Apple iMac 21.5” SSD Upgrade (2013-2015) HDD To Solid State Drive (SATA) | Step By Step
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- Опубліковано 16 лип 2019
- A detailed video with instructions on how to remove the screen of your 21.5” iMac in order to upgrade the internal hard disk drive (HDD) to a SATA connected Solid State Drive (SSD)
Goal: To increase the iMac’s speed and longevity, while decreasing the time it takes to boot up and load your files.
We used a brand new Samsung Evo 860 V-NAND MLC 500GB Solid State Drive with a SATA 6Gb/s Connector. (Not the M.2 Model)
Note: Some systems support a smaller PCIe-based “blade” SSD, as well. Specifically, if the 21.5-Inch "Late 2012" or "Early 2013" iMac models were configured with an SSD or a "Fusion Drive" at the time of purchase, the SSD module is connected via a dedicated PCIe connector and another m.2 “adapted” SSD can be installed in its place. Unfortunately, if the system only was configured with a hard drive, the needed connector is not present on the motherboard and there is not a way to add a PCIe-based "blade" SSD afterwards.
However, the 21.5-Inch "Late 2013" iMac models do have the connector for a PCIe-based "blade" but subsequent 21.5-Inch models -- like the entry-level iMac "Core i5" 1.4 21.5-Inch (Mid-2014) and the 21.5-Inch "Late 2015" models -- do not have the connector for a PCIe-based "blade" SSD if one is not installed at the time of initial system purchase.
By contrast, the 27-Inch "Late 2012" and "Late 2013" as well as the "Late 2014" and "Mid-2015" Retina/5K iMac models all have this connector on the motherboard even if the system only is configured with a hard drive at the time of purchase, so it is possible to add a PCIe-based "adapted blade" SSD to these models after the initial system purchase.
Required parts:
-SSD of your choice (SATA Connector, 6.0Gb/s V-NAND MLC or TLC)
www.newegg.com/samsung-860-ev...
-The complete set of replacement adhesive strips are specifically cut to fit 21.5" iMacs from Late 2012 through 2019.
www.ifixit.com/Store/Mac/iMac...
-Painters Tape for holding screen to frame
-T10 Torx Screwdriver
www.ifixit.com/Store/Tools/TR...
-iMac Opening Tool
www.ifixit.com/Store/Tools/iM...
-iMac Service Wedge
www.ifixit.com/Store/Tools/iM...
-Spudger
www.ifixit.com/Store/Tools/Sp...
-Medium / Small Screwdriver, “+” cross (Phillips)
-Plastic Card or Guitar Pic
-OPTIONAL
SATA to USB 3.0 Adapter cable (for data transfer)
Here we perform an upgrade on the iMac by removing the gaskets around the screen, cleaning out any fans in the system, removing the existing hard drive, and then replacing it with a solid-state drive. We format the drive and then install macOS. We replace the gaskets and seal up the iMac after verifying the installation. The last optional step would be to clone your existing installation over or use the migration assistant to transfer your files over to the new SSD with a SATA to USB adapter.
My iMac was standing on my desk for about 2 years. Didn't know what was wrong with it as it didn't want to start anymore. Watched this video, got the hard drive (hoping that was the problem), opened it up and regretting now that I waited two years to get it done. Took me 25 minutes and it's working faster than new! this video was the most helpful one. Thanks a million... or thanks an iMac
I know... the speeds is worth the effort! The SSD is pretty much the "only" upgrade to do on the iMac yielding actual noticeable results every time!
Hi my Mac is also not turning on. How do you install Mac OS on a brand new ssd?
@@sandiflowdid u ever figure it out
This is what all computer videos should be: clear, concise, accurate.
Thank you so much for creating this video. The hard disk in my 2014 iMac failed recently and I was able to follow your instructions and upgrade it with an SSD. Everything went according to plan and it is now working again.
Excellent tutorial and thanks for not playing any background music during the process! I enjoyed watching your technique and reading your reply notes to readers. Job well done!!
Yay! The 4K video quality let me see the parts very easily, thank you!
I followed this video step by step and now have a ‘new’ computer! Thanks a million
This was a great video. I followed all the steps and myself and my son had an enjoyable time changing out a dead hybrid drive for a blazingly fast Samsung 1TB SSD. Definitely purchase the adhesive strips first before attempting this though. They are ESSENTIAL. Thanks for a brilliant video!
Excellent video. I saved myself $100 for hard drive installation and another $90 for iOS installation! My local repair shop was about to rip me off until I saw your vid. Thanks so much.
