Fusion Drive for home use?

[trifona]

I'm looking at new iMacs for a home machine. My current iMac is an ancient 24" fossil from 2007 but even today is still mostly meets home use needs: iTunes media server, Photo library is managed using Adobe Lightroom 3 (I don't edit photos), MS Office apps, music & movie playing, internet surfing, email,kids school projects, etc. I used to play CoD and Warcraft but that was literally a decade ago.

Would like to get a new 27" model. I replaced the oem 320GB drive with a 2TB 7200RPM drive several years ago. Attached to that is a 4TB external drive used for Time Machine.

I would prefer to get 2TB SSD but the price premium is significant. The SSD prices are giving me pause. I would upgrade the memory via a 3rd party and not through Apple.

Any opinions on an ideal spec for these use cases would be appreciated. Ideally would keep this machne for another decade if possible. Our current Mac has been 100% reliable in near 24/7 operation since original purchase.

 

[CheesePuff]

On the top 27" model its $100 to go to a 512 GB SSD, and then you can get an external USB-C Samsung T5 1 TB SSD drive for $177

 

[mikehalloran]

Your boot SSD needs to be big enough for your System/Library/Applications plus active work files (Documents for most). If you do any AV including edit iPhone videos for upload to Facebook, those files should be on the boot drive.

Your iTunes music can be offloaded to an external (easy in Mojave) as can any movies you watch or pictures you view but not edit. A T5 is ok. An X5 is faster but more expensive. Photos can be stored in the cloud — again, bring them onboard to edit.

A 512GB SSD is ok for many users. People who do mainly word processing and online activities can get away with smaller. Those of us who do audio and video need larger.

No one size is right for everybody.

 

[Benz63amg]

Your boot SSD needs to be big enough for your System/Library/Applications plus active work files (Documents for most). If you do any AV including edit iPhone videos for upload to Facebook, those files should be on the boot drive.

Your iTunes music can be offloaded to an external (easy in Mojave) as can any movies you watch or pictures you view but not edit. A T5 is ok. An X5 is faster but more expensive. Photos can be stored in the cloud — again, bring them onboard to edit.

A 512GB SSD is ok for many users. People who do mainly word processing and online activities can get away with smaller. Those of us who do audio and video need larger.

No one size is right for everybody.

512gb is essentially what, 480gb out of the box or less than that?

 

[trifona]

On the top 27" model its $100 to go to a 512 GB SSD, and then you can get an external USB-C Samsung T5 1 TB SSD drive for $177

In this scenario, where we have an internal SSD boot drive, and an external SSD "media drive", how would I manage Time Machine or other backup scenarios?

 

[Juicy Box]

I would normally recommend an SSD, but given your use, a Fusion Drive would be more than capable.

Go with at least a 2TB Fusion Drive because Apple nerfed the 1TB Fusion Drive a few years back and gave it a tiny SSD.

Imo, the biggest downside to the Fusion Drive is having a mechanical drive in a computer that is not easily accessible.

The moving parts, heat generation, and the greater unreliability of the HDD is what bothers me about it.

If you feel comfortable enough to open your Mac, then the potentially failing drive is nothing more than an temporary inconvenience to you. If it would ever fail, you could then replace it with a very large SSD.

Another thought, I know your iMac is ancient, but consider replacing the HDD with a SSD, you might find you can get more time out of it.

I bought my parents a mid-2007 iMac, they used it for many years, but started to complain that it was getting slow. Last summer I replaced the HDD with a SSD, and my father said it felt like a brand new computer to him.

 

[trifona]

I would normally recommend an SSD, but given your use, a Fusion Drive would be more than capable.

I am thinking the same but I continue to to want to avoid the Fusion drive nonetheless!

Imo, the biggest downside to the Fusion Drive is having a mechanical drive in a computer that is not easily accessible.

The moving parts, heat generation, and the greater unreliability of the HDD is what bothers me about it.

Correct. I've built PCs in the distant past and even disassembled our current iMac to perform a HDD transplant. I wasn't sure if the same was possible in these "newer" ultra thin iMacs. Our old one is not glued together, I actually had to pull the glass screen off with suction cups.

Another thought, I know your iMac is ancient, but consider replacing the HDD with a SSD, you might find you can get more time out of it.

I bought my parents a mid-2007 iMac, they used it for many years, but started to complain that it was getting slow. Last summer I replaced the HDD with a SSD, and my father said it felt like a brand new computer to him.

A 2TB SSD from OWC costs $308 from OWC; or $148 if we could live with only a 1TB SSD. I'm not sure if the money spent on a 12 year old machine is a wise investment or a poor one; plus the mid 2007 iMac is OS limited to El Capitan.

 

[Abbas]

I bought the 27-inch iMac with 2TB Fusion Drive from Apple Store yesterday and it's pretty fast. The 128GB is big enough to store all my apps whereas images and video assets I work on will likely be on the mechanical drive. For me this is ok. Yes, it is slower than an SSD but I don't work on hughe projects where that will make a big difference.

