Einleitung
500 nits, 1 Milliarde Farben und zwei Thunderboltanschlüsse — war das alles? Nicht so schnell! Apple hat schon von den fantastischen Daten der Neuauflage des 4K geschwärmt. Wir sind aber hier, um herauszufinden, was nicht in der Presseerklärung steht. Es ist Zeit, dieses All-In-One- Gerät auseinanderzunehmen und in eine Menge Einzelteile zu zerlegen — begleite uns beim Teardown des iMac 4K Mitte 2017.
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Was du brauchst
Einführungsvideo
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Nun, dieses Äußere gibt sicher nicht viel Neues her, du kannst aber ein Buch nicht nach der Alu-und Glas-Hülle des iMac beurteilen, auf dem du es liest. Fangen wir mit dem an, was wir wissen:
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3.0 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5 (Turbo Boost bis zu 3,5 GHz)
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8 GB 2400 MHz DDR4 Arbeitsspeicher
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Radeon Pro 555 GPU mit 2 GB VRAM
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1 TB (5400-UpM) Festplatte
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802.11ac Wi-Fi und Bluetooth 4.2
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43% helleres Display (500 nits) mit einer Auflösung von 4096 × 2304 und DCI-P3 Farbpalette
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Ein kurzer Blick auf die Rückseite zeigt ein ganzes Bündel von Anschlüssen. Zuerst die üblichen Verdächtigen: Eine Kopfhörerbuchse, ein SD Kartenleser, vier USB Anschlüsse und eine Ethernetbuchse.
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Und die un-üblichen Verdächtigen? Dieser iMac trumpft mit zwei Thunderbolt 3 Anschlüssen auf. Sie unterstützen die doppelte Bandbreite wie bei der vorherigen Generation — jeder der Anschlüsse kann Daten mit 40 Gb/s losschicken.
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Das ist genug Durchsatz, um damit vier externe 4K Monitore zu versorgen — obwohl laut Aussagen von Apple wir bei dieser Hardwarekonfiguration auf zwei begrenzt sind.
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Wie sollen wir nur mit drei 4K Displays zurechtkommen? Wie?
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Unser Verdacht, dass es sich im Wesentlichen um einen 2015er iMac mit Facelift handelt, wird durch die Modellnummer bestätigt: er tritt nämlich mit der gleichen an (A1418), aber mit einer neuen EMC: 3069.
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Wir holen unseren
PizzaschneideriMac Opening Wheel und machen uns ans Werk und schneiden damit unseren nagelneuen iMac auf. -
"Rundherum das ist nicht schwer" und schon ist der Kleber unter den Bildschirmrand zerteilt.
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Als Apple diese Bauweise 2012 eingeführt hat und damit die vielgeliebten Magnete ersetzt hat, waren wir traurig und verwirrt. Seitdem haben wir seine Geheimnisse kennen gelernt und begrüssen es, wie leicht der Kleber zu durchtrennen ist.
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Nach der vertrauten Öffnungsprozedur, können wir einen ersten Blick hineinwerfen.
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Nachdem das ganze Glas und die Pixel aus dem Weg sind, erspähen wir gleich einige subtile Neuerungen.
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Zum Ersten ist das Logic Board gewachsen und hat sich den Platz, den vorher der rechte Lautsprecher innehatte, unter den Nagel gerissen, und es hat sich sogar etwas in Richtung des Lüfters ausgedehnt.
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Als Letztes befindet sich in der Nähe der Mitte der unteren Displayblende, direkt unter der Glasscheibe ein Mikrofon. Seine Flachbandkabel verlaufen direkt über einen Schraubenkopf, das ist schon bisschen seltsam.
