iMac 2013 (and later) with NVME SSD?

[mbosse]

Has anybody here tried to mount a NVME SSD into an iMac (e.g. 2013 and later), as people have done in the nMP (see here: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...vega-internal-gpu-mac-pro-2013-6-1.2085886/)?

I would love to read your experiences (if that is possible at all).

Thanks,
Magnus

 

[ssdaytona]

I will be attempting this on a 2015 imac 27” later in the week. I am just waiting for m2 to Apple 16+12 pin adapter

Note: pre-2015 iMac have pcie 2.0x2 where as the late 2015 iMac have pcie 3.0x4

 

[mbosse]

I will be attempting this on a 2015 imac 27” later in the week. I am just waiting for m2 to Apple 16+12 pin adapter

Note: pre-2015 iMac have pcie 2.0x2 where as the late 2015 iMac have pcie 3.0x4

GREAT - please let me know how it worked out. The different PCIe types just have an impact on the maximum speed, right?

 

[ssdaytona]

GREAT - please let me know how it worked out. The different PCIe types just have an impact on the maximum speed, right?

just completed the install. it works great! here are some pics.

 

[mbosse]

just completed the install. it works great! here are some pics.

WOW - which adapter do you use? Do you use the 970 Pro as boot drive? Any issues with fan control, powering up, or sleep and wake from there? Does TRIM work? Cheers, Magnus

 

[Sackofnickels]

Has anybody here tried to mount a NVME SSD into an iMac (e.g. 2013 and later), as people have done in the nMP (see here: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...vega-internal-gpu-mac-pro-2013-6-1.2085886/)?

I would love to read your experiences (if that is possible at all).

Thanks,
Magnus

Have not tried it on an iMac, but it seems to come down to finding the right combination. Some adapters and SSD's work better than others. Put a EVO 960 pro into a 2014 Mini. Works great, but it took two different adapters before I found one that worked. The same combo did not work well in a 2014 MBA. Would not wake from sleep properly and battery life suffered.

 

[mbosse]

Have not tried it on an iMac, but it seems to come down to finding the right combination. Some adapters and SSD's work better than others. Put a EVO 960 pro into a 2014 Mini. Works great, but it took two different adapters before I found one that worked.

Thanks for sharing your experience, which one worked?

 

[Sackofnickels]

Thanks for sharing your experience, which one worked?

I believe it was from Sintech.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/M2-M-Key-S...A1398-A1502-/222617863013?hash=item33d50f0365

 

[ssdaytona]

so, the drive is very fast and the install wasn't as difficult as I had expected. NOTE: you do not need to take out the entire right speaker. Just loosen it to unplug the cables.

I do have a problem with sleep. This is the first adapter (sintech ST-NGFF2013) that I purchased and I'm still trying to sort things out.

 

[mbosse]

so, the drive is very fast and the install wasn't as difficult as I had expected. NOTE: you do not need to take out the entire right speaker. Just loosen it to unplug the cables.

I do have a problem with sleep. This is the first adapter (sintech ST-NGFF2013) that I purchased and I'm still trying to sort things out.

Thanks again. Please keep us posted. I have a 2 TB Samsung reserved for me already...
[doublepost=1532610191][/doublepost]

so, the drive is very fast and the install wasn't as difficult as I had expected. NOTE: you do not need to take out the entire right speaker. Just loosen it to unplug the cables.

I do have a problem with sleep. This is the first adapter (sintech ST-NGFF2013) that I purchased and I'm still trying to sort things out.

Did you get the ST-NGFF2013-C or the ST-NGFF2013?

 

[ssdaytona]

i purchased the standard ST-NGFF2013. if I can just disable sleep then I would be very happy.

[UPDATE]

I just tried the ST-NGFF2013-C adapter and I still have sleep issues. I suspect it's the 970 Pro ssd. that's too bad. Now, I just need to figure out how to disable sleep completely.

 

[ssdaytona]

well, I just used the following command and it disables deepsleep and just suspends to disk. I suspect the ssd is unable to wake from deepsleep. all is well.

sudo pmset -a hibernatemode 25 standby 0 autopoweroff 0


anyone need a sintech adaptor? I have an extra one

 

[mbosse]

well, I just used the following command and it disables deepsleep and just suspends to disk. I suspect the ssd is unable to wake from deepsleep. all is well.

sudo pmset -a hibernatemode 25 standby 0 autopoweroff 0


anyone need a sintech adaptor? I have an extra one

Thanks for this. Did you measure the heat the Samsung produces? Can you enable TRIM? Thanks, Magnus

 

[ssdaytona]

TRIM is automatically enabled. No temp measurements

 

[Earl Urley]

With 2012-2013 iMacs it's probably less practical as those use SATA-based SSDs.

