Can I install an SSD on a base system?
I have read that these models use the same blade SSD as a retina MBP. Can anyone verify that all the necessary components are inside a base model i5 Late 2012 iMac? I want to get one of these (from eBay or somewhere), but I do not know if any hardware components will be missing (like the sata connectors are missing on the new Airport Extreme, but not on the Airport with TimeCapsule).
Update (02/10/2014)
Thanks for all the info and lively debate. I think I might have confused the question by using the term "sata connector". I was not completely sure what type of connector the blade SSD use (sata vs msata vs half mini PCIe... they get so confusing).
So. Can we definitively say the iMac Intel 27" EMC 2546 does not have the proper internal components for installing a *blade* SSD myself? If not, is this something I can also get aftermarket, or will it require a skill in soldering I dare not even think about? ;)
There are a few sites where people suggest conflicting data (here is one):
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.p...
These are also pretty exhaustive specs on the model:
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/im...
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/im...
In particular, I was hoping to get personal verification of this quote:
For storage upgrades, if the 21.5-Inch "Late 2012" iMac models were not configured with an SSD or a "Fusion Drive" at the time of purchase, there is no way to add a PCIe-based "blade" SSD later as the needed connector is not present. However, the 27-Inch "Late 2012" and all "Late 2013" iMac models do have this connector on the motherboard even without a pre-installed SSD, so it is possible to add a PCIe-based "blade" SSD after the purchase of the system.
Thanks!
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