2017 iMac with Fusion Drive - upgrade to external SSD?

[Random Gecko]

I have a 2017 iMac with the fusion drive. It has 16GB RAM. Will I notice a big improvement moving to an external SSD over the internal HDD/28GB SSD configuration? I get quite a few disk speed warnings and freezes in Logic Pro X these days with the current drive.

How do external SSDs stack up to internal for speed? Noticeable differences in the real world?

Any and all advice very welcome.

 

[Ben J.]

The apple fusion drives have always been known as very unreliable when it comes to demanding apps like DAWs. In fact; they're pretty much adviced against. You have several options; you could get an off-the-shelf USB-C SSD with an appx read/write speed of 2-400MB/s, put all your Logic sessions and sample libraries there, and you'd pretty much have solved your problems with Logic. This would be the cheapest option.

Option #2: get a Thunderbolt 3 M.2 enclosure and put a NVMe SSD blade in there, and you'd have r/w speeds of 1500-2500MB/s.

With option 1, if you install macOS on the external and boot from it, you might notice a little faster startup, apps launch, and general snappiness. With option 2, the overall impact would be much greater.

 

[Random Gecko]

Thanks for the reply.

Somebody recommended the Samsung T9 to me as an external SSD? The 4TB runs at around 2000MB/s I believe?

 

[Fishrrman]

I recently bought a Crucial "X-9" SSD.
Just a moment ago I tested it using Amorphous DiskMark.
Got reads of 887MBps and writes of 856MBps.

I also have Samsung t7 "Shield" SSDs that yield similar results.

Both of these are USB3.1 gen2 drives, and require use of the USBc port to obtain such speeds.
You DON'T want to use a USB3 "a" port, as it won't support such speeds.

The X-9 in particular is tiny (2x2.5") and could be affixed to the stand of the iMac with a piece of Velcro.

Crucial X9 1TB Portable SSD - Up to 1050MB/s Read - PC and Mac, Lightweight and Small with 3-Month Mylio Photos+ Offer - USB 3.2 External Solid State Drive - CT1000X9SSD902

Dependable storage for your favorite devices, wherever you go — that’s what the Crucial X9 Portable SSD offers. With lots of space for all your favorite photos, videos, games and more, the Crucial X9 gives you speedy file transfers and compatibility with PCs, Macs, tablets, gaming consoles and An...

www.amazon.com

The price is right, too.

There is also an "x-9 pro" variation, but it doesn't appear to be any faster.
There is an "X-10 pro", which IS faster, but I don't think a 2017 iMac can take advantage of such speeds.

You didn't tell us HOW LARGE your internal fusion drive is.
If you get a USB3/USBc SSD, which is large enough to hold everything that's currently on your internal drive, it's very easy to "move things over" by cloning the fusion drive to the external SSD using either CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper.

 

[Ben J.]

Somebody recommended the Samsung T9 to me as an external SSD? The 4TB runs at around 2000MB/s I believe?

It has USB 3.2 protocol that allows for those kinds of speeds. I'm guessing 3.2 is 40Gb/s. (That's gigabits, not bytes) Same speed as Thunderbolt 3 and 4. Your 2017 imac ports are USB 3.0, and 10Gb/s - that means roughly max 500MB/s.

 

[Random Gecko]

It has USB 3.2 protocol that allows for those kinds of speeds. I'm guessing 3.2 is 40Gb/s. (That's gigabits, not bytes) Same speed as Thunderbolt 3 and 4. Your 2017 imac ports are USB 3.0, and 10Gb/s - that means roughly max 500MB/s.

Does my Mac not have Thunderbolt 3? I’m running an Apollo Twin X via Thunderbolt?

 

[ignatius345]

Whatever you do, don't get this one:

SanDisk Extreme SSDs are “worthless,” multiple lawsuits against WD say

Ars cited in two SanDisk SSD failure lawsuits filed yesterday.

arstechnica.com

Also as you're probably aware, you have one of the last Mac models to have upgradeable RAM. You could get a little extra horsepower by bumping that 16GB of RAM up to something bigger, if you need it.

 

[Ben J.]

Does my Mac not have Thunderbolt 3? I’m running an Apollo Twin X via Thunderbolt?

