Only one I'm aware of, and therefore still on Mojave - incompatible with iOS 12.x. When they get it resolved AND after the first update, I may do some testing.
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A list of successful iMac 27" (2012-2019) SSD upgrades
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Only one I'm aware of, and therefore still on Mojave - incompatible with iOS 12.x. When they get it resolved AND after the first update, I may do some testing.
Hi guys. I'm dying right now with my iMac after upgraded a blade SSD. English isn't my first language but I will try my best to explain.
My device is Late 2014 - 15.1 - none (4.0Ghz i7-4790K, Fusion HDD+128GB blade). (was running Mojave before the upgrade)
I bought an Aura Pro X2 480Gb from OWC. From the instruction came with the SSD, I have to remove the Fusion Drive first by enter to MacOS Recovery Mode (Cmd+R), then run command : "diskutil cs list" to get the name of the Fusion Drive. But that command didn't work for me, I found another command :"diskutil apfs list" and they show up all the disks include fusion one. After that, I run command: "diskutil apfs deletecontainer disk#". After that, I installed the new SSD to my iMac.
Then I boot into Recovery Mod (Cmd+Opt+R) to install the newest macOS - Catalina, and everything fine until 2 hours later. When I was using my iMac, it suddenly shut down and wont wake up any more. I power on but there are just a black screen. I tried to enter to Recovery Mode (CMD+OPT+R) and OS Recovery (CMD+R) but the new SSD isn't showing up in Disk Utility even I selected "Show All Devices".
I contacted OWC technical but they just told me to return and get a new one. My midterm is coming up next week and I can't wait another week for ship back to US from Canada and another week to wait for delivery from US to Canada.
My device is Late 2014 - 15.1 - none (4.0Ghz i7-4790K, Fusion HDD+128GB blade). (was running Mojave before the upgrade)
I bought an Aura Pro X2 480Gb from OWC. From the instruction came with the SSD, I have to remove the Fusion Drive first by enter to MacOS Recovery Mode (Cmd+R), then run command : "diskutil cs list" to get the name of the Fusion Drive. But that command didn't work for me, I found another command :"diskutil apfs list" and they show up all the disks include fusion one. After that, I run command: "diskutil apfs deletecontainer disk#". After that, I installed the new SSD to my iMac.
Then I boot into Recovery Mod (Cmd+Opt+R) to install the newest macOS - Catalina, and everything fine until 2 hours later. When I was using my iMac, it suddenly shut down and wont wake up any more. I power on but there are just a black screen. I tried to enter to Recovery Mode (CMD+OPT+R) and OS Recovery (CMD+R) but the new SSD isn't showing up in Disk Utility even I selected "Show All Devices".
I contacted OWC technical but they just told me to return and get a new one. My midterm is coming up next week and I can't wait another week for ship back to US from Canada and another week to wait for delivery from US to Canada.
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I posted this question in rxs0's thread, but I thought I'd try here to see if anyone has any advice.
I've upgraded a 2017 Retina 5K with a Samsung 970 EVO in a Sintech adapter, and everything seems to be running okay, but I'm having incredibly fast fan speeds. I installed the Samsung 970 EVO with the same EKWB EK-M.2 NVMe Heatsink that rxs0 used (though I went with nickel instead of black as it was slightly cheaper). Following the advice of Amazon reviewers, I compensated for the uneven chips when placing the thermal pads by cutting both thicker and thinner pieces of the thermal pad for the top of the drive, which left me with an even top.
My fans are running close to full blast all the time, and under light load (it's not true idle because my system is doing an initial iCloud download, etc., but it's not particularly heavy), the temperature of the Samsung is sitting at 62 according to Macs Fan Control.
Any advice on how best to get my temperatures under control? I've read that some people get better results without the heatsink, but I'm really reluctant to tear the whole thing back down in the name of experimentation. That said, it's going to drive me crazy if my fans run all the time. Suggestions would be very welcome.
