB blade)
Blade upgrade: 32GB OEM Apple SSD -> Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 500GB (revision 2B2QEXM7)
HDD upgrade : 1TB SATA HDD --> Samsung SSD 860 EVO 1TB
Blade Speed test: 3037 MB/s read, 2753 MB/s write
SATA SSD Speed test: 520MB/s read, 480MB/s write
OS: Upgrade done on Catalina 10.15.4.
Adapter: Sintech ST-NGFF2013

A few years have passed. Now I’m on Ventura 13.0.1. Boot time has been getting quite long.
Boot Time: 5min 21sec

My disk speeds for the nvme drive have decreased quite a bit too. 556 MB/s write and 1279 MB/s read.

Trim Enabler 4 says trim has not been enabled. I'm not 100% certain if that means that TRIM isn't enabled or Trim Enabler wasn't used to enable TRIM. Anyway... Boot time takes super long.

After reading about the issues with Samsung SSDs, I'm tempted to pop in another brand. Or maybe reinstall? It's not THAT big of a deal since I don't reboot that often. Just an annoyance.

 

[Terraaustralis]

Trim Enabler 4 says trim has not been enabled. I'm not 100% certain if that means that TRIM isn't enabled or Trim Enabler wasn't used to enable TRIM. Anyway... Boot time takes super long.

My understanding is TRIM is on by default in Big Sur, Monterey and later. I have not used earlier o/s. Go to ‘About this Mac’ >System Support>NVME Express, and on right side Trim Support should be marked ‘Yes’ which I understand means ‘On’. Or use Terminal: sudo trimforce enable
I have been closely reading submitted reviews and I suspect problems with Samsung EVO Plus are largely the result of unsuitable installation method on 19.1 model iMac.
In your case I note you originally used Catalina. When you installed the NVMe and installed Catalina was your drive formatted HFS or AFPS? Did you insert your NVMe raw, then load O/S from USB installation stick? Or did you Clone the o/s or use Recovery mode?

Apple upgraded Firmware for Monterey 12.6.1 which suits Samsung Evo Plus. Earlier method of installation may explain the incidence of slow start-up and TRIM issues now with Ventura irrespective of firmeware.

I do not have Trim enabler. I use and recommend Silent Night - https://eclecticlight.co/lockrattler-systhist/

This free software offers Firmware, TRIM, EFI and SSV info and much else all in one place. Essential data and Mac update management thrown in.

Please explain your original sequence of installation steps as they may reveal the cause of error. Not nice to reopen iMac but 5 minute start-up is ridiculous. What size is your total system and user account data?