Thank you for the kind words. We put a lot of work into our installation videos and your comment is proof of that. Thanks again! Glad you enjoyed the tutorial.
Certainly possible, yes! Although somewhat unnecessariy complex--unless you truly only want a single drive icon/location on your Desktop and in your Finder.
@@poweredbyowc So the best option would be to replace the 120GB SSD with a 1TB and remove the HDD? Will that work without the temp sensors running the fans at max RPM?
Hey Mark, That is a great question. As long as you have a backup of the drive you are removing you will not lose any data. Now the only thing you will lose is the slow speed you currently have so it's a win/win in our option 😉
I see some repair shops using a heat-gun to help loosen the adhesive. Thoughts? I am weary that I may incidentally apply too much heat and damage the screen.
Unfortunately for some Macs, it has become increasingly harder to upgrade...we do our best to help with this by providing upgrade kits and videos...but sometimes it still can be best to get a pro involved. Ultimately we hope to help in any way we can.
Hi OWC, I have a curious question. !! If I add PCI SSD AND SSD in my iMac 2017 it’s possible !? If I can that means my iMac will have 2 drives right!? So which drive is for macOS!? Thank you.
Thank you for your comment! In order for us to confirm what you can install in your iMac, we'd need to know what kind of iMac you have. Please reach out to us directly: We are open 8AM-8PM Central time M-F. Our number is 1-800-275-4576. Our international number is +1.815.338.8685. Thank you!
I have a late 2014 but it's not a fusion drive just a normal HDD. But I understand the slot is on my logic board. If I put an SSD here, would I see two separate drives on my Mac after that?
Hello Aruzo88, the Aura Pro X2 is quite faster than the Apple original SSD, you should see at least Sequential Read (Max) Up to 3230 MB/s and Sequential Write (Max) Up to 2445 MB/s
Just to think how much easier adding/upgrading a PCIe SSD would be if Apple had simply put an access panel on the back of the machine. Oh well, at least you can still upgrade the storage on the older machines. Spare a thought for the poor suckers who buy the new Apple silicon machines - the RAM and Storage is all soldered onto the logic board.
Desktop Mac Pro's typically have PCIe slot's, as these are typically slots for Full Desktop Towers/Machines. However we do have upgrade options for quite a few machines, reach out to us directly and we might be able to find a solution for you. :)
My iMac is a mid 2015 27 inch 5k model with 1T built in hard drive. Has this model already got a pci slot inside for me to buy a new Ssd for installation. Or I can only replace the original 1T hard drive with SATAIii interface Ssd?
Raymon Chan, We would be happy to confirm if your model of the 2015 iMac would have the PCI slot inside and would be eligible for a PCI SSD upgrade if you could provide the serial number of the iMac, Please?
its an yr old comment but yea u can place nvme ssd(pcie ssd) at your logic board socket. late 2015 imac 27” comes with empty nvme slot if youve got it with the default option that provides 1tb hdd, 8gb ddr3 14900 ram and i5 6500 3.2ghz
Thanks for the feedback on our video! While reaching the hard drive on this model is considerably more straightforward and would not require nearly as many steps, reaching the PCIe SSD can be pretty tricky for the average DIYer. Complete and proper disassembly of these surrounding components reduces the risk of damage being done to the iMac while accessing and removing the main logic board. We're confident this maximizes your chance of a problem-free installation. Experienced professionals are, of course, welcome to use whatever method they see fit.
It will not. We do not recommend replacing the PCIe SSD in the Late 2015 model, since it is located on the back of the logic board, and requires a full disassembly of the machine.
Alright so I’m trying to figure something out. I have late 2015 21.5 5k i5 imac. I’m trying to figure out do I change out the hdd for a 2.5 ssd or does it have a pcie slot that would be faster or if the 2.5 will be fast enough
The PCIe SSD can only be installed in 21.5-inch iMac models that came with a factory-installed SSD or Fusion drive. For more information on compatibility, please feel free to reach out to our support team.