Looks like the hard drive has a special bracket, would that likely be included if you BTO a model with SSD only?
its an usual 2,5” size, you can use any SSD device, phisicaly should fit
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Nun dieser Teil der Auffrischung ist weniger erfrischend, als wir das gerne hätten —der rechte Lautsprecher lässt sich nicht mehr sofort entfernen. Durch die Form des neuen Logic Boards ist er jetzt vom Board fest eingeschlossen
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Kein Weltuntergang; es bedeutet nur, dass deine Lieblingsanleitungen für den iMac nicht mehr 100%ig passen. Wir werden sie für dich überarbeiten.
Tim - It is complete, this is not a repair manual to fix something. It’s a view inside and what makes this iMac tick!
Dan -
@timspc The revised guides for this model are complete. (There’s no guide for right speaker specifically, but it’s easy to remove once the logic board assembly is out.)
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Der Rest dieses iMacs lässt sich leichter zerlegen, als wir erwartet haben. Wir holen das Netzteil, die Festplatte und den Lüfter ohne weiter Umstände heraus.
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Mit ein bisschen mehr Anstrengungen schubsen wir das Logic Board aus seinem Steckplatz heraus und wir sehen ... ausbaubare RAMs? Wir trauen kaum unseren Augen.
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Yep, das sind SO-DIMMs. Zwei Stück.
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Etwas weniger spannend ist der - trotzdem aufregende - geteilte Kühlkörper. Aber ernsthaft, schau dir diesen RAM an!
What's in the bottom-left corner of the mobo? It looks like a mini-pci card; maybe the wi-fi?
The Logic Board (Mainboard / Motherboard) isn’t named. Who’s the Manufacturer and which ModellType ???
Like for Example: Gigabyte Maximus IX Formula (Intel CPU 1151 Board)
What Type of Logic Board (Mainboard / Motherboard) is used by Apple on the iMac 21,5 and 27 Modells 2017 ?
Please Name it. Thx.
Like for example: Gigabyte ASUS MAXIMUS IX FORMULA (Intel used 1151)
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Er ist vielleicht nicht ganz so leicht zugänglich wie der (sterbenslangweilige) RAM Einsatz bei den 27" iMacs — aber trotzdem, das ist ein massiver Zugewinn gegenüber den 21.5" iMacs mit verlötetem RAM aus den letzten Jahren.
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Bevor wir weitermachen, werfen wir einen Blick auf das Silizium dieser Speichermodule:
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SK Hynix H5AN8G6NAFR 8 Gb DDR4 SDRAM (4 × 8 Gb = 4 GB per DIMM, 8 GB insgesamt)
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Das neue Design des Kühlkörpers fasziniert uns. Was verbirgt sich darunter?
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Garantieaufkleber auf den Befestigungsschrauben des Kühlkörpers? Das ist schräg. Könnte das bedeuten...
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Jawoll! Die CPU ist ebenfalls modular! Sie kommt mit dem Kühlkörper heraus und gibt einen Standardsockel vom Typ LGA 1151 frei.
It should be noted that legally, such warranty void stickers are invalid. The Magnusson-Moss Act quite clearly gives users the right to upgrade, fix, and update their machines as they see fit, without voiding any warranty (unless the user, in the act of upgrading itself, breaks something).
Does this all mean one CAN purchase and install a more powerful processor? After almost assassinating my own copy of this “upgradeable” machine by bending the clamshell gold tips that connect the BT and WiFi antenna cables to their pins on the communications board I probably shouldn’t be tempted, but curious minds…
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Diese CPU ist sehr gut mit Wârmeleitpaste in ihren Kühlkörper eingeklebt, sie herauszuhebeln war überraschend schwer. Irgendjemand möchte diesen Prozessor wirklich kühl halten.
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Endlich stehen wir Auge in Auge dem Star dieses Teardowns gegenüber: eine Intel SR32W Core i5-7400 Kaby Lake CPU, 6M Cache, bis zu 3,50 GHz.
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Aber Apple hat ja eine bekannt schlagkräftige Verhandlungsmacht und man sollte annehmen können, dass sie eine verlötetete CPU hätten bekommen können, wenn sie gewollt hätten. Und außerdem ist da noch dieser geheimnisvolle modulare RAM...
