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How can you replace the RAM and HHD?

L

levmc

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jan 18, 2019
687
25
I want to either have 16GB RAM or 32GB (I haven't decided which one yet).

1. In order to go from the 8GB that comes with the iMac to 16GB, do you need to purchase one 8GB stick?

2. The iMac came with just HHD, and for internal storage I want to have a setup where all the applications are stored in SSD and all the files are stored in HHD.

I noticed that in a lot of Windows laptops, they come with an internal drive that is part SSD and mostly part HHD. I was looking to buy something like that but instead found this: https://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Fire...qid=1548285940&sr=1-2&keywords=ssd+hdd+hybrid

Would this hybrid, like SSD, give a boost to the speed of opening applications? Or is it not as fast?
 
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Don’t get an SSHD drive, they’re hacks. Go full SSD.

Also the new iMacs use 2.5” rather than 3.5” drives as the 2011s did.

Fusion drive on MacOS is a separate SSD & HDD, fused as one logical partition by software. Frequently used apps move to the SSD.
 
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"Frequently used apps move to the SSD."
Automatically?

"Go full SSD."
Is there a particular model from Amazon you could recommend?
[doublepost=1548289808][/doublepost]Also I just watched a video on upgrading RAM:

Which brand of RAM would you recommend? The first thing that comes up when you search 32GB RAM on Amazon is this one: https://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Veng...UTF8&qid=1548289613&sr=1-3&keywords=32+gb+ram
 
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Ram OWC or Crucial. Avoid Corsair as it has problems with Macs.

Avoid Seagate's SSHD as they are similar to Apple's Fusion Drives and were just okay seven or so years ago. A Samsung EVO SSD would go very nice. Be aware cracking open the iMac is not easy and any damage forfeits the warranty.

Read my post on Corsair memory with a quote from Corsair re Macs herew:-


https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...-keeps-crashing-under-heavy-workload.2164360/
 
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"Be aware cracking open the iMac"

But if you see the video it looks very easy.
 
levmc said:
"Be aware cracking open the iMac"

But if you see the video it looks very easy.
Click to expand...
Memory replacement on 27" iMacs is indeed easy. Changing the disk on a 2012 or later iMac of any size is very difficult.
 
OP:
Why don't you tell us WHICH iMac you have, and what year made?

If it has USB3, the fastest, easiest, and SAFEST way to upgrade to SSD speeds is to plug in an EXTERNAL USB3 SSD, and set that up to be the boot drive.
Put the OS, apps, and a basic account on it.
Leave large libraries, such as movies, music and pictures, on the internal HDD.

Do this, and it will run great.
 
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I have 2017 27'' iMac.

Which external USB3 SSD do you recommend?
 
The Samsung T5 connects to your Thunderbolt 3/USB-C ports on the 2017 iMac and is very fast. They go on sale once in awhile. I bought mine from B&H Photo in NY when they were on sale. If you do decide on one, go for the 512GB model since that is usually priced around $125.00.
 
mikehalloran said:
Absolute nonsense. If afraid to do it, any experienced tech can in under an hour. Pay the man or woman. Around here, the going labor charge is $75.
Click to expand...
27" screen it's large and quite difficult to reattach evenly to the case (because 3M tape there is room for any correction), 2 people are recommended, I doubt the labour it's $75, maybe in cheap labour countries like China or India, personally I wouldn't do this type of job for that price
 
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_Kiki_ said:
I doubt the labour it's $75
Click to expand...
I just love it when armchair experts tell experienced people that something can't be done or they don't know what they're talking about.

I live smack dab in the middle of the Silicon Valley and know many who do this work including myself. @ $75, I can even sub the work out and make a small profit (I wouldn't). $75 is an hour of my time and it doesn't take me that long.

And just so you know, I am handicapped and have only one working arm. The notion that two people are required is preposterous but, if it keeps a person from screwing it up, then, by all means. A buddy of mine who takes care of a few hundred for a local company does it in 20 minutes.

Neither of these times includes data transfer, of course.

There are tricks and shortcuts that experienced techs know and a tool one should use instead of guitar picks—but picks do work. These do make the job faster, easier and almost impossible to screw up.

What you do or don't believe is hardly my issue.
 
I was being informative. This really is a job I do often.

If you think that telling you that you're dead wrong on an issue is "throwing a venom", then I have to feel sorry for you.

The Silicon Valley may be a joke to you but it is where the Macintosh was invented and continues to be developed.
 
_Kiki_ said:
...
Click to expand...

To be fair, it might just be this person. To add my experience, also as a Silicon Valley resident: I have a Late 2012 27" and a Late 2013 21" iMac, both with bad internal drives. I had drives I wanted installed, so called around to 6 Apple repair shops: a few certified, a few not. None of them would replace one of these drives for $75.

So I ended up doing what someone earlier in the thread suggested: I taped them to the back of the machine as little "backpacks" and connected them via USB3.
 
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chrfr said:
Memory replacement on 27" iMacs is indeed easy. Changing the disk on a 2012 or later iMac of any size is very difficult.
Click to expand...

Totally disagree.

I've done the replacement of the HDD with an SSD on several 2012-current iMacs, and also did the same on pre-2012 models.

The pre-2012 models were harder to upgrade the hard drive. The 16 screws that you have to remove to get the screen off were always jumping around because of the strong magnets that held the screen glass on. Then there were 4 different wires connecting the motherboard to the screen, and some of the connectors were very small and tough to get back in just right.

With the 2012-current iMacs, there's only two connections between the screen and the main board, and no screws.
The tape that holds the screen on is a minor task, imo, as long as you use the right tools (iFixit for the win) and take it slowly.
Putting the new tape back on and making sure the screen is lined back up also takes some care, but really it is not that hard.

It's one of the reason I absolutely love the current generation iMacs, I've been able to replace the spinning drive portion of the fusion drive, and rock it with the 2tb, even 4tb SSD's. It makes a world of difference.

P.S. with the 2017 models, there is NO TEMP SENSOR on the drives, so all you need to do is drop in your SSD. Done.
 
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mike wrote:
"I live smack dab in the middle of the Silicon Valley and know many who do this work including myself. @ $75, I can even sub the work out and make a small profit (I wouldn't). $75 is an hour of my time and it doesn't take me that long."

I would think that "competition" in your area would keep the "cost of computer work" down. Where you are, folks "know about Macs".

iMac owners in other states, particularly where there is a dearth of Mac-savvy computer repair folks, might face higher prices.
And they'll receive less "expertise" for their money, as well...
 
nambuccaheadsau said:
Ram OWC or Crucial. Avoid Corsair as it has problems with Macs.

Avoid Seagate's SSHD as they are similar to Apple's Fusion Drives and were just okay seven or so years ago. A Samsung EVO SSD would go very nice. Be aware cracking open the iMac is not easy and any damage forfeits the warranty.

Read my post on Corsair memory with a quote from Corsair re Macs herew:-


https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...-keeps-crashing-under-heavy-workload.2164360/
Click to expand...

I'm seeing two kinds of Crucial, one with 2400 MT/s: https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-16GB...UTF8&qid=1549496723&sr=8-26&keywords=32gb+ram

and another with 2666 MT/s: https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-16GB...UTF8&qid=1549496723&sr=8-22&keywords=32gb+ram

Is the 2666 one better?
 
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