How to Install/Upgrade the PCIe SSD in a 21.5-inch iMac (Mid 2017) iMac18,1 iMac18,2

[@NekoMichi]

I followed this instruction video to do my first ever iMac upgrade and it worked. Thanks for the help! Upgraded the PCIe SSD, SATA drive, and RAM, then swapped out the PRAM battery too while I was in there. This tutorial video made it a total breeze.

[@poweredbyowc]

That's why we work to make it available. Upgrading a Mac can sometimes become tedious, so equipping people with the tools and knowledge is a must. Glad to hear it could be of help. :)

[@perk5989]

holy crap its michi

[@flyingcarpe7]

@@perk5989 holy crap lois

[@johncavanaugh6481]

Just bought a used iMac 2017 with a 1TB drive. Learned the hard way after disassembly that there is a big difference between a 1TB drive and a 1TB Fusion Drive. Without the fusion they don’t populate the nvme slot on the motherboard. Argh….

[@AA-zr1wi]

The way I’ve been searching for this piece of information all over the internet and couldn’t find it, just to find out it’s hidden in a comment section of a video (i was gonna buy an imac like the one you bought)

[@perfect.stealth]

F Apple for intentionally making it this complicated. There's simply no reason for it. Worked fine with magnets in the previous models

[@aanm7]

They use some relaxing music as background because the procedure is so complicated that otherwise we'll go crazy.

[@poweredbyowc]

Indeed it is a very complex procedure. We'd definitely recommend proffessional instaltion of PCI SSD or RAM in the 21.5 or 27inch inch iMacs 2012 or newer.

[@john-michaelteal6057]

@OWC I bought this kit for the exact same model in this video. There is no mention of the temperature sensor that does not work using the SSD in your kit. That causes the state of the fan to run on high as well as the kernel_task process to go into an emergency mode and slow down the entire computer. I have not been able to find a fix anywhere online for this issue. Are you aware of this issue? From a quick Google search I was able to tell that this has happened to many more people.

[@poweredbyowc]

This SSD does not require a temperature sensor cable only the SATA SSD's. These blade style SSD have heat sinks mounted on them directly that control the fans.

[@tjhangkitchen1064]

hello friend, mine is imac MNE02, 1TB fusion drive. can i upgrade NVMe SSD? or should i just replace the HDD to SSD Sata?

[@HerbieFollin]

I can’t get the middle screw at 4:08 back in. Is it supposed to be shorter than the others?

[@mcgregorworld]

The hardware instructions in this video for the installation are okay my problem is after the installation the SSD is not showing up in the terminal or in the Disk Utility. Further explanation on how to partition delete partitions format the new Drive partition the new drive as a fusion drive would be extremely helpful

[@poweredbyowc]

Hi Erick! We do have notes on the software installation on macsales.com: Support > Drive Formatting Tips > How to Migrate OS X and Your Data to a New Drive However, Apple Support has better documents on the question, since this has to do with the operating system, not the hardware. See support.apple.com/HT207584 for example.

[@guycottle559]

I have an iMac18,3. Are these installation steps appropriate? I'm considering the 1TB OWC AURA PRO X2 upgrade kit.

[@PrintsWojo]

this was an excellent video. thank you

[@poweredbyowc]

😉😎

[@gnkarn00]

Hi, i would like to know if the iMac 18.1 does have a an NVMExpress connector and in that case which is the 1 TB SSD i could install on that place . At the same time i could upgrade memory to 16 GB , or 32 gb? , would like to order the kits but would like to avoid order wrongly ,. thank you

[@poweredbyowc]

Hi Gustavo! An iMac18,1 would have to have shipped with either the 256 GB flash drive or a 1 TB Fusion drive from Apple to have a NVMExpress connector. If it shipped from Apple with a 1 TB SATA drive no NVMe connector will be present. Please contact OWC US at [e-mail] or OWC EU at owcshop.eu/catalog/information.php/contact-i-9 for more information.