Hi! Thank you very much for great video - even being a technician I had doubts about removing screen... Whole process is shown in details and leaves no chances to fail. My old iMac is now faster than new. Thanks!
Thanks for the tip. The idea of using the tape to temporary hold the screen in place to connect the cable and test out the system before pulling out final tape has saved the day for me. Again thank you for sharing the experience..
Excellent video. Was able to do replace old 1 TB HD with a 2.5" SATA 1TB Samsung 870 SSD on my late 2012, 21.5" iMac with OS 10.9.5. The opening tool is the key - smooth and easy - just had to patiently go round the joint several times to release the adhesive. The technique using painter's tape was great -- eliminating the chance of having the display drop down while connecting the two cables. The performance improvement is noticeable - much much faster boot time and programs snap to life much more quickly. Thank you very very much - a super video for making an SSD conversion.
I was able to upgrade my mac's hard drive with no issues after watching your video. AWESOME, Great Video.
This is by far the best-detailed video for installing an SSD. Thank you so much for taking the time to make this video. Keep up the good work. You're the man!!
Thank you so much for this video your the only tutorial I was able to watch while removing step by step
Hey Geek! Great video. Saved my butt as I forgot that the later iMacs used the gasket kit.
Great video. Worked perfectly. Make sure to peel the bottom adhesive protection strips from the outside in.
Thanks for the video.
I just successfully upgraded my 2013 iMac with an 860 EVO, and it's working fine. Before doing so, I bought a Sabrent SATA to USB 3 enclosure and fully installed and migrated my internal drive over to the SSD (from a fresh time machine backup and had MacOS (Catalina) booting fully from that without using the internal drive any longer. Just doing this, I had a big speed boost without even opening the computer. When I finally did open it, I simply had to move the SSD from the Sabrent enclosure to the internal SATA connector where the original hard drive was. When I got it all back together it booted right up and ran just fine.
I followed ifixit's instructions for the adhesive, and the only trouble I had was a small portion (~3") of the white adhesive backing snapped off near the lower right corner, so there's now no bond there. It's invisible and the rest seems to be holding o.k in spite of this. If I had to do it again, I'd do it the way you did it- pull the white backing first, don't try to pull it out of the buttoned-up joint as ifixit's instructions say.
Another video here (not yours) suggests loosening the left speaker and pulling it out a bit to get to the SATA connector. DON"T DO THIS. I ended up severing the wires to the power switch, which was a pain to fix (workaround, really). It is possible with a little patience to get the SATA connector fully seated on the new drive without moving the speaker.
Very good instructions. Enormous speedup for about 150€. Thanks a lot!
This is a very good tutorial explaining very well how to change the HD.
This is great. I didn't think of leaving the adhesive until macOS was installed. :D
BEST video available showing the proper way to put the screen back on!! Followed other videos & ended up with a 1/16th gap on the right side. These iMac screens & bodies have super low tolerances for alignment so this tiny gap is noticeable.. At least to me. Bought new adhesive strips & with these instructions I have little doubt I'll get it perfect this time. Thank you so much!!
Marc Woodward right on! Best tutorial video I’ve seen on properly taking care of an upgrade to this class of iMac 🖥! Nicely done @geekswhocare!
@@JVIT_TV After my earlier comment I went ahead & installed new adhesive on my daughters iMac following these instructions & it came out perfect!! The painters tape on the bottom edge of the screen to act as a hinge to aid in alignment worked brilliantly!
@Mark Woodward, that is so cool to hear! I’m both excited and confident to do this for a few friends and clients who DESPERATELY need the SSD upgrade in their iMacs. Glad to hear that you had such a great experience serving up your Daughter’s Computer because of this video :)
Where did you purchase the adhesive?
@@chuckgarland5171 I ordered it on Amazon. I bought the ones from ExtremeAmazing. They are great & work just like the original Apple strips. The price for the 21.5" kit is currently $9.89
Gulp...you've inspired me to tackle this on my 2013 21.5" iMac. I know how to build houses but am terrified to open a computer. I appreciated you showed the repair in real time which gave me an idea of how long it might take.... maybe an hour or two for a novice. I assume the gasket kit is included but I'll rewatch this excellent video a couple more times before jumping in. Thank you.
The ifixit gasket kit can be purchased form amazon, ebay, or ifixit directly. Were here to help if you have any other questions!
@@geekswhocare7093 Very impressive that you take time to reply...thank you. I purchased a a 1 terabyte Samsung SSD instead of the 500 gb you installed Is that ok? Also I assume I should copy the old HD on to the new SSD before starting and should I use Disc Utility to make the copy? I'm going to try it tomorrow and I'll let you know what happens.