I've upgraded a 2017 Retina 5K with a Samsung 970 EVO in a Sintech adapter, and everything seems to be running okay, but I'm having incredibly fast fan speeds. I installed the Samsung 970 EVO with the same EKWB EK-M.2 NVMe Heatsink that rxs0 used (though I went with nickel instead of black as it was slightly cheaper). Following the advice of Amazon reviewers, I compensated for the uneven chips when placing the thermal pads by cutting both thicker and thinner pieces of the thermal pad for the top of the drive, which left me with an even top.
My fans are running close to full blast all the time, and under light load (it's not true idle because my system is doing an initial iCloud download, etc., but it's not particularly heavy), the temperature of the Samsung is sitting at 62 according to Macs Fan Control.
Any advice on how best to get my temperatures under control? I've read that some people get better results without the heatsink, but I'm really reluctant to tear the whole thing back down in the name of experimentation. That said, it's going to drive me crazy if my fans run all the time. Suggestions would be very welcome.
Hello all, first thanks for all the great advice here. I was able to upgrade my 2019 iMac's blade to and HP EX950 with short Sintech adapter. The only question that I haven't been able to find through a search is regarding what format I should make my newly upgraded HDD. I replaced the stock 1TB HDD with a 5TB one that I had previously used in an enclosure.
It kept coming up as "unreadable" after installation, so I moved the files I currently had onto my blade, but now I want to know is what Format (e.g., APFS, Mac Extended Journaled, etc.) and what Scheme (e.g., GUID Partition, Apple Partition Map, etc.).
Sorry if this was answered before, a quick search didn't come with direct answers.
~Paik
It kept coming up as "unreadable" after installation, so I moved the files I currently had onto my blade, but now I want to know is what Format (e.g., APFS, Mac Extended Journaled, etc.) and what Scheme (e.g., GUID Partition, Apple Partition Map, etc.).
Sorry if this was answered before, a quick search didn't come with direct answers.
~Paik
I tried that, but the drive was pumping out so much heat that it was raising my CPU temperatures enough to run the fan pretty hard. In the end, I decided that the 970 Evo just isn't an option for my setup. I yanked it and replaced it with a 128 GB SSPOLARIS (one of the proprietary Apple drives) that I got on eBay. I have that running as a fusion drive together with a Crucial MX500, and so far the results are agreeable. I don't think I'd have attempted the upgrade just to get this combo, but it's a better option for me than the Evo running super hot.
[automerge]1571446059[/automerge]
Assuming you're planning on using it as a data drive, it doesn't matter so much which format it is; either APFS or HFS+ will be fine. Give it a GUID partition scheme.
I used APFS on the WD Black blade and standard extended journal thingy on the 4TB spinny drive I fitted for bulk storage. They at least play nice
I have the OS and mostly everything on the SSD, but the 400GB iTunes library and a shittonne of movies etc go on the spinning drive.[automerge]1571464166[/automerge]
For the record - a Catalina upgrade didn't fix anything with the sleep, but it didn't break anything that wasnt already broken...
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Yeah, I've got my SATA and blade running as a fusion drive. If you want to do that, I'd be happy to point you to the directions that got me NVMe speeds. So far everything is stable, and I think it's worth it to me not to have to worry about file management. Since you'll have to wipe the drives anyway if you decide you want to do that, how you have them formatted in the mean time doesn't matter a lot.
id here interest to know just for future reference but I just moved my files so I don’t want to really want to backup and redo it all. Haha.
~Paik
So what’s the latest bet on Apple updating the NVMe driver for late 2015s...? I think the workaround of hibernate 25 is just going to annoy me (it remounts any external drive I prefer to leave off most because it won’t stop indexing them...) and I’ll put a basic SATA back drive in this and sell it.
And get a refurb 2019 3.0 base model and put the NMVe blade in that.
Seems to be the case, but we are sure this all works on a 2019?
And get a refurb 2019 3.0 base model and put the NMVe blade in that.
