Considering upgrading HDD in 27" iMac

[ScWasHere]

Hello,

I am not in a position financially to upgrade my 27" iMac 5K 2017, 4.2 GHz, 40GB Ram, Radeon pro 574, model 18,3. I have an extensive image file library that I currently have on externals, and my current main drive is a 1TB fusion drive, which runs 90% full no matter how much I try to trim it.
So, I am considering this 4TB SSD upgrade from OWC:

4TB Mercury Extreme SSD and HDD Kit for 27-inch iMac

Add an SSD to your hard drive equipped iMac to experience faster booting, near instant application launches and data transfer speeds up over 500 MB/s.

eshop.macsales.com

I've watched the installation video, and it doesn't look like fun, but I think if I'm careful, I can do it. I'd like to get the images off the externals and onto the main drive to speed up editing and culling. I use Capture One and it currently takes a few minutes to load the catalog file which resides on the fusion drive(Capture One file is over 200gb). Rendering of files also takes a lot more time than I'd like, and I guess moving to an SSD and getting everything on the main drive and off peripherals will speed things up?
What are your opinions? Will the effort and cost be worth it? I'm hoping to keep this machine for a few more years.

 

[russell_314]

If it has Thunderbolt 3 wouldn't an external TB3 SSD work? This way you would not have to dissemble an iMac. I know people use them on the Mac mini and it gets speeds fast as or faster than an internal drive.

I don't know the cost of an external 4 TB TB3 drive vs that internal one but I would be scared to take apart an iMac.

 

[ScWasHere]

Yeah, it makes me nervous too, but with my internal drive maxed out, things are slow and I don't know if I can move the capture one catalogue file to an external and get the same speed advantage.

 

[Juicy Box]

get the same speed advantage.

An external could be much faster than the SSD in the kit you linked.

 

[hobowankenobi]

I did this upgrade on about 30 Macs at work. It is not as hard as it looks. Anybody that is handy can manage it. I say go for it.

The kit you linked to has everything you need. Because it is surgery, I would suggest you get the best SSD you can. If you want to use a different SSD, you can get the adhesive strips from multiple sources.

Just go slow and take your time. Run the little pizza cutter around the edge a few times...the foam adhesive is pretty strong and doesn't cut completely.

I recommend you test boot the machine with the screen cables reattached (carefully), but before pulling the backing off the new strips, just to confirm before closing it up tight.

 

[James_C]

I would not open your iMac up unless you have to. You could either damage the display or allow dust particles to get inside. Given you have two Thunderbolt 3 ports on your iMac, just get a Thunderbolt 3 SSD. It will be just as quick as an Internal Drive.

You can boot off a TB3 external and convert your internal fusion drive to a backup drive.

 

[Fishrrman]

A 2017 iMac has USBc3.1 gen2 via the 2 USBc ports on the back.

That means you could buy:
- an nvme "blade" drive (I'd suggest 1tb or 2tb if they make a 2tb)
- a USB3.1 gen2 enclosure (numerous ones available from places like amazon)

The blade drive snaps into the case, you apply a "heat transfer pad" on some of them.
Some don't even need a screwdriver.
Plugable.com seems to make a nice one.

Probably cheaper than the OWC drive.
A LOT LESS TROUBLE then opening the iMac yourself, with the potential of BREAKING something inside.

USB3.1 gen2 gives you read speeds in the 960MBps range, and writes just slightly lower.
They do get quite warm under heavy write loads, but I believe for day-to-day usage as a boot drive, they'll do fine.

I have one I use as a backup for my 2018 Mini.

Again, I would recommend AGAINST anything that requires you to open the iMac, unless you are absolutely certain of your technical abilities to do the job.

 

[ScWasHere]

It certainly seems like a lot less aggravation to use a thunderbolt external.

 

[Juicy Box]

It certainly seems like a lot less aggravation to use a thunderbolt external.

It depends on what you are looking for.

It would be one thing if you were replacing the blade SSD, but the kit you linked is for a SATA SSD which would be much slower than external NVMe options. You could get almost double the speed using NVMe on USB3.2 gen2 and over 4X the speed with a TB3 NVMe.

The biggest problem with doing external is that it will be crazy pricey for a 4TB NVMe. You are talking about $1K for a TB3 NVMe. You could get a cheaper external SATA SSD, but then it would be slower than doing it internally.


If you wanted to keep everything internal, you could do that kit and fused the internal blade SSD with the new internal SATA SSD, this would create a "Super Fusion Drive", giving your the speed benefits of the blade but the storage size and ease of installation of the SATA SSD.

If you were going to consider doing anything internal, I would suggest getting the tool set and glue strips separate and purchase the SSD, 3.5" to 2.5" adapter, and temp sensor separate. You could probably get everything for about $500.

