500GB OWC Mercury Electra 6G
only $119.90 $83.99 You Save $35.91

500GB OWC Mercury Electra 6G

SSD Upgrade and HDD Replacement Kit for 21.5-inch iMac (2012 - 2019)

Mfr P/N: K21IM12HE500 OWC SKU: OWCK21IM12HE500

$90.99 off - *NOW* Get Parallels Desktop Pro Edition - Windows/Multi OS Compatibility software for Mac - Only $29.00 with select OWC SSDs, HDDs, Memory, External Storage, and Optical Drives! (Limit 3 rebates, 1 rebate per qualifying item)

Must purchase with: Parallels Desktop Pro Edition for Mac - 1 Year License. SPECIAL PURCHASE

500GB OWC Mercury Electra 6G
500GB OWC Mercury Electra 6G
500GB OWC Mercury Electra 6G
500GB OWC Mercury Electra 6G
500GB OWC Mercury Electra 6G
500GB OWC Mercury Electra 6G
500GB OWC Mercury Electra 6G
500GB OWC Mercury Electra 6G
500GB OWC Mercury Electra 6G
500GB OWC Mercury Electra 6G
500GB OWC Mercury Electra 6G
500GB OWC Mercury Electra 6G
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  • 500GB OWC Mercury Electra 6G
  • 500GB OWC Mercury Electra 6G
  • 500GB OWC Mercury Electra 6G
  • 500GB OWC Mercury Electra 6G
  • 500GB OWC Mercury Electra 6G
  • 500GB OWC Mercury Electra 6G
  • 500GB OWC Mercury Electra 6G
  • 500GB OWC Mercury Electra 6G
  • 500GB OWC Mercury Electra 6G
  • 500GB OWC Mercury Electra 6G
  • 500GB OWC Mercury Electra 6G
  • play video
    500GB OWC Mercury Electra 6G

Complete DIY kit for upgrading to an SSD in your HDD-equipped 21.5-inch iMac (2012 - 2019)

  • Add a high-performance OWC 6G SSD to your iMac.
  • Includes a pocket-sized bus-powered USB enclosure – reuse your iMac's HDD for external storage.
  • Includes all the tools you'll need to complete the upgrade yourself.
  • Backed by free DIY install videos and expert support.
  • 3 Year OWC Limited Warranty
Reviews (115)
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The complete solution for your 2012 - 2019 21.5-inch iMac

Experience the extreme performance of an OWC SSD upgrade with this easy DIY SSD and hard drive replacement kit. Add an SSD to your hard drive equipped iMac to experience faster booting, near instant application launches and data transfer speeds up over 500 MB/s.

Fast and reliable solid-state storage

With sustained data speeds of over 500 MB/s, up to 100X greater data protection than enterprise class Hard Disk Drives, and RAISE technology for RAID like data protection and reliability, the OWC Mercury 6G SSD line delivers unbeatable performance.

A True DIY upgrade

This comprehensive kit has all the tools you need to replace your factory HDD with a high performance SSD, bringing a complete DIY upgrade within your reach. Includes drivers, glass removal suction cups, and screen adhesive so you can get the job done yourself. The included OWC Express 2.5-inch USB 3.0 enclosure offers maximum mobile data storage/backup potential with a sleek, totally bus powered design. Just add your iMac's factory 2.5-inch hard drive or SSD and take your digital life with you wherever you roam!
  1. Before attempting this installation, OWC recommends watching the associated instructional video in its entirety to determine your ability to perform this complex procedure. OWC assumes no responsibility for damage that may occur during the install.

IncludesIncludes

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  • (1) OWC Mercury 6G SSD
  • (1) OWC Express USB 3.0 Enclosure
  • (2) 2.25-inch Suction Cup
  • (1) Torx T10s Driver
  • (1) Adhesive Strip Set
  • (1) Nylon Pry Tool (Spudger)
  • (1) Screen Removal Tool
  • (1) OWC Blue Microfiber Screen Cleaning Cloth
  • 3 Year OWC Limited Warranty

This kit contains consumable and/or one time use components and therefore is non-refundable if opened. If you have any concerns about your ability to perform the upgrade, you can return the unopened kit for a refund.