Seems to be the case, but we are sure this all works on a 2019?
Permissions and Bin behaviour - I don't know what this means, but anything on my NMVe blade that I want to move to the Bin is deleted immediately (thankfully with a warning), and anything on my 3.5 SATA drive behaves normally and goes to the Bin which I then have the normal option of emptying.
This might be relevant to the general lack of support in a late 2015 for third party NMVe...?
This might be relevant to the general lack of support in a late 2015 for third party NMVe...?
Device: 2017 27" - MNEA2LL/A (3.5Ghz Radeon Pro575 1TB Fusion)
CPU upgrade: Kaby Lake i5-7600 to i7-7700
BladeSSD upgrade: Apple 32GB -> Samsung 970 EVO 1TB + Sintech ST-NGFF2013-C + Heatsink + Kapton
SATA SSD (new): Samsung 860 1TB. No Temp Sensor
Speed test: NVME 2600MB/s read, 2400MB/s write. SSD 510MB/s read, 480MB/s Write.
OS: Catalina 10.15
Location: Florida
Issues after fresh OS install: NVME temps were very very high. Back to normal after 2 days.
Sleep Issues: none.
Time spent on upgrade: >15h (from reading forums, buying components, struggling with CPU update)
CPU upgrade: Kaby Lake i5-7600 to i7-7700
BladeSSD upgrade: Apple 32GB -> Samsung 970 EVO 1TB + Sintech ST-NGFF2013-C + Heatsink + Kapton
SATA SSD (new): Samsung 860 1TB. No Temp Sensor
Speed test: NVME 2600MB/s read, 2400MB/s write. SSD 510MB/s read, 480MB/s Write.
OS: Catalina 10.15
Location: Florida
Issues after fresh OS install: NVME temps were very very high. Back to normal after 2 days.
Sleep Issues: none.
Time spent on upgrade: >15h (from reading forums, buying components, struggling with CPU update)
Attachments
Device: Mid 2015 - 15.1 - none (3.3Ghz i5-4590, Radeon R9 M290, 1TB HDD SATA)
HDD upgrade: 1TB SATA HDD -> Samsung 860Evo 500GB SSD)
Speed test: 516MB/s read, 360MB/s write
OS: Mojave 10.14.6
Temperature sensor: none
Issues after fresh OS install: NONE - everything works perfectly
HDD upgrade: 1TB SATA HDD -> Samsung 860Evo 500GB SSD)
Speed test: 516MB/s read, 360MB/s write
OS: Mojave 10.14.6
Temperature sensor: none
Issues after fresh OS install: NONE - everything works perfectly
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The new Sintech adapter that I ordered from eBay seems to have the "kapton" tape pre-installed. Installation was easier that I thought after reading all the comments. But of course I had disassemble my mac twice; at first go I didn't push the adapter all the way to the slot and disk utility couldn't find the drive at all. Second time around was a breeze and took about half an our. Thanks everyone telling to NOT seal the screen before testing!
Blade drive upgrade
Device: 27" Retina 5K Late 2014 4 GHz i7 3Tb fusion 32GB
Blade upgrade: 128GB -> Intel 660p 1TB SSD (original HD left in)
Speed test: Not done
Adapter: Sintech long black adapter
OS: Catalina
Issues after fresh OS install: After letting the computer on for the night it woke up without problem in the morning. No problems so far.
Blade drive upgrade
Device: 27" Retina 5K Late 2014 4 GHz i7 3Tb fusion 32GB
Blade upgrade: 128GB -> Intel 660p 1TB SSD (original HD left in)
Speed test: Not done
Adapter: Sintech long black adapter
OS: Catalina
Issues after fresh OS install: After letting the computer on for the night it woke up without problem in the morning. No problems so far.
