How to Install a SSD into an iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2017)
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- Опубліковано 20 вер 2024
- OWC SSD Upgrade Bundle for 2012-2019 27" iMac, 1TB With Tools: amzn.to/3dBoDml
OWC Thermal Sensor HDD Upgrade Cable and Install Tools for iMac: amzn.to/3w8xr9D
RAM (2 x 16GB) Compatible with 27" iMac w/Retina 5K (Mid 2017): amzn.to/3pk9l7N
iFixit Adhesive Strips Compatible with iMac 27" (2012-2019) - Repair Kit: amzn.to/3SSaTnf
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Western Digital 1TB WD Blue Internal SSD: amzn.to/3w2PpKn
Crucial BX500 1TB Internal SSD: amzn.to/3bUJccG
SanDisk SSD PLUS 1TB Internal SSD: amzn.to/3Pt2Xpo
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Thank you for the video. It was very helpful. As soon as I saw you lift the screen off with those suction cups I knew I'd just destroy my iMac trying to do this. I think you saved my machine!
lol, i was thinking the same thing but i just went for it. i figured if i try and nothing goes wrong then i can save a ton of money by not upgrading. if i try and i mess up and break the imac then it's time to upgrade anyway.
Thank you for posting. Your video along with others helped me fix my wife's iMac.
Happy to help! Was it easier than you thought?
@@HaiTech Definitely easier than I originally thought!
I had the SSD upgrade kit siting at home for months now. Now that I saw your video, I think I will do this today :)
lol, let me know how it goes. i was afraid at first too but after trying it i realized it was super easy. i would get help if you have the 27 inch imac. trying to align the screen onto the base can be tricky with one person...and the adhesive strips is a 1 time use 😅
@@HaiTech thanks.
I end up using another video for an detailed step by step guide as it was my first time.
However my 1TB Aura Pro X2 PCI SSD just never showed in Disk Utility :(
I had to open it a second time (this time without a guide) and return the old one. However I replaced my non working 2TB HDD with a 240GB SSD from OWC i had in my old 2008 Unibody MacBook and I made a fusion drive with it.
@@lantinian oh you went with the PCI SSD. i was thinking of doing that but it costed much more than the standard SSD and it was a little more complicated to install as it was hidden behind the board.
It would have been good to see the comparison times of your old hard drive boot up and loading times, compared to the new SSD.
Ive seen so many of these videos and will probably watch a load more, before I go for a really big upgrade. Ram to 32gb, 2TB SSD, 512GB Nmve stick and i7 6700k processor.
As you say, it will feel like a new computer and hopefully last for many years to come.
I found another solution for a very fast MacOS for people who don’t want to open up there system or put the operating system on an external drive that I haven’t seen anyone ever mention. Just split the fusion drive in terminal and then put the MacOS on the SSD part of the fusion drive. Once you’ve done that don’t put any data on the HDD and just use an external drive like a Samsung T7. If your fusion drive has 128gb or 64gb. That should be enough to install your apps on and if you’re doing things like music production or video editing, just put everything on the external hard drive. It will actually be faster read/write than replacing the HDD with a sata SSD too. Just picked up this exact unit for $100 locally and put in 3rd party 64gb ram for $125 and it absolutely flies using this method. Hope that helps for the people not wanting to open up there iMacs.
Would be keen to know more about how to do it this way - do you have any links with more info on how to do this?
Can you please write specific instructions or make a video on how to do it? Thanks
Hi Hai, thanks for producing this video, very helpful!
hey, thanks for watching. it saved me a lot of money by prolonging the life of my imac lol.
A speed comparison with the Fusion drive would have been good to see. I think Fusion Drive is no slouch.
Gosh I am so happy I am seeing this because mine is ready to be upgraded and finding this releaved so much worry. thank you for posting.
Glad I could help!
About ready to do this too. Thanks for the video!
Also, expect to have to replace the power supply eventually, pretty easy to do as well.
Let me know how it goes and which model so you have? What are you upgrading?