SpecsSpecs

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    500GB OWC Mercury Electra 6G 2.5-inch 7mm SATA 6.0Gb/s Solid-State Drive

    1. Use of a 2.5-inch SSD in a 3.5-inch drive bay requires an adapter bracket such as the NewerTech AdaptaDrive.
    2. Use of any SSD in an external enclosure is dependent on the power available from the enclosure. OWC Mercury Electra 6G and Mercury Extreme Pro 6G SSDs are engineered for use in any OWC Enclosure that supports 2.5-inch SSDs.

    Total Capacity

    • 500GB Useable Capacity
    • Total Capacity: 512GB
    • 12GB Allocated to real-time data redundancy and error correction

    Formatted Capacity

    • 466GiB

    S.M.A.R.T. Attributes

    • Standard attributes supported

    Native Command Queuing (NCQ)

    • Up to 32 simultaneous commands

    RAID Support

    • Yes

    Form Factor

    • 2.5-inch 7mm

    Drive Interface

    • SATA 6.0 Gb/s

    Random 4K Read

    • Up to 100,000 IOPS

    Random 4K Write

    • Up to 90,000 IOPS

    Sequential Read (Max)

    • Up to 540 MB/s

    Sequential Write (Max)

    • Up to 500 MB/s

    Nonrecoverable Read Errors

    • 1 per 1015 bits read

    MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures)

    • 1,500,000 hours

    Wear Leveling

    • Supported

    TRIM Support

    • OS Dependent

    Security

    • TCG Opal
    • Secure Erase (SE)
    • Chip Based Data Encryption: 256-bit AES-compliant

    Endurance

    • 340TB total bytes written (TBW), equal to 187 GB per day for 5 years

    Mac OS Compatibility

    • Yes

    PC OS Compatibility

    • Yes

    Other Requirements

    • Host or device with a built-in SATA connection.

    Write Mode (Max)

    • Up to 2.055 Watts

    Seek Mode (Max)

    • Up to 1.48 Watts

    Idle Mode (Max)

    • Up to 0.07 Watts

    Dimensions

    • Height: 0.7 cm (0.3 in)
    • Length: 10.0 cm (3.9 in)
    • Width: 7.0 cm (2.8 in)

    Weight

    • 55.0 g (0.12 lbs)

    RoHS Compliant

    • Yes

    Reach Certification

    • Yes

    Ambient Temperature

    • Operating: 32°F to 158°F (0°C to 70°C)
    • Non-Operating: -40°F to 185°F (-40°C to 85°C)

    Altitude

    • Operating: -304.8 m to 3,048.0 m (-1,000 ft to 10,000 ft)
    • Non-Operating: -304.8 m to 12,192.0 m (-1,000 ft to 40,000 ft)

    Humidity

    • Operating: 5% to 95% non-condensing

    Shock

    • Operating: 1500 G max at 0.5 ms
    • Non-Operating: 1500 G max at 0.5 ms

    Idle (Typical)

    • 0.0 bels

    Seek (Typical)

    • 0.0 bels

    OWC Microfiber Wipe

    Color

    • Blue

    Dimensions

    • Length: 30.5 cm (12.0 in)
    • Width: 30.5 cm (12.0 in)

    Apple Display Resealing Adhesive Tape

    Apple Equivalent Part Number

    • 076-1419

    OWC Express USB 3.2 (5Gb/s) Bus-Powered Portable External Storage Enclosure

    Drive Bays

    • 1 bay supporting: 2.5-inch SATA drives
    • Supports drives up to 2.2TB in capacity and up to 9.5mm in size

    Storage Interface

    • SATA

    Device Ports

    • (1) USB 3.2 Gen 1 Micro-B Port

    Data Transfer Rate (Maximum)