[@jreverie7018]

Ok suction cups lost me looks like I'm just going to have to deal with having 120gigs of storage 😆 I break everything I touch! Thanks for the tutorial anyway, it's nice stuff like this is out there!

[@poweredbyowc]

We're sorry to hear about any difficulty. Hey…upgrading certain Mac's can be tough…we get it. If you need help though, were here to help, that's why we provide the guides we do.

[@jreverie7018]

@@poweredbyowc thanks so much! Subscribed

[@poweredbyowc]

😁 You're very welcome!

[@GianniBarberi]

so a Fusion drive is 1T HDD + 32G ssd, physically separated? So I could use a new SSD 1T and keep the old HDD for backups?

[@poweredbyowc]

We would be more than happy to 100% confirm if you would be willing to contact us at [e-mail] with the serial number of your iMac, Please. We hope to hear from you soon in regards to a potential upgrade!

[@dailyvideoconsumption]

I have just gone through all the steps and installed a new OWC Aura Pro X2 SSD on my iMac 2017 21.5 and the new ssd is not showing up in disk utility. Does not show up using terminal diskutil list either. My iMac was running macOS 12.6 a few hours ago but now the bios or whatever it's called is showing macOS Sierr. aDoes anyone have any solutions?

Be careful, Imac 18.1 don't have slot for PCIe SDD! So you can only Upgrade it with 2.5" SSD

[@poweredbyowc]

This is a good point! But please note that the Aura Pro X2 SSDs can only be installed in 21.5-inch iMac models that came with a factory-installed SSD or Fusion drive. Hard Drive (HDD) only machines can be upgraded with an OWC Mercury Extreme Pro 6G SSD or OWC Mercury Electra 6G SSD.If Thank you so much for pointing this out! Please let us know if you have any further questions about this upgrade.

[@GustavoLema]

Hi, is that for Imac A1418? the 3.0Ghz ??? one tech told me my model has no slot for pci-e, and then i saw your video.

[@youngdexterprod]

Is your mac with the fusion drive or just HDD??

[@AlbertoDiGiovanni]

Unfortunately, I also covered the microphone with the adhesive and now I prefer to use a USB one.

[@poweredbyowc]

Sorry to hear about any inconvenience. We do what we can to provide informative videos that help with getting new components installed. This is being actively looked at/into and we appreciate the feedback. We will work to get this updated as well as the one for memory too.

[@arthurm14215]

BTW .. excellent videos! Q: ///should my 2017 2.5 4k retina run faster with an internal nvme you mention as opposed to an external ssd nvme enclosure connected to thunderbolt 3 or usb 3 ports?

[@poweredbyowc]

The internal NVMe SSD will certainly run faster inside the iMac due to it being connected directly on the motherboard. If you use an external Thunderbolt 3 SSD will still be faster and you internal HDD if you are not comfortable doing the SSD upgrade. Please feel free to contact us if you have any further questions, comments, or concerns. eshop.macsales.com/Service/

[@ELISEY93]

Would like to buy one. I’m in the UK, any resellers? Where would I go buy one?

[@AlbertoDiGiovanni]

just one question, does this 2017 imac have the temperature sensor on HD? thanks

[@poweredbyowc]

Hello Alberto, yes all of the models between 2013 and 2019 have temperature sensors on the model, the 2020 doesn't have one because the drives are soldered and unable to be changed.

[@viejobarney]

Hello, is it possible to install pci-e and ssd and merge (fusion)later?

[@poweredbyowc]

Yes, it is possible, but OWC does not support Fusion Drive. You'll need to reach out to Apple for assistance in merging them.

