How well does an external SSD-USB work in real life?

[tubeexperience]

Yes, that's true too. But Apple regularly refuses to work on any machine that it determines was opened by a non-authorized service provider. People should understand this before listening to advice that simply says their warranty "cannot be voided," which even if technically true, won't help them. Most people don't want to go from an Apple store into a lawsuit, at the same time being stuck with a broken iMac.

So what you are saying is that Apple don't give a **** about the laws and is openly violating the laws.

 

[mreg376]

Look, like I said from the beginning. I'm not defending Apple, and laws are always open to interpretation. How a court will decide this is unknown. I'm only saying that the honest approach is, if you think Apple cannot legally void its warranty under these circumstances, say so, as you have been, but include the caveat that Apple can and does refuse warranty work if they think the machine was opened. If you want to say "sometimes,' then say sometimes. But at least people will have all the actual facts, and know of the possible consequences, when deciding whether to open their iMacs.

 

[1252]

.....I've never heard of an SSD that speaks "native" USB protocol.

You have to learn to hear becouse some USB accessories requires a driver, the "natives" don't.

 

[tubeexperience]

Look, like I said from the beginning. I'm not defending Apple, and laws are always open to interpretation. How a court will decide this is unknown. I'm only saying that the honest approach is, if you think Apple cannot legally void its warranty under these circumstances, say so, as you have been, but include the caveat that Apple can and does refuse warranty work if they think the machine was opened. If you want to say "sometimes,' then say sometimes. But at least people will have all the actual facts, and know of the possible consequences, when deciding whether to open their iMacs.

It's an open and shut case.

 

[mreg376]

@tubeexperience, you claim that Apple has done warranty work on your iMac after you opened it. That may be true, but it's also true that this forum and the Internet, and Youtube are replete with users who have had the opposite experience. You are apparently very knowledgeable and I'm just asking that you do not ignore that reality when giving advice.
[doublepost=1530972331][/doublepost]

It's an open and shut case.

Maybe, but cases are won in court, and few people want to spend the money and time to go there.

 

[ChrisChaval]

Hi all,
I am considering exchanging my old macbook pro + external monitor with a 27'' iMac. I currently have a 512 SSD installed, which is room enough.
There is quite a difference price wise between a 256 GB and a 512 GB SSD solution. So my thinking: I could convert my 512 SSD into a secondary hard drive in a USB 3.0 box or even a USB-c box. As I understand it, the first one will transfer with 5 gb speed and the last with 10 gb speed - if my SSD can handle that amount of data (it is a standard SATA 6.0 running around 600 mb/s on a blackmagic test).

Has anyone such a setup going? How well does it work? It will be absolutely silent, of course. A 256 GB main SSD would be enough for all my programs and the external 512 enough for all my data.

Would I be able to notice the difference with such high speeds on USB 3.0 and USB-c?

Thanks,
Morten

only yesterday I cloned high Sierra via time machine backup from the internal 5400 spinner onto a 500GB Samsung 860 EVO ssd connected via usb 3 to sata adapter with UASP support to my Mac mini late 2014

what to say, it is like having a new computer. the difference really is that huge

downsides of USB 3 connected boot SSDs are :

- no TRIM (no big deal with modern garbage collection and on high capacity drives with lots of free space)
- no APFS (for whatever reason Mac OS converted my APFS formatted SSD back to HFS+ when cloning. from what I understand many users encounter problems in terms of slow boot times and laggy behaviour when (force) converting an external boot SSD to APFS, so I decided to leave it on Mac OS extended)
- higher latency than SATA

thunderbolt does support TRIM but enclosures are pricey compared to USB 3

For now, I am very happy with it. The internal HDD is formatted and now serves for data storage

in your case, using the external ssd just for data storage, you can take advance of both apfs and the high data transfer rates

if usb 3 is good for booting Mac OS it is good for storing and accessing data

 

[tubeexperience]

@tubeexperience, you claim that Apple has done warranty work on your iMac after you opened it. That may be true, but it's also true that this forum and the Internet, and Youtube are replete with users who have had the opposite experience. You are apparently very knowledgeable and I'm just asking that you do not ignore that reality when giving advice.

I have actually seen some of these cases.

In all these cases, Apple denied warranty because, even though the devices continued to function, the devices were not repaired/serviced properly (ie. missing screws, screws in the wrong places, missing parts, etc.).

 

[mreg376]

I have actually seen some of these cases.

In all these cases, Apple denied warranty because, even though the devices continued to function, the devices were not repaired/serviced properly (ie. missing screws, screws in the wrong places, missing parts, etc.).

In "all these cases"? That's simply false. There are numerous and constant reports of Apple refusing to honor its warranty after merely determining that the computer was opened. It usually happens when the customer returns to pick up the unit from repair, or receives a phone call, and is told that they will not work on the machine.

 

[tubeexperience]

In "all these cases"? That's simply false. There are numerous and constant reports of Apple refusing to honor its warranty after merely determining that the computer was opened. It usually happens when the customer returns to pick up the unit from repair, or receives a phone call, and is told that they will not work on the machine.

I never said “all”, since I cannot possibly know about every single case.

