Are All PCIe Sticks The Same?

[accountforit]

If you wanted to open up your 2012-13 iMac 27" and install a PCIe drive, would any one work? I know the slot is there.

There seems to be a ton of them listed on ebay for sale, and the majority of the sellers do not list the iMac as one of the compatible units. Not to mention, some of them quote 500/400 speeds but the speeds the preinstalled Apple drives get are around 700+. I am referring to stock Apple/Samsung drives being sold.


Any info would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Bear]

If you wanted to open up your 2012-13 iMac 27" and install a PCIe drive, would any one work? I know the slot is there.
...

The 2012 and 2013 iMacs use different SSD "sticks". The 2012 are not PCIe.

 

[accountforit]

The 2012 and 2013 iMacs use different SSD "sticks". The 2012 are not PCIe.

Are you positive? From the research I have done, I've read that the 2012 27" has the PCIe slot but the 2012 21.5" only has the slot if you ordered the computer with an SSD or fusion drive.

Why would they have the slot if they were not PCIe?

Taken from everymac.com:

"For storage upgrades, if the 21.5-Inch "Late 2012" iMac models were not configured with an SSD or a "Fusion Drive" at the time of purchase, there is no way to add a PCIe-based "blade" SSD later as the needed connector is not present. However, the 27-Inch "Late 2012" and all "Late 2013" iMac models do have this connector on the motherboard even without a pre-installed SSD, so it is possible to add a PCIe-based "blade" SSD after the purchase of the system."

 

[Bear]

Are you positive? From the research I have done, I've read that the 2012 27" has the PCIe slot but the 2012 21.5" only has the slot if you ordered the computer with an SSD or fusion drive.

Why would they have the slot if they were not PCIe?
...

The Blade SSDs that Apple used prior to introducing the PCIe SSDs starting with the MacBook Air in June 2013 used a mSATA interface with the performance restrictions imposed by having a SATA interface. The 2012 iMac does not have a PCIe SSD.

 

[g4cube]

Further, Apple uses a proprietary connector that is different from the M.2 standard. M.2 is also known as NGFF.

There are a few websites that list Apple part numbers for various Mac models and their replaceable components.

Not a smart thing to do, to rely on an inaccurate description on eBay. Better to confirm an actual Apple part number.

 

[casperes1996]

Confirming earlier post

I can confirm that the 2012 model's SSD, is not PCIe. One of the things that made the 2013 model an improvement was the faster SSD, both for fusion and pure SSD. It is one of Apple's selling points for the newer machine. I don't know if you're article is flawed, because it does seem weird that the storage option would impact the existence of a PCIe port.