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Model A1419 / Late 2012 / 2.9 & 3.2 GHz Core i5 or 3.4 GHz Core i7 Processor, ID iMac13,2

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iMac 2012 HDD replacement to SSD (2017)

Hi everybody,

I have a question about my iMac 27' late 2012 with Fusion drive 1TB,

I would make an upgrade and swap my HDD with an internal SSD, what ssd would you recommend ?

I must know any particular thing to swap the HDD ?

I know that for swapping I must buy a thermal sensor to control the fans or install the control fan app and

Thanks a lot guys

Luca

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First I would break the Fusion Drive set so you can replace either the SATA HD or custom PCIe 2.0 blade SSD. Here's whats needed: How to split up a Fusion Drive

As to which way to go I would recommend replacing the blade SSD as being the better direction! While a bit more work it will give you a lot more performance!

Here's what you want: OWC 1 TB Aura SSD. Here's the other possible options: Aura SSD's if you don't need such a large SSD given you aren't replacing the HD. And here is the IFIXIT guide to follow: iMac Intel 27" EMC 2546 SSD Replacement. This allows you to hang onto the deeper HD storage for your data!

If you still want to go with the HD swap out to SSD here is the IFIXIT guide: iMac Intel 27" EMC 2546 Hard Drive Replacement and you'll need an adapter frame to support the 2.5" SATA SSD into the 3.5" HDD frame: OWC 2.5" to 3.5" Drive Adapter Bracket and the in-line sensor: OWC In-line Digital Thermal Sensor for Hard Drive Upgrade for 27" iMacs 2012 and Later

Don't forget you still have a 32 GB blade SSD in your system which is almost useless in a dual drive config. Which is why I prefer to replace it and also gain the higher I/O of the PCIe bus. Apple slims 1 TB Fusion Drive down to a measly 24 GB of flash storage

iMac Intel 27" EMC 2546 Blade SSD Image

Guide

iMac Intel 27" EMC 2546 Blade SSD Replacement

Difficulty:

Difficult

2 - 3 hours

iMac Intel 27" EMC 2546 Hard Drive Replacement Image

Guide

iMac Intel 27" EMC 2546 Hard Drive Replacement

Difficulty:

Difficult

1 hour

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3 Comments:

Thank you Dan for your complete answer, very helpful,

The iMac is 5 year's old but not obsolete, it has

3.4 GHz Intel Core i7

16 GB DDR3 a 1600 MHz -> I going to add Memory up to 32GB

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX 2048 MB

Fusion drive 1.12TB

I hope it last another couple of years ;)

So I would pushing it and make the most of it.

A question about the disks,

can I swap both disks ( the ssd blade with Aura and the HD with an 2.5' SSD) and then merge via terminal both SSD ? does this make sense ?

I have a question also a question about the AURA Blade

Swap the SSD Blade was an idea of course but this AURA model has TRIM Support ? I looked and said OS Dependent, you know the meaning maybe ?

For the SSD ( the HD sobstitute ) I'm not sure, I'm not a pro about SSD, but I was Thinking about an a Samsung EVO or an San Disk ? Are they a good solution?

Sorry for the many questions

and my English

by

Never implied it was obsolete! Its a good box.

Upgrading both drives to SSD's doesn't make much sense here. You can only use them independently (dual drive) What you're thinking is can I create a SSD only Fusion Drive set, the answer is no.

As far as TRIM services: Different versions on OS-X have different setups. If you're using El Capitan or Sierra (as well as High) you have it within the OS. Yosemite also does but only with the newer updates applied. Older OS's need a 3rd party application.

So leave the HD as is and just install the blade SSD.

by

Sorry Dan for my english,

I writed in a wrong way, it was only my opinion.

I wanted to let you know only what was in the box :)

I would thank you for the big support,you helped me a lot to understand what to do :D

by

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