@@dennisprice8357 you have several choices for the way you would like to migrate your old data to new 1tb ssd. The first and easiest way is to;
#1 way - Remove "working" old hard drive from iMac first, then install 1TB ssd, and use a fresh macOSX USB installer that youv'e created prior to whole process to now install macOS Catalina. DURING THE LAST PHASE OF MACOS INSTALL, use the "Migration Assistant" to completely and seamlessly migrate your entire old macOS hard drive. You will need a external USB SATA adapter or an external hard drive enclosure to connect your old hard drive to the iMac right at the migration assistant screen. wait about 1-5 minutes on the screen once youv'e clicked your old hard drive in the list of sources; it will populate all items to migrate, then you can actually click the migrate data button to complete the transfer.
#2 way - same as above only you make and use a fresh, newly created "time machine" backup prior to turning off and removing the original hard drive for the migration assistant transfer.
#3 way - use a "offline clone" docking station (2 SATA drive) appliance to "directly clone" drive a (old hdd) to drive b (new 1tb ssd), then install new cloned SSD into iMac.
cheers!
I miss the old iMac where you pulled the screen off with suction cups.
There were a held on by magnets, adhesive is a much better design for strength and durability. It's also not hard as you can see to get into one of these and reassemble. Just takes more time, no big deal.
@@alwhitney68I’d rather not have my 2700$ computer held together with adhesive. Not a difficult concept, no big deal
Thank you for great video! I recommend this guide for upgrade your imac!
Awesome walk through, thank you!
Nice! I used the same method to get my Late 2013 iMac from my recycling center up and running with an SSD. The old HDD was super slow on catalina, and it was still slow even on Windows 7 (bootcamp). Now, even with the latest macOS with OCLP on Sonoma, it rund MUCH faster than before and I’m able to open everything faster
Graceful disassembly, thanks for the info
Bravo, this is is so difficult :D good job!
Best video ever and perfect explanation. Just won a subscriber. Thank you very much :)
Thank YOU for the SUPPORT ! 🤗
Thank you so much for creating this video
Great video! only suggestion to others would be to watch the screen connectors, the one on the left pulls up and the one on the right has an armlock that needs to be pulled up before pulling the cable up, other than that fairly straightforward 👍🏻
Perfect detail explanation
Well done 👍, very helpful video 🤙
Brilliant video💪👍👏
Looking forward to your video on upgrading the RAM of these kind of iMacs.
The RAM that's soldered to the motherboard?
Performed an SSD and memory upgrade on my 21.5 late 2013 iMac just last week with OWC components. Took three hours for me but I was very careful with everything. PC runs flawlessly now.
Benjamin Kuhn were you able to “dust out” the internal fans prior to sealing it back up? Always a good measure, but happy to see you are up and running.
Which brand/model solid state drive did you go with? I’ve done a few recently with Optane, Evo, & SanDisk variants all with ver similar results.
Me also. Took less than 2 hours and best part is I only paid 379 for the 2013 iMac!
@@arts2437 sorry for the late reply, I bought the OWC Mercury Electra 6G 2.0 TB drive. Works flawlessly along with the OWC memory upgrade.
Depending on your model, you may have to remove the screen to get to the internal components of the computer. In this case, the DIMM slots for mine were on the back of the system board which faces the back of the machine.
Hope this helps in some way.
@@geekswhocare7093 OWC Mercury Electra 6G and OWC memory.
I was able to dust out everything. System works flawlessly now.
Best upgrade I've done on my late 2013 27" iMac. It's 10x faster now with bootup times at around 15 seconds. Point to note if you're thinking of doing this to your 27" iMac, you will need a cradle because the 27" has a full size hard drive and not the smaller one. Apart from that, everything is the same. Massive boost in performance though and well worth the cost of around £70/$90.
What Os are you running bro? I bought a Renewed off Amazon and after 4 mths the hard drive is shot and it kept shutting down randomly and not taking any system updates.. I live in Trinidad and Tobago the caribbean and i spent my entire savings on this to start my dream art studio... Please help...
Hi did your adhesive strips hold up over time? If so, which kit did you use?
Great job 👍 Clearly tutorial 👏
Terrific job 👍
It really helped! Thanks :)
Great Video !! Thanks !!I Like that iMAC screen remover tool ....
Excellent video, thanks. Would have liked closer/better view of the actually LCD connectors, and how they're detached, like just pull out, or flip up locking lever or similiar.
Great job, tnx bro!
