iMac getting old so I added a SSD external boot drive
I’m far from proficient on Macs or PCs but I’m very persistent.
My 2013 iMac was slowing down and I was starting to worry about a hard drive failure.
But since it still worked I couldn’t justify the cost of a new one.
I read an article about adding an external boot drive and decided to give it a try. So I spent some time reading articles and watching videos on the process and results.
I bought a LaCie Solid State Drive. Plugged it in to one of the Thunderbolt ports and formatted it for the mac.
Then I downloaded a fresh copy of Mojave onto the External drive, used Time Machine to restore my stuff and I was off and running!
Results - it’s much faster than the old internal drive, even when it was new and should last for a few more years. It now boots in about 25 seconds and is much faster overall. I found the 500GB ssd drive for $150 on amazon.
So if you’re in a similar situation with your mac, it’s well worth the effort.
October 05, 2019, 01:59 PM
0-0
I don't know Macs, haven't got the slightless clue so I wonder why is it smart to boot from an external drive rather than replace the current internal one with an SSD? Is the unit sealed and not upgradable?
0-0
"OP is a troll" - Flashlightboy, 12/18/20
October 05, 2019, 02:01 PM
RHINOWSO
quote:
Originally posted by 0-0: I don't know Macs, haven't got the slightless clue so I wonder why is it smart to boot from an external drive rather than replace the current internal one with an SSD? Is the unit sealed and not upgradable?
0-0
iMacs internal hardware is only accessible by removing the screen, which is epoxied in place to the rear of the computer. It can be removed and the internal drive upgraded, but it's very hard to do without the proper tools and patience.
October 05, 2019, 02:03 PM
OldMick
quote:
Originally posted by RHINOWSO:
quote:
Originally posted by 0-0: I don't know Macs, haven't got the slightless clue so I wonder why is it smart to boot from an external drive rather than replace the current internal one with an SSD? Is the unit sealed and not upgradable?
0-0
iMacs internal hardware is only accessible by removing the screen, which is epoxied in place to the rear of the computer. It can be removed and the internal drive upgraded, but it's very hard to do without the proper tools and patience.
Exactly.
October 05, 2019, 07:25 PM
0-0
Live and Learn.
Thank you guys.
0-0
"OP is a troll" - Flashlightboy, 12/18/20
October 05, 2019, 10:58 PM
Copefree
I have a mid-2011 27” iMac that turned 8 years old back in May. I use it every single day and it still runs great. I can’t believe how great that machine has been.
The GPU (video card) went bad back in May of 2017 — only problem I’ve ever had with it. I didn’t to pay $600 for a new one (was debating just buying a new iMac) so, after reading a bit, I removed the GPU and baked it in my oven (yes, really) for about 8 minutes at 400° in hopes that I could get another 6 months out of it.
Here I am almost 2.5 years later and it’s still trucking.
I’ve been considering adding the SSD external drive ... may do that.
_______________ Mind. Over. Matter.
October 05, 2019, 11:05 PM
dsiets
Drives in the monitor? Baking components in the oven? I'll stick to my home built non-baked PCs. Seriously though, that's cool some heating in an oven can extend the life.
October 05, 2019, 11:11 PM
kkina
quote:
I have a mid-2011 27” iMac that turned 8 years old back in May. I use it every single day and it still runs great. I can’t believe how great that machine has been.
I also use a mid-2011 27" iMac, and it is still going strong. A couple minor issues, but the basic processing is still very fast. I ordered it with the optional SSD main drive, and I'm glad I did.
I have a 2011 iMac that was slowing down I doubled the memory in 10 minutes and it was only like $30. Runs great now. I never thought to do it before because I think it was much more expensive a few years ago.
These go to eleven.
October 06, 2019, 05:32 AM
kkina
The 27" iMacs are easy to add RAM. I upgraded to 24GB. I understand the 2019 models can be upgraded to a massive 128GB.
My main reason for adding external storage first was concern over a hard drive failure.
I considered adding more RAM too but it’s running great as is so I’ll probably hold off.
October 16, 2019, 06:34 PM
Russ59
quote:
Originally posted by OldMick: I’m far from proficient on Macs or PCs but I’m very persistent.
My 2013 iMac was slowing down and I was starting to worry about a hard drive failure.
But since it still worked I couldn’t justify the cost of a new one.
I read an article about adding an external boot drive and decided to give it a try. So I spent some time reading articles and watching videos on the process and results.
I bought a LaCie Solid State Drive. Plugged it in to one of the Thunderbolt ports and formatted it for the mac.
Then I downloaded a fresh copy of Mojave onto the External drive, used Time Machine to restore my stuff and I was off and running!
Results - it’s much faster than the old internal drive, even when it was new and should last for a few more years. It now boots in about 25 seconds and is much faster overall. I found the 500GB ssd drive for $150 on amazon.
So if you’re in a similar situation with your mac, it’s well worth the effort.
I too am IT challenged. We have a 2011 iMac that is working OK but is having trouble opening Outlook, Safari, files, photos etc.
Would an external SSD solve the issue? Is this the equivalent of putting all the files and software on the SDD and accessing it each time I wanted a file?
