iMac SSD Upgrade: Replace a Hard Drive or Fusion Drive

Almost every Intel iMac from Late 2009 to 2019 can have its hard drive or Fusion Drive replaced with an SSD, and on a machine that still has a spinning drive it is the upgrade that makes the biggest difference. We do it from $599 with a 500GB SSD, or from $699 with 1TB, including moving your data across and setting up macOS. The exception is the 2020 27-inch, whose storage is soldered, so for that model we recommend an external Thunderbolt SSD.

iMacs are drop-off only at our workshop near Castle Hill, serving the Hills District and Western Sydney. SSD work usually takes one to two business days when parts are in stock and carries our 12-month warranty on parts and labour. See also our iMac repair and upgrades page.

Which drive your iMac takes

Intel iMacs use two sizes of SATA drive bay and, from Late 2012, Apple's own blade SSD connector.

• 2009–2011, both sizes: a 3.5-inch SATA bay, running at 3Gb/s on the Late 2009 and Mid 2010 and at 6Gb/s on the 2011 models. An SSD in an older one is far quicker than its hard drive but cannot reach full speed.
• 21.5-inch, Late 2012 to 2019: a 2.5-inch SATA bay at 6Gb/s, usually fitted with a slow 5400rpm laptop-size hard drive.
• 27-inch, Late 2012 to 2019: a 3.5-inch SATA bay at 6Gb/s, with a 7200rpm hard drive or a Fusion Drive as standard.
• Blade connector: a logic board slot for Apple's flat SSD modules, used by Fusion Drives and all-flash configurations.

Where the blade connector is, and where it is missing

Every 27-inch iMac from Late 2012 to 2019 has one, and so does the 21.5-inch Late 2013. On the 21.5-inch Late 2012, Early 2013, Mid 2014, Late 2015, 2017 and 2019, it is only on the board if the iMac was bought with a Fusion Drive or an SSD. iFixit found it missing altogether from a hard-drive-only Retina 4K 21.5-inch (Late 2015). Without it, the SSD goes in the 2.5-inch bay, still a big step up.

Late 2012: a SATA-only blade slot

The Late 2012 blade slot is a custom SATA-type connector. NVMe and PCIe blades do not work in it, adapter or not, so NVMe kits for later iMacs are the wrong part. On a Late 2012 the usual answer is a SATA SSD in the main drive bay.

Late 2013 to 2019: PCIe blade, NVMe with an adapter

From Late 2013 the blade connector is PCIe, and third-party NVMe SSDs can be fitted with an adapter on selected models; owners report successful upgrades on the 27-inch Late 2013, 5K Late 2014, Mid 2015, Late 2015, 2017 and 2019. NVMe boot needs macOS High Sierra or later and the firmware that arrives with Apple's updates, so we update the iMac to its latest supported macOS on the old drive first. Whichever slot we use, the jump from a hard drive to any SSD matters far more than the SSD type.

2020 27-inch: soldered storage, so go external

The 2020 27-inch 5K is the one Intel iMac we cannot fit an internal SSD to. On the standard capacities up to 2TB, its storage is soldered to the logic board and controlled by the Apple T2 chip, and teardowns found no SATA connectors on the board. Keep macOS and apps on the internal drive and move large libraries (Photos, video, music projects) to an external SSD on a Thunderbolt 3 port. We do not quote a price, since it depends on the drive, but we will advise by phone.

iMac drive options by model

What a Fusion Drive is, and why it lets you down

A Fusion Drive is a small flash module on the blade connector and an ordinary spinning hard drive, joined by macOS into one volume. On the 27-inch Late 2012 and the Late 2013 models the flash part was 128GB. On the 1TB Fusion Drives in the Late 2015 models it shrank to 24GB, and in the 2017 and 2019 models it is 32GB. With so little flash, most of your system and files live on the hard drive half, so the iMac behaves far more like a hard-drive machine than an SSD one.

The hard drive half wears like any mechanical drive, and because the halves form one volume, a failing hard drive half drags the whole thing down. Nor can the pair be casually split: Apple notes that if either part is replaced, the Fusion Drive appears as two drives, and its command for rejoining them permanently deletes all data. So we copy your data off while the pair is intact, then set the new SSD up on its own.