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Hast du unser Bitten erhört, Apple?
One branch of the heat pipe manifold went to the i5 cpu. What is the second brach cooling?
Probably the GPU.
Yes, it's the AMD Radeon Pro 555 GPU chip which is soldered. Watch the vid where you'll get a better view of it and the supporting VRAM chips.
Dan -
Para Apple era mejor poner el i5-7400 porque es más barato Intel tiene el i5-6585R con sus mejores gráficos
We dropped an i7-7700 into ours and it works great. :)
I'll bet Apple made it modular to make warranty repairs cheaper
Yeah I'm guessing Apple is using modular CPUs to save on components. New iMac line? Same thing -- just swap out the CPU! I guess they came to a point where they were losing a lot of cash in repairs.
I think that apple was seeing warranty costs expand for repairs to in warranty devices where the CPU or Ram Failed and the local apple store couldn't fix it and could only give them a "new- refurbished" unit. then the broken one would have to be torn down and sent through the refurb process to sell at a discount. Huge $$ drain on in warranty repairs. So giving a modular design but not easily accessible to commoner allows the local stores to repair these issues. Also apple was seeing a large number of the old "apple" crew that was holding on to their older machines (circa 2010, 2011) and moving up to the current models because it was difficult to justify a machine that you couldn't increase ram when a newer OS version would benefit for the increase ram. Also that apple was getting the jibe of being the new Microsoft/Dell wanna be's (proprietary, not up-gradable, overpriced disposable machines.
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Das letzte Stück interessanter Modularität auf dem Board: die CMOS Batterie.
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Sieht fast so aus, wie wenn mit all dieser neuen modularen Hardware der Platz für diesen Gesellen knapp geworden wäre. Er steht komisch senkrecht in diesem putzigen Toasterschlitz für den Akku.
Those kinds of slots are very common in server motherboards. They're easier to damage than the flat style but use much less PCB space.
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Nachdem nun die ganze Peripherie entfernt ist, können wir das Silizium auf dem Logic Board identifizieren:
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Intel LGA 1151 CPU Sockel
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AMD Radeon Pro 555 GPU
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SK hynix H5GC4H24AJR-ROC 4 Gb GDDR5 2400 MHz SDRAM (4 Gb × 4 für insgesamt 2 GB VRAM)
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Broadcom BCM5776 Gigabit Ethernet Kontroller (wie schon in den 2015er iMac Modellen)
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Texas Instruments CD3215C00 (der neulich auch im 15" MacBook Pro zu sehen war)
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Intel SR2C9 Plattformkontroller-Steuerchip
Wouldn't it be (1 Gb × 4 for a total of 4 GB VRAM)???
The size of the b/B is important here the small b is bit where as the big B is Byte. 8 bits equal a single Byte
Here's a full chart:
1 byte (B) = 8 bits (b)
1 Kilobyte (K / KB) = 2^10 bytes = 1,024 bytes.
1 Megabyte (M / MB) = 2^20 bytes = 1,048,576 bytes.
1 Gigabyte (G / GB) = 2^30 bytes = 1,073,741,824 bytes.
Dan -
Any clue on the empty SSD blade pads as to what the interface is? I hope you guys get one of the high end models with the blade SSD
Dan -
@danj It looks correctly marked to me…?
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Sollen wir das Board für noch mehr Chips umdrehen? Schadet doch nicht, wenn wir das tun:
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Vimicro VC0359 Kameraprozessor
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Cirrus Logic CS42L83 Audio Kontroller
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MXIC MX25L6473E 64 MB serieller Flashspeicher.
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Intersil 95828 HRTZ X707DMB
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NXP 6142E
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Intersil ISL6277A multiphasen PWM Regler
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Fairchild FDH10CJ
Пропустили Thunderbolt контролёр. Он, судя по всему, расположен рядом с портами Thunderbolt 3.
