Hi all, new to the forum (but not MAC) So if you order a new 2019 27" iMac with a 1 TB ssd do they leave the hard drive (SATA) portion in there, or do they gut it. TIA for the help.
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If Order iMac with ssd , what happens to the fusion drive
- Thread starter sleeperjeff
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I’m a newbie, so someone else can confirm, but I’m pretty certain they leave the SATA connector in there, even if you configure for SSD only at point of purchase.
I called them after i posted and they said it would only have the ssd, pretty sure the SATA connection would still be on there like you said. Could open it up and put a SATA ssd in there.
If you order an iMac with an SSD, you GET an SSD inside.
If yo order an iMac with a [standard] fusion drive, you get TWO drives inside:
- small blade SSD
and
- large platter-based HDD
They are different computers and I wouldn't be surprised if the motherboards may have different connections.
They DO NOT "take out the fusion drive" and then put an SSD in.
It is built with the SSD "from the beginning".
But tell me...
What are you worrying about such things for?
If yo order an iMac with a [standard] fusion drive, you get TWO drives inside:
- small blade SSD
and
- large platter-based HDD
They are different computers and I wouldn't be surprised if the motherboards may have different connections.
They DO NOT "take out the fusion drive" and then put an SSD in.
It is built with the SSD "from the beginning".
But tell me...
What are you worrying about such things for?
I'll tell you why my friend....
I know that the fusion drive is 2 separate components. My thought was that instead of them having to create 2 versions of the motherboard (in the beginning), they would just install the larger SSD and leave it at that. Then if I bought it I could install a SATA SSD in the open slot. But it's not so. Thats done in the auto industry where they leave empty connections in the base models and can just make one wiring harness for all. (Like the fancy towing mirrors that have slots for cameras and sensors etc.
Thanks for your reply.
I went for the loaded MAC Mini anyhow
I know that the fusion drive is 2 separate components. My thought was that instead of them having to create 2 versions of the motherboard (in the beginning), they would just install the larger SSD and leave it at that. Then if I bought it I could install a SATA SSD in the open slot. But it's not so. Thats done in the auto industry where they leave empty connections in the base models and can just make one wiring harness for all. (Like the fancy towing mirrors that have slots for cameras and sensors etc.
Thanks for your reply.
I went for the loaded MAC Mini anyhow
From my reading of EveryMac: "How do you upgrade the hard drive or SSD in the "Tapered Edge" Aluminum iMac models? What type of storage do they support? Is it even possible to upgrade the storage?"
I got the impression that the 6Gbps SATA connector would always be present whatever hard disk option you configure at purchase, even if it is SSD only (that Apple put on the PCIe connector) and not a Fusion Drive set up. This is important to know, because it means if you configure PCIe SSD only it would still be possible to add SATA SSD storage later, that is probably more reliable and cheaper than an aftermarket PCIe SSD blade would be, if you want to increase your internal storage or the original drive fails.
Does anyone know a definitive answer to this??
The only issue highlighted in the article above was that HDD only iMacs DO NOT come with a PCIe slot, only Fusion Drive and SSD drive models do. So if you order an HDD iMac and later decide to upgrade to SSD, your only option is to get SATA SSD and connect it to the 6Gbps SATA connector, and there is no secondary storage option.
I got the impression that the 6Gbps SATA connector would always be present whatever hard disk option you configure at purchase, even if it is SSD only (that Apple put on the PCIe connector) and not a Fusion Drive set up. This is important to know, because it means if you configure PCIe SSD only it would still be possible to add SATA SSD storage later, that is probably more reliable and cheaper than an aftermarket PCIe SSD blade would be, if you want to increase your internal storage or the original drive fails.
Does anyone know a definitive answer to this??
The only issue highlighted in the article above was that HDD only iMacs DO NOT come with a PCIe slot, only Fusion Drive and SSD drive models do. So if you order an HDD iMac and later decide to upgrade to SSD, your only option is to get SATA SSD and connect it to the 6Gbps SATA connector, and there is no secondary storage option.
Here are the relevant excerpts:
" For the 21.5-Inch and 27-Inch "Mid-2017" and "2019" iMac models, both support a 7 mm tall SATA III (6 Gb/s) hard drive for the primary storage, but the 21.5-Inch models use a 2.5" hard drive and the physically larger 27-Inch models use a 3.5" hard drive. All of these 27-Inch models are equipped by default with a "Fusion Drive" and the corresponding small "blade" SSD via a PCIe connector. As first noted by OWC, if the 21.5-Inch models are not equipped with a "Fusion Drive" at the time of system purchase, this secondary storage PCIe connector is not present. "
" * If equipped with an SSD or a "Fusion Drive" at the initial point of purchase, these models will have a connector present for a PCIe-based "blade" SSD. If they are not equipped with an SSD or a "Fusion Drive" when purchased new, the connector is not present, and secondary storage cannot be added later. "
" Remember that if a blade SSD was not installed in the 21.5-Inch models at the time of purchase, it will not have the needed connector to install a blade SSD. It still is quite possible to swap out the hard drive and replace it with an SSD of equivalent physical size, though. "
Thanks jam2! Makes sense to me.
I have the late 2015 21.5" with the SSD and according to OWC you CANNOT upgrade it with their fast blade drive (Aura) and also if your machine did NOT have a HDD or fusion from the factory you can't use ANY of their SSDs. So I'm stuck which is why I come up with these questions.
I decided to go with the 2018 Mini and external monitor (I'm gonna do the RAM upgrade myself) rather than deal with opening up an iMac for user upgrades. I do digital audio stuff but I'm not needing great graphics support (not a gamer or video editor).
I have the late 2015 21.5" with the SSD and according to OWC you CANNOT upgrade it with their fast blade drive (Aura) and also if your machine did NOT have a HDD or fusion from the factory you can't use ANY of their SSDs. So I'm stuck which is why I come up with these questions.
I decided to go with the 2018 Mini and external monitor (I'm gonna do the RAM upgrade myself) rather than deal with opening up an iMac for user upgrades. I do digital audio stuff but I'm not needing great graphics support (not a gamer or video editor).
OK someone put up a video of a 2019 27" 512 SSd. They pulled the 512 and replaced it it with a 2TB sabrent SSD using a small adapter for the apple proprietary m.2 PCIe slot. There was NO HDD or SATA cable in there but was not mentioned or shown if the SATA connector for it was present on the motherboard.
Spoke with a mac upgrades place this morning and they told me that, of the 2012 to 2017 iMac models they’ve looked at they all have a SATA socket on the motherboard, but with the SSD only configured models, if you wanted to install a SATA SSD you’d need to add a proprietary Apple cable and power cord connector. On the 27 inch there is no bracket for a hard drive but on the 21.5 there is a bracket as it is built into the structure.
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Very nice. If you could buy that cable somewhere. In the video there was only the left side bracket (as viewed from the top down with the machine lying flat in front of you ). The right side bracket that is screwed in was not installed.
The gentleman who made the video responded to my comments and he said there WAS a bracket for a "fusion drive" (he was referring to the HDD) but I only saw the one side as I described. He did agree that he could have ordered it with the fusion and had a spare HDD after the mod was done.
Here's the link to youtube:
Here's the link to youtube: