iMac 2013 (and later) with NVME SSD?

[macguru8]

either one will work.

Thanks, I will do the update when I do the CPU upgrade to the i7-6700K.

I just completed the upgrade. I went with the ST-NGFF2013-C adapter, Samsung 970 EVO 500 GB,
CPU upgrade i7 6700k. attached is my Blackmagic Disk Speed Test.
ssdaytona do you recall the M.2 screw size to screw down the M.2 to the Logic Board?
Thanks

 

[mbosse]

same with mine. SMART status is not supported

Update: thanks to a suggestion from the German Macuser.de forum I was able to read the SMART data - using DriveDx:

Best,
Magnus

 

[MKhan]

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

Hello,ssdaytona !
I have installed the same pcie m.2 Samsung pro 970 , in imac 27 inch late 2013, But the speed is just 756 write and read .
As I saw your screenshot from you , I was expecting similar but it isn’t the same in my case even though I installed ssd evo 860 to replace HDD and made Fusion drive with pcie , But the speed didn’t increase.
Can you give me please some ideas how to make it faster as your ?
Thanks in advance.
MKhan
[doublepost=1540111653][/doublepost]

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

Hello mbosse,
Did you find out why the speed is not going high after installing samsung pcie in imac 2013 ?
If you did find out please let me know because I am facing the same problem like you had 756 w/r speed.

Thanks in advance,
MKhan

 

[mbosse]

Hello,ssdaytona !
I have installed the same pcie m.2 Samsung pro 970 , in imac 27 inch late 2013, But the speed is just 756 write and read .
As I saw your screenshot from you , I was expecting similar but it isn’t the same in my case even though I installed ssd evo 860 to replace HDD and made Fusion drive with pcie , But the speed didn’t increase.
Can you give me please some ideas how to make it faster as your ?
Thanks in advance.
MKhan
[doublepost=1540111653][/doublepost]
Hello mbosse,
Did you find out why the speed is not going high after installing samsung pcie in imac 2013 ?
If you did find out please let me know because I am facing the same problem like you had 756 w/r speed.

Thanks in advance,
MKhan

Similar as yours: about 730 write and 780 read (Samsung 970 Evo 2 TB). This is the limitation of the 2013 architecture. There is no way to get it any faster in the 2013 iMacs.

Magnus

 

[MKhan]

Thanks Mbosse !
About the speed limitation confirmation, Please let me know as well that if I leave it and use like this on this imac, it will make harm to the logic board or not?
Because the logic board of this model is made for 2.0 x2 speed I guess, and the evo 970 pro is 3.0 x4 speed I guess,
So please give me some idea that if I can leave it as like this or I have to swap the original apple blade again,

Regards
MKhan

 

[mbosse]

Thanks Mbosse !
About the speed limitation confirmation, Please let me know as well that if I leave it and use like this on this imac, it will make harm to the logic board or not?
Because the logic board of this model is made for 2.0 x2 speed I guess, and the evo 970 pro is 3.0 x4 speed I guess,
So please give me some idea that if I can leave it as like this or I have to swap the original apple blade again,

Regards
MKhan

I think you can simply leave it as it is. The SSD will run slower than it technically can, that's it.

 

[mikehalloran]

I just tried the ST-NGFF2013-C adapter and I still have sleep issues. I suspect it's the 970 Pro ssd.

No. It's that you don't have a 2015 or later iMac that is designed to run this chip.

Sleep issues in the 2013–14 are solved by running the following in Terminal:

sudo pmset hibernatemode 0 standby 0

or

sudo pmset -a hibernatemode 25 standby 0 autopoweroff 0


Which to run depends on what you want. There are additional choices
http://bendeegan.com/2016/04/19/how-to-make-a-mac-hibernate-properly-and-consistently/

The 2015 has the PCIe 3x4 buss but Apple used PCIe 2 chips in these. Installing a 970 EVO really wakes them up as you have seen. Since a 2T system pull from a MBP is over $1,500 (when you can find one!), the 970 makes a lot of sense.