@@HaiTech 2017 27" 5k 3.8 Quad Core i5. I'll let you know. :) Gonna get rid of the blasted Fusion drive and do the full SSD upgrade. Maybe two SSDs if it's possible.
it has a M2 slot to btw.
I always put a small amount of clear sealant in the top corners when putting screens back.
good idea
Nice Video. It's surprising, you only have 17 likes. You deserve more! I'm kinda concerned about cutting the tape around the edges of the screen. When you did that, had you done that before? I've never done that. Yet, I've worked on several MacBook Pros. What advice can you give someone who's never done the cutting around the edges of an iMac? I don't want to mess that up. Thanks again.
i have no experience in DIY computer upgrades. i was afraid at first but it was extremely easy. the pizza cutter tool cuts right through the tape easily. i went over the same area's multiple times with medium to firm pressure. the screen is not going to crack while you're using the pizza cutter tool as there's a metal plate under the screen.
I think, for me, you skipped only what I needed--getting the drive to be properly recognized and the OS installed.
so once the drive is installed, before putting everything back together, turn it on and look for your new SSD. the bootup will be in recovery mode so it will look different. there will be an option to connect to your WIFI. after you've connected to your WIFI there will be an option for you to download the latest OS directly from the internet.
thanks for sharing mate, appreciated
You bet!
Thank you for the nice video. Also, thank you for replying to the questions from the viewers. I am buying imac 2017 and will contact you if I need.
You are welcome!
hahaha u just saved me a couple grand. im gonna buy a 2017 imac and just worry bout upgrades. thank u!
Yes. The older macs you can upgrade. These newer m1/m2 models they make it so you can’t upgrade!
sounds familiar . . every time they update the OS it gets more and more bloated . . . and the Apple Store was ABSOLUTELY useless . . . first they told they COULD replace the drive (and they said they would be nice enough to KEEP the old drive . . I was like "yeah, I don't f'in think so) . . . then they tell me POLICY is "we don't replace hard drives unless it's a failed drive" . . . nice work, by the way . . looks like the process was a success . . nice job . . .curious, I may have missed it in the video, but why did you need to replace the "Thermal Sensor" ? . . is that something that gets destroyed in the process of removing the screen ?
now that I think of it, I don't recall there being a thermal sensor on the original hard drive when i removed it. Yes I agree, i called around town to ask about replacing my hard drive and it was almost 1/4 of a new macbook. Yes my hard drive seem to have gotten slower as the years progress even though it's nowhere near full. I'm so glad I decided to replace the hard drive myself. I saved a ton of money
I didn’t realise it was that easy!! However, surely those tests you’re doing g are RAM based and not SSD?? A better test would be to save a large file from a program to SDD
when my computer started to run very slow i upgraded the RAM first while still using the old fusion drive, that help a little bit. in real world usage i think the RAM allowed for me to have more programs open all at once. I didn't notice a huge jump in speed as far as opening up the program and boot up time. Once i replaced the HD to an SSD, that's when the computer felt brand new.
@@HaiTech that is what I’ll be doing next I think, but at the moment it boots up, doesn’t seem slow and opens and closes files just fine… have you considered changing the CPU too? I’m running the i5 chip set, so to make it comparable to my M1 MBA I might 😊 Great video by the way 👍🏼
Hi, thank you for creating this video I am about to do the same. The amount of times I took mine back to Apple because of how slow it was but it needs an ssd. The only thing I’m worried about is the screen, I’ve opened up a MacBook Pro before and changed the battery but never removed a screen.
the screen is tougher than it looks. the glass is actually sitting on a metal plate. with an SSD my computer feels brand new. don't take it to apple or a shop as they'll charge you half the price of buying a new computer. you can do it yourself. if you've taken apart a macbook pro then replacing the hard drive on your imac will be a peace of cake. a 2nd hand would help tremendously if you have the 27 inch model. i had to ask my wife to hold the screen while i detached the 2 cables. the way i look at it, if you replace it you'll save a ton of money. if you break it, you'll up for an upgrade anyway lol.
