extra hardrive or new imac ??

[evj]

Running out of space on my maxed out 08 imac.
am happy with it. & hate to spend unnecessarily
would love a tech to help me decide to buy another hard drive or buy a new imac

 

[RootBeerMan]

If you're happy with it and haven't experienced any legacy issues with having an older iMac then get a new HD. I recently had to get anew iMac due to OSX legacy issues and not being able to work with newer versions of iOS and iTunes. It was worth it to me to upgrade. Life's a lot easier now.

 

[evj]

Thank you for responding. i would appreciate knowing what you mean by legacy?

 

[RootBeerMan]

Thank you for responding. i would appreciate knowing what you mean by legacy?

Legacy is just referring to older versions of the Mac OS. If you're not running a newer version then you can come up against issues with newer Apple tech, like the latest versions of iOS and newer phones. My iPhone was essentially bricked when I updated to iOS 10. It was incompatible with my older version of the Mac OS and iTunes. No way to restore or anything, until I was able to update to a newer machine.

 

[flyinmac]

I would go with the cheapest option that satisfies your needs. If your only complaint is lack of storage space, then adding storage space sounds like the cheapest option to satisfy your needs.

 

[evj]

Thank-you, i've run into that with work i've done on older software that i don't want to lose or have to do over. I appreciate your knowledge. i really don't want to go through the hassle of changing everything right now, Blessings RootbeerMan your logo is delightful...

 

[kiwipeso1]

I would suggest that a new iMac would be a better option, as you may have only 1 year or less with your 08 iMac working.
Add to that that parts are difficult to get unless you find second hand iMacs, you would be best off with a new iMac.

If you want to keep using old software on a new iMac, you can use VMware fusion or parallels to hold an older mac system inside your current mac.

 

[infinity69]

1.Buy a bigger 3.5" HDD
2. Clone your old HHD to the new one using carbon copy cloner (you may need a SATA to usb connector to connect the new drive to your iMac via USB)
3. Install the new hdd
Installation video here

 

[MultiFinder17]

Or just buy an external drive, plug it in to your iMac, and enjoy. That gives you the benefit of more storage on your iMac right now, and if/when you upgrade in the future, you can still use that drive on a new computer

 

[Fishrrman]

If all you need is "storage space", just buy a USB3 external drive and be done with it...

 

[evj]

I would suggest that a new iMac would be a better option, as you may have only 1 year or less with your 08 iMac working.
Add to that that parts are difficult to get unless you find second hand iMacs, you would be best off with a new iMac.

If you want to keep using old software on a new iMac, you can use VMware fusion or parallels to hold an older mac system inside your current mac.

i suspect this may be the best option, thank-you

 

[kschendel]

If all you need is "storage space", just buy a USB3 external drive and be done with it...

OP's not going to get USB3 out of an '08 iMac.

I think I'd be mildly inclined to replace this machine rather than upgrade it. It wouldn't be all that hard to change out the hard disk for a newer / larger capacity one, and it wouldn't cost all that much. I don't know how hard a job it is, if it's anything like the early '09's it's tedious and fiddly but not intrinsically difficult. However once you do that you're still limited to a max of I think 6 Gb ram, and El Cap (supposedly Sierra will run with some fooling around).

If you just need a few more months, the hard disk upgrade is definitely an option. Or, an outboard USB disk to relieve the immediate storage problem, but it will be slow since you're limited to USB 2.

You might look for a refurb or gently used "late 2015" iMac, which will be a significant improvement over your current machine and ought to be cheaper than brand new.

 

[kiwipeso1]

OP's not going to get USB3 out of an '08 iMac.

I think I'd be mildly inclined to replace this machine rather than upgrade it. It wouldn't be all that hard to change out the hard disk for a newer / larger capacity one, and it wouldn't cost all that much. I don't know how hard a job it is, if it's anything like the early '09's it's tedious and fiddly but not intrinsically difficult. However once you do that you're still limited to a max of I think 6 Gb ram, and El Cap (supposedly Sierra will run with some fooling around).

If you just need a few more months, the hard disk upgrade is definitely an option. Or, an outboard USB disk to relieve the immediate storage problem, but it will be slow since you're limited to USB 2.

You might look for a refurb or gently used "late 2015" iMac, which will be a significant improvement over your current machine and ought to be cheaper than brand new.

I would suggest that other components are on their last months or perhaps year or two.
It is easier to get a time machine backup of the lot on a USB 3 drive for your next mac (anything from 2012 or newer), then keep it in a USB 3 plugged in with VMware to access the older system.

You are looking at about 3 to 5 hours to back the entire system up, then about 3 hours to restore and keep compatibility with the old system on your new iMac.

I'm looking at much the same process either in 2017 or 2018 with mine depending on how good the new iMacs will be.