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kubaw

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 18, 2012
44
20
I would like to order 3.4 version, with storage upgraded to 256GB SSD (so no HDD, no FusionDrive, jest PCIe SSD) and add secondary SSD afterwards. And I wonder if this is possible? Are necessary SATA ports available on the board in order to add secondary disk?

Has anybody performed such procedure successfully?

Cheers,
Kuba
 
I would like to order 3.4 version, with storage upgraded to 256GB SSD (so no HDD, no FusionDrive, jest PCIe SSD) and add secondary SSD afterwards. And I wonder if this is possible? Are necessary SATA ports available on the board in order to add secondary disk?
Here is a repair guide to show what it would take to get to the hard drive location:
https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iMac+I...K+Display+(2017)+Hard+Drive+Replacement/92700

Since the iMac would not have been shipped with a hard drive, I believe you would have to source a hard drive bracket, screws, and cable in order to install a SSD. I think it would be safer to connect a external enclosure/SSD rather than risking voiding your new iMac warranty and risking internal damage.
 
Here is a repair guide to show what it would take to get to the hard drive location:
https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iMac+Intel+21.5-Inch+Retina+4K+Display+(2017)+Hard+Drive+Replacement/92700

Since the iMac would not have been shipped with a hard drive, I believe you would have to source a hard drive bracket, screws, and cable in order to install a SSD. I think it would be safer to connect a external enclosure/SSD rather than risking voiding your new iMac warranty and risking internal damage.

I would order with an HDD and do the upgrade. I did it myself and it's actually not that hard - using iFixit's guide mentioned above.

There's only two cables (rather than 4 in the 2011 models I've worked on before) connecting the screen to the board, and they're easy to access. Also, in the 2017 models there's no longer a proprietary temp sensor, so any standard SATA ssd will work just fine without any fan issues.

Cutting through the tape was the biggest deal, but still pretty easy using iFixit's special tool. And getting the replacement tape back on was a breeze as well.

All in all, now that I've done it once and seen how relatively easy doing the upgrade is, I plan to buy another 2017 iMac down the road and do the same thing.
 
Thank you all for worthy replies. Actually I wasn't intending to add/replace the drive myself, but let Authorised Service Provider do the job. Mostly due to those missing "bracket, screws, and cable" and not to risk loosing warranty.

Unfortunately ordering FD version is not an option since it leaves me with tiny 32 (128?) GB SSD blade, and I need bit bigger fast "system" drive. My initial plan was to purchase 256GB version then add 512GB on SATA getting me total of 768GB (2/3 of which considerably slower but fair enough for lesser used files).

Guess I simply need to ask ASP for the quote.
 
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