[@cesararh459]

Good morning, Your help please, I have an (iMac a1418 21.5 late 2013). I want to install a 500gb Crucial M2 NvmE (the HDD is very bad... at 18%), and for this I am going to use an adapter (seller says it is compatible) I ask: Does my imac detect the M2? or how do i initialize the M2 formatted for Mac? And the other question: Can I install BigSur? Thanks for your answers . Blessings

[@poweredbyowc]

You're iMac 14,1 or 14,3 you can install a NVMe SSD but if you want the M2 you will need an adapter as you have stated. We do not offer this option but if you have the correct adapter you should not have any issues with having the M2 SSD to be detected. You should be able to format the M2 SSD the same way as any other drive. Regrettably you can only upgrade this iMac 10.15.7 Catalina, You are unable to go beyond. Please feel free to contact us if you have any further questions, comments, or concerns. eshop.macsales.com/Service/

[@lanphanh]

Is this instruction also applied to my iMac 5K 27" 2017 to upgrade the M.2 SSD? Thanks,

[@poweredbyowc]

Hi Lan Phan! While the iMac 5K 27" 2017 may have a flash blade kzbin.info/www/bejne/j4TKlH1-aseXja8 the Aura Pro X2 is not compatible with the iMac 17,1. Due to circuitry in the iMac the Aura Pro X2 also cannot run Apple Boot Camp in the iMac 18,3.

[@lanphanh]

@@poweredbyowc thanks! I found that. I ordered the drive to get my imac upgraded this weekend.

[@poweredbyowc]

@Lan Phan glad we could help!

[@ERWlN_SMITH]

What if you don’t have already a pcie ssd in it can you still install one in a (2017 21.5 4K 3.0 1tb hdd)

[@poweredbyowc]

No - if it did not come from the factory with an Apple SSD, then there will be no PCIe slot on the logic board at all.

[@RPMX]

you can replace the HDD with a 1TB SDD and experience improved performance without the need for a PCIE-SSD

[@ERWlN_SMITH]

@@RPMX yes I upgraded my iMac to sdd from Hdd and the speed of my iMac was exponentially faster

[@canaldotiete]

Although you guys put it clear over here, I am still confused... my 21.1" 2017 18,1 mac came with a 1TB SATA HD, but technical specifications say I'm able to choose whether that power fusion 1TB HD or the 256GB SSD... is it saying I might have Pcie or it's just implying I have the boring limitation of a 256GB regular SSD replaced in my mac?

[@adinugrahasetiadi1903]

nicely done

[@borisrenegade9732]

this video also applies to iMac model (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2017) 18.3'???

[@poweredbyowc]

Hello Boris, I have provided you a link below that will help you with the installation on our iMac 18,3. eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/imac-27-inch-5k-2019-pciessd/

[@YukiDoyle]

there's nothing pcie slot on my imac 2017 21.5 inch i dont get it, its not like in this video. the nvme pcie slot was never exist. can someone explain me why? and is is possible to make the slot nvme pcie ? pls help me

[@poweredbyowc]

Not all 21.5-inch iMac 2017 models were produced with a PCIe slot installed. There was an option for a fusion drive, HDD, or SSD when they were made. If your model does not have a PCIe slot you would not be able to add one to install this type of drive.

[@hoangphucnguyen852]

Can I use the PCIe SSD as the main storage and will it work if I remove the hard drive and let the PCIe SSD itself ?

[@poweredbyowc]

You can use the PCIe SSD as your main storage and by itself without any issues

[@AponSOKS]

My 21.5 2017 imac always displays a notification my NVME is almost full. That obviously means I have a pcie slot then? I got it second hand so I don't know what it originally came with.

[@poweredbyowc]

You can check if you have an NVMe in your About This Mac the go into System Report and then on the Left had side under NVMExpress if on the right shows a drive you can replace it without a problem.

[@AponSOKS]

@@poweredbyowc it does show a card, awesome, I'm gonna upgrade it then. Thanks a million!

[@poweredbyowc]

We're more than happy to help, Apon! Don't forget, you can also email us at [e-mail] or call us at 1-800-275-4576 in North America or 1-815-338-8685 elsewhere in the world.

[@myerwerl]

So in the 21.5 inch 2017, we have both the nvme slot and the hdd slot right? Can we swap the hdd to ssd instead of gutting the whole computer?

