Chosen Solution
Hi Dan, I have a 21.5" 2019 iMac (19,2) that has a 1TB HDD/28GB NVME SSD Fusion Drive running Monterey 12.5. The iMac runs like a wounded dog and I have no desire to have a Fusion Drive any more. I have searched for info on replacing my NVME SSD with a 1TB one and totally removing the HDD but haven’t found anything related to my situation. So, can I upgrade my NVME SSD and junk the HDD? And, leave the power and SATA cables in place but not connected to anything? or should I remove the cables entirely? I will reinstall Monterey from scratch and restore from Time Machine. Many thanks, Dave.
Sure you can scrap both drives (Fusion drive set) and put in a single blade SSD! Here’s the guide to get to the blade SSD iMac Intel 21.5" Retina 4K Display (2017) Blade SSD Replacement its the same as your 2019 system. As far as the HD cables I would leave them as I’m sure you’ll likely want to put the HDD back! Yes I said that!! If the drive is healthy I would leave it in. So you end up with two discrete drives vs a fusion drive set. Then you have a place for all your bought media.
