How to replace the main logic board in a 27-inch iMac 5K

Replacing the Fusion Drive with both a SSD and an harddisk

July 30, 2020 - Willem L. Middelkoop

This month I did an attempt to upgrade my 27-inch iMac 5K. I wanted to replace the fusion drive with a SSD and a large hardisk. In addition I decided this was a good time to upgrade the RAM memory as well, maxing it out at 64GB. I was on a mission to create the ultimate iMac, but things didn't go to plan!

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Removing the antenna cables, remember their order using a piece of tape

Disconnecting the microphone cable - right under my thumb - it's very tiny!

LUCKY ME! Found a perfectly matching replacement logic board - in new old stock condition!

It contained the 64GB RAM and the 2TB PCIe Aura Pro X2 for iMac

An average fly is bigger than most screws inside the iMac

Work in progress: most parts removed, the logic board remaining

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Articles (155)

2024-12-19 Data versus Feeling
2024-12-09 The Problem With Bitcoin
2024-11-11 Write your own words
2024-11-10 Go Viral on X
2024-10-20 Marathon
2024-09-10 I see dead people
2024-05-11 Developing a native iOS app
2024-03-24 Half Marathon
2024-03-05 No, I Won't Build That!
2024-02-16 Vision Pro
2024-01-16 Health and fitness data
2023-12-15 Backup Rotation Scheme
2023-11-10 Apple Watch as Phone
2023-11-01 And... there is light!
2023-10-14 Giving AI Training
2023-10-13 Hello, stranger
2023-08-23 The Same, Differently
2023-05-31 Impact of training
2023-05-08 Tablet as Tool
2023-05-03 Using AI to generate code
2023-05-01 Working Offline First
2023-04-20 Tips for Long-Distance Cycling
2023-04-05 Cutting Cloud Costs
2023-02-08 Back to the University
2022-12-22 Rolex DateJust 36
2022-11-01 Moving to the countryside
2022-10-23 MUSE in Carré
2022-09-15 The Ultimate Freedom Bike
2022-09-11 Computer says no
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2022-04-18 Snake '97 High Scores
2022-01-14 Wearing WHOOP 4.0
2021-12-09 For the love of mini
2021-11-19 Escaping the flat tires
2021-10-25 Using Google Free Android
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2020-10-15 Rescuing photos from a crashed iMac
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2020-08-23 Cleaning a vintage watch
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2020-07-30 Upgrading a 27-inch iMac 5K to 14 terabytes
2020-07-09 Repairing a Giro AEON bicycle helmet
2020-06-24 Some thoughts on touch screen user interface design
2020-06-17 Tudor Black Bay 36 long-term review
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2020-04-30 Minimalistic road bike with Gates carbon drive
2020-04-14 Talking tablets: what makes a great tablet?
2020-04-01 Traffic shaping using iptables and tc
2020-03-25 Designing and implementing a (micro) payment system
2020-03-09 Making my own tablet OS
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2020-02-28 Your own addressbook and calendar cloud
2020-02-13 The day I sold my car
2020-01-28 Measuring cholesterol levels in blood
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2019-09-10 Fighting backscatter spam at server level
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2019-06-24 Six months with MCADD
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2019-05-24 Dig for dummies
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2019-04-25 Search like a pro: Google search operators
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2019-03-20 Servicing a robot vacuum cleaner
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2019-02-27 One year on the ultimate commuter bike
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2019-01-24 My first weeks as dad
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2018-11-16 Around town in an electric car
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2018-10-09 Using a budget Android as main smartphone
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2018-09-26 Optimising images for the web and performance
2018-08-21 Space travelling from El Teide
2018-08-20 Google Analytics vs AWStats
2018-07-20 Helping people with free software
2018-07-10 Enjoy a festival without alcohol
2018-06-09 Removing paint from a bike frame
2018-06-02 Creating a minimal iPhone stand
2018-05-17 Listen to your body
2018-05-09 Lunch by plane
2018-04-30 Off the grid: Working on 100% renewable energy
2018-04-18 Outside the comfort zone: amateur acting
2018-03-10 Cyber security: 5 easy tips to protect your server against hackers
2018-03-07 Tablet as main computer
2018-02-24 Creating the ultimate commuter bike
2018-02-21 Updating Snake '97
2018-01-21 Something the smartwatch will never have: patina
2018-01-08 Lessons from a takeaway plastic bag
2017-12-02 Commuting by bike
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2017-10-23 From tree to table
2017-09-14 Saving a MacBook Air with exploded battery
2017-09-02 Climbing Mount Etna
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2017-07-31 The day I killed my LAN
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2017-05-31 Beast of the Green Hell
2017-04-30 Smartwatches vs Mechanical watches
2017-03-26 Repairing a Nintendo Gameboy Advance SP
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2017-01-30 iPad Pro next to my primary machine
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