Oddly enough, my 1TB Fusion is as fast, if not faster than your load up times after the SSD fitment. It’s the same iMac. When you said 5 mins to boot, I think there is something else wrong, not the drive. Mine boots from off slightly faster than yours shows. Even LRC opens quicker. What are your specs before the upgrade and after? I mean CPU, GPU and RAM? Thanks 🙏🏻
24GB RAM
3.5GHz quad‑core Intel Core i5 (Turbo Boost up to 4.1GHz)
3.5GHz
Radeon Pro 575 with 4GB of VRAM
everything was original except for the RAM. i added additional 16GB on top of the original 8 GB.
@@HaiTech Exact same model. I upgraded the RAM to 32GB is all and it’s fine with all the heavy weights like LRC etc. I’m on the fence with upgrading the SSD as I ran a Black Magic drive test on my external SSD (granted it was via Thunderbolt) and it was the same read and write speed as the Fusion Drive!
interesting
Thanks so much for posting this. How is your update working for you today? I have the same iMac and received this error yesterday, "This disk has S.M.A.R.T. errors. This disk has a hardware problem that can't be repaired. Back up as much of the data as possible and replace the disk." I am not ready to purchase a new iMac. So I think this may buy me a couple of more years.
my SSD turned my old iMac into a new computer that was much more enjoyable to use.
@@HaiTech That’s awesome. About to order the same one and have my brother help me install it. Thank you!
come back and tell us how it went
@@HaiTech I sure will! ☺️
@@HaiTech As promised, I'm coming back and telling you how my new SSD installation went. I was a little delayed in starting (because of life), but ended up tackling the project by myself a couple of Saturdays ago. It went well. I followed the tutorial and your instructions and everything works well. I even let it lie flat for a full week, for the screen to fully adhere, before standing it up. I still have the tape on mine too and will leave it for a few more weeks. (Thanks for the tip.) The only issue I had was restoring my back up from Time Machine. It is missing all of my backups from the past 8 months. Not sure how this happened because I backed up at least once a week during that time. Thankfully, I still have access to the old desktop HDD. I'm trying to figure out the most efficient and time effective way to update my new SSD with the previous content (including apps) short of just copying everything and reinstalling everything. Totally open to suggestions.😀
I got lazy and installed Monterey on a 1tb nvme on a thunderbolt 3 external drive. It boots a bit faster than the sata ssd. I used the internal drive partitioned for local data storage and local Time Machine backup enough for 3 weeks.
nice, cheaper than having to buy a new mac for sure
@@HaiTech yea. And luckily there’s enough room to fit the guts of the Mac Mini M1 or M2 in it with a little hackery in 3-4yrs :)
You replaced the SSD, did you need to reinstall the OS? Or is the new SSD already installed with the OS?
Super helpful, my 207 iMac is also taking around 5minutes to start up. I may have to look into moving to an SSD. Did you have to move or reinstall apps/files before or after?
yes, you want to backup everything because you'll be replacing the hard drive thus reinstalling a new fresh Mac OS. clean slate.
So I am a complete beginner of this...I have upgraded Ram memory but never a hard drive...Did I miss the link for the kit you used? And Thank you for posting this!
OWC SSD Upgrade Bundle for 2012-2019 27" iMac, 1TB With Tools: amzn.to/3dBoDml that is the one i have. i was a complete beginner too and i would say the most challenging part was just putting the screen back on because of it's size. get a 2nd person to help if you can with putting the screen back on.
@@HaiTech thanks a bunch!! I really appreciate your quick response.
I wonder if you could have installed an NVME drive instead?
Hi friend. I have done upgrade Fusion Drive to Ssd ADATA. and stays in mojave since 2019. now I want to upgrade mac Os. which one is the recommended stable? imac 2017 21inch 4k
the latest Mac OS compatible with your iMac is Ventura. support.apple.com/en-us/102861
r u running imac 2017 with ventura? all stable good? after upgrading SSD@@HaiTech
Great video. My existing SSD has failed after 6 years and I've got a replacement. I assume for my repair it's a simpler job of just swapping out the existing SSD for the new one? Do I need the temp sensor cable? I've read mixed things online. Thanks again
yes, it's as simple as swapping out the hard drive for a new one. all the tools needed are in the kit. the temp sensor is part of the kit. whether you choose to use it or not is really up to you. i'm not sure if it makes a difference but it couldn't hurt. what imac do you have?