Yes. Your imac's USB-c ports are both USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt 3 protocols on the same port. The Thunderbolt 3 protocol is 40Gb/s, and USB 3.0 is 10Gb/s. If you plug in a USB 3.2 drive, it will be limited to the USB 3.0 speed.

 

[Random Gecko]

It has USB 3.2 protocol that allows for those kinds of speeds. I'm guessing 3.2 is 40Gb/s. (That's gigabits, not bytes) Same speed as Thunderbolt 3 and 4. Your 2017 imac ports are USB 3.0, and 10Gb/s - that means roughly max 500MB/s.

So how much of an increase on the Fusion Drive is that? Is there an SSD that will reach Thunderbolt speeds?

 

[Ben J.]

So how much of an increase on the Fusion Drive is that? Is there an SSD that will reach Thunderbolt speeds?

The fusion drive is a combination of a very small SSD and a spinner so I'm not sure how you measure its speed, but spinning HDD are typically around 70MB r/w per second, so a USB 3.0 SSD will be a significant improvement. Because of the usb 3.0 limitation of your ports, the only way to get more speedy storage is with Thunderbolt 3, which is at least a couple of hundred dollars.

 

[Random Gecko]

The fusion drive is a combination of a very small SSD and a spinner so I'm not sure how you measure its speed, but spinning HDD are typically around 70MB r/w per second, so a USB 3.0 SSD will be a significant improvement. Because of the usb 3.0 limitation of your ports, the only way to get more speedy storage is with Thunderbolt 3, which is at least a couple of hundred dollars.

That’s fine.

Recommendations?

 

[Ben J.]

I recommend you start with a cheap USB 3.0 SSD to fix your immediate disk speed errors with Logic. Any cheap drive. Look for SSD USB-C.

Just for clarity:
USB-C is a connector type.
Thunderbolt, Displayport, and USB uses/can use USB-C.
USB 3.0, 3.1, 3.2, and 4, Thunderbolt 1, 2, 3, 4 are protocols, their 'language'. Others are SATA and PCIe.
SSD is what we call storage devices that does not have moving parts.

 

[Random Gecko]

That’s cool - but if I want a really quick SSD operating over thunderbolt 3? What are my options?

 

[Ben J.]

That’s cool - but if I want a really quick SSD operating over thunderbolt 3? What are my options?

An enclosure. Like this:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiUnMvLu86EAxVQGBAIHWUsA28QFnoECBIQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.owc.com%2Fsolutions%2Fenvoy-express&usg=AOvVaw2xvZtzOiLtNCXdjmGU1BdS&opi=89978449

And a SSD in the form of a M.2 NVMe like this:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwir6ZmUvM6EAxXnIhAIHaimAgMQFnoECBAQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.owc.com%2Fsolutions%2Faura-pro-x2&usg=AOvVaw0a1Ub8t_lgM5DB2xuR8-la&opi=89978449

Or this:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiX05fjvM6EAxVBAxAIHfoyBlQQFnoECBAQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kingston.com%2Fen%2Fssd%2Fkc3000-nvme-m2-solid-state-drive&usg=AOvVaw3r4kzbiUpOYnunuRBBqxBa&opi=89978449

 

[Fishrrman]

I made "recommendations" in reply 4 above...

 

[17fox]

I have a 2017 iMac with the fusion drive. It has 16GB RAM. Will I notice a big improvement moving to an external SSD over the internal HDD/28GB SSD configuration? I get quite a few disk speed warnings and freezes in Logic Pro X these days with the current drive.

How do external SSDs stack up to internal for speed? Noticeable differences in the real world?

Any and all advice very welcome.

Similar iMac user here. I use Samsung T7 SSD and get around 800 mb/s for both read and write. I'm really satisfied with its performance that is much better when compared to Fusion Drive.

 

[Rychiar]

sold mine for $1000 last summer and bought a studio display on discount for 1199 and slapped a Mac mini base m2. And I’m happier lol.

 

[Merlin100]

I have a 2017 iMac with the fusion drive. It has 16GB RAM. Will I notice a big improvement moving to an external SSD over the internal HDD/28GB SSD configuration? I get quite a few disk speed warnings and freezes in Logic Pro X these days with the current drive.

