Which Purchasing Config is right to get two SSD's in 2019 iMac?
Text:
I’m thinking about buying a 2019 5k 27” iMac and I’m trying to figure out the best way of getting to my end goal. AKA what config I should purchase from Apple. I have two main questions that I am still trying to figure out:
'''Ultimately, I want two SSD’s - a proprietary/blade NVMe SSD with between 512GB and 2 TB of storage, and a SATA SSD with between 1-2 TB. I’m not opposed to taking the entire computer/motherboard apart, but if it’s possible to just do a standard main drive upgrade, that would be preferred.'''
# If I buy a standalone SSD config (no fusion/hdd), will it ship with an open port AND a SATA/Power cable sent to the spot where the usual Fusion/HDD would be? If it does NOT ship with that cable, does that mean that I will have to take apart the entire computer like in a usual blade SSD replacement to attach this cable to the motherboard?
# If that is the case, and I DO have to take apart the entire internals of the computer to attach this SATA cable like in the blade SSD replacement, it doesn’t seem worth getting a standalone SSD config. Should I then just buy the cheapest fusion drive config and then personally upgrade the NVMe drive and SATA together (using the correct adapters and compatible NVMe drives, obviously)? I understand that the speeds are relatively similar with Apple NVMe SSD’s above 512 GB and 3rd party NVMe SSD’s - I’m mainly thinking about cost. OR should I go with a beefy Fusion Drive option (for the upgraded blade SSD) and just replace the HDD with a new SSD?
Also, the thermal detector is no longer needed on models post 2013 because of SMART technology, correct?
Thanks for your help, iFixit!
Which Purchasing Config is right to get two SSD's in 2019 iMac?
Text:
I’m thinking about buying a 2019 5k 27” iMac and I’m trying to figure out the best way of getting to my end goal. AKA what config I should purchase from Apple. I have two main questions that I am still trying to figure out:
'''Ultimately, I want two SSD’s - a proprietary/blade NVMe SSD with between 512GB and 2 TB of storage, and a SATA SSD with between 1-2 TB. I’m not opposed to taking the entire computer/motherboard apart, but if it’s possible to just do a standard main drive upgrade, that would be preferred.'''
# If I buy a standalone SSD config (no fusion/hdd), will it ship with an open port AND a SATA/Power cable sent to the spot where the usual Fusion/HDD would be? If it does NOT ship with that cable, does that mean that I will have to take apart the entire computer like in a usual blade SSD replacement to attach this cable to the motherboard?
# If that is the case, and I DO have to take apart the entire internals of the computer to attach this SATA cable like in the blade SSD replacement, it doesn’t seem worth getting a standalone SSD config. Should I then just buy the cheapest fusion drive config and then personally upgrade the NVMe drive and SATA together (using the correct adapters and compatible NVMe drives, obviously)? I understand that the speeds are relatively similar with Apple NVMe SSD’s above 512 GB and 3rd party NVMe SSD’s - I’m mainly thinking about cost. OR should I go with a beefy Fusion Drive option (for the upgraded blade SSD) and just replace the HDD with a new SSD?
Also, the thermal detector is no longer needed on models post 2013 because of SMART technology, correct?
Thanks for your help, iFixit!