Guaranteed compatible upgrades for:

Apple iMac 2012 (Late) Core i5 2.7 GHz 21.5-inch (iMac13,1)


System Specifications
Maximum Memory:
  • 16GB
Expansion:
  • 2 Socket(s) for RAM (advanced installation) 1 Socket(s) for SDXC cards
Standard Memory:
  • 8 GB
CPU/Chipset:
  • Intel Core i5 2.7 GHz
Bus Architecture:
  • Flash - SDXC; SSD - SATA 2.5-inch 9.5mm
Mfr's System P/N's:
  • MC813B/A; MC813D/A; MC813F/A; MC813FN/A; MC813H/A; MC813K/A; MC813LE/A; MC813LL/A; MC813N/A; MC813S/A; MC813SM/A; MC813T/A; MC814B/A; MC814D/A; MC814F/A; MC814FN/A; MC814H/A; MC814K/A; MC814LE/A; MC814LL/A; MC814N/A; MC814S/A; MC814SM/A; MC814T/A
Upgrade Path:
  • It is possible to upgrade to 16GB of RAM in this system. For advanced users or technicians only.
Comments:
  • iMac13,1 (late 2012 21.5-inch) EMC 2544

  • INSTALLATION GUIDES

  • - RAM Upgrade guide
  • - HDD / SSD upgrade guide


  • RAM Upgrade

  • To upgrade the RAM in this iMac, follow this RAM Upgrade guide closely. You’ll need the general servicing kit to open it up, and your choice of RAM upgrade shown on the left.

  • HDD->HDD

  • The iMac13,1 has a 500GB 2.5-inch factory HDD with a 6 Gb/s SATA port.
  • To upgrade the existing HDD, you’ll need the servicing kit, plus a larger 2.5-inch HDD.

  • No additional thermal cable is needed for all 21.5-inch 2012-onward iMacs.
  • If your fans are running fast after upgrading, you may not have reconnected one of the temperature sensors properly.
  • Use the iStat widget to check which fan is running fast and check the associated sensor is connected properly.

  • To clone your existing OS/app setup first, purchase a cloning cable or 2.5-inch HDD/SDD enclosure to connect your new HDD to your mac, then use the Super Duper app to perform the clone, then switch the drives.
  • Your old 2.5-inch HDD can then be housed in the enclosure.

  • HDD -> SSD

  • To upgrade the factory 2.5-inch HDD with an SSD, use the servicing kit to open up the Mac, plus you’ll need any 2.5-inch SSD to go with it.

  • To clone your existing OS/app setup first, purchase a cloning cable or 2.5-inch HDD/SDD enclosure to connect your new SSD to your mac, then use the Super Duper app to perform the clone, then switch the drives.
  • Your old 2.5-inch HDD can then be housed in the enclosure.

  • HDD+SSD or SSD->SSD

  • The ‘blade’ SSD in the iMac13,1 can be upgraded, but ONLY if an SSD or fusion drive is configured at the time of purchase.
  • If the system only was configured with a hard drive, the needed connector is not present on the motherboard and there is no way to add a PCIe-based "blade" SSD afterwards.

  • To upgrade the factory blade SSD, you’ll need the servicing kit to open up the Mac, plus one of the OWC Aura blade SSD’s on the left.
  • Note, the OWC Aura is not compatible with the 2.7GHz model.

  • There is no housing available for the OWC Aura blade SSD, so you’ll need to use Time Machine to backup your drive first if you want to restore later.
  • You can house your factory Apple blade SSD in the Envoy Pro enclosure.

  • If you have only have a 'Blade' SSD installed

  • All 'Tapered Edge' iMac's from the Late 2012 iMac13,1 up to the "Mid-2017" iMac18,3 models have a 6 Gb/s Serial ATA (Revision 3.0) connector that is occupied by a hard drive in the default configurations. However, if you customised your model and it only has a 'Blade' SSD installed, then you can still install a standard SATA 2.5" hard drive in 21.5-Inch models and a 3.5" hard drive in 27-Inch models. An SSD can also be installed in this hard drive space as well.