Great video
Excellent work. My 2011 27” iMac will be a bit different I believe, but I learned from this vid. Thank you for sharing.
2011 is easy, the glass is held on by magnets.
Niall Fleming Cheers
Thin double sided mounting tape works well as an alternative to the iFixit adhesive. Make sure it's suitable for mounting items such as mirrors though, otherwise it might not be strong enough to hold the display in place.
You got some Brands and thickness of the tape you could recommend? 🙏🙏
Hey, what about the thermal sensor ? Have you any fan speed issues?
Thank you!
Excellent video! I am trying the USB SSD boot first but may do this if performance is better. Where do you get the new adhesive? Is it order-able from Apple?
congrats on 54.9K viewz!!
Thanks heaps mate.
Great educational video. Able to do my IMac upgrade and it’s working fine. Few other videos showed to add Thermal sensor. However, I could find sensor for IMac 21.5 inch late 2015 retina model. I did it with out it since it and booting and working fine. Thank you uploading this video.
Is it still working good???
@@niljambaro9049 yes
@@drnilangpatel so I don’t need to put a thermal sensor then right cause I have late 2015 21.5” too
Thanks for the guide. I took my mac to the shop because it wasn't starting up correctly (crossing my fingers it was a bug). It was a failing drive and they said it cost $400 to crack it open & replace it with a SSD (not even mentioning a capacity) lol I get that they have to make money too but the old computer isn't worth more than $300. Said no thanks and paid them for the recovered data. Figured it was time for a new workstation anyway. And I could try and fix it for fun myself as a backup machine.
Do you need a thermal sensor for the mid 2017 21,5 iMac?
Anyone know how you should determine if it's better to upgrade your HDD to SSD, or if it'd be more helpful to upgrade my memory? Currently I have 16gb of memory on a late 2015 iMac model 17.1. I am considering either updating the memory to 32gb or buying an SSD replacement kit. I mostly need this for a FCPX facelift. Any help appreciated.
Excellent
Thanks!
Awesome thank you
Great video, can the memory be upgraded on a late 2015 IMac while it's apart? Or do you feel that the HD is sufficiant.
Loved the video. Would like to know if that drive could work in a iMac 27” late 2013 model? I would love to upgrade my system.
would you recomend me which imac model is your favorite for cheap and upgradable imac for now sir?
it's exactly what I was looking for. As far you already opened imac - can you change at the same RAM? apple says that this model (i have late 2015 21.5) is not upgradable - probably due to the operation what you've made in this video (no guarantee and etc.) Any advice?
YOU THA MAN!
Will this work on a 2020 21.5" iMac?
Excellent tutorial video. Thanks a lot!
Thank you !!!!!!
PRO !
Yesterday I upgraded the SSD on my 2015 iMac. However, after the installation webcam is not working. Any idea on that? Worrying whether I have covered a sensor with adhesive tape...
this was crazy helpful!
Best video on youtube. Thanks for the share. Does the upgrade improve the speed noticeably and worth buying a SSD?
SSDs are around 7x faster than a hard drive / Fusion drive. You'll definitely notice the difference.
100%
Ty for the video!! Are you concerned about the temp censor??
Wouldn’t it have been easier to restore your hard drive using your Time Machine backup ?
I have my Time Machine is an external usb drive so I assume after OSX install I just go into TM and select the usb drive to restore
If you upgrade SSD and RAM on this, will it support a more recent operating system? Nice vid.
Thank you for your support. I would like to know if you can help me with the noise after install the SSD on Model A1418 which comes underneath the logo of apple at the back of power supply. Everything works only the noisy its annoying after. How to fix it. your reply will be well appreciate.
Hi, Sorry if it has been asked before. How can I mage usb stick macos installer to get the new hard drive fired up?
Hi, for ssd you reccomanded APFS, which one (normal, codificate, minor major, ecc)?
Thanks for the video
You sort of rushed through the process of installing the OS. Where did you get the OS from? The other drive? A different drive? A USB drive?? Not very clear. Also, you fast-tracked past a critical part of connecting up the old drive. Did you have to source a drive enclosure? What type of USB to hard drive cable was it if not? The rest of the video was very detailed clear and helpful. Thank you for clarifying the above questions.
Easily the best video out there for hard drive replacement. Thanks.
Can the new SSD be cloned prior to removal of the old one?
Yes, but no reason to. Migration Wizard does a perfect job.
Please supply a link for the recommended adhesive strips as there's a lot of crap out there - thanks. I have a late 2012 21½" iMac with Ventura (via OCLP) on a very slow HDD, and a spare 1TB SATA SSD which I used for backups.