    • USB 3.2 Gen 1 : Up to 5Gb/s (or 625MB/s)
    • USB 2.0 : Up to 480Mb/s (or 60MB/s)
    • USB 1.1 : Up to 12Mb/s (or 1.5MB/s)

    Chipset / Controller

    • JMicron 20329

    MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures)

    • Varies depending on drive mechanism installed

    Contact Start Stops

    • Varies depending on drive mechanism installed

    Mac OS Compatibility

    • Mac OS 8.6
    • Mac OS 9.0
    • Mac OS 9.1
    • Mac OS 9.2
    • Mac OS X 10.0 Cheetah
    • Mac OS X 10.1 Puma
    • Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar
    • Mac OS X 10.3 Panther
    • Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger
    • Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard
    • Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard
    • Mac OS X 10.7 Lion
    • Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion
    • OS X 10.9 Mavericks
    • OS X 10.10 Yosemite
    • OS X 10.11 El Capitan
    • macOS 10.12 Sierra
    • macOS 10.13 High Sierra
    • macOS 10.14 Mojave
    • macOS 10.15 Catalina
    • macOS 11.x Big Sur
    • macOS 12.x Monterey
    • macOS 13.x Ventura
    • macOS 14.x Sonoma
    • macOS 15.x Sequoia

    PC OS Compatibility

    • Windows NT 4.0
    • Windows 98
    • Windows 98 SE
    • Windows 2000
    • Windows ME
    • Windows XP
    • Windows XP 64-bit Edition
    • Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
    • Windows Vista
    • Windows 7 32-bit Edition
    • Windows 7 64-bit Edition
    • Windows 8 32-bit Edition
    • Windows 8 64-bit Edition
    • Windows 8.1 32-bit Edition
    • Windows 8.1 64-bit Edition
    • Windows 10 32-bit Edition
    • Windows 10 64-bit Edition
    • Windows Server 2019
    • Windows Server 2022
    • Windows 11

    Other OS Compatibility

    • Linux

    External Power Adapter

    • No

    Power Supply

    • Bus-powered

    Security Slot

    • No

    Power/Activity LED

    • Yes

    Housing Color

    • Discreet Black

    Housing Material

    • ABS plastic

    Dimensions

    • Height: 1.4 cm (0.6 in)
    • Length: 13.0 cm (5.1 in)
    • Width: 7.8 cm (3.1 in)

    Weight

    • 56.0 g (0.12 lbs)

    Country of Origin

    • China

    TAA Compliance

    • No

    Altitude

    • Non-Operating: Varies depending on drive mechanism installed

    Noise

    • Varies depending on drive mechanism installed

    Compatibility & Installation VideosCompatibility & Installation Videos

    Back to top
    Note: Mercury Electra 6G SSDs can only be installed in 21.5-inch iMac models that came with a factory-installed HDD or Fusion drive. Solid-State Drive (SSD) only machines can be upgraded with an Aura Pro X2 SSD (Late 2013 - 2019) or Aura 6G SSD (Late 2012 - Early 2013).

