Change from iMac 27 2019 to M3 iMac?

[Sensamic]

I've got the base 2019 27 iMac, with ITB Fusion Drive and 8GB RAM. With the latest MacOS update it doesn´t feel as snappy as before. Chrome takes a lot of time to open (I use it for work), for example, and I can't have as many apps open as before.

I was thinking of upgrading the RAM to 16GB, but I think the Fusion Drive is the bottleneck here. Where I live I can't replace the drive with an SSD, so my main option would be to upgrade to a newer machine, maybe the M3 iMac or a Mac Mini, but iy's no hard to find a decent monitor here... and I don't want to spend what the Studio Display costs (more than the M3 iMac here).

I know the bigger 27 inch display of my iMac is great, and that I can upgrade RAM. Would that be enough for the system to be more snappy? I also do some light video editing and have many browser tabs open.

Any advice?

Thanks!

 

[JustAnExpat]

> Where I live I can't replace the drive with an SSD

Why not? Why can't you replace the drive with an SDD?

>Would that be enough for the system to be more snappy?

Besides Google Chrome, what other apps are you running?

> and I can't have as many apps open as before

What happens when you try to open "too many apps"? Do you get an out of memory error?

 

[loekf]

I went from an 2019 iMac 27” (i5) with 64GB to an M1 iMac with 16GB and the difference in performance and responsiveness is staggering. Yes, the screen is smaller (i am runnin it at highest resolution setting), but the performance is much better.

 

[curnalpanic]

You could connect an external SSD. No need to pry the iMac open.

 

[Sensamic]

> Where I live I can't replace the drive with an SSD

Why not? Why can't you replace the drive with an SDD?

>Would that be enough for the system to be more snappy?

Besides Google Chrome, what other apps are you running?

> and I can't have as many apps open as before

What happens when you try to open "too many apps"? Do you get an out of memory error?

There is no service here to open the iMac and do the job. I don't want to do it myself.

I usually run Chrome, Word, Capcut, Mail, Todoist, QuickTime, etc. I do video transcode, editing, word editing, many chrome tabs open (also editing video in Canva while having google chats open and so many other sites), etc.

The system slows down and it's not as snappy as before, with the original MacOS it came with.

 

[Sensamic]

You could connect an external SSD. No need to pry the iMac open.

I did that with my previous iMac 2009 with great results, but I thought that was not possible anymore or something like that? Anyways, would it be enough to feel like a new and more powerful machine?

 

[Chuckeee]

but I think the Fusion Drive is the bottleneck here. Where I live I can't replace the drive with an SSD

An external SSD drive will give you a significant performance boost. You don’t need to replace the internal drive. You can boot and run from an external drive. Get a small one and you can Velcro it to the back of your iMac

 

[wilberforce]

Using an external SSD and upgrading RAM to at least 16GB will make a significant difference (I suggest add 2x8GB to give 24GB total). Nothing wrong with a 2019 iMac.
But if you want to spend more money, the M3 iMac is great, provided you don't miss the 27" screen. The M3 iMac has a 23.5" screen.