Replace hard drive on iMac 2020 for bigger one?

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Level 1

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Replace hard drive on iMac 2020 for bigger one?

So I was told on the phone from Apple that an authorised Apple reseller can replace the 256GB hard drive on my 10 month old 2020 27" iMac for a bigger one.

I also was in an Apple store last week and was told the same thing. Apple won't do it but an authorised reseller can, and Jigsaw Systems in Nottingham were recommended. I phoned Jigsaw and they said they can't do it.

I would like to find out if it can be done and by who. Thank you.

Or I will have to sell it and buy a new one!

iMac 27″, macOS 11.2

Posted on Nov 19, 2021 7:40 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

rkaufmann87

Level 10

148,458 points

Nov 19, 2021 7:46 AM in response to mandi.w

You were told incorrectly, the SSD (HD's are NOT used on 2020 iMacs) are not upgradeable. They are permenantely soldered onto the main logic board. If you need additional capacity consider an external SSD such as OWC Envoy Pro EX Thunderbolt 3 .

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Answer 2

Nov 20, 2021 9:47 AM in response to ku4hx

ku4hx wrote:

Well, a very talented tech could possibly do the job, if you could find a willing tech, but it'll likely be way more cost effective to just trade in and buy a new iMac. This is a difficult task and the likelihood of disastrous errors is high.

Re-soldering components on surface-mount boards is possible, but tends to be, well, expensive.

External SSD, or re-sell and replacement, are the two typical paths.

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Answer 3

rkaufmann87

Level 10

148,458 points

Nov 20, 2021 11:24 AM in response to MrHoffman

Not only expensive but has any even investigated to see if a larger capacity SSD that can be soldered onto the board is even available. It is unlikely they are not so the whole exercise of unsoldering would be a waste of time and effort. This is why an external SSD is the most elegant, practical and least expensive solution.

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Answer 4

Old Toad

Level 10

215,346 points

Nov 20, 2021 11:46 AM in response to mandi.w

I wholeheartedly agree with rfkaufmann87's recommendation regarding external SSDs from OWC. Give OWC's Customer Support a call and get their recommendation on which of their external SSDs would be best for your needs and budget. I have 7 OWC SSDs and am a very satisfied customer.

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Answer 5

ku4hx

Level 7

23,688 points

Nov 20, 2021 9:29 AM in response to mandi.w

Well, a very talented tech could possibly do the job, if you could find a willing tech, but it'll likely be way more cost effective to just trade in and buy a new iMac. This is a difficult task and the likelihood of disastrous errors is high.

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Answer 6

ku4hx

Level 7

23,688 points

Nov 20, 2021 1:26 PM in response to rkaufmann87

Oh I imagine some enterprising soul might try anything, even piggyback soldered components. Decades ago, certain Windows computers did that with CPUs, but that soon disappeared as a solution. I imagine for good reasons whatever they were. Labors of passion and not practicality and are often extremely expensive and prone to repeated failures before they work as hoped.

My 2015 21.5" iMac Retina, for which I was given a ridiculous (and refused) final trade-in offer of $70 become a hobby device for me. Why not? I had nothing to lose, but even then the most "daring" thing I did was follow a guide to replace the HDD with an SSD. Others had done all the development work for me.

Seems to me piggyback component soldering falls into the "Here, hold my beer" category of things to try.

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