oxemanuelexo Author

Level 1

4 points

Does my iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2015) that came with a hard drive, come with a PCIe slot?

iMac 27", macOS 10.15

Posted on Feb 9, 2020 9:39 AM

Top-ranking reply

den.thed

Level 10

91,624 points

Posted on Feb 9, 2020 10:50 AM

According to macsales.com and others sources. Yes the 2015 27" iMac HDD model has a PCIe slot.

see > https://blog.macsales.com/30510-unboxing-and-teardown-of-the-2015-27-inch-imac-with-retina-5k-display/

The Late 2015 27" iMac Hard Drive model can also be upgraded to a 2.5" SSD using a specific HDD to SSD kit.

For the kit and video, see > https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/K27IM12HP1TB/

As you can tell from the contents of the kit and the video, opening and upgrading an iMac is not something that just anyone can or should do.

A less expensive and invasive option, is to run just your 2015 27" iMac from an external Thunderbolt or USB 3.0 SSD.

see > https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/external-storage#drive-configuration:single-bay

View in context

Similar questions

34 replies

den.thed

Level 10

91,624 points

Feb 12, 2020 7:03 AM in response to oxemanuelexo

oxemanuelexo wrote:

Is the SATA crucial mx500 1tb good for my iMac to boot from?

Yes. That is exactlly what I was suggesting back on Feb 9, 2020 12:46 PM.

The Crucial MX500 is a bare 6G SATA 6G SSD that you can put into a USB 3.0 enclosure and then plug into your iMac.

The Crucial MX500 is a good choice. However most any other brand of SATA lll 6G SSD (OWC, Samsung, PNY, WD) will give you the same speed.

There are also several good USB 3.0 Enclosure options out there. Personally I have and prefer either OWC or Sabrent 2.5" USB 3.0 enclosures when making an external SSDs.

oxemanuelexo Author

Level 1

4 points

Feb 9, 2020 10:50 AM in response to oxemanuelexo

So if I am not myself going to add a PCIe SSD, are there any stores that add PCIe SSDs for you?

oxemanuelexo Author

Level 1

4 points

Feb 9, 2020 10:56 AM in response to DonH49

Even if my iMac isn't the Fusion or SSD version but is the Hard Drive Version. Then it will have the PCIe 3.0 x4 found in the

A1419 model?

oxemanuelexo Author

Level 1

4 points

Feb 9, 2020 12:49 PM in response to den.thed

is there any way that I could have a faster drive because I am doing tasks that needs a lot of speed from my drive

BDAqua

Level 10

250,259 points

Feb 9, 2020 12:54 PM in response to oxemanuelexo

TB2...

https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/thunderbolt/thunderbolt-2-external-drives

oxemanuelexo Author

Level 1

4 points

Feb 9, 2020 2:08 PM in response to BDAqua

@BDAqua: Which stores can I go to that would add a PCIe SSD to my iMac?

BDAqua

Level 10

250,259 points

Feb 9, 2020 2:29 PM in response to oxemanuelexo

PCIe is out I'm pretty sure, just SATA SSDs.

oxemanuelexo Author

Level 1

4 points

Feb 9, 2020 2:30 PM in response to BDAqua

What do you mean by PCIe is out?

BDAqua

Level 10

250,259 points

Feb 9, 2020 2:45 PM in response to oxemanuelexo

Quite possible I was wrong...

https://www.macworld.com/article/3386117/upgrading-an-older-imacs-pcie-ssd-third-party-solutions-that-save-you-beaucoup-bucks.html

oxemanuelexo Author

Level 1

4 points

Feb 10, 2020 8:57 AM in response to BDAqua

Thanks do you know what tools i need to open the iMac

samtenor

Level 4

2,074 points

Feb 10, 2020 4:22 PM in response to samtenor

oxemanuelexo Author

Level 1

4 points

Feb 10, 2020 4:24 PM in response to samtenor

what MacBook Air model did you buy?

oxemanuelexo Author

Level 1

4 points

Feb 10, 2020 4:28 PM in response to oxemanuelexo

can anyone give me a buying website to buy a pcie ssd meant for my type of iMac?

BDAqua

Level 10

250,259 points

Feb 10, 2020 4:36 PM in response to oxemanuelexo

https://eshop.macsales.com/search/?q=pcie+ssd

oxemanuelexo Author

Level 1

4 points

Feb 10, 2020 5:19 PM in response to oxemanuelexo

Does anyone know of a Thunderbolt 2 ssd that I can directly plug in that already has a drive in it, that I can boot Mac os on it and costs less that 150 dollars?

This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

Does my iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2015) that came with a hard drive, come with a PCIe slot?