    iMac

    How to find your Mac’s Model ID info
    iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Early 2019)
    iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Early 2019)
    Early 2019
    Model ID: iMac19,2
    3.6GHz Core i3 & 3.0GHz Core i5 & 3.2GHz Core i7
    Detailed SpecsInstall Videos
    iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Mid 2017)
    iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Mid 2017)
    Mid 2017
    Model ID: iMac18,2
    3.4GHz & 3.0GHz Core i5 & 3.6GHz Core i7
    Detailed SpecsInstall Videos
    iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2017)
    iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2017)
    Mid 2017
    Model ID: iMac18,1
    2.3GHz Core i5
    Detailed SpecsInstall Videos
    iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2015)
    iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2015)
    Late 2015
    Model ID: iMac16,2
    2.8GHz Core i5
    Detailed SpecsInstall Videos
    iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Late 2015)
    iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Late 2015)
    Late 2015
    Model ID: iMac16,2
    3.1GHz Core i5 & 3.3GHz Core i7
    Detailed SpecsInstall Videos
    iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2015)
    iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2015)
    Late 2015
    Model ID: iMac16,1
    1.6GHz Core i5
    Detailed SpecsInstall Videos
    iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2014)
    iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2014)
    Mid 2014
    Model ID: iMac14,4
    1.4GHz Core i5
    Detailed SpecsInstall Videos
    iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2013)
    iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2013)
    Late 2013
    Model ID: iMac14,3 & iMac14,1
    2.9GHz & 3.1GHz Core i7 & 2.7GHz Core i5
    Detailed SpecsInstall Videos
    iMac (21.5-inch, Early 2013)
    iMac (21.5-inch, Early 2013)
    Early 2013
    Model ID: iMac13,3
    3.3GHz Core i3
    Detailed Specs
    iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2012)
    iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2012)
    Late 2012
    Model ID: iMac13,1
    2.7GHz & 2.9GHz Core i5 & 3.1GHz Core i7
    Detailed SpecsInstall Videos

    reviewsCustomer Reviews

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    4.94 out of 5

    113 out of 115 (98%) reviewers would recommend this product

    Write a Review
    5-Star
    4-Star
    3 star
    2 star
    1 star
    94%
    6%
    0%
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    An excellent kit - did the job

    This work is not for the faint of heart for sure, but if you have opened laptop or phone before, and/or if this is what stands between you and a working iMac - I'd highly recommend taking the leap and using the kit. Everything worked as planned and as explained in the videos.

    I would recommend this product to a friend!

    Verified Purchase
    Verified PurchaseVerified Purchase.
    SuperSnake-87599, 
    Jan, 2 2025 
    • Reviewer:SuperSnake-87599
    Response from OWC, Support

    Wow, thank you so much for your fantastic 5-star review! We're thrilled to hear that the kit worked perfectly for you and that our videos helped guide you through the process. It's great to see such enthusiasm for taking on a project that can be a bit daunting! Your recommendation means a lot to us, and we're so glad you were able to revive your iMac. Keep up the great work, and happy DIY-ing!

    Pleasantly surprised

    I have Googled and researched into making my computer a little faster once I did I reached out to your company to purchase a new hard drive. What a substantial difference in speed and I cannot believe that I waited this long for this purchase. Instead of purchasing a new computer which would cost me a lot more money than it will investment of a hard drive is really what I needed. I love the product and your tutorial of how to install it was very gratifying. I will definitely tell my friends about it and your product was great and works very well for me thanks again

    I would recommend this product to a friend!

    Verified Purchase
    Verified PurchaseVerified Purchase.
    cs2930, 
    Dec, 20 2024 
    review of: DIY Upgrade Bundle for 2012 - 2019 21.5" iMac's factory HDD: 1.0TB OWC Mercury Electra 6G Solid-State Drive.
    • Reviewer:cs2930
    Response from OWC, Support

    Wow, thank you so much for your amazing review! We're thrilled to hear that our hard drive made such a substantial difference in your computer's speed! It’s fantastic that you found our installation tutorial helpful—empowering our customers to upgrade their systems is what we love to do. We're grateful for your support and can't wait for your friends to experience the same incredible upgrade! Your satisfaction truly means the world to us! Please feel free to contact us if you have any further questions, comments, or concerns.  https://eshop.macsales.com/Service/

    Great experience overall.

    I would recommend this product to a friend!

    Verified Purchase
    Verified PurchaseVerified Purchase.
    Reviewer278314371, 
    Nov, 8 2024 
    review of: DIY Upgrade Bundle for 2012 - 2019 21.5" iMac's factory HDD: 1.0TB OWC Mercury Electra 6G Solid-State Drive.
    • Reviewer:Reviewer278314371
    Response from OWC, Support

    We are thrilled to hear that you had a great experience with us! Your satisfaction means the world to us, and we truly appreciate your feedback. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts! Please feel free to contact us if you have any further questions, comments, or concerns.  https://eshop.macsales.com/Service/

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