The fan problem after a drive swap

This is the gotcha behind many noisy DIY upgrades. A lot of iMacs read the hard drive's temperature, and if that reading disappears after a swap, the fans run at full speed.

• Late 2009 and Mid 2010: the sensor sits on a cable matched to the original drive's brand, so a different make or model of drive can leave it unread.
• 2011 models, and 27-inch models from Late 2012 to 2019: Apple's factory drives passed temperature data to the System Management Controller through custom firmware that standard retail drives lack. The fans run flat out and Apple Hardware Test reports a failure.

We fit the right fix for the model (the brand-matched sensor cable, an in-line sensor or fan control software) and check that the fans settle before the iMac goes home.

Why an iMac hard drive keeps getting slower

If your iMac was bearable a few years ago and is painful now, the drive may not be failing at all. Current versions of macOS use Apple's APFS file system, which was designed mainly for SSDs. As Howard Oakley explains at The Eclectic Light Company, APFS lacks the features that keep a hard disk performing well, so its metadata (the records of where every file lives) becomes badly fragmented and a startup hard drive slows down over weeks or months. Reinstalling macOS resets the clock for a while. An SSD has no moving heads chasing scattered data, so the same fragmentation barely registers.

Moving your data to the new SSD

The price includes transferring your data and setting up macOS. How we do it depends on the old drive:

• Healthy drive: we clone it, or install a fresh macOS and migrate your account, whichever suits the machine, so you start up to your own desktop, apps and files.
• Failing drive: we copy your data off before anything else touches it. If it needs a proper recovery rather than a copy, data recovery starts from $249 while the drive is readable.
• Fusion Drive: the data is read while both halves are still joined, and only then is the pair split.
• Old macOS: we can install newer macOS on an old iMac at the same time, from $249.

Bring your login password so we can check your account on the new drive.

Internal SSD or external SSD

Starting up from an external SSD avoids opening the iMac, but there are trade-offs.

• Internal: nothing extra on the desk, no cable to knock loose, and the old hard drive comes out. On 2012 and later models the display is glued, so the job means cutting the adhesive and fitting new strips: a workshop job, not a weekend one.
• External: no opening the case, and the drive can move to your next Mac. Speed depends on the port: Thunderbolt (2011 on) or USB 3 (Late 2012 on) suits an external SSD, but the Late 2009 and Mid 2010 have neither. The old hard drive also stays inside, still ageing.

Prices

• SSD upgrade with a 500GB SSD, data transfer and macOS setup: from $599
• SSD upgrade with a 1TB SSD: from $699
• 16GB iMac RAM upgrade on a 21.5-inch 2012–2013, 2017 or 2019, done at the same time: from $249 extra (from $449 on its own)
• Newer macOS on an unsupported iMac with OpenCore Legacy Patcher: from $249
• Quote over the phone: free, with no obligation

Prices are in AUD and include GST. Published Australian prices for this job start around $280 and are typically nearer $465, so ours sits toward the upper end, while on-site services start from $742 and pass $1,000 for 1TB. Our price includes the SSD, moving your data across, setting up macOS and the 12-month warranty on parts and labour.

Call 0400 454 859

When an SSD is worth it, model by model

Used values are private Gumtree asking prices for working units in September 2026, a guide rather than sale prices. A new 24-inch M4 iMac is $2,399.