@@HaiTech mid-2017 27". Same as yours I think
yes
I´ve done this and worked perfectly, but my microphone doesn´t anymore. Any tutorial on how to fix it? It captures sound but its all fuzzy
your mic for your webcam? was the screen aligned correctly when you put it back on? i didn't have any problems with the mic/audio. i'm not sure how to fix that.
Hi Hai,
have you considered upgrading NVME drive on your Imac?
i had considered it, but when i found out it's behind the motherboard i didn't want to go through the risk. i figured the SSD alone was good enough, and it was!
Did you just clone the existing drive to backup and restore your data / apps? You did not show that in the video.
Yes, I backup everything on an external hard drive or external SSD with Time Machine (its an app on all mac computers). or just simply drag and drop
Alright, how’d you get it to Sonoma? I’ve heard of older Macs being able to run newer Operating Systems than they’re supposed to when upgrading parts, but mine won’t do it.
in the video it was on Monterrey. the latest compatible mac OS for the iMac 2017 is Ventura. support.apple.com/en-us/HT201634 hope that helps
@@HaiTech Ahh, apparently I misheard. Or misremembered. Alright. Thanks. I have still heard of it happening, but apparently it needs more than storage, if at all.
I’m assuming the new SSD was completely empty. What was the process of reinstalling the OS on the SSD? Thanks
in recovery mode the mac allows for you to connect to wifi and download the OS from scratch.
@@HaiTechI’ll be installing this kit shortly. Just to clarify, you installed the new drive straight from the packing into the iMac without formatting it in anyway, just downloading the OS over wifi?
Did you attempt to reset your fusion drive before replacing it? Was it just split or did it completely stop working?
Yes I tried formating the drive. it was still slow, not sure if it was dying on me or not. difference in speed was so drastic. i highly recommend anyone with a fusion drive to swap it for an SSD. it's like having a new computer without the price tag.
Hi, Im looking to do this exact same procedure with the same iMac. How did you get the OS installed and bootable? Did you install it once the drive was installed in iMac or did you install the OS beforehand?
when you get a new SSD during boot up the Mac will ask you to install an OS. it downloads it from the internet. i installed the SSD first then i installed the OS.
Great thanks! That’s pretty much what I figured/planned to do.
Lots of amazon reviews say the screen fell off with this kit, have you had this problem yet or did you do anything to prevent that?
yes i've read those same reviews. after i reassembled the screen and put everything back together again i used general masking tape (painter tape) on the corners. just to be safe for a few weeks. i have not had any issues with it coming apart or any gaps.
@@HaiTech Do these kits come with extra tape/glue to secure the screen when reassembling it? Or, do you just use the old tape/adhesive tape that you cut away in order to pull the screen off?
@@ndmso it comes with a new set of tape. the old tape has to be completely removed and thrown away. so cut the old tape to remove the screen. then make sure all of the old tape is peeled off and trash it. new tape is provided in the kit.
@@HaiTech Thank you so much. I appreciate your help.
How did you transfer all your previous info to the new drive?
I had my data saved into a sandisk external SSD 2TB
@@HaiTech Thankyou
Can you please explain regarding the process of installation?
If I replace the mechanical with the SSD on an iMac 27 2015 will it still see the PCIe 24gb?
Can I install the os on the new SSD instead of the PCIe?
If so then I will have the start up (new ssd) BUT another volume too (the PCIe)?
