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I want to buy a PCIe SSD from a MacBook Pro 2015, this model: mzjpus12t/0a6 (512 GB). Will it work on my iMac 27" 2017?
If it doesn't work, which one should I get?
Thanks
Hi Dan
Yes, I'm sure (I'm attaching the image). I think it's a 2 lane SSD because it is Fusion Drive.
In the image you can see the characteristics of the ssd of the imac 2017
Thanks
Questa è una buona domanda?
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If you haven't bought your system yet I would recommend you get one with the largest SSD Apple offers that you can afford and then if you want to add later a second SSD or HDD you'll have an easier time adding the SATA III (6.0 Gb/s) drive than trying to gain access to the custom PCIe/NVMe SSD blade drive slot on the back side of the logic board.
If you've already bought your system then I would recommend you forgo the internal blade SSD for now. Instead get an external Thunderbolt2 SSD RAID drive setup it will be cheaper and offer as good performance as the internal blade SSD. And lastly, be a lot less work and less risk as these systems are not easy to open!
Review this IFIXIT guide: iMac Intel 27" Retina 5K Display SSD Replacement. You'll need the special tools to open the system and Adhesive strips to put your system back together. The biggest risk is damaging the display in the process of removing it, that would be a very expensive Opps!
OK, you still want to go for it! What is the SSD I need. You'll need either a two or four lane PCIe/NVMe Apple custom SSD. I would strongly recommend getting the four lane but they are much harder to find. The part you found is a two lane model (mz jpus12t/0a6) while it will work you won't get the same performance as what Apple uses in this system a four lane SSD. So far no 3rd party offers blade SSD's for this series. They also only offer two lane versions as well for the older systems.
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Thanks for the answer. Do you know what four lane model should I buy? I checked the info on system information and the ssd shows a x2 link width on the iMac 2017. But I checked the same info on an Macbook pro 2015 and it showed a 4x link width, could this ssd work on my iMac?
Thanks
Here's a good writeup on the custom Apple SSD's The Ultimate Guide to Apple’s Proprietary SSDs BeetsTech also sells them.
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I used a Samsung EVO 970 NVMe and a Sintech M.2 to Apple PCIe Adapter.
Also replaced the SATA HDD..
I couldnt be more happier with the result:
See images I posted on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs0loRDga6c/
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs06bPLAz1p/
Update:
Do not buy the Samsung EVO 970 “Plus” version , the plus version is known not to work:
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Nice work! Impressive speeds, thanks for sharing!
Sorry, can't check the Instagram link, cause I live in China and it's blocked here. My question is why does Evo 970 plus doesn't work? And what if I use INTEL 760p?
The EVO 970 Plus will not let you install macOS, we tried everything.
It will simply fail randomly somewhere in the process, never the same for reasons unknown, I would bet on the the macOS driver not beeing compatibe with the EVO 970 Plus controller. (which could change in the future ).
You can use the regular EVO 970 or the EVO 970 Pro without issues.
Keep in mind that Apple actually uses Samsung chips and controllers for its own SSD drives so its probably a good choice to stay close and use Samsung and the polaris controller.
Sintech also recommends the regular EVO or even suggested to use Intel 660 or Intel 760.
After I replaced the blade ssd, can I keep the standard HDD? My iMac sees it but says it is not connected
Got it here.
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Hi! I have just update my Hard Drive to an SSD (2TB Sandisk) - not the Blade SSD - and i saw a BIG Defference! it runs at 500MB/S and it tis very very fast. I was ready to change the Blade SSD but it is v.2 (iMac 27" late 2015) and it is not worth for me..
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Consider that the PCIe SSD hits about 1400Mb/read and 2200Mb/write
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Has anyone manage to upgrade a 2017 27 inch iMac’s PCIe SSD?
Is a thermal sensor needed for the sata drive if upgraded?
Update: I upgraded my sata HDD to a SSD. I didn’t install a thermal sensor and the fans run as normal.
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Hi Aron, With your upgrade (Fusion to SSD) did the iMac runs faster? It was worthy the investment? Tks.
Yes much faster! The standard 8GB of ram is also a big bottle neck. I added another 16GB bringing it up to 24 and it’s a different machine now.
I bought thermal sensor cable but my engineer who did the upgrade said its not needed. so its lying with me but not in use.
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I have successfully upgraded my iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2017) with a 2TB Samsung 970 EVO NVME SSD. The upgrade is running well, with no problems.
Please see post below for full details.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/ima...
Thanks.
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Nice detailed write up, fair play to you
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Hi,
i have a 2017 iMac 21.5. By default there was a 1TB Fusion drive installed. I replace the Blade SSD on the Board and the Hard Drive. I installed a Samsung Evo 970 Pro and a Samsung 860 Evo both 512GB. On the 970 I install MacOs and on the 860 is a copy of Windows. Speedtest under MacOS offers the Mac adress only 2 Lanes on the 970s. Read an Write Speed are approximately 1500MB/s. Does the mac have only 2 lines?
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I’m getting ~3000MB/s on my iMac 2017 27", with a Samsung EVO 970 Plus
Can you run a 2017 5K Retina iMac off the PCI-e only. I want to remove the HDD completely and replace the 128GB PCI-e with a 1TB PCI-e
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The OWC Aura Pro X2 has been great for me. Instead of doing this myself, I took my 2017 5K iMac to an Apple authorized service provider and had him install it for me. He removed the 24GB SSD that was part of the Fusion Drive assembly and replaced it with a 1TB Aura Pro. He left in the 1TB hard drive. The iMac now has 2TB of total storage. I am able to get 2GB/s transfer rates. It's a complicated to install this upgrade but I believe that it was worth the cost.
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I was wrong it's a 2015 5K Retina iMac, And I want to remove the HDD completely.
@jbdeangelojr OWC macsales.com is a great place to find compatible storage.
I use Samsund SSD 980 Pro 2TB nVMe with an adapter from amazon for imac 2017 and imac 27" 2019.
Very fast, 300MB/s..
With no trouble for months now.
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Are you sure this is from the 2017 model Vs the 2015?
Here is a review from a trusted source: Mini-review: How much faster have high-end iMacs gotten in the last 5 years?, jump down to the section: SSDs: Getting the most from PCI Express
"The late 2015 iMacs gave their SSDs four lanes of PCI Express 2.0 bandwidth. The 2017 models bump this up to four lanes of PCI Express 3.0, roughly doubling the theoretical bandwidth. The actual drives aren't that much faster, but you still get improved performance with plenty of headroom for the future."
When I was checking the system out at the Apple Store I remember it being 4x PCIe 3.0 NVMe.
da Dan
That explains it! A fusion drive has a smaller 64 or 128 GB SSD. The straight high capacity SSD models have the four lane units.
da Dan
Of course, in this case it's 32GB.
So, if I buy an SSD from a macbook pro 2015 (x4 and 8GT / S) it will work without problems, right?
da ricardo
Sorry no, thats a PCIe 2.0 version you need a PCIe 3.0 version.
I haven't seen any available yet, which is why I was pushing you to buy the system with the SSD Vs later. If you can talk to Apple (Apple Store or who sold you the system) to see if you can swap it out. If you've just got the system you have a small window to do that.
da Dan
I forgot they lowered the SSD size to 32 GB on the newer systems as well. Here's more: iMac 1 TB Fusion Drives Have Smaller SSDs
da Dan
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