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Late 2012 21.5" iMac
I was wanting to take the hard drive out, recover the data then replace it with a SSD. I opened up the iMac, and the HDD bay is empty. So the hdd must be located somewhere else. Several internet searches have not come up with any answers. Where is the HDD located? I can provide photos if need be.
Earlier Mac models
If no SATA connector for the bay that sounds like a factory SSD model using a blade storage module
OWC shows the SSD as SATA 6 blade; their versions are only compatible with 2.9ghz and 3.1 ghz models. I found this pic of a 2012 21.5-inch logic board on eBay, and marked it up to show where the SSD rides plus its retaining screw position.
OWC says in their product listings that some iMac models will only have an SSD socket if the computer shipped with a Fusion drive or a factory SSD. They do not make that disclaimer in their verbiage for the 2012 21.5-inch model. Apple does not put that stuff in their specs.
Important question: Will the computer start as is? If so, Disk Utility will identify the currentdrive type and size, if any is installed.
If your iMac was ordered with the factory SSD option, there will be nothing in the drive bay. The SSD NVME slot is on the "wrong" side of the logic board and not visible without a teardown, a major and risky undertaking in that model..
If that is the case, the factory SSD (either 256 or 512GB that year) is far faster than anything you put in the large bay. The bay has an SATA 6G bus that can run no faster than 500-600MB/sec. A factory SSD in the NVME slot on the logic board can be 3-4X that fast.
If your iMac has the Fusion option, there would be a drive, or at least an SATA connector, in the bay directly below the fan housing. As the 2.5-inch drives Apple used as base, or as a part fo the option Fusion drive system, seem to fail with some regularity when as old as yours, someone may have pulled it, or pulled it for security reasons before reselling.
If your iMac did NOT ship with the Fusion or SSD options, it will not have an NVME slot on the logic board.
If it is slow with a factory SSD, something more concerning than the drive type may be at play.
Yes. I have replaced HDDs in many iMacs before and I am familiar with most of the websites, videos, etc.
This one is different. All the sites/videos have a 2.5" HDD by the fan shroud. This particular one does not. I would not be here if "Google" had provided an answer. Likewise searches on this forum didn't turn up anything else either.
Yes.
If it starts, it must have the "hidden" SSD. That is on the same area of the LB as the USB ports, facing the same way as the ports.
This one is different.
Can you post an image of drive bay?
Is the original drive type shown on the sticker in the bottom of the metal "foot" of the stand? If the SSD is part of a Fusion system, it will be small. Early Fusion used a 128GB SSD; later they are 24-28GB,
The most cost-effective and simplest option is an external SSD in a USB3 enclosure set as the boot volume. The most basic option will do 400MB/sec transfers all day long. Use an external SSD as your startup disk … - Apple Community
Thank you everyone for your replies. I was able to get to the drive and remove it.
Sounds like it already has an SSD. The question then becomes, what do you hope to gain by installing an SSD? the performance gain, though not negligible, doesn't seem like to would be worth it if you're just replacing the stock SSD with a faster SSD... especially given that the machine is obsolete. Nothing you do is going to get it running a supported version of macOS.
So there is nothing in the drive bay. I don't even see a connector to hook a drive if I wanted to. It looks as though I will have to remove the logic board if I want to get to the HDD.
There are a number of web sites out there with teardowns of just about any Mac model you can name… google is your friend.
We can not name them here.
Where's the Hard Drive? Late 2012 21.5" iMac