Thanks in advance and well done for the video
hi there. when i replaced my fusion drive with the SSD my iMac still recognized my PCIe 28GB. i installed my OS on the new SSD. when i start my mac it boots up from the new SSD. when i go into disk utility my PCIe 28GB volume is there too. hope that helps
@@HaiTech what the beep is the pcie 28gb or 24gb you are talking about? :)
it's a type of RAM memory that's deep inside the computer. usually it's connected directly to the motherboard and is difficult to replace. if you have a 27inch imac you can add RAM easily through the opening on the back of the monitor. if you have a 21.5 inch your RAM is behind the motherboard and requires taking a bunch of components apart. if you're just changing the harddrive you don't need to worry about RAM or PCIE, lol
Hi, Thank you for the video. I've got a question about this model, I see that have a M2 connection in the motherboard. Do you know if it's possible to remove this M2 (the one that came by default) and change by another one with more space?
Thank you very much.
yes you can. i was thinking of going that route, but it would require more work. the PCI express is under the motherboard and it's difficult to get to. i'm more than happy with my SSD and the speeds are like night and day compared to the old HDD. also the PCI express card was more expensive so i went with SSD instead lol
@@HaiTech I did it in my iMac late 2012, but now I’m looking for a 2017 model like this, for to do the same, but i was not pretty sure that this could be done. Thanks in advance.
Hello, did you have to do anything with the HDD on the computer first before you took it out? Did you transfer any files etc elsewhere first?
Yes I back up files on external hard drive.
I've been editing videos on my 2017 imac since 2017 as well. It's been constantly crashing the past few weeks randomly and today it finally failed me and my imac is unable to start up normally. Should i replace the fusion drive with an ssd?
sounds like it, yes. unless you have the money to dish out on a new mac. $200 vs $2000+
Hi there, did you have any issues with the adhesive now that it's been 1 year since you installed it? Thanks
i recently sold it over the summer, but it gave me no problems.
How’s it holding up now?
i'm still using it and editing 4k videos on it. hard drive is still super quick. saved myself a ton of money not having to buy a new mac yet.
Curious, was there a reason why you installed the sensor? I thought that was only necessary on 2012/2013 imacs.
not sure, it came with the kit so i installed it lol.
@@HaiTech Ah, gotcha. Also, did you have format the drive before installing?
Yes I did
2:17 what is this cable? And did you use a USB drive to boot MacOS on it? Thanks
i believe it's called an In-line digital thermal sensor cable. although it was a new Harddrive during bootup i was still able to connect to WIFI and download MacOS.
@@HaiTech thank you for your prompt response. Is it necessary for the SSD?
it's not necessary. it came with the kit so i used it, but you don't have to use it if you don't want.
@@HaiTech2:33 Sorry again. I was able to get the thermal sensor. But I don’t what screws allowed to mount it to the bracket in the iMac? I have, I think, everything but fail to understand how to screw it to the iMac bracket (no screws fit).
What did you do with the NVMe drive, do you use it?
Without the fusion drive set up it shows as 120gb disk.
i just left it there. it's way deep behind the motherboard and i didn't want to mess with it
@@HaiTech thanks for the great walkthrough. I ordered a kit to replace the old fusion drive that failed with SSD. Like you, I don't want to mess with the NVMe drive behind the motherboard. I assume your SSD works fine without removing the NVMe? I also assume the operating system just gets installed directly to the new SSD as well?
Did you use a thermal sensor for the sata ssd?
the kit came with a thermal sensor and i used it yes.
@@HaiTech thank you. I read contraditory info about the need to use it. It is relevant to mencion it…
it could only help i guess. never had any problems or notification saying my SSD or HDD was too hot in the 5-6 years i've had the iMac. that's with me editing videos and rendering 4K/8K videos.
Yeah ima leave the tape on my monitor forever now 😅. Don't wanna risk it.
lol, i left mine on for months before taking it off. but i also have my monitor tilted slightly so even if it came apart i would be okay. it hasn't come apart.
It's funny how iFixit manages to scam people into buying the sensor cable for this model ... that sensor was needed only for 2012 and bellow models lol.
interesting. it came with the kit lol
@@HaiTech yeah, but it’s like $30 thrown out the window. Anyway, thanks for the video , it helped a lot!