Regrettably, we do not have an install video due to the Aura Pro X2 PCIe SSD being incompatible with Late 2015 iMacs (21.5inch 16,1 + 16,2 and 27inch 17,1)
While it is a possibility, I would recommend checking/getting your Model ID and seeing if its shows as one of the compatible options. If you need any assistance, reach us directly at ( eshop.macsales.com/Service/%29 This content is a preview of a link.eshop.macsales.com eshop.macsales.com eshop.macsales.com/Service/
Hi, I did successfully made installation of NVME ssd and sata ssd also I am getting speed of 760 mb/S at NVME and speed at sata ssd at 370 mb/S but speed at USB ports have decreased a lot. Can you guide?
Hey Balaji Mehsana we would be happy to work with you directly if you could contact our support team at support@owc.com, Please? We look to hopefully hearing from you soon.
Paul, we're sorry to hear that you're having these crashes with the 3rd party NVMe drive. Basically what is happening is that there is a power delivery issue from the Mac itself when it's trying to wake the drive up from Standby mode, which is the ultra low power sleep mode the Mac enters after it's been asleep for typically 3+ hours. With the Aura Pro X (and Aura N) drives being an NVMe style drive and a newer, faster hardware style, it has a slightly stronger power draw that the original Apple AHCI style drives. When it tries to wake the NVMe drive from Standby sleep, it doesn't quite give it enough power to do the trick and, when that happens, it crashes itself, thus giving you the crash and/or reboot when you're opening it. Sadly, this is a hardware issue with Apple - the same thing happens with Apple's NVMe drives that they started installing into their Macbooks in late 2015 (and for some of their refurbished 2013-2015 machines) and until they can push forth a firmware update to address the issue, the only way we have to resolve this is to stop the Mac from entering Standby in the first place. That way, the Mac is still able to sleep like normal and do everything like it would otherwise, but when it does sleep it never enters that low power mode. The only impact you should see after making this change is that if you let the Mac sleep for an extended amount of time while not on the charger, you will notice that the battery will have depleted a bit more than it would have before, but that shouldn't be a substantial difference either way. Here is our official support article on performing the fix and allowing the Mac to sleep like normal. eshop.macsales.com/Service/Knowledgebase/Article/26/785/NVMe-SSDs-Standby-Mode-Issue
Hi MAD HUNTER! The Aura Pro X2 matches or exceeds the performance of the stock Apple flash blade in the Late 2014 - Mid 2015 27-inch iMac. www.owcdigital.com/products/aura-pro-x2
We apologize MAD HUNTER, here is a link to our complete SSD line up where you can locate not only the standard SATA SSD's but the PCI and NVMe SSD's as well. eshop.macsales.com/shop/SSD/OWC/lineup
Absolutely. They rather make some extra money and let the landfills have the old systems. They don't make enough money as it is. Chinese slave labor is getting expensive.
WARNING: Monterey bricks your intel Mac with a Firmware upgrade that means you can never run it on anything older than Big Sur. I was happily running Big Sur with an external USB High Sierra SSD available as well for using my 32Bit legacy applications on my Mid 2017 Kaby Lake iMac. After a PCIE and SATA upgrade I installed and booted from Monterey and then dumped it to go back to Big Sur and found that everything below Big Sur gave the error message "this OS is too old to run on this computer". Monterey Also killed the bluetooth side of the wifi card. Wifi still works thank goodness. A Bluetooth dongle now takes up one of the USB slots.
Probably the worst design since the first macbook pro. That required removing 50+ screws to get to the hard drive, the number one failure point in a laptop at the time. Why people buy these overpriced POS machines is a testament to the power of marketing and Apple's "style before substance" philosophy.
thank you for the video, I was using it yesterday to Upgrade the PCIe SSD in a 27-inch iMac, and I did it!!
Great job, I really appreciate the clarity and detail of the explanation. All tutorials should be like this. Congratulations!!