 

[Juicy Box]

You could either damage the display

This could definitely happen.

or allow dust particles to get inside.

This one not as much. The Mid 2007 - Mid 2011 iMacs could very easily get dust behind the glass, but the Late 2012+ iMacs have the laminated displays which shouldn't get dust in between unless the glass is starting to delaminate. But that would probably be a bigger problem than just dust.

Actually, opening the Late 2012+ iMacs is the best way to remove dust inside, not add it.

 

[James_C]

This one not as much. The Mid 2007 - Mid 2011 iMacs could very easily get dust behind the glass, but the Late 2012+ iMacs have the laminated displays which shouldn't get dust in between unless the glass is starting to delaminate. But that would probably be a bigger problem than just dust.

I have a late 2014 27" iMac and I have dust behind the glass, in theory you are correct the laminated displays should be better, but there are plenty of people with dust issues.

 

[Juicy Box]

I would recommend AGAINST anything that requires you to open the iMac, unless you are absolutely certain of your technical abilities to do the job.

This^

It really isn't that big of a deal, and people make it out to be worse than it actually is, but that said, anyone opening up their iMac for the first time, especially if they have never done anything like this before, should research online a lot.

I would suggest watching a few of the thousand YouTube videos of people opening their iMacs. Also, iFixit is a good resource.

And more than just knowing how to open the iMac, you need the proper tools. Some are just basic electronic tools, but some are special tools. One being is the pizza cutter-like tool for cutting the foam glue strips.

Maybe on YouTube use a razor blade, but this could potentially be dangerous to your Mac and yourself. You the right tools for the job.

Make sure you have the right parts before doing the job. I suggest the iFixit adhesive strips, and also suggest buying directly from them. Amazon and eBay have issues with counterfeit inventory, and better safe than sorry for something expensive like the display.

I would also have a helper. It can be done solo, but having someone else to hand you things, and help with the cables is always nice.

I have a late 2014 27" iMac and I have dust behind the glass

Was this from opening your iMac? or just from having de-lamination issues?

 

[hobowankenobi]

I would not open your iMac up unless you have to. You could either damage the display or allow dust particles to get inside. Given you have two Thunderbolt 3 ports on your iMac, just get a Thunderbolt 3 SSD. It will be just as quick as an Internal Drive.

You can boot off a TB3 external and convert your internal fusion drive to a backup drive.

Dust is not an issue. iMacs are not sealed...dust gets sucked in (and mostly blown out) all the time. The display itself is sealed, unlike older iMacs that could get dust between the panel and the glass.

 

[hobowankenobi]

I have a late 2014 27" iMac and I have dust behind the glass, in theory you are correct the laminated displays should be better, but there are plenty of people with dust issues.

Dust issues...how? The screen is sealed. Where/how else can dust be an issue? As I mentioned, I did more than 30 iMacs myself, no dust issues. Others at work have done far more...well over 100, with no dust issues.

Old iMacs, sure with separate glass...sure. But that is not relevant here.

 

[hobowankenobi]

See SSD comparisons here. SATA bus the bottleneck, but for everyday use still a huge bump over any HD. Have used many Samsung EVO and Crucial with no issues in Macs. Have used a few OWC too, only ever had one fail after years of a small boot drive on a 24/7 Xserve.

Yes, external can be faster these days due to SATA bus limitations. But...external is a bit messy, and the odd chance of getting unplugged, cable or port issues. Rare, but much higher chance of issues compared to internal.

If it were me, I would probably do the swap to about 500Gb SSD for the boot OS and apps, user accounts, etc., and then do an external SSD for mass storage of big files: images, video, etc.

And don't forget another much bigger drive (HD would be great) for backups, or perhaps a NAS with tons of space.

 

[James_C]

Dust issues...how? The screen is sealed. Where/how else can dust be an issue? As I mentioned, I did more than 30 iMacs myself, no dust issues. Others at work have done far more...well over 100, with no dust issues.

Old iMacs, sure with separate glass...sure. But that is not relevant here.

Not easy to see taking a picture with my iPhone - but the grey smudge in the red box is dust under the glass. There are a number of threads on the forum about it and it effects all iMacs. The laminated displays in modern iMacs still suffer from it, including mine.

 

[James_C]

Was this from opening your iMac? or just from having de-lamination issues?

I have never opened my iMac it is from the fans pulling air though the system.

Here is the thread from a number of people who have the issue

 

[Juicy Box]

I have never opened my iMac it is from the fans pulling air though the system.

Here is the thread from a number of people who have the issue

I thought so. Opening the iMac had no impact on the dust, it just happened.