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Device: 27" iMac Late 2013 (3.2 GHz Core i5, 1Tb HDD only, 8GB)
CPU update: i5-4570 -> i7-4770 (thermal grease GLACIALTECH IceTherm II, thermal pads over video memory banks)
HDD upgrade: 1TB Seagate ST1000DM003 -> 4TB Seagate ST4000DM001 (same height), NO temp sensor
Blade upgrade: None -> 1TB Intel 660p series (SSDPEKNW010T8)
Memory upgrade: +2*8Gb Kingston ValueRAM KVR16S11/8
Adapter: aliexpress -> search "nvme a1465", then add some insulation tape over contacts
OS: Mojave 10.14.6
Speed test: blade 760MB/s read, 720MB/write
Issues: none
Sleep issue: none
Actually there was an issue, but it was not caused by upgrade: very high cpu usage of kernel_task and CPU was throttled. Temperatures was OK, but diagnostic showed error PF006 (error in SMC sensors). Take a closer look at smc values and find out there was a problem with TM1p (DIMM Module 2 proximity) - it values was always 0x8000. After this I downloaded boardview, electric schemes, take a close look at the mainboard and find tiny SMD element blasted near DIMM modules. Convinced serviceman to solder it, and the issue disappeared.
CPU update: i5-4570 -> i7-4770 (thermal grease GLACIALTECH IceTherm II, thermal pads over video memory banks)
HDD upgrade: 1TB Seagate ST1000DM003 -> 4TB Seagate ST4000DM001 (same height), NO temp sensor
Blade upgrade: None -> 1TB Intel 660p series (SSDPEKNW010T8)
Memory upgrade: +2*8Gb Kingston ValueRAM KVR16S11/8
Adapter: aliexpress -> search "nvme a1465", then add some insulation tape over contacts
OS: Mojave 10.14.6
Speed test: blade 760MB/s read, 720MB/write
Issues: none
Sleep issue: none
Actually there was an issue, but it was not caused by upgrade: very high cpu usage of kernel_task and CPU was throttled. Temperatures was OK, but diagnostic showed error PF006 (error in SMC sensors). Take a closer look at smc values and find out there was a problem with TM1p (DIMM Module 2 proximity) - it values was always 0x8000. After this I downloaded boardview, electric schemes, take a close look at the mainboard and find tiny SMD element blasted near DIMM modules. Convinced serviceman to solder it, and the issue disappeared.
Device: 27" iMac 14,2 Late 2013 (3.5 GHz Core i7, 1Tb HDD only, 16GB)
HDD upgrade: 1TB original HDD -> 1 TB SSD Samsung Evo 860
Blade: none -> 500 GB Samsung Evo 970
Adapter: Syntech NGFF m2 nVME Adapter Card
Thanks to this thread, everything went pretty well. Disassembly was without any problems and the completion as well...I just had no screw for fixing the blade disk, so i tried it without it.
But after the start, the disk utility couldn’t see the blade disk, the SATA hdd was visible and I was able to install OSX on it, but not the blade. So I disassembled it again and tried to refit the blade and the adapter. But after the completion, everything was the same...
I tried it again today. This time i fixed the blade with a proper screw, but without any succes. The blade disk is still invisible...=[ Don’t I have to allow or initiate it first?
Now I'm thinking of ordering new adapter...otherwise I have no clue where the problem could be...
I’m wondering if anyone could help..?
UPDATE! Problem solved.
I fixed the problem and now everything works like a charm. It seems that for the first time, the adapter wasn’t plugged properly and since than I was trying to install a wrong installer (The iMac was trying to recovery with Yosemite and I didn’t notice that...). So I’ve downloaded the High Sierra installer and installed the system without any problems. I have to stay with HS hence it’s the last OSX where Nvidia acceleration is supported...
There is a massive difference in the speed and I’m really happy of that.
The sleeping problem occurred once... (when the imac was left idle for a long time, when I came back there was just black screen but illuminated. And I had to turn it off with the power button. I’ve turned off the sleep mode of the disk and it solved it...
If you have a 14,2 iMac...go for it! Its a massive improvement...
And thanks everybody in this thread for sharing the knowledge!