System pulls of the Apple PCIe 2 128G–1T chip are easy to find and just drop in to the 2012–2014. They will fit perfectly and sleep fine. They're expensive, though, and 2T isn't available. The 970 EVO is available in 2T for around $550–579.99 (list) and you have to run a Terminal command to make them hibernate properly.

 

[mbosse]

No. It's that you don't have a 2015 or later iMac that is designed to run this chip.

Sleep issues in the 2013–14 are solved by running the following in Terminal:

sudo pmset hibernatemode 0 standby 0

or

sudo pmset -a hibernatemode 25 standby 0 autopoweroff 0


Which to run depends on what you want. There are additional choices
http://bendeegan.com/2016/04/19/how-to-make-a-mac-hibernate-properly-and-consistently/

The 2015 has the PCIe 3x4 buss but Apple used PCIe 2 chips in these. Installing a 970 EVO really wakes them up as you have seen. Since a 2T system pull from a MBP is over $1,500 (when you can find one!), the 970 makes a lot of sense.

System pulls of the Apple PCIe 2 128G–1T chip are easy to find and just drop in to the 2012–2014. They will fit perfectly and sleep fine. They're expensive, though, and 2T isn't available. The 970 EVO is available in 2T for around $550–579.99 (list) and you have to run a Terminal command to make them hibernate properly.

Excellent explanation, thanks a lot!

 

[MKhan]

Hi Mike,
Normally Mbosse knows better than me but in my experience I am using adapter from KAELA mark and I have no issue with sleeping,I attached the screenshot of the product if you want to try it.
Hope this will help you .

MKhan

 

[mbosse]

Hi Mike,
Normally Mbosse knows better than me but in my experience I am using adapter from KAELA mark and I have no issue with sleeping,I attached the screenshot of the product if you want to try it.
Hope this will help you .

MKhan

Looks absolutely identical to the Sintech. Do you have your own image? Best, Magnus

 

[mikehalloran]

Not so fast.

I've not heard of a 2013-2014 without the sleep issue after an install of a PCIe 3 x4. Nor have I heard of an adapter that makes it go away. Not saying one doesn't exist but I don't know of any that advertise this as a feature—you think it would.

Did you buy it as an assembly pre-configured with an OS? If so, easy enough to boot and run the Terminal Command.

Is that KALA assembly PCIe 3 x4? The screen shot does not advertise this. If PCIe 2, it will perform the same in a 2012–2014 iMac... but it should go to sleep.

These are guesses; I have no explanation. But the sleep fix is really simple.

 

[MKhan]

No because installed in my Imac but seem identical, i order sintech as well but not yet arrived, in meantime I saw review from YouTube and the sintech adapter was having issue with the sleep, that’s why I went for KAELA which I received quickly and installed, but if there will be some chance to open again my iMac so I will take the actual image and post it to you. When I will receive the sintech , I will give it a chance to swap it and see the difference.

MKhan
[doublepost=1540331578][/doublepost]I installed it in my late 2013 Imac27 inch, using Samsung evo Pro M.2 1tb it’s 3.0 x4 as I know,
Everything is working perfectly no sleeping issues, but I am not sure about the speed because the speed is 756R/W. As I asked to MBosse as well but no clue about the speed, it’s became faster than the apple original blade , but still not enough as should be , otherwise no issues about booting or sleeping.

Regards
MKhan
[doublepost=1540331920][/doublepost]Hello Mike,
What do you have the secondary Hdd or ssd ,
If one of these so make Fusion with your new pcie , by using command in the terminal and give it a try , maybe the sleep issue will be solve.

Reagards
MKhan

 

[ssdaytona]

^ which year iMac do you have?

Mine is a 2015 27" and I still have sleep issues with the Samsung 970 Pro

 

[MKhan]

I have 27 inch late 2013 , But I think the sleep issue what you are facing is because of sintech adapter , maybe you can try other one .
The one I am using it’s from KALEA informatic adapter, identical to the Sintech one but maybe different inside
Also check if the trim is on or not, it can be also the reason.
I don’t have any issue with the sleep but for me the speed is just 750R/W I am searching for solution but didn’t find yet.
If you know something please let me know.

