Can I istall a SSD in an iMac late 2013, 21in?

Hello pzhivulin, have you done this installation please? If so is it necessary to insert fan control app in order to control the fan and temperature inside of the system? What are your impressions, let me know.

I m about to add an 2.5 SSD SATA and remove that slow 2,5 HD 5400. As i spoke with some engineer they told me that i may need a digital thermal sensor in order to control the fan .

iFixit or OWC (www.macsales.com) however if you can and do the upgrade you will invalidate any warranty. Have you ever looked at how difficult it is to work on those? If so you see doing this type upgrade is not for the faint of heart. I would recommend selling your current machine and buying one with either a Fusion drive or if they offer a 21.5" with SSD get that if you want that type of technology.

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iMac+Intel+21.5-Inch+EMC+2638+Hard+Drive+Replacemen t/28781

As noted above this is not for the faint of heart.

Are you SURE that you want to replace the hard drive rather than just add an SSD? If so OWC sells 3.5 to 2.5 spacers. EveryMac says this about your model *This model has a Serial ATA (6 Gb/s) connector for a hard drive as well as a proprietary PCIe connector for an SSD. As reported by site sponsor OWC, if the SSD is not installed at the time of purchase, the connector still is present and later professional or self-installation is possible.

eluengo wrote:

I have just realized that if I just want to add a SSD in addition to the hard drive that comes with this computer i have to take apart almost all of its internal parts....

With due respect we tried to tell you this is extremely difficult and not recommended. My original suggestion still stands, if you want an SSD or Fusion sell your current machine and get (you can get a refurbished iMac from Apple to save money) a replacement machine with the technology you want already built in. Current iMacs are not designed to be opened by anyone but an AASP or Apple Store.

rkaufmann87 offers good advice. I'm only trying to provide you the information you're looking for IF you decide to do this. I don't know what your technical expertise is, I feel pretty confident but I personnally wouldn't undertake this particular upgrade.

That said, IF you choose to proceed I'd strongly recommend you call OWC and speak to their technical support people, they can provide you with everything you need to do the job http://eshop.macsales.com/MyOWC/

OWC has mSATA drives as does Crucial among others.

rkaufmann87 suggested you SELL your current iMac aand use the proceeds added to the $$$ you're going to spend upgrading and purchase a refurbished unit that has the equipment you're after. It'll cost you a few hundred but you'll get a new iMac with a full warranty and the chance to extend that with AppleCare. Remember once you open your imac for anything you forfeit any future support from Apple. If you have a problem six months from now that you can't handle Apple will not help you.

Have you considered an external SSD solution connected via Thunderbolt? Much more elegant that what you are attempting. OWC (www.macsales.com) has some that fit various needs and budgets. The nicest I think is the Thunderbay Mini, you can add up to 4 SSD's or 2.5" HD's.

Original HDD is 2.5, same as SSD

Whole procedure takes about 30 minutes

You need iSesamo tool to open the display assembly and Torx 10 screwdriver, two plastic guitar picks or plastic cards.

iFixit got the manual for removing HDD - just follow it: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iMac+Intel+21.5-Inch+EMC+2638+Hard+Drive+Replacemen t/28781

I will add that inserting new SSD will require partial removal of adjacent loudspeaker shell (it's not in iFixit manual), to connect SATA connector back to SSD.

Also you will need to install fan control app and set fan to 1000 rpm: http://exirion.net/ssdfanctrl/

I would strongly suggest you consider rkaufmann87's suggestion of

adding an SSD via the Thunderbolt interface. I am currently using one of the Seagate

Thunderbolt "sleds" and simply plugged my Toshiba Q Series Pro directly into it

and using it as my boot volume. The internal HDD is now my backup. There

are a variety of enclosures and fully packaged Thunderbolt solutions on the market.

Check out OWC as a starting point.

Also, being a late 2013, you may even consider a USB3 solution. Though not quite as fast

as using Thunderbolt, it is still going to be much speedier than an HDD.

Thank you woodmeister, i ve seen thunderbolt external ssd and are very fast not as an internal ssd though but with small differences @ speed.. I will upgrade the ram too from 8GB to 16GB and as i spoke with the engineer he told me to replace the 5400 with an SSD like sandisk or crucial 500GB. The only thing is that i dont want to have problems in the future and i need this computer to use it for music production only plus i have a few more peripherals like 2xusb3 (1hd for back up + 1hd for music libraries etc) 1 thunderbolt ext sound card...

I dont want to have a low hd 5400rpm inside and use itfor backup though.. But i know that if anything happened i have to reopen again with all meanings... I m just trying to see what could be the best option, as for HD 5400rpm it will need a replacement after the years so its same deal... As for the fan and the sensors do you have any experience with the iMAC Late 2013 machines?