My only concern is the reliability- it is a mechanical drive after all but if it can work for 2-3 years, then I'll happily swap it out with a much larger SSD in the future.

 

[Juicy Box]

I've built PCs in the distant past and even disassembled our current iMac to perform a HDD transplant. I wasn't sure if the same was possible in these "newer" ultra thin iMacs. Our old one is not glued together, I actually had to pull the glass screen off with suction cups.

I have the first thin one (Late 2012), and while I have not opened it up other than the RAM, there are plenty of people on this forum that have, and plenty how-tos out there.

I am pretty sure iFixit has one with a kit containing a tool to cut into the adhesive strips.

Eventually, I am going to open mine to do a good cleaning and put in a SSD in place of the HDD of the Fusion Drive.

When I do, I am not too worried about the difficulty of the job.

I'm not sure if the money spent on a 12 year old machine is a wise investment or a poor one; plus the mid 2007 iMac is OS limited to El Capitan.

I understand, but if you are mostly happy with your old Mac now, and just need a little performance boost, a SSD would do the job.

Plus, you can always take the SSD out when you are ready to move on.

Now, if there is some issues with using your old iMac like software incompatibility then I would definitely look into something new.

 

[fishbert]

I've built PCs in the distant past and even disassembled our current iMac to perform a HDD transplant. I wasn't sure if the same was possible in these "newer" ultra thin iMacs. Our old one is not glued together, I actually had to pull the glass screen off with suction cups.

Skip ahead to about 2:30 for disassembly…

 

[Colonel Blimp]

I’ve been using a 3TB Fusion Drive for three and a half years and have been quite happy with it. I had no hesitation in configuring my new 2019 iMac with another 3TB Fusion Drive.

I posted my thoughts about Fusion Drives in some detail in another thread here. See also Ubele’s informed post here.

 

[SkiHound2]

I am thinking the same but I continue to to want to avoid the Fusion drive nonetheless!

I read your original post and I pretty much agree with the person to whom you are responding here. Looking at what you list for uses (other than games which you say you've not played in a long time) I think virtually any of the new 27" iMacs will serve you well. Folks on here are tech enthusiasts. If you look at user reviews of the iMacs with 2TB fusion drives you'll find few complaints. I would avoid the 1TB fusion because of the very small SSD. A pure SSD would be preferable for many reasons; fewer moving parts, less noise, less heat, perhaps better reliability in the long run ... But the idea that they are a bad option for everyone is simply not accurate. For me, a 256gb drive is simply too small and I don't want to continually be moving files around to maintain space on the drive. And, they actually perform better when they have some free space. I could live with a 512gb. Only you can really determine the merits of the available options for YOUR USES AND BUDGET.


Correct. I've built PCs in the distant past and even disassembled our current iMac to perform a HDD transplant. I wasn't sure if the same was possible in these "newer" ultra thin iMacs. Our old one is not glued together, I actually had to pull the glass screen off with suction cups.

Operating on a 27" iMac will void the warranty unless done by an authorized service center. Putting a PC together is different than prying off a screen. Many folks on these forums are much less risk averse than I am. I simply wouldn't think about doing this.

A 2TB SSD from OWC costs $308 from OWC; or $148 if we could live with only a 1TB SSD. I'm not sure if the money spent on a 12 year old machine is a wise investment or a poor one; plus the mid 2007 iMac is OS limited to El Capitan.

I don't think I 'd put any money in a 2007 iMac unless it was your only option.

 

[mikehalloran]

The 128GB is big enough to store all my apps whereas images and video assets I work on will likely be on the mechanical drive.

Prepare to have things take a lot longer than if you had gone with an SSD. Your "video assets" will process slowly unless on an external over TB3. Expect to be buying a Samsung X5 external to get the speed above glacial (at least there is a solution).

512gb is essentially what, 480gb out of the box or less than that?

In another post, I listed the requirements for my boot drive. System/Library/Applications was 310GB. Now I run apps like Logic Pro (1.54G) BAID Audiophile (22GB) Final Cut Pro (3.44GB) and others that take up space. More and more, apps must reside on the boot drive and don't run otherwise without major tweaking.

310GB leaves little room for my active work files on a 512 SSD. Long story short, I am not considering anything smaller than 2TB onboard. APDS Snapshots is why I will not consider putting active files on an external.

I have the first thin one (Late 2012), and while I have not opened it up other than the RAM, there are plenty of people on this forum that have, and plenty how-tos out there.

I am pretty sure iFixit has one with a kit containing a tool to cut into the adhesive strips.

Eventually, I am going to open mine to do a good cleaning and put in a SSD in place of the HDD of the Fusion Drive.

When I do, I am not too worried about the difficulty of the job.