HDD upgrade: 1TB original HDD -> 1 TB SSD Samsung Evo 860
Blade: none -> 500 GB Samsung Evo 970
Adapter: Syntech NGFF m2 nVME Adapter Card
Thanks to this thread, everything went pretty well. Disassembly was without any problems and the completion as well...I just had no screw for fixing the blade disk, so i tried it without it.
But after the start, the disk utility couldn’t see the blade disk, the SATA hdd was visible and I was able to install OSX on it, but not the blade. So I disassembled it again and tried to refit the blade and the adapter. But after the completion, everything was the same...
I tried it again today. This time i fixed the blade with a proper screw, but without any succes. The blade disk is still invisible...=[ Don’t I have to allow or initiate it first?
Now I'm thinking of ordering new adapter...otherwise I have no clue where the problem could be...
I’m wondering if anyone could help..?
UPDATE! Problem solved.
I fixed the problem and now everything works like a charm. It seems that for the first time, the adapter wasn’t plugged properly and since than I was trying to install a wrong installer (The iMac was trying to recovery with Yosemite and I didn’t notice that...). So I’ve downloaded the High Sierra installer and installed the system without any problems. I have to stay with HS hence it’s the last OSX where Nvidia acceleration is supported...
There is a massive difference in the speed and I’m really happy of that.
The sleeping problem occurred once... (when the imac was left idle for a long time, when I came back there was just black screen but illuminated. And I had to turn it off with the power button. I’ve turned off the sleep mode of the disk and it solved it...
If you have a 14,2 iMac...go for it! Its a massive improvement...
And thanks everybody in this thread for sharing the knowledge!
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Hi guy, just upgraded from 21.5 2019 imac to 27, I managed to upgrade my 21.5 with 1tb intel 660p 2tb sshd and 32gb ram and was working flawlessly, I question now is, wich ssd i can fit to my 27” got a Great deal on a sabret rocket, and seen some people complaining about sleeping and hibernating issue, or should I stick to intel, is crucial p1 any better? Also because comes with standard i5 8500 wich is 65w, is it possible to upgrade to i9?
Are you sure that the adapter is fully pressed in? My SSD didn't show up because of this. Did the screw align with ease? If not, the the adapter might not be fully inserted.
Hi guys.
I'm here to add to this experience but with a twist.
Blade + HDD upgrade made by myself.
Device: Late 2013 -14.2 (3.5Ghz i7-4771)
Blade upgrade: 128GB SDNEP 655-18378 -> Intel 660P 2TB (SSDPEKNW020T8X1)
HDD upgrade: 3TB SATA ST3000DM001 HDD -> 1TB SATA Evo 960 Samsung SATA
Processor thermals + GPU thermals replaced.
16Gb Ram - > 32 Gb Ram
OS: CAtalina 10.15.0/10.15.1
Location: PT, Europe
Adapter: Sintech ST-NGFF2013
Issues after fresh OS install: No problems. Fan Normal, Sleeps as it should.
BUT i have some experience to share.
It turns out that the first time i opened it up and exchanged the PCI-E drive the imac didn't boot.
The only thing that happened was that the status LED on the main board were not functioning as it should.
I'm sharing this because i found no solution online for my problem but i managed to solve it.
There are 4 LED diagnostic lights on this board, and the first should indicate if there is AC power present on the power supply block. Normally if you have AC connected, the led should be lit, otherwise off. Mine was blinking and the supply was making subtle but weird noises.
After 1 hour of trying all the things that i could online find after reading about people that exchanged the power supply thinking it was faulty but not solving the problem, i removed all the ram sticks leaving one that i was sure it worked and replaced the nvme 660p drive and adapter for the original 128Gb drive.
It booted up.
Turns out it was my NGFF adapter that came faulty as i ordered another one and now i'm writing off from my "refurbished" machine.
If you see the AC LED blinking don't stress yourself. Try going back to the original drive and see if it comes back alive. Most probably you have a faulty NGFF adapter.