There is one chip not identified near top left corner(next to the connector). It should be chip for Thunderbolt 3.
JJ Wu -
That would make sense! As the PCH does not have it embedded. Intel has stated they are moving to embed the interface within their chips.
Dan -
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Wenden wir unsere Aufmerksamkeit wieder dem Display zu: Das schicke neue Panel tritt mit Genehmigung von LG an, die auch schon das schöne alte Panel) hergestellt haben.
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Und auch diesen berühmterweise auf W-Fi allergischen externen Monitor...
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Und jetzt kommen wir zu den Displaychips, lies weiter!
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Wirf einen Blick auf das, was die Pixel aufblitzen lässt:
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Texas Instruments SN74LVC8T245 8-bit Zweifach Bus Transceiver
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Texas Instruments BUF16821 Programmierbarer Gamma-Spannungsgenerator und Vcom Kalibrator
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Parade Technologies DP665 LCD Zeitkontroller (der gleiche wie in der letzten Generation von 4K iMacs)
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Texas Instruments TPS54218 Eingang 4.5 V bis 17 V, 3 A synchron SWIFT Abwärtswandler
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Texas Instruments TPS54320 Eingang 4.5 V bis 17 V , 3 A synchron SWIFT Abwärtswandler
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Texas Instruments TPS65168 hochauflösender, voll programmierbarer LCD Versorger
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Bei vorherigen iMacs gab es ein Doppelmikrofon mit zwei Mikrofonen, die zwischen der Frontkamera versteckt waren. Mit zwei Mikrofonen können Umweltgeräusche ausgefiltert und ein saubereres Signal erzeugt werden.
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In diesem Jahr ist Apple zu einem einzelnen Mikrofon übergegangen — und hat es unten an das Display hinter die Glasscheibe versetzt.
Hey Dan, it looks like the foot is not "user-replaceable." The mounting screws on the foot face into the iMac rather than straight up, so they can't be revealed by pivoting the stand around its hinge.
Did you ever find one? I need one too. Mine stopped working and we’ve determined it’s not a software issue.
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Und das war es schon!
What's the circular thing in the upper-middle of the rear panel?
That's where the Apple-logo is located. Looks like it might be backlit.
Andreas -
It’s really disappointing, you missed the Wi-Fi module in the article. I can't even find it in the last picture.
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- Die CPU und das RAM — beides Komponenten, die du vermutlich irgendwann aufrüsten wirst — sind modular.
- Das Standard 2,5" SATA Laufwerk lässt sich komplett aufrüsten —du kannst aber keine Blade SSD dazufügen, und das, wegen einer Leerstelle auf dem Logic Board.
- Die Klebeverbindung zum Öffnen eines iMacs ist (mit den geeigneten Werkzeugen) nicht zu schwer aufzutrennen, du musst sie aber bei jeder Reparatur komplett erneuern.
- Die meisten austauschbaren Bauteile (wie das RAM) sind hinter dem Logic Board vergraben. Du musst deshalb den größten Teil des iMac zerlegen, wenn du Zugang zu ihnen haben willst.
- Die Glasscheibe und das Retina Display sind verklebt, dadurch wird die Reparatur teuerer.
Fazit
Reparierbarkeits-Index
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78 Kommentare
You mentioned a 3.5" SATA HDD in "Final Thoughts", but as per the Picture it seems to be a 2.5" as previous models. Can you please confirm. Thanks
I fixed it right now!
Apple offer Fusion and SSD as BTO options - so the logic board must be different for that surely as you said there is no SSD slot? Another tear down in a few days/weeks!!?
The Fusion-Drive and the SSD only versions might have the necessary connector soldered onto the board. At the photo, you will see the screw hole for mounting a Blade SSD.
And you can see where the connector would be soldered at the bottom left of the board.
