Chosen Solution
Hi guys! Happy new 2021! My 1TB internal blade SSD is running out of space and I was wondering how I best can upgrade it and avoid to have a lot of extra external SSD’s hanging from a USB hub and have two internal SSD’s solution?! Like a two internal SSD’s fusion drive combo. First of all to avoid the USB cables and harddrives on my table. Would like to have it kind of like in these two videos, I’m not sure if they have an SSD there or not or just they’re replacing an old 2.5” SSD with a new one. So my dream scenario would be to keep my 1TB SSD where I have everything and add a speedy 2.5” SATA SSD like 2-4TB and have it plugged in and have the same kind of speed as an internal drive and avoid just having another SSD hanging out of my computer. I mainly work with film music and fx and do photography and have too many large Logic Pro X projects and pictures and stuff and I have fill up my desk with more drives. Video 1: https://youtu.be/fzvT5QDkUEU?t=265Video 2: https://youtu.be/1LMIfdIDh7I So is this possible? I haven’t found any info on this, all I see is replace SSD or install SSD into iMac. The service company takes quite an amount with their own drives and I already have two 2TB SATA drives (WD Blue’s and a Samsung 860) and another m.2 SSD that I would love to use for some instead of just laying around here. I don’t know if the company just open it up and clone my SSD, replacing it with a new 1-4TB blade SSD and it’s done and I will have an extra blade SSD laying around again. MUCH appreciate any feedback. Update (01/02/2021) This thread is similar but doesn’t answer everything: Questions about installing 2 SSDs And this one which seems most fav: Can the new 27" iMac Retina 5K display support two SSD’s? Update (01/02/2021) Hey Dan! Saw your earlier posts - super happy you replied here with good info! I believe you use some kind of SSD Bracket/mounting solution and stick it where the fusion drive usually sits right but now since I have the blade SSD, it will be a free space, correct? So I believe they go with this solution - installing a SATA 2.5” SSD into that (or they also might replace the blade SSD or that’s not possible maybe?). I see at their website they have some OWC bracket kits for sale and service so, I believe they just put a new SSD in term of 2.5” SATA and clone my data into this, could be. Ok Excellent! I am thinking of using a 4TB 2.5” SATA as the 2nd internal connected to the SATA port. :) I can’t think of any Other solution to do this work more than do as the solution above, right? Good that I can use one of my SATA SSD’s so I can finally have use of it. And really good info on how to store apps vs project folders and files.
If you bought an SSD only model they you have the custom Apple blade SSD (not m.2) installed as described here: iMac Intel 27" Retina 5K Display Blade SSD Replacement If you bought a Fusion Drive’d system then you also have a SATA drive installed as described here iMac Intel 27" Retina 5K Display Hard Drive Replacement. And lastly, if you only had gotten a SATA HDD only system then it would be alone. So assuming you got a SSD only system then you will need to add in the needed cable iMac Intel 27" 5K (Late 2014-Mid 2015) Hard Drive Cable to the backside of the logic board to then attach the second drive (SATA SSD in your case)
Then its only a matter of connecting the SATA SSD drive to the drive mounts. Just follow this guide to open the system using the special pizza cutter tool to cut the adhesive (don’t use anything else otherwise you risk damaging the display) iMac Intel 27" Retina 5K Display Display Replacement Then pulling the logic board forward so you can gain access to the cable connection points (follow the blade SSD guide) picking it up at Step 25 to Step 56 instilling the SATA cable. I would move all of your media content to the SATA drive, leaving your OS and App’s on the blade SSD. You want to reserve at least 1/4 (if you big projects then 1/3) of the SSD for the OS and apps to use for caching and scratch space.