Regards
MKhan

 

[mbosse]

I have 27 inch late 2013 , But I think the sleep issue what you are facing is because of sintech adapter , maybe you can try other one .
The one I am using it’s from KALEA informatic adapter, identical to the Sintech one but maybe different inside
Also check if the trim is on or not, it can be also the reason.
I don’t have any issue with the sleep but for me the speed is just 750R/W I am searching for solution but didn’t find yet.
If you know something please let me know.

Regards
MKhan

If you want to have more than 750R/W, you need to buy a newer iMac. That is the only solution for an internal SSD.

 

[mbosse]

Does anybody know whether a Samsung 960 Pro or an Intel 760p is trouble free in a Late 2015 iMac? I have both of them here, I just don't want to go through the hassles of opening and re-sealing more than I should... Thanks, Magnus

 

[macguru8]

In my opinion I would go with what has been proven in the past. There is a lot of work involved in replacing the M.2. For sure we know the Samsung PRO 970 & EVO 970 ($119-US) works. The price has also drop down a lot. I am using the Samsung 970 EVO.

 

[mikehalloran]

Samsung makes the OEM unit. There are a few differences between it and the 970 EVO:

a) The 970 is twice as fast in a 2015 iMac. This is because Apple put a PCIe 2 SSD in them. The buss is PCIe 3x4 as is the 970.

b) The pin-out is different than Apple's which is proprietary. This is easily solved by an adapter (all are the same but the price varies between $6–$13 depending on where you buy it).

c) The 970 firmware requires OS 10.13 High Sierra or later.

The Intel SSD with the Apple pin configuration being resold by OWC and others is PCIe 2. Fine for a 2013-2014 iMac or a Mac Pro 6.1 but you do not want it in a 2015 iMac—too slow.

There is a quad Intel SSD on the market, the 600p. It also requires the adapter and is only available up to 1TB. The specs show it not nearly as fast as the Samsung 970.
https://www.intel.com/content/www/u...d-state-drives/consumer-ssds/600p-series.html

 

[mbosse]

Samsung makes the OEM unit. There are a few differences between it and the 970 EVO:

a) The 970 is twice as fast in a 2015 iMac. This is because Apple put a PCIe 2 SSD in them. The buss is PCIe 3x4 as is the 970.

b) The pin-out is different than Apple's which is proprietary. This is easily solved by an adapter (all are the same but the price varies between $6–$13 depending on where you buy it).

c) The 970 firmware requires OS 10.13 High Sierra or later.

The Intel SSD with the Apple pin configuration being resold by OWC and others is PCIe 2. Fine for a 2013-2014 iMac or a Mac Pro 6.1 but you do not want it in a 2015 iMac—too slow.

There is a quad Intel SSD on the market, the 600p. It also requires the adapter and is only available up to 1TB. The specs show it not nearly as fast as the Samsung 970.
https://www.intel.com/content/www/u...d-state-drives/consumer-ssds/600p-series.html

If you look at the Intel homepage, all three consumer NVME SSDs are PCIe 3.x x4, the 600p, the 660p and the 760p.

 

[mikehalloran]

So what??

 

[mbosse]

So what??

You were implying that the 600p is the only x4 PCIe SSD from Intel.

 

[MKhan]

Ssaydona,
Hello , how is going with the wake up problem with Imac 27 late 2015 , I have the same issue,
If you resolve the problem please advise..,,

Thanks in advance.
MKhan

 

[ssdaytona]

yea, problem is still there last time I checked.

I just disable deep sleep and make it hibernate to disk when sleep is required. see my previous posts for the terminal command.

 

[bowling]

yea, problem is still there last time I checked.

I just disable deep sleep and make it hibernate to disk when sleep is required. see my previous posts for the terminal command.

Late 2013 27 imac has no sleep problems, I bought two adapter cards of different colors, and I have no sleep problems after testing. The accessory is an alternate green adapter card, and the black adapter card is already installed in the imac. The same manufacturer but the appearance is different, the black back is a golden logo is more beautiful.

ps: Why are macbookpro, macbookair, and macpro in 2013 all pcie 2.0x4, only imac is pcie 2.0x2? -_-!!!

 

[mikehalloran]

Late 2013 27 imac has no sleep problems

Did you use the 970 EVO or something else?