I believe the 21.5-inch 2015s got the short end of the stick as they only have PCIe 2.0 x2 connectors.

Haven't had a chance to look but I bet the 2015 27-inch iMac BootROM doesn't include the NVMe DXE driver you need to stabilize sleep / hibernate functions.

 

[mbosse]

With 2012-2013 iMacs it's probably less practical as those use SATA-based SSDs.

I believe the 21.5-inch 2015s got the short end of the stick as they only have PCIe 2.0 x2 connectors.

Haven't had a chance to look but I bet the 2015 27-inch iMac BootROM doesn't include the NVMe DXE driver you need to stabilize sleep / hibernate functions.

2013 used PCIe already.

 

[ssdaytona]

hibernation where it writes to disk and powers everything off (hibernatemode 25) works just fine. normal sleep where everything enters a low power state (standard for desktops) does not work. You may be right about the bootrom. How do we find out?

I'm quite happy with it. I just disabled std sleep and everything works great. Restart, shutdown, cold reboot, all work great. It's one of the faster SSDs. I wonder if it's an issue with Samsung nvme drives.

With 2012-2013 iMacs it's probably less practical as those use SATA-based SSDs.

I believe the 21.5-inch 2015s got the short end of the stick as they only have PCIe 2.0 x2 connectors.

Haven't had a chance to look but I bet the 2015 27-inch iMac BootROM doesn't include the NVMe DXE driver you need to stabilize sleep / hibernate functions.

 

[mbosse]

just completed the install. it works great! here are some pics.

You did not use any Kapton tape, correct? You simply installed the SSD in the adapter, and then it worked? Still happy with it?

Today I got my Samsung 970 Evo, the adapter is still in the mail...

Cheers,
Magnus

 

[ssdaytona]

No tape. I just used it bare. Works well and fast. No kernel panics during normal use. I just don’t have any sleep capability.

 

[mbosse]

No tape. I just used it bare. Works well and fast. No kernel panics during normal use. I just don’t have any sleep capability.

Ok, I converted my Late 2013 27" iMac now with a 2 TB Samsung 970 Evo using the Sintech ST-NGFF2013-C adapter. As you said, it is straight forward and without any hassles (except that you have to open the iMac). TRIM is automatically enabled:

I am getting speed rates of slightly below 780 MB/s (both read and write), which is way under the Samsung's nominal performance:

The above speed test was performed directly after installation, so it might be the drive's thermal throttling in action. The iMac however feels blistering fast and the installation was extremely quick as well. What speeds could I expect with the Late 2013 iMac (PCIe 2.0x2)?

Furthermore, SMART data readings is not supported:

As it stands I am not sure whether I keep the setup or whether I switch and install a standard SATA SSD. I am travelling right now so further testings will have to wait.

Thanks,
Magnus

 

[ssdaytona]

I think that's as fast as you'll get with the 2013 iMac


PCIE link speeds...

"A single PCIe 1.0 (or 1.1) lane can carry up to 2.5 Gigatransfers per second (GT/s) in each direction simultaneously. For PCIe 2.0, that increases to 5GT/s, and a single PCIe 3.0 lane can carry 8GT/s."

 

[mbosse]

I think that's as fast as you'll get with the 2013 iMac


PCIE link speeds...

"A single PCIe 1.0 (or 1.1) lane can carry up to 2.5 Gigatransfers per second (GT/s) in each direction simultaneously. For PCIe 2.0, that increases to 5GT/s, and a single PCIe 3.0 lane can carry 8GT/s."

Is it normal that SMART data are not supported? Magnus

 

[ssdaytona]

same with mine. SMART status is not supported

 

[macguru8]

i purchased the standard ST-NGFF2013. if I can just disable sleep then I would be very happy.

[UPDATE]

I just tried the ST-NGFF2013-C adapter and I still have sleep issues. I suspect it's the 970 Pro ssd. that's too bad. Now, I just need to figure out how to disable sleep completely.

Hello ssdaytona. I have a iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2015), I would like to install the Samsung M.2 in your test. Which adapter do you recommend, the standard ST-NGFF2013 OR THE ST-NGFF2013-C? Thanks in advance.

 

[ssdaytona]

either one will work.