I have a 2013 21.5 inch Imac. I installed a ssd drive in it a while back. I am buying a 2013 27" iMac and would like to transfer the ssd from my smaller Mac to the larger one. Is this possible? Are they the same connections? Thank you.
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
If you are referring to a 2.5" SATA notebook SSD – and not a "blade" SSD – all 2013 iMacs have 6 Gbps SATA-III interfaces for the main drive bay.
2013 was after Macs got really thin, so I assume your 21.5" iMac has a 2.5" SATA SSD installed in a 2.5" drive bay. The 27" iMac will have a 3.5" drive bay, so you may need some sort of mounting bracket to hold the drive in place.
Note that opening and resealing any 2013 iMac is tricky.
If you are referring to a 2.5" SATA notebook SSD – and not a "blade" SSD – all 2013 iMacs have 6 Gbps SATA-III interfaces for the main drive bay.
2013 was after Macs got really thin, so I assume your 21.5" iMac has a 2.5" SATA SSD installed in a 2.5" drive bay. The 27" iMac will have a 3.5" drive bay, so you may need some sort of mounting bracket to hold the drive in place.
Note that opening and resealing any 2013 iMac is tricky.
The iMac (27-inch, Late 2013) can take either a 2.5" SATA notebook SSD, a "blade" SSD, or both.
https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/ssd/owc/imac-27-inch/2013-2019
In their listing of "HDD to SSD Upgrade Kit(s)", OWC says their kits include the "SSD, thermal sensor, bracket & tools." That suggests that the 2013 iMacs may require you to connect a thermal sensor to avoid having the fans speed up to maximum all of the time.
Other World Computing – Newer Technology AdaptaDrive 2.5" to 3.5" Drive Converter Bracket
Note that OWC considers the installation to be complex:
"Before attempting to perform this installation, please watch the OWC Install Video corresponding to your machine in its entirety to determine your ability to perform this complex upgrade."
The 21.5" iMac has/had a 2.5" hard drive and the 27" iMac has a 3.5" hard drive.
Which means you need a 2.5" to 3.5" adapter kit.
https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/K27IM12HE500/?
https://www.ifixit.com/products/imac-intel-27-late-2012-late-2019-ssd-upgrade-kit
Might be easier just to buy an external SSD for the 27' iMac, and clone the contents of the 21.5" iMac's SSD onto it. That would avoid the need to do surgery on either Mac.
Can I transfer an SSD from a 21.5" iMac to a 27"?
