iMac RAM and SSD upgrade, first experience upgrading a computer!

[EEzycade]

Just wanted to share my experience upgrading an old iMac, my first time doing anything like it. My parents have a 2013 27 inch iMac in their living room that’s starting to show its age with general slowness and some adware I can’t get rid of.

I cleared everything off (pictures, documents, etc) onto an external SSD I had then wiped the iMac. I upgraded the RAM from 8 to 16gb. Then I created a bootable USB installer with Catalina. Bought an external SSD, plugged it in, and installed macOS to that. I am not advanced enough to do the internal SSD upgrade yet.

With the extra RAM, and the fact that it’s booting from an SSD, it’s like a new computer! It will hopefully have a few more years of usefulness. I know this is very a basic upgrade but I’m thrilled with the result! Thanks for reading.

 

[Ben J.]

I've been there a few times and I know the feeling. More memory and faster drive equals 'new life' for those old macs. Faster startup, app launch, document opening, copying files etc.

While it's completely doable to replace the internal drive with an SSD, it involves loosening the screen and taking the whole thing apart, so things can go wrong. And just setting it to boot from the external is fine, so I wouldn't bother. (Some might say that you would get even better performance from an internal SSD, but if you're happy, don't bother.)

Perhaps you could erase the internal and set it up as Time Machine backup.

Anyway, well done.

 

[MacInTO]

Well done!

I just acquired a base model 2017 27" iMac. I find the fusion drive a bit sluggish coming from a Macbook with a SSD. I plan to upgrade the memory, CPU and the NVMe (blade) drive. I'm considering not replacing the internal spinning drive because the transfer speed is slow compared to the NVMe drive.

There is a good thread here of others that have upgraded their iMacs,

A list of successful iMac 27" (2012-2019) SSD upgrades

Here you can find and discuss all the collected knowledge regarding upgrading the HDD, blade SSD and CPU of a 27" iMac 2012-2019, as well as a list of performed upgrades. Here is a list of all 27" iMac models subjected in this thread: Late 2012 - 13.2 - MD095LL/A (2.9Ghz i5-3470S, HDD only /...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[CooperBox]

Just wanted to share my experience upgrading an old iMac, my first time doing anything like it. My parents have a 2013 27 inch iMac in their living room that’s starting to show its age with general slowness and some adware I can’t get rid of.

I cleared everything off (pictures, documents, etc) onto an external SSD I had then wiped the iMac. I upgraded the RAM from 8 to 16gb. Then I created a bootable USB installer with Catalina. Bought an external SSD, plugged it in, and installed macOS to that. I am not advanced enough to do the internal SSD upgrade yet.

With the extra RAM, and the fact that it’s booting from an SSD, it’s like a new computer! It will hopefully have a few more years of usefulness. I know this is very a basic upgrade but I’m thrilled with the result! Thanks for reading.

An interesting read, and kudos to you for having attempted and succeeded in giving a new lease of life to an ageing iMac!
I recall the first Ti PowerBook I purchased in 2002 and the dealer asked me if I wanted the memory upgraded in store, or whether I would perform it myself - which I thought at the time would be as impossible as me climbing Everest. So it was done in store.
Many years later I understood it's a very simple task, and when the Powerbook died, I took up the challenge, crazy at the time, to repair myself - screen replacement and HDD changed for an SSD, and succeeded. Since then I've installed an SSD in my 2010 27" iMac and brought back to life a similar 2011 and 2009 model.

I've never had the chance to work on a 2012 & onwards 27" iMac with the redesigned thinner body, but have always wanted to. These have a screen attached by adhesive strips which complicates somewhat the removal & re-installation, but this disadvantage is offset by the far lighter screen. However extra care is required because if the glass screen is damaged during removal the whole lcd assy must be replaced - a very costly experience. On the earlier models the outer glass screen if damaged can be easily changed for approx $50.
It's a great pity that you are many thousand miles away (across the pond) from myself, otherwise I'd offer to rid you of any crazy fusion drive installation and install an internal SSD free-of-charge, well.... just for the cost of parts anyway.
Cheers!

 

[specialstyle]

Just wanted to share my experience upgrading an old iMac, my first time doing anything like it. My parents have a 2013 27 inch iMac in their living room that’s starting to show its age with general slowness and some adware I can’t get rid of.

I cleared everything off (pictures, documents, etc) onto an external SSD I had then wiped the iMac. I upgraded the RAM from 8 to 16gb. Then I created a bootable USB installer with Catalina. Bought an external SSD, plugged it in, and installed macOS to that. I am not advanced enough to do the internal SSD upgrade yet.

With the extra RAM, and the fact that it’s booting from an SSD, it’s like a new computer! It will hopefully have a few more years of usefulness. I know this is very a basic upgrade but I’m thrilled with the result! Thanks for reading.

We had a bunch of people doing similar things at my last job because they refused to buy new hardware for people -- it worked like crazy! Glad you got it some new life.