Thank you for the kind words. We put a lot of work into our installation videos and your comment is proof of that. Thanks again! Glad you enjoyed the tutorial.
This was beautifully well done to be honest. Got me feeling like a pro already
🤩🤩
Hello. Hi. You are absolutely a genius. Wonderful indeed. And your work is very precise and accurate. Thank you so much.
Excepcional o trabalho de voces, muito explicativo e de fácil entendimento! Parabéns!
Oi André! Obrigado pelas suas palavras gentis. Temos sempre o prazer de ouvir clientes satisfeitos!
Excelente vídeo. Muchas gracias. Excellent video. Thanks a lot.
harika bir anlatım olmuş teşekkürler
Would it be possible to replace the mechanical drive with a 2.5" SSD and use it in conjunction with the old PCIe SSD as a Fusion Drive?
Certainly possible, yes! Although somewhat unnecessariy complex--unless you truly only want a single drive icon/location on your Desktop and in your Finder.
@@poweredbyowc So the best option would be to replace the 120GB SSD with a 1TB and remove the HDD? Will that work without the temp sensors running the fans at max RPM?
OWC, can you be honest? Hibernation problem still not resolved with your PCIe SSD? Still suggestion not to use the sleep function after upgrade?
Beautiful tutorial. Question. What will you lose by changing/upgrading this storage??
Hey Mark, That is a great question. As long as you have a backup of the drive you are removing you will not lose any data. Now the only thing you will lose is the slow speed you currently have so it's a win/win in our option 😉
I see some repair shops using a heat-gun to help loosen the adhesive. Thoughts? I am weary that I may incidentally apply too much heat and damage the screen.
We do not recommend using a heat gun to remove the adhesive. As you stated it could overheat and damage the Mac in the process.
Looks like you need to be a certified surgeon to upgrade iMac hardware.
Unfortunately for some Macs, it has become increasingly harder to upgrade...we do our best to help with this by providing upgrade kits and videos...but sometimes it still can be best to get a pro involved. Ultimately we hope to help in any way we can.
Hi OWC, I have a curious question. !! If I add PCI SSD AND SSD in my iMac 2017 it’s possible !? If I can that means my iMac will have 2 drives right!? So which drive is for macOS!?
Thank you.
Thank you for your comment! In order for us to confirm what you can install in your iMac, we'd need to know what kind of iMac you have. Please reach out to us directly:
We are open 8AM-8PM Central time M-F.
Our number is 1-800-275-4576.
Our international number is +1.815.338.8685.
Thank you!
Yes. You can have PCI SSD and sata SSD in the same iMac. But you can't RAID them.
I have a late 2014 but it's not a fusion drive just a normal HDD. But I understand the slot is on my logic board. If I put an SSD here, would I see two separate drives on my Mac after that?
What speed I can expect? Thanks
Hello Aruzo88, the Aura Pro X2 is quite faster than the Apple original SSD, you should see at least Sequential Read (Max)
Up to 3230 MB/s and Sequential Write (Max)
Up to 2445 MB/s
Just to think how much easier adding/upgrading a PCIe SSD would be if Apple had simply put an access panel on the back of the machine. Oh well, at least you can still upgrade the storage on the older machines. Spare a thought for the poor suckers who buy the new Apple silicon machines - the RAM and Storage is all soldered onto the logic board.
How about iMac 27 late 2015? is it the same?
Hello Isiah, yes it should be the same!
I have iMac mid 2015 27 inch with standard harddrive. Does my machine has PCIe slot? I really want to upgrade my storage and make my machine fast.
Desktop Mac Pro's typically have PCIe slot's, as these are typically slots for Full Desktop Towers/Machines. However we do have upgrade options for quite a few machines, reach out to us directly and we might be able to find a solution for you. :)
Yes it does. The mid 2015 27" model has a PCIe slot regardless of whether it came with an SSD or not.