Regardless, there’re options to go to small claims courts.

This would be an obvious open and shut case.

 

[mreg376]

I never said “all”, since I cannot possibly know about every single case.

Regardless, there’re options to go to small claims courts.

This would be an obvious open and shut case.

There are no open and shut cases, except on TV. And small claims courts do not litigate federal law. What I object to about your posts, and why I think they can mislead users, is that your implication is that Apple always honors its warranty if they know the iMac has been opened except only in cases where the user had not done repairs or upgrades properly. In taking this position you stand alone. My decade of having Apple products and following Apple tells me just the opposite -- that Apple will not work on an iMac that's been opened, except apparently yours and other cases that you've seen.

Maybe it's time for a poll...

 

[tubeexperience]

There are no open and shut cases, except on TV. And small claims courts do not litigate federal law.

Tell it to this guy:

https://consumerist.com/2012/04/17/seattle-man-victorious-over-apple-in-small-claims-court/

What I object to about your posts, and why I think they can mislead users, is that your implication is that Apple always honors its warranty if they know the iMac has been opened except only in cases where the user had not done repairs or upgrades properly. In taking this position you stand alone. My decade of having Apple products and following Apple tells me just the opposite -- that Apple will not work on an iMac that's been opened, except apparently yours and other cases that you've seen.

Maybe it's time for a poll...

There's nothing that has 100% certainty.

I had a customer come in and said that Apple refused warranty for his daughter's MacBook Air because it supposedly has liquid damage.

I took apart the entire laptop and photograph the entire process and, no surprisingly, the laptop has no liquid damage.

Then, there's a guy who spilled Sprite on his MacBook Pro and Apple replaced his laptop under warranty.

 

[mreg376]

Tell it to this guy:

https://consumerist.com/2012/04/17/seattle-man-victorious-over-apple-in-small-claims-court/



There's nothing that has 100% certainty.

I had a customer come in and said that Apple refused warranty for his daughter's MacBook Air because it supposedly has liquid damage.

I took apart the entire laptop and photograph the entire process and, no surprisingly, the laptop has no liquid damage.

Then, there's a guy who spilled Sprite on his MacBook Pro and Apple replaced his laptop under warranty.

The link is interesting, but that involved a different issue than the one we're talking about.

And of course nothing has a 100% certainty. And Apple can certainly be a piece of **** sometimes. But I still think that the impression you give that people can walk into an Apple store, announce that they upgraded their hard drive to an SSD, that they did everything right but that the display subsequently failed, and expect Apple to say "no problem, we'll fix it," is unrealistic.

 

[tubeexperience]

The link is interesting, but that involved a different issue than the one we're talking about.

And of course nothing has a 100% certainty. And Apple can certainly be a piece of **** sometimes. But I still think that the impression you give that people can walk into an Apple store, announce that they upgraded their hard drive to an SSD, that they did everything right but that the display subsequently failed, and expect Apple to say "no problem, we'll fix it," is unrealistic.

Apple is obligated to repair the device under warranty unless there are damages from improper repair/servicing.

 

[mreg376]

Ok, so I guess we've circled back to your theory about Apple's obligations with no regard whatsoever for what Apple actually does with customers. I guess we'll just have to keep posting our differing positions.

 

[tubeexperience]

Ok, so I guess we've circled back to your theory about Apple's obligations with no regard whatsoever for what Apple actually does with customers. I guess we'll just have to keep posting our differing positions.

Disregarding the laws, Apple can deny you warranty for any reasons or no reason whatsoever.

Apple can deny you warranty even if your new Mac is DOA.

 

[Guy Clark]

I am running macOS Mojave Developer Preview from a Western Digital Black USB 3.0 external drive. Performance is more than acceptable
https://www.wdc.com/products/internal-storage/wd-black-desktop.html

 

[AlexMacPapa]

The question:
"How well does an external SSD-USB work in real life?"

My answer, based on personal experience:
Very well indeed.

I've been booting and running my late 2012 Mac Mini from an SSD in a USB3 docking station since the day I took it out of the box in January 2013.

It ran very well then, and it continues to do so today, going on 5 years later.
I daresay I have more experience at doing this than any other poster in this forum.

Having said that...

There is NO WAY an externally-connected USB3 SSD can compare to the INTERNAL SSD's that Apple is installing into their iMac line. Not even close. Realize that before you begin.

But... for "extra external storage" (NOT the boot drive), an SSD in a USB3 enclosure (that supports UASP) should yield read speeds of 420-430mbps and writes in the 350mbps range. That's still very good (those are the speeds I get booting/running from an external SSD).

So... re your question:
"How well does it work? It will be absolutely silent, of course. A 256 GB main SSD would be enough for all my programs and the external 512 enough for all my data."

I think that will work very well.
Use the internal SSD for the OS, apps, and your basic accounts.
Use the external USB3 SSD for storage of larger libraries (movies, music, pictures).

Once set up properly, I doubt you'll have any complaints.

My Friend, you are absolutely right and I just want to say THANK YOU for saving me a LOT of $$$ because I was about to buy a new Mini but decided to give the Samsung SSD T5 option a try and it has been absolutely amazing. Again - thank you so much! ))