I am not suggesting this to anyone, but I wonder if routinely opening the iMac and cleaning out the dust would help prevent issues like yours and others.

This shouldn't even be an issue, but it looks like Apple still hasn't perfected the display lamination even after all these years.

 

[James_C]

I am not suggesting this to anyone, but I wonder if routinely opening the iMac and cleaning out the dust would help prevent issues like yours and others.

I have completely stripped down a G4 iMac, upgraded the ‘non user upgradable’ memory slot in the motherboard and replaced the HDD with a SSD, but I would not take a screen off a 27” unless I had to. Yes you can remove the dust by opening the display, but I can live with the smudge marks as they are not too bad in my case, and normally difficult to see with my normal background image.

 

[hobowankenobi]

I don't know if that is dust...but whatever it is, opening an iMac with a laminated screen does not increase the odds of dust-related problems.

OP: you can take "dust" off your list of reasons not to proceed. Correctly unplugging and plugging cables, and getting screen on exactly right the first time are real hurdles to focus on.

For me, it was easiest to align the bottom (where the screen meets the aluminum chin of the frame) first, set it down on the adhesive strip at an angle so only the bottom edge touched, and then once I confirmed it was tight to the bottom and even on both sides, then slowly lower the screen down, like closing a hinge.

 

[Juicy Box]

I have completely stripped down a G4 iMac, upgraded the ‘non user upgradable’ memory slot in the motherboard and replaced the HDD

I have to my G4 as well, although I wouldn't describe it as stripping it down. The hardest part about replacing the drive in the G4 is squeezing everything back in. It can be done 15 minutes or less.

but I would not take a screen off a 27” unless I had to. Yes you can remove the dust by opening the display, but I can live with the smudge marks as they are not too bad in my case, and normally difficult to see with my normal background image.

Getting back to the what the OP is thinking of doing, why use potential dust as a reason not to open the iMac. If anything it would be a reason to open it.

I agree with you about the potential damage to the display and connectors, though.

 

[James_C]

To be honest I am not that concerned about the dust issue for the OP. The issue is real as there is a class action against Apple launched in 2018 specifically against 2013 to 2018 iMacs. The laminated displays are NOT sealed.

The more relevant issue for the OP is why risk damaging the screen or connectors when he has a two TB3 ports and can achieve exactly the same result by buying a SSD TB3 external drive. a 4TB TB3 SSD external is not much more than the OP was going to pay for his internal kit or he can pick up a 2TB SSD for around $500.

 

[Juicy Box]

The more relevant issue for the OP is why risk damaging the screen or connectors when he has a two TB3 ports and can achieve exactly the same result by buying a SSD TB3 external drive.

This is a lot more valid argument than the dust issue, and I agree and have suggested as such.

why risk damaging the screen or connectors

For reasons for doing an internal install would be faster, cheaper, and cleaner than doing external SATA.

It wouldn't be as fast, but and internal SSD would be cheaper, cleaner, and have TRIM support compared to using NVMe over USB 3.2 Gen2.

An internal SSD isn't nearly as fast as a NVMe over TB3, but then you are talking about a $1K upgrade versus a $500 upgrade for a 4TB SATA install. It would also be a cleaner upgrade with nothing external.

Opening the iMac only to do a good cleaning and get that HDD out of there might be worth the risk to some.


But understand, I am not anti-external drive, and far from it.

I have been using external boot drives for many years. I have even used iPods as boot drive before. I am currently using a TB3 NVMe on my Late 2012 iMac, it is the fastest setup for my Mac without doing a striping RAID.

You see posts all the time on this forum with people that recommend against using an external boot drive because they are scared something might happen, as if the Mac may suddenly blow up. I always reply saying that using an external drive is perfectly safe.


So, it isn't that I am against using an external drive, I have already recommended it to the OP, but to say it is better to use an external drive because opening up the iMac isn't worth the risk is a very subjective opinion.

There are definitely benefits of replacing the internal drive versus using an external drive. The OP should have a more complete understanding of the pros and cons of the drive options along with the risks involved with opening an iMac.

a 4TB TB3 SSD external is not much more than the OP was going to pay for his internal kit or he can pick up a 2TB SSD for around $500.

The OP could replace the HDD with a SATA SSD for a little more than $500. No need to pay for that expensive OWC kit.

 

[ScWasHere]

Ok, thank you for all the suggestions. In the end I decided to buy a fast external SSD for the thunderbolt port. I’m confident I could do internal upgrade, but I decided that in the event I upgrade to a newer machine in a couple of years, my money would be better spent on an external.
thanks again and the differing suggestions gave a better appreciation for other options.

 

[James_C]

Thanks for posting back @ScWasHere always nice when the OP lets us know the conclusion. As someone who has recently just done something similar, I think you made the right call.