Hi, got the iFixit kit and put the old HDD in the enclosure but when I select transfer from an existing HDD nothing happens. It keep looking until the external enclosure HDD is turned off. Plase help first time using a mac xD!
Will the crucial mx500 500gb SSD fit my iMac late 2013 21.5 ? Is it the exactly same size as the samsung evo 860 ?I want to replace my old hdd with the crucial mx500 500gb SSD ? Are there any differences between the samsung evo 860 ?Lastly if we install an SSD will we have temperature issues ? Thank you very much :)
Hello hope you can read me and give me some light; I'll do this on my imac 2013; upgrade to 16Gb RAM and an SSD; but when I try to power on; no display and just sound like an alarm sound... Do you think was the RAM?
How did you overcome the fans running constantly after the upgrade? Does that drive send thermal info to the iMac?
Question?-can the new SSD read the old HDD Mac OS sierra and data? Am I thinking of it wrong? I have a late 2015 21.5” iMac desk with Sierra OS but I want to upgrade OS Monterey. Did you install the old Mac OS sierra onto the new SSD then upgrade to Monterey do you don’t lose all data-photos, music, ect.? I am confused on this switch?
Is it possible to upgrade ram on late 2013 21.5 iMac?
How do you install the OS after changing the hard disk?
Good afternoon , need help please .. I did the same as you whit ssd .. but now when I plug the monitor back on .. black screen and fan s are going crazy .. the wire are well plug on motherboard alla seems ok .. can you help please
hi i have a imac late 2012 model its the thin one. would it be the same steps?
Hi. Just purchase this used iMac Late 2015, 21.5 inch w/ 4k display (1TB Hard Drive / 8gb RAM). Im a bit disappointed cause it loads apps like 2 to 3 minutes everyte. Changing the wallpaper take so much time in system preferences like, i thought this iMac is powerful to load stuffs. Can I replace it with SSD just like you did ? Will i be able to do it myself considering that Im new to this thing? I'll be glad to hear your response cause im planning to used it for photo edting and started learning video editing. Cheers!
I think I pressed too hard on the edges of the screen when I was putting it back on. I didn’t want it to not adhere and then have it come falling down. Now there are a few faded spots on a black screen.. ugh... any way to fix this or am I SOL?
Hi can I which to upgrade my 27” iMac late 2013 ,any recommendation of the ssd I choice but an replace. as now I survey got Samsung 870 is it compatible?
Why do some people attach heat sensor to the SSD plate? I saw some for Fusion drive, is that the reason? Thanks
Can I upgrade 2TB SSD drive to a mid 2014 Imac 21.5 inches computer and if I can what is a compatible SSD drive for the computer? Also can I upgrade memory to the computer? Thank you.
Hello. I have a slight problem with the glass, it's cracked diagonally in the corner of the screen, it's like a small triangle basically separated from the rest of the glass. I'm worried it could damage the screen when I'm going to remove it, because it's bottom part will still be glued to the bottom part of the case. Do you think it's a big problem or not really? I cloud try to remove the glue without pulling the screen as much as this video suggests I guess
Hi. I need a magic bord model A2116 iMac 21.5 corel i5 mad 2019 4k for buy . Where to buy. Please help me.
Geeks Who Care Hi, and thank you for taking the time with this. I dont know how or if it is possible to upload a photo in this topic, but the tempeture cable is fixed on the lcd with black factory tape, the other end is located near the build in camera. About the leds. It is only the first green led which light up, number 2,3,4 newer light up. Could this indicate it is a faulty power supply, to the lcd screen ? Since i can start up with another screen via the hdmi/ thunderbolt plug, i guess the main power supply and the graphic card is ok, but can not figure out why the other led’s on the main board wont light, it would be more logic if the first 3 lights up, since i can use the imac on the TV screen. The imac i have is btw the A1418 late 2013.
What if I got a 1TB hard drive, can I replace it with the Samsung 1Tb solid state drive ?
I seen one at Best Buy for $100... and no one has the 1TB hard drive 2.5 inch. So I was thinking if I go with SSD just with 1TB instead of the 500g you’re using.
Hey could u give me a description of what I need to transfer the data from the old drive to the new one please…
Could this help me with wuestion mark folder ? Beacause i already try to reset it but it brings me to my firmware lock and i dont no my passwordp
Excelent
nice video, thanks! HOW TO MAKE A BOOTABLE iMAC OS USB DRIVE? thanks
Hello from Colorado, I have iMac 21.5 2015 and its so slow, how much is it to have it upgrade the internal hard disk drive (HDD) to SSD?