Get the connector and solder it on :-)
Just asking everyone, why does an iMac desknop need a CMOS battery? Can't it run on power from the AC socket?
Moana, CMOS battery is to retain clock and some other settings during power outages. It doesn't assist in powering the system (look at its size)
tipoo -
You can refer to the 2nd photo(main board photo) shown in Step 6. On the bottom left corner, there is one module from Broadcom. The model is BCM943602CDP.
JJ Wu -
It is the BCM94602CDP but they updated the Bluetooth chipset by the BCM20704
Do you know if these new iMacs support target display mode via USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 when connected to a new MacBook Pro with TB3 ?
They removed this feature a while back...nice to see it again.
crus -
With the replaceable CPU socket, I want to see what other CPUs you can get this to boot with! Aftermarket CPU upgrades?? :D
It should work will all the Kaby Lake 7th series CPU's. But I do not think it will work like desktop where you can use Skylake 6th Series CPU's with a Kaby board.
So would a fusion equipped motherboard be upgradable to a larger SSD?
Should be, yeah. The empty pad would have a socket soldered to it, which would hold the SSD, so the blade could probably be upgraded on that.
Do /not/ get the HDD only model, people!
tipoo -
any idea how many usb 3 controllers this thing have ? searching for a device that has 4 dedicated usb 3 ports that can run on full speed each (macbook pro retina only has 2 controllers and 2 ports mac mini has 1 controller and 4 ports :( )
USB 3 controller is integrated inside intel Z170.
JJ Wu -
How do you know the motherboard is z170?
Will it be possible to upgrade the SSD to a higher capacity of another company (Samsung )?
I’ve replaced the hdd with a samsung 1tb SSD, successfully.
You’ll have to use the ‘trimforce’ command to enable TRIM support.
Google it:
Benjamin -
So if the RAM is user replacable, it means we can put 32GB instead of the 16GB limit Apple is imposing and could swap the CPU to a i7-7700 (upgrading the CPU is too costly imo ) as all i5s support 32GB.
And why is the very same make and model of RAM purchased from Apple Store two to three times more expensive than in retailers like Amazon?
what do you recon to be the cost of making this iMac?
I think this should have gotten at least a 5, apple was very generous with giving modular CPU and RAM when before they were soldered before, so they are probably taking notes from us :)
Is the Z170 cooled by the second branch of the heat pipe (the cpu by the other) or is it another chip?
Looking forward to a teardown of a model with an SSD. I want to know if it will have a SATA connector (For dual booting Mac/Win I would prefer to have dual SSDs inside my iMac. Would rather BTO it with Apple's lightning fast 1 TB SSD and just add a second SATA SSD or HD). Or will something like this OWC kit provide the cable we need? https://eshop.macsales.com/search/IMACHD...
Come on, it's got to be better than 3! This is a marked improvement over the last several editions of iMac, and that deserves some praise and positive reinforcement.
Why give it better than a 3, iEvan? Putting it on a relative scale would seem to reward mediocrity. It's still really hard to repair since you have to take out the screen and all. 3 is the correct score, compared to the 0 or 1 they'd get if everything were soldered and you couldn't open the thing at all.
YCAU -
Does anybody know where I can buy the new warranty stickers? I need them bad!
Are the speakers different than the 2015?
Apple has quietly (heh) been doing some amazing work on speakers, including making the 12" Macbook of all things the reference in laptop speaker sound, wondering if the iMacs got the same love. They only specifically call out the new speakers in the iMac Pro.
Would like to see a tear down of the 27" 5K iMac and to confirm that it too does not have soldered RAM
The 27-inch versions (except for the upcoming iMac Pro) have user accessible SODIMM slots that you can get to via a little hatch on the back, same as always. Apple doesn't use memory down (soldered to the logic board) configurations indiscriminately. They go that route for mobile platforms for the considerable power / space savings, and I'm pretty sure we've only seen it in desktop models that use mobile U series processors.