[@poweredbyowc]

Where the HDD is you can put a 2.5 in SATA SSD, however if you wish to have an Aura Pro X2 or N2 in there, you will have to work to access that particular slot.

[@Officialjeffcline]

Is this the same process for a 2017 iMac 27 inch?

[@poweredbyowc]

The process can be a bit similar, however it still may have some differences just being that it is a different model.

[@BUdJohnson242]

Can you reuse iMac's (Mid 2017) PCIe SSD as an external drive?

[@poweredbyowc]

Yes you can by using our OWC Envoy Pro 1A. eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/MAU3ENP1AW/

[@customanimatronicstoysmasc1264]

Hello, and to know if it is possible to change the processor of my iMac model machine iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5 inches, 2017) It currently has a 3.4 GHz Intel Core i5 quad-core processor. Do you know how much I can upload it? Well, according to Apple, these legends indicate that I copied and pasted you. (Configurable to Intel Core i7 with 4 cores and 3.6 GHz (Turbo Boost up to 4.2 GHz) And if the replacement part is correct, how do I order it online or how would I look for the replacement part???? since it gives me many results and it is confusing for me to find the part to replace. Well, the processor is where I have the most doubts On the other hand, memory indicates this... Memory 3.0GHz 8 GB of 2400 MHz DDR4 memory Configurable to 16 GB 3.4GHz 8 GB of 2400 MHz DDR4 memory Configurable to 16 GB or 32 GB But obviously I haven't opened it, I don't know if it works at 3.0 GHz or 3.4 GHz, as I understand it and if it uses 3.4 GHz it is possible to maximize it up to 32GB. Is my thinking correct? And finally, on the hard drive, it has a 1TB HDD but it indicates that it can be replaced as follows... Storage 3.0GHz 1 TB hard drive (5400 rpm) Configurable to 1TB Fusion Drive or 256GB or 512GB SSD 3.4GHz 1TB Fusion Drive Configurable to 256 GB, 512 GB or 1 TB SSD But my doubt is!!! If I can install an SSD with a larger capacity than the one proposed on the page, it indicates up to 1TB. But it can be increased from 2TB to 4TB????? Or would you definitely not recognize it? I hope for your help with these three ways to maximize the performance of this old machine.

[@poweredbyowc]

We have upgrades available for the SSD and the RAM on that iMac. The processor is something you would have to ask Apple if it can be upgraded on a machine. We only supply processors for the Mac Pro models.

[@Algiz_Nord]

Спасибо, полезное видео.

[@kerembuyukkaya2945]

hello Can you share read and write speed test?

[@poweredbyowc]

Thank you for asking! Here are the speeds that can be expected on a mid 2017 21.5" iMac (model ID 18,2): -Sequential Read (Max)up to 3230MB/s -Sequential Write (Max)up to 2445MB/s If you have any further questions, please let us know!

[@kerembuyukkaya2945]

@@poweredbyowc thank you so much your answer very helpfull. I m planning to upgrade with samsung 980 pro. I wondering is am I see maximum speed? because connection speed 8.0 Gt/s I don't know what is that mean. but I search nvmexpress on iMac 2017 21.5 it looks like " Each PCI Express lane can handle approximately 4 GB/s or 32 Gb/s." hope is right and that's it. thanks a lot again

[@emrebengu6357]

@@kerembuyukkaya2945 Have u upgraded with Samsung 980 pro? Does it work?

[@kerembuyukkaya2945]

@@emrebengu6357 Abi it's working perfect yani it's almost fly my iMac. :) İsim Türkçe nasıl daldıysan Ingilizce sormuşsun. Harika çalışıyor. 32gb OWC ram de taktım 8den 32ye geçtim. 4k gopro videoları filan inanılmaz işliyor. tavsiye ederim kesinlikle.

[@emrebengu6357]

@@kerembuyukkaya2945 Herkes faydalansın diye İngilizce sormuştum :) Teşekkürler, ben de kullanıyorum şu an..