My iMac is a mid 2015 27 inch 5k model with 1T built in hard drive. Has this model already got a pci slot inside for me to buy a new Ssd for installation. Or I can only replace the original 1T hard drive with SATAIii interface Ssd?
Raymon Chan,
We would be happy to confirm if your model of the 2015 iMac would have the PCI slot inside and would be eligible for a PCI SSD upgrade if you could provide the serial number of the iMac, Please?
I have the same question please. iMac 15,1 - Late 2014
its an yr old comment but yea u can place nvme ssd(pcie ssd) at your logic board socket. late 2015 imac 27” comes with empty nvme slot if youve got it with the default option that provides 1tb hdd, 8gb ddr3 14900 ram and i5 6500 3.2ghz
Not sure why you took the fan, speakers and power board, bluetooth cables etc….just to switch out the hard drive…….
Thanks for the feedback on our video! While reaching the hard drive on this model is considerably more straightforward and would not require nearly as many steps, reaching the PCIe SSD can be pretty tricky for the average DIYer. Complete and proper disassembly of these surrounding components reduces the risk of damage being done to the iMac while accessing and removing the main logic board. We're confident this maximizes your chance of a problem-free installation. Experienced professionals are, of course, welcome to use whatever method they see fit.
Is this one compatible:
Kingston NV2 SSD - 1TB - PCIe 4.0 - M.2 2280, SSD (Solid state drive), 1 TB, internal, Speed: 3500 MBps (read) / 2100 MBps (write), IOPS: (read) / (write), M.2 2280 (80mm), PCI-Express 4.0 x4 NVMe 1.3 (Non-Volatile Memory Express)
Also, some of the posters complain about hibernation problems?
Regrettably, that might be a better question for Kingston Technology as they would have better information regarding the compatibility.
Will this work on late 2015 iMac?
It will not. We do not recommend replacing the PCIe SSD in the Late 2015 model, since it is located on the back of the logic board, and requires a full disassembly of the machine.
@@poweredbyowc Why exactly doesn't it work on late 2015 17.1 models?
Curious to get an answer on this, I’ve disassembled my iMac 17,1 but I can’t figure out which PCIe SSD can be purchased as replacement.
Alright so I’m trying to figure something out. I have late 2015 21.5 5k i5 imac. I’m trying to figure out do I change out the hdd for a 2.5 ssd or does it have a pcie slot that would be faster or if the 2.5 will be fast enough
The PCIe SSD can only be installed in 21.5-inch iMac models that came with a factory-installed SSD or Fusion drive. For more information on compatibility, please feel free to reach out to our support team.
Is this the same process for a late 2015 5k retina iMac?
Regrettably, we do not have an install video due to the Aura Pro X2 PCIe SSD being incompatible with Late 2015 iMacs (21.5inch 16,1 + 16,2 and 27inch 17,1)
Can I upgrade 2TB blade to late 2015 iMac 27 inch model?
While it is a possibility, I would recommend checking/getting your Model ID and seeing if its shows as one of the compatible options. If you need any assistance, reach us directly at ( eshop.macsales.com/Service/%29
This content is a preview of a link.eshop.macsales.com
eshop.macsales.com
eshop.macsales.com/Service/
Hi,
I did successfully made installation of NVME ssd and sata ssd also
I am getting speed of 760 mb/S at NVME and speed at sata ssd at 370 mb/S but speed at USB ports have decreased a lot.
Can you guide?
Hey Balaji Mehsana we would be happy to work with you directly if you could contact our support team at support@owc.com, Please? We look to hopefully hearing from you soon.
because the pcie slot that the imac have is only for pcie 2.0 (around 850MB/s) that's why it wont reach pcie gen 3.0 speed rated for your nvme
@@David-ug1bh He's complaining that his external USB3 ports have slowed down, not about his PCIe speed.
Im getting an issue where the iMac crashes when in sleep mode, due to the new 3rd party NVMe drive. Any fixes?
Paul, we're sorry to hear that you're having these crashes with the 3rd party NVMe drive.
