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I have a 27” Retina 5K iMac (mid 2015), 4GHz Intel i7 QuadCore. I have the one with the SSD already in, however I now find the 500GB I have limiting. It seems there is mixed information on this, and can’t find an answer to my specific setup. Am I able to add in a 2nd SATA based hard drive? If so, how would I go about doing this? I assume I would have to buy the SATA connector to hook up to the logic board, and would also need a bracket to screw the HD into the body. Can anyone please confirm that firstly, it’s possible to add a 2nd SATA HD to my model of iMac that already has an SSD, my iMac has the space inside to fit the HD, and that the logic board has the necessary connection to add the SATA connector. Please link any necessary parts I would need and tutorials. If this is possible, I’m set on either a Samsung 860 EVO or PRO. Not 100% sure, but I believe the current SSD is connected via PCI? When I go to the system report, then SATA, I see Physical Interconnect: PCI
If you bought a SSD iMac then you have a PCIe/NVMe blade SSD in your system! Your system has the needed connection on the logic board for the SATA/Power cable so you only need to do is plug in the cable and then mount up the 2nd drive. Here you could go with a HDD or a SSD its just a matter of how much storage space you need. Follow this guide to install the drive iMac Intel 27" Retina 5K Display Hard Drive Replacement. Make sure to use the special pizza cutter to break the adhesive and get a couple of tape sets just in case. You’ll need to lift the logic board out to gain access to the logic board connections on the backside. Pickup from Step 26 in this guide iMac Intel 27" Retina 5K Display Blade SSD Replacement. Here’s an image of the backside with the connections marked
Here is the needed parts: iMac Intel 27" 5K (Late 2014-Mid 2015) Hard Drive CableiMac Intel 27" (Late 2012-2019) SSD Upgrade Kit You’ll still need the drives mounting screws If performance is what you are looking for then you may want to look at replacing the PCIe/NVMe drive with a larger unit. OWC’s Aura Pro X2 SSD drive will work in your system OWC Aura Pro X2 SSD