Hope i can help anyone saving some money.
I'm here to add to this experience but with a twist.
Blade + HDD upgrade made by myself.
Device: Late 2013 -14.2 (3.5Ghz i7-4771)
Blade upgrade: 128GB SDNEP 655-18378 -> Intel 660P 2TB (SSDPEKNW020T8X1)
HDD upgrade: 3TB SATA ST3000DM001 HDD -> 1TB SATA Evo 960 Samsung SATA
Processor thermals + GPU thermals replaced.
16Gb Ram - > 32 Gb Ram
OS: CAtalina 10.15.0/10.15.1
Location: PT, Europe
Adapter: Sintech ST-NGFF2013
Issues after fresh OS install: No problems. Fan Normal, Sleeps as it should.
BUT i have some experience to share.
It turns out that the first time i opened it up and exchanged the PCI-E drive the imac didn't boot.
The only thing that happened was that the status LED on the main board were not functioning as it should.
I'm sharing this because i found no solution online for my problem but i managed to solve it.
There are 4 LED diagnostic lights on this board, and the first should indicate if there is AC power present on the power supply block. Normally if you have AC connected, the led should be lit, otherwise off. Mine was blinking and the supply was making subtle but weird noises.
After 1 hour of trying all the things that i could online find after reading about people that exchanged the power supply thinking it was faulty but not solving the problem, i removed all the ram sticks leaving one that i was sure it worked and replaced the nvme 660p drive and adapter for the original 128Gb drive.
It booted up.
Turns out it was my NGFF adapter that came faulty as i ordered another one and now i'm writing off from my "refurbished" machine.
If you see the AC LED blinking don't stress yourself. Try going back to the original drive and see if it comes back alive. Most probably you have a faulty NGFF adapter.
Hope i can help anyone saving some money.
Device: Late 2014 27inch - (3.5Ghz i5, 1TB Fusion, 32GB RAM)
HDD upgrade: 1 TB SATA HDD -> 1TB Asseno SSD
Blade upgrade: 128GB Sandisk -> 1TB Samsung Evo 970
Speed test: around 780 MB/s read, 730 MB/s write - PCie; around 508 MB/s read, 477 MB/s write - SATA.
OS: Internet Recovery install of Catalina (from previous Mojave install).
Location: UK, Europe
Temperature sensor: none
Issues after fresh OS install: Nothing at the moment.
Whole process took about 2hrs + 30mins for re applying adhesive strips. Both drives were initialized and partitioned before installation in IMac. Cheap £2.98 adapter from ebay used (short one), long one also ordered just in case (but still in transit).
HDD upgrade: 1 TB SATA HDD -> 1TB Asseno SSD
Blade upgrade: 128GB Sandisk -> 1TB Samsung Evo 970
Speed test: around 780 MB/s read, 730 MB/s write - PCie; around 508 MB/s read, 477 MB/s write - SATA.
OS: Internet Recovery install of Catalina (from previous Mojave install).
Location: UK, Europe
Temperature sensor: none
Issues after fresh OS install: Nothing at the moment.
Whole process took about 2hrs + 30mins for re applying adhesive strips. Both drives were initialized and partitioned before installation in IMac. Cheap £2.98 adapter from ebay used (short one), long one also ordered just in case (but still in transit).
How are you setting up your drives for use? What are you putting on the Blade vs SSD? I also have a 2014 27” iMac and am considering just the SSD to replace the HDD from the Fusion drive or replace both the HDD and Blade.
I'm looking to upgrade my Late 2015 27" iMac (HDD Only, i5-6500) to a 500gb Samsung 970 EVO and I thought that while I'm in the machine I would also upgrade to an i7-6700k. I have heard that people are having problems with sleep after adding a third-party NVMe drive. I also have an Early 2015 MacBook Air with a 128gb blade. Is it worth trying to put that into the iMac to see if the BootROM updates, then put in the 970 EVO. Is it worth the hassle or should I just deal with the sleep issues?