You can also find documentation on Apple's website about RAM upgrades on their iMac. Which is what lead me here in the first place.
They curiously stated the 21.5" 2017 iMac can be returned to Apple or an authorised service centre for RAM upgrades. I suspected that meant socketed RAM which iFixit comfirmed in this teardown. The socketed CPU was a nice surprise though!
@repoman27 and Andrew Curtis.
Thanks for the replies, I guess I was confused by the term "configurable" on both the 21.5 and 27 iMac which usually means that the RAM is soldered. Thanks for the link to HT205040 which I had not seen before.
So the consumer version of a consumer machine has user-replaceable RAM, but not the Pro version? Because "pros" have the money and people to have it done for them?!
Are you considering a 27'' 5K iMac teardown as well? I know aside from TB3 probably not much has changed,but I'd like to have documentation if I ever need to go inside my machine.
1. Who assembles the IMAC now? Foxconn? Pegatron? Who? Where?
2. Coming from connector industry (being the guy who conceived of a BLGA socket) I would love for you to include analysis of the connectors used.
3. Im including your findings, with appropriate credits and links, to a computer industry report Im doing now.
4. I am working toward US manufacturing of computer systems. See my web site electronicsindustry.org
USCompetitors@ICloud.com John MacWilliams
See above. I think you are doing a great service to the industry. Pls keep it up. And I would love for you to identify the country of origin for all your teardowns. And whether you feel, as I do, that products consumed in North America should be manufactured here. We currently have unacceptable exposure to China for most consumer electronic products from smartphones to X86 Servers. In the event of a conflict in that region we would be unable to get computer products. This comment goes against the grain for the industry, which is very happy they could leverage low cost labor rather than automate production. Plus, most were able to outsource manufacturing to Asian ODM suppliers, not having to make those investments here. On new technology Im working with MIT on a Silicon Photonics project: Future servers will have Tbps lightwave circuitry.
I think you have it all backwards. Without getting too deep into it, I think you blame other countries too much and automation not enough, and I think it's clear that automation has a higher initial investment cost, discouraging some, but that may change. Further, it's not that conflict with China will cut us off from consumer products, but that our interdependence lowers the chance of major conflict occurring in the first place. I understand the desire for protectionism, but not acknowledging the drawbacks of increased consumer prices and lower economic efficiency overall is being dishonest.
US manufacturing can certainly be a good thing, but mandating it via protectionist policy is pretty anti-free market.
What analysis of the connectors is needed? These are standard Intel LGA sockets.
YCAU -
3 out of 10? A zero for me, Apple has built another expensive throwaway, eco unfriendly device (but it's THIN).
I can't believe they even ship these things with a standard hard drive nowadays.
Great tutorial though, thanks!
Eventually, that cmos battery will die and the Imac won't retain info if the power is disconnected.
Mac's have a long useful life unlike Windows junk.
Just another customer centric solution that we have come to expect from Apple, mounting it with zero access in a sealed chassis.
When are we going to see a true upgrade, a service door!
Macs are hardware and Windows is software dude. There is good PC hardware and not so good PC hardware, it's not a uniform experience like with a Mac where everyone gets basically the same hardware. Software and operating systems have a much more meaningful impact on useful life than hardware itself (assuming no colossal design failures...).
Is it possible get a VESA mount on this 21" iMac? If so, what are the options? and how?
I've seen an option on the Apple Store webpages whilst buying mine. So yes, there are these options for VESA, but probably you have to decide before buying ...
duznik -
Is there going to be a tear down of the new low end 21.5" iMac as well? I'm curious to find out if that model is modular as well? One would suspect it is the same logic board with a different processor and the standard display.
We won't be posting a full teardown, but the entry level model does have removable RAM! The CPU however is soldered in place.