• 27-inch 5K 2019 (around $799) and 21.5-inch 4K 2019 (roughly $275–$400): yes on the 27-inch, where an SSD from $599 comes to about three-quarters of its value. On the 21.5-inch it is more than the iMac would fetch, so do it if you plan to keep the machine. Both run macOS Sequoia officially. See 27-inch 5K 2019–2020 and 21.5-inch 2015–2019.
• 27-inch 5K 2020 (around $999): external SSD only.
• 27-inch 5K 2017 (around $475) and 21.5-inch 4K 2017 (around $500): yes, if you want to keep the machine. Apple stopped at Ventura for these, but they need no graphics patches to run Sequoia through the patcher. The SSD alone costs more than either would sell for, and with the patcher the bill is from $848, but that is about a third of a new M4 iMac and you keep the Retina screen.
• 27-inch 5K Late 2014 to Late 2015 (a Late 2015 is around $400): reasonable if the screen and board are healthy and you want to keep it. You spend about one and a half times what it would sell for, and get a working 5K iMac for a quarter of the price of a new one. See 27-inch 5K 2014–2017.
• 21.5-inch Mid 2014 and Late 2015: the only upgrade possible, as the memory is soldered. Good for browsing, email and documents, but an 8GB machine stays an 8GB machine.
• 2012–2013 (a 27-inch is around $220): only if you specifically want to keep this machine. Apple stopped at Catalina, which gets no Chrome or Microsoft 365 updates. SSD plus the patcher starts from $848, nearly four times what a 27-inch would sell for, and reaches Sequoia, whose security updates, on Apple's usual pattern, end around September 2027. A private 5K 2017 goes for about $475 and needs no graphics patches, so selling this one and upgrading one of those may be better value. See 27-inch 2012–2013 and 21.5-inch 2012–2014.
• 2009–2011 (a working 27-inch 2011 asks $60–$150): only if you value the machine for its own sake. An SSD, from $599, costs four to ten times what the iMac would fetch, the official macOS is High Sierra (no current Chrome; Firefox 115 ESR security fixes end in March 2027), and the stock graphics are not Metal-capable, which limits a patched macOS. For one specific job, an SSD makes it usable. As an everyday computer, do not spend the money. See iMac 2009–2011.

If it also needs a screen or board repair, read whether to repair or replace an old iMac first. If you are unsure the drive is to blame, why an iMac runs slow covers the other causes.

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Questions

How much faster is an iMac with an SSD?

On an iMac that currently has a hard drive or Fusion Drive, startup, app launches, opening files and general responsiveness are dramatically faster, and the spinning beach ball becomes rare. We do not quote percentages, because the result depends on the model, the macOS version and the memory fitted. The processor does not change, so work that leans on it, such as long video exports, improves far less than everyday use.

Can I keep my old hard drive as extra storage after an SSD upgrade?

Sometimes. Where the blade connector exists, which means every 27-inch from Late 2012 to 2019, the 21.5-inch Late 2013 and other 21.5-inch models bought with a Fusion Drive or SSD, the SSD can go in the blade slot and the hard drive can stay as storage. On 2009 to 2011 models a second drive can go in the optical bay with an adapter. Mention it when you call and we will quote it.

What size SSD should I get for my iMac?

Check how much space you use now, under Storage in System Settings or About This Mac on older macOS, and allow room to grow. For most home users with a modest Photos library, 500GB (from $599) is plenty. If your photos, music library or video projects already take several hundred gigabytes, choose 1TB (from $699). Either way, keep a good margin free, because macOS slows down on a nearly full drive.

Why are my iMac's fans so loud after a hard drive replacement?

Usually because the new drive is not reporting its temperature. On Late 2009 and Mid 2010 iMacs the sensor is on a cable matched to the original drive's brand, and on 2011 models and 27-inch models from Late 2012 to 2019, Apple's drives reported temperature through their own firmware, which retail drives lack. The cure is the correct sensor or fan control software, and we can sort it out on an iMac someone else has upgraded.

Does an SSD upgrade let my iMac run a newer macOS?

No. Apple decides which macOS versions an iMac supports by model, so a new drive does not change the list. What it changes is how well a newer macOS runs. If you want to go past Apple's limit, the OpenCore Legacy Patcher can take any 2009 to 2017 iMac as far as macOS Sequoia, and we install it from $249. We would not put a patched macOS on a hard drive.

Is it risky to open an iMac to replace the hard drive?

On 2012 and later iMacs the glass and LCD are one glued unit, so the display has to be cut free and refitted with new adhesive strips. The risk is to the panel and its cables, which is why it needs the right tools and some patience. On 2009 to 2011 models the front glass is a separate panel that lifts off. Our upgrades carry a 12-month warranty on parts and labour.

How long does an iMac SSD upgrade take?

Usually one to two business days when parts are in stock, including the data transfer and testing. If the old drive is failing and the data needs recovering first, or the iMac needs a less common part, we give you a timeframe with the quote. iMacs are drop-off only, so call 0400 454 859 first and bring it to our workshop near Castle Hill, Monday to Saturday, 8am to 6pm.