Oh yea, it's easy. OWC has the tape kits, too. Get the tool that looks like the plastic pizza cutter—makes separating the screen easy. You'll need a few Torx drivers—get the magnetic ones from iFixIt or OWC.

You will need the OWC Temp sensor. Without that, you are stuck using one of those gawdawful fan utilities that lets the fans roar full blast on startup till it kicks in and then forces you to control them manually. This is true on all 21.5" and 27" iMacs between 2009–2014 and many from 2015-on with HDDs and fusion drives (the sensor is different for 2009–2010). 20" and 24" do not use a temp sensor on the drive — neither do SSD only iMacs from Apple.

I understand, but if you are mostly happy with your old Mac now, and just need a little performance boost, a SSD would do the job.

It's not just a "little" performance boost on a 2007–2012. Once you've done it, you will wonder why you waited so long. Besides waiting for SSD prices to come down—which they have.

 

[mcnallym]

From the sounds of it then

iTunes server. I use a mini with a drobo 5c that has a 5gbps usb implementation and 5 x 3tb wd red.

No problems streaming whatsoever.

You don’t edit photo’s so if not on the ssd part then again not a problem.

Office apps/email, again. It really needing ssd here.

For you a fusion drive should offer the performance you need.

Alternative if worried about opening up then simply get all ssd internal and attach hdd storage externally to provide capacity. Put the photo library and iTunes library on it and keep the ssd for anything that may need more speed.

 

[trifona]

In this scenario, where we have an internal SSD boot drive, and an external SSD "media drive", how would I manage Time Machine or other backup scenarios?

Hoping someone can provide an answer to this question. In a scenario where I purchase a 512GB SSD or 1TB SSD, I would need an external drive to serve as overflow media storage. What would my backup scheme/process look like? Is it still Time Machine or something else entirely? I would need a process that would create backups of both the internal SSD and the external "media drive".

 

[adamk77]

 

 

[Crash Davis]

Time Machine will backup external drives. I prefer Arq and CCC for local backup but there are a lot of options.

 

[Colonel Blimp]

Hoping someone can provide an answer to this question. In a scenario where I purchase a 512GB SSD or 1TB SSD, I would need an external drive to serve as overflow media storage. What would my backup scheme/process look like? Is it still Time Machine or something else entirely? I would need a process that would create backups of both the internal SSD and the external "media drive".

Time Machine is a great backup solution which has the advantage of being versatile and simple to use. (If you leave your Time Machine backup drive attached and mounted, you don’t even have to think about it.)

You would want another external drive for your Time Machine backups. While Time Machine can backup directly to your external media drive, that’s not an optimal solution.

For what you describe, you might want to consider something like the OWC Drive Dock USB-C, but there are many, many options.

 

[trifona]

Adam, I'm looking for more of a set it and forget type option, but thank you for the offer.

Crash, I'm looking for a process that will backup both an internal and external drive. Can Time Machine backup 2 drives onto a single TM drive? Or would I need 4 drives in total (2 for TM).

I'm looking for simplicity and cost benefit over plunking down $$$$ for the 2TB SSD or downgrading to a large capacity Fusion drive.
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Time Machine is a great backup solution which has the advantage of being versatile and simple to use. (If you leave your Time Machine backup drive attached and mounted, you don’t even have to think about it.)

You would want another external drive for your Time Machine backups. While Time Machine can backup directly to your external media drive, that’s not an optimal solution.

For what you describe, you might want to consider something like the OWC Drive Dock USB-C, but there are many, many options.

I don't think my question is getting across so let me illustrate it just so:

Drive A: internal 512GB SSD or 1TB SSD
Drive B: External media drive HDD or SSD

Backup drive. Can a single backup drive (drive C) backup both A & B via Time Machine or would i need a 4th drive (drive D)? And/or would I need to use a different program other than Time Machine?

 

[adamk77]

 

 

[Colonel Blimp]

Can a single backup drive (drive C) backup both A & B via Time Machine

Yes.

By default, Time Machine excludes external drives from its backups. However, if you open the Time Machine pane in System Preferences and then click the “Options…” button, you can remove any external drives that you want to backup from Time Machine’s list of excluded items.

 

[JohanCruyff]

Drive A: internal 512GB SSD or 1TB SSD
Drive B: External media drive HDD or SSD

Backup drive. Can a single backup drive (drive C) backup both A & B via Time Machine or would i need a 4th drive (drive D)? And/or would I need to use a different program other than Time Machine?

My ancient 2007 iMac has an internal 240GB SSd, a 2Tb external HD for pictures etc. and a 4Tb external drive used by Time Machine.
[Plus a HD with a further copy of my pictures in a different location]



Like Colonel well explained...

Yes.

By default, Time Machine excludes external drives from its backups. However, if you open the Time Machine pane in System Preferences and then click the “Options…” button, you can remove any external drives that you want to backup from Time Machine’s list of excluded items.