[@balisbest]

Is this the (fusion drive model)

[@poweredbyowc]

A Fusion drive support.apple.com/HT202574 has both a SATA hard drive and a flash blade. This is the video you would use to replace the flash blade. You would use this video: eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/imac-21-inch-2017-main-drive/iMac18-1/ to replace the SATA drive, and here's how to fix a split Fusion Drive: support.apple.com/HT207584

[@balisbest]

@@poweredbyowc thanks sommuch fornyour reply. I'm thinking albout buying this imac and upgrading it. The Question i run into is doe the model i want to but have an Nvme slot to instal and SSD or only a SATA connection. Can seem to get i figured out since i dont have it yes. It's a 18.2 model 4k retina. On everymac it states fusion drive but does it mean it have and nvme slot for me to upgrade? Thanks so much. Really appreciated

[@poweredbyowc]

So sadly that drive would not be user upgradeable with the Imac18,2. However with Thunderbolt 3 as an option we could certainly use some great external drives! If you give us a reach at [e-mail] We should be able to look into some great options for you!

[@pillettadoinswartsh4974]

Instead of wasting time cracking open an iMac, do this: 1. Do a Time Machine backup 2. Install the latest OS that your iMac can handle, onto an external SSD 3. Boot from external SSD (hold down option key while booting) 4. Run the Migration Assistant in Utilities folder 5. Bring your files and settings over from the Time Machine backup 6. Go into Startup Drive in System Preferences and set your SSD as the startup disk 7. Reboot and sign in 8. Tape (or velcro) your external SSD to the back of your iMac 9. Done Cleaner. And if that SSD ever fails, MUCH easier to replace than to crack into the iMac again. And you will get most of the speed increase from the external SSD. Probably best NOT to do this to an iMac that's 2012 or earlier though, as they have only USB 2.0

[@poweredbyowc]

This is also a GREAT way to upgrade as well. Thanks for your suggestion.

[@AlbertoDiGiovanni]

I used this system unfortunately before booting from USB C it took about 18 seconds then the apple appeared for a total of 35-40 sec, consider that I used SSD m2 about 10 gb sec, now I have put crucial 500 gb internal SSD paired with 24 gb fusion all ready in 18 seconds!

[@Made0nEarth]

@@AlbertoDiGiovanni i have done exactly the same thing , i remove the fusion drive and replaced with a crucial 500GB SSD (i only keep the 28GB NVMe from the fusion drive) and i add new ram (2 sticks of 8GB each = 16GB ram total) this machine is now working totally different! Maybe in the future i will remove the 28GB NVMe from the fusion drive and replace with a 500GB NVMe or 1TB NVMe

[@AlbertoDiGiovanni]

@@Made0nEarth I don't think you will be able to do it, the shape is completely different than a MVME, I found an original 128G APPLE ssd but I don't want to do it, the risk is high the minimum gain, with 28G the operating system is all inside therefore the loading times would be the same, it would have a minimum of more speed just by opening applications. HI

[@hardlines2635]

@@AlbertoDiGiovanniI used NVME adapter. Works perfectly.

[@luisleiva2504]

How to change RAM in a iMac 2017: pray for dont break when deatach the screen, unmount all the components and screws, change the RAM, mount again ALL THE COMPONTENS and screws, buy a special tape for re-atach the screen. How to change RAM in any PC or laptop: remove ONE screw, remove a lid, change the RAM, put again the lid and screw and enjoy

[@luisleiva2504]

How to change RAM in a iMac 2021: No, you can't

[@unqnicu611]

#Bravo😎👍

[@johndoe3582]

Does Apple do this on purpose to make it as hard as possible to upgrade? Jeez

[@themasterofnon]

stupid company. why u need to make so complicate to have access to the internals..

[@li.tevezz]

ужос 😱 С моими кривыми руками не осилю...

[@aaronhatmaker]

dude - just want to replace the hard drive - what a bunch of extra worthless steps!

[@suryasetiadji8482]

simply sell it and build a pc!

[@cruiseedwards4657]

No lol