Not the most computer literate, but can anyone tell me if the 27" inch iMac would support RAM faster than DDR4-2400? I'd like to put faster RAM in but Apple's site says to only replace it with 2400
it's not supported but it may be with other cpus. the dependency sits on the CPU side. as far as I remember my classes, it's the frontside bus frequency which decides how fast to interact with the memory level(s).
duznik -
I just bought the Fusion Drive version of the iMac with plans to upgrade both hard drives. I can’t find any information about the SSD in my new iMac. Just the model number: APPLE SSD SM0032L. It seems impossible to find a blade SSD with the right connector. In fact, it’s impossible to figure out what the connector is. I’m sad that iFixit didn’t bother ordering a Fusion Drive iMac.
Upgrading the 2.5” drive is easy. Does anyone here have information about the SSD portion of the Fusion Drive in my new 2017 4K 21.5 iMac?
The SSD has the same 12+16 pin connector found in the SSDs releases from Mid 2013 devices onward. The SSD you currently have installed (SM0032L) is a PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe SSD, but you ordered a standalone SSD from the factory you would have received a PCIe 3.0 x4 AHCI SSD. More information about upgrading can be found in this link: https://beetstech.com/blog/apple-proprie...
Since its release, the new iMac 2017 5k can have many things upgraded, as iFixit has said in the teardown.
So I was thinking here: is it possible to replace the i5-7600k or the i7-7700k to the new Cannon Lake i5-8600 or i7-8700k (both have same socket and same power consumption!), so a 2017 machine can become a fast 2018 one?
Hello Gabriel, I have the same question as yours. Some said that is impossible due to different bios chipset version for the Cannon Lake. Have you found or tried upgrade it to the 2018 intel core?
Mr.Maker -
Wonder if the SSD only version has the SATA connector on the logic board. If so then I can add one more hard drive to my iMac.
With a full breakdown like this would it be possible to remove the stand and install a VESA mount?
well u can get a vesa mount option when purchasing the iMac. This means it won’t come with the stand.
So on the teardown u can just unscrew the stand from the inside and i guess plonk your own.
Use this adhesive replacement guide and buy the adhesive strips on our store!
Looking to find out what that first cable that is unplugged in teardown, not the LCD display port, but the other. Having an issue with this iMac display not turning on after RAM replacement, despite everything being in place, unbroken and LCD lights on motherboard indicate all good.
Can you upgrade the 2.3 GHz model with the i5 to an i7 as well?
Apple uses their own blade SSD interface which is not the same as the M.2 versions. IF you bought a Fusion Drive’d system then you have the connector an SATA drive’d system only has the SATA drive and a SSD only system will have the needed connector. Review this great guide The Ultimate Guide to Apple’s Proprietary SSDs
Dan -
Can I add a SATA SSD instead of the fusion drive?
A Fusion Drive is when you have installed both a SATA HDD & Blade SSD and then fuse them together within the OS (you only see the HDD drive as the blade SSD is being used as a cache drive on your desktop, the SSD is hidden). You don’t need to do that!
Many advanced amateurs and pro’s prefer a dual drive set which each drive is independent of each other (within the desktop you see two drives)
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If you only have a single drive installed (SATA HDD or blade SSD) then you can replace it with a larger drive or in the case of a SATA HDD switch it out for a SATA SSD. If you have a Fusion Drive based system the smarter direction is to split the Fusion Drive set back to discreet drives and then replace the impish 24 GB blade SSD for something larger! Like a 500 GB or bigger. That way you use the bade SSD for your boot drive as well as the apps drive, leaving the rest empty! Letting the OS and the apps the needed elbow room for virtual RAM, Caching, Paging and scratch space if the application is able to leverage it.
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If you are an artist working in graphics, photos or video you’ll want something larger which can also hold your current work piece. If you are into music then you’ll likely want something larger for your instruments as well as the work piece you are working on.
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I upgrade pro’s and student systems for a few collages in the area I often install 1 or 2 TB blade SSD drives.
Dan -