Basically what is happening is that there is a power delivery issue from the Mac itself when it's trying to wake the drive up from Standby mode, which is the ultra low power sleep mode the Mac enters after it's been asleep for typically 3+ hours. With the Aura Pro X (and Aura N) drives being an NVMe style drive and a newer, faster hardware style, it has a slightly stronger power draw that the original Apple AHCI style drives. When it tries to wake the NVMe drive from Standby sleep, it doesn't quite give it enough power to do the trick and, when that happens, it crashes itself, thus giving you the crash and/or reboot when you're opening it.
Sadly, this is a hardware issue with Apple - the same thing happens with Apple's NVMe drives that they started installing into their Macbooks in late 2015 (and for some of their refurbished 2013-2015 machines) and until they can push forth a firmware update to address the issue, the only way we have to resolve this is to stop the Mac from entering Standby in the first place. That way, the Mac is still able to sleep like normal and do everything like it would otherwise, but when it does sleep it never enters that low power mode. The only impact you should see after making this change is that if you let the Mac sleep for an extended amount of time while not on the charger, you will notice that the battery will have depleted a bit more than it would have before, but that shouldn't be a substantial difference either way.
Here is our official support article on performing the fix and allowing the Mac to sleep like normal.
eshop.macsales.com/Service/Knowledgebase/Article/26/785/NVMe-SSDs-Standby-Mode-Issue
and what about speed test? read/write
Hi MAD HUNTER! The Aura Pro X2 matches or exceeds the performance of the stock Apple flash blade in the Late 2014 - Mid 2015 27-inch iMac. www.owcdigital.com/products/aura-pro-x2
but i can't find this options on website. only standart sata ssds. how i can order PCE ssd?
We apologize MAD HUNTER, here is a link to our complete SSD line up where you can locate not only the standard SATA SSD's but the PCI and NVMe SSD's as well.
eshop.macsales.com/shop/SSD/OWC/lineup
But what kind of PCIe was removed and replaced?
The drive removed is a PCIe 2.0 x 4 connection. We installed our new NVMe - PCIe 4.0 x4.
Thanks 🙂.
Do you know if iMac Retina 27" late 2015 has NVME drive?
The 27" iMac does have an NVMe drive that you can upgrade.
wow that's a lot of work..the 21.5" 2015 iMac is MUCH easier,you just remove the screen and replace HD with SSD.
You can do that with this also I’m just trying to find out if it’s going to be any faster with a pcie vs 2.5
I hate Apple and most of their products. They do everything possible to make upgrades and repairs difficult.
PC is better in this respect.
Absolutely. They rather make some extra money and let the landfills have the old systems. They don't make enough money as it is. Chinese slave labor is getting expensive.
What a nightmare... so many steps just to replace the SSD.
WARNING: Monterey bricks your intel Mac with a Firmware upgrade that means you can never run it on anything older than Big Sur. I was happily running Big Sur with an external USB High Sierra SSD available as well for using my 32Bit legacy applications on my Mid 2017 Kaby Lake iMac. After a PCIE and SATA upgrade I installed and booted from Monterey and then dumped it to go back to Big Sur and found that everything below Big Sur gave the error message "this OS is too old to run on this computer". Monterey Also killed the bluetooth side of the wifi card. Wifi still works thank goodness. A Bluetooth dongle now takes up one of the USB slots.
Did you use OpenCore Legacy Patcher? It shouldn't kill your Bluetooth.
Probably the worst design since the first macbook pro. That required removing 50+ screws to get to the hard drive, the number one failure point in a laptop at the time. Why people buy these overpriced POS machines is a testament to the power of marketing and Apple's "style before substance" philosophy.
This is why PC is better in this respect.
Wouldn't it be a lot easier to just use a SATA SSD instead of tearing everything apart to use a PCIe SSD?
Hey Tom, Yes it is a lot simpler to but some customer need the additional speed that the NMVe SSD provides.