Can you upgrade to an SSD in a NEW iMac before turning it on?

Question

iMac Intel 21.5" Retina 4K Display (2017)

Processore A1418 / EMC 3069 / 2017 / 3.0 GHz quad-core i5, 3.4 GHz quad-core i5 o 3.6 GHz quad-core i7. Rilasciato l'8 giugno 2017.

176 Domande Visualizza tutte

Ash M @ashm57773

Rep: 1

1

Postato: 5 apr 2021

Opzioni

Can you upgrade to an SSD in a NEW iMac before turning it on?

It may sound like a silly question but please bear with me.

I’ve managed to get my hands on a brand NEW unopened 21.5” 2017 4K iMac (featuring a fusion drive) and would like to perform a full system upgrade (blade SSD, 2.5” SSD and RAM) before even turning it on for the first time.

My question concerns installing a fresh copy of MacOS on a system upgraded as such. Would I need to create a bootable drive before hand (basically turn the system on first)? Or does the Internet Recovery feature exist within the BIOS?

Rispondi a questa domanda Anch'io ho questo problema

Questa è una buona domanda?

Sì No

Punteggio 0

Aggiungi un commento

1 Risposta

Dan @danj Rep: 480,5k Self employed contract worker 35 330 971 · Answer 1 · 2021-04-05T19:50:50-07:00

Risposta Più Utile

Dan @danj

Rep: 480,5k

Self employed contract worker

35

330

971

Postato: 5 apr 2021

Opzioni

There is no difference between a virgin unused system Vs turned on a few times. So you are panicking over nothing here.

I would start it up before I do anything to make sure the system is even working. Let’s say your system was bad and you didn’t even try turning it on you would go nuts trying to find a problem you created (which you didn’t).

Now with that said… I would do the RAM and blade SSD first as both require talking the logic board out. But before you do that you’ll need to break the Fusion Drive set first so your SSD is not magically engaged into the Fusion Drive cache drive with the current HDD.

Given how much work it is to get this deep I strongly recommend you stick with either real Apple blade SSD or OWC SSD.

Review this guides and follow them to the letter and use the tools listed:

And here’s the guide for replacing the HDD for a SSD: Sostituzione Disco Rigido iMac Intel 21.5" Schermo Retina 4K (2017)

Don’t forget to get a few tape sets This kit has all of the needed tools iMac Intel 21.5" (Late 2012-2019) SSD Upgrade Kit

Prodotto

iMac Intel 21.5" (Late 2012-2019) SSD Upgrade Kit

$89.99

Immagine iMac Intel 21.5" Retina 4K Display (2017) RAM

Guida

Sostituzione RAM nell'iMac Intel 21.5" Retina 4K Display (2017)

Difficoltà:

Moderato

—

1 - 3 hours

Immagine iMac Intel 21.5" Retina 4K Display (2017) Disco Rigido

Guida

Sostituzione Disco Rigido iMac Intel 21.5" Schermo Retina 4K (2017)

Difficoltà:

Moderato

—

1 - 2 hours

Immagine iMac Intel 21.5" Retina 4K Display (2017) SSD

Guida

Sostituzione SSD iMac Intel 21,5" Retina 4K Display (2017)

Difficoltà:

Moderato

—

1 - 3 hours

Questa risposta è stata utile?

Sì No

Punteggio 1

10 Commenti:

Thank so much for the quick response!

I do have an OWC Aura Pro X2 480gb SSD for the job and I was planning on using a Samsung 860 EVO to replace the 2.5” drive (is that ok?).

As for the kit, I have one made by OWC but it only contains one set of adhesives for a 21.5” display. Are you suggesting I might need a spare set just in case?

Anything else I need to bear in mind?

Once again, thanks for your help!

6 apr 2021 da Ash M

@Ash M - The Samsung 2.5" SSD will be just fine!

Having a spare tape set just saves you the wait until you get a new set if you need to go back in.

Make sure you use a ESD mat and wrist strap so you don't zap your systems delicate electronics (more so in dry climates).

6 apr 2021 da Dan

Any particular mat you'd recommend?

6 apr 2021 da Ash M

@Ash M - The iFixit mat works! Anti-Static Mat There are cheaper options but they may not be as good.

6 apr 2021 da Dan

Dan, on the off chance that I wanted a screen replacement, where would I source a new official one from?