How do external SSDs stack up to internal for speed? Noticeable differences in the real world?

Any and all advice very welcome.

Is this the 21 or 27 inch iMac?

The 21's are a PITA to upgrade because the RAM and Flash Drive are on the back of the Logic Board..but the 27's are simpler..I have replaced the Rotational HD in both with off the shelf SSDs many times. (I'm a Service Provider) This may be something to talk to your local Apple Authorized Service Provider about (Not an Apple Store, but an independent service provider) You can break the Fusion Drive and put in a normal SSD and have the pretty useless original Flash drive just there or even remove it and load up the new drive as your primary. Check out Other World Computing for upgrade kits and install video's for reference. https://eshop.macsales.com/

 

[Bustycat]

It has USB 3.2 protocol that allows for those kinds of speeds. I'm guessing 3.2 is 40Gb/s. (That's gigabits, not bytes) Same speed as Thunderbolt 3 and 4. Your 2017 imac ports are USB 3.0, and 10Gb/s - that means roughly max 500MB/s.

USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 = USB 20Gbps; USB 3.2 Gen 1x2 or Gen 2x1 = USB 10Gbps

Yes. Your imac's USB-c ports are both USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt 3 protocols on the same port. The Thunderbolt 3 protocol is 40Gb/s, and USB 3.0 is 10Gb/s. If you plug in a USB 3.2 drive, it will be limited to the USB 3.0 speed.

USB 3.0 = USB 3.1 Gen 1 = USB 3.2 Gen 1 = USB 5Gbps

 

[Fishrrman]

" Your 2017 imac ports are USB 3.0, and 10Gb/s - that means roughly max 500MB/s."

2017 iMac has 2 USBc ports on the rear.
Don't these run at USB3.1 gen2 speeds? (unable to determine this spec)

 

[Timpetus]

Our late 2014 27" iMac ran much faster with a Sandisk 1TB USB-C SSD external drive as the boot drive. Eventually we had an internal SATA SSD installed in place of the fusion drive, because that failed spectacularly at some point. Highly recommend maxing the RAM in your iMac, too. Logic really loves RAM! Drive speed will help when loading things into RAM, but if you have enough space in RAM you only have to do that once.

 

[Random Gecko]

Sorry, it’s a 21”. And I’m so confused about what speed I’d get with say a T9!

 

[Tdude96]

OWC Envoy Pro FX

The universally compatible, portable SSD for Thunderbolt and USB devices. Offers performance of up to 2800MB/s in a crushproof and waterproof case.

www.owc.com

I got one of these in the 1TB size for my 2017 iMac. I'm running the OS off of it and have been very satisfied. It's night and day between this and the machine's fusion drive.

Here's what its speeds look like right now under load in the middle of my workday.

 

[riptilian]

I have a 27 inch late 2015 iMac with 32 gb RAM. It came with a 1TB fusion drive. The additional RAM did not noticeably speed up performance of the computer. I purchased a 1TB SSD internal drive and a kit for opening up the iMac and replacing the internal drive from MacSales (OWC). Immediate quadrupling of disk performance. I spent about 2-3 hours on the physical replacement. It's still a really fast computer but updates of course stopped at OS 12. You could of course get a much larger drive from OWC if that's what you need.

 

[joshuaiz]

Make of this what you will but I tried to replace my 2015 iMac's Fusion drive with an SSD using the OWC kit. I knew this would be a delicate operation so watched the video several times before even starting and went super slow and step-by-step. Got the drive in and tested it was working but the display would not turn on. Tried replacing all of the display cords one-by-one and nothing worked.

Brought the machine to the local Mac repair place who had 30+ years experience and he tried for *over a year* to fix it and could not get it working. After all that time I had to just leave it at that and say goodbye.

Thankfully my dad had an extra late 2014 iMac with a 4TB Fusion drive which is my music machine now. It is just starting to crap out on recent DAW plugins but up until recently it has been working fine. I have all my projects and audio instruments on separate SSDs which helps. I also doubled the RAM to 32GB a couple weeks ago and this has breathed new life into the machine and probably given me an extra 6–9 months.

All of this is to say, is it worth bricking your machine to do the upgrade? If it were me I would just buy a Mac Mini.