Unknown upgrade path for 2013 27inch iMac

[trevcis]

I have a 2013 27inch iMac with a 4TB internal drive upgraded from original 3TB drive and 24GB memory.
I thought the drive was going so replaced the drive myself as utility said there was issues with the drive .. but that's another story. I pad about $2400 CAN for everything.

I am a hobbyist Photographer and admitantly need to delete some pics, have about 3.5 out of 4 TB used.

Unless I go to the iMac Pro, I can't even get anything over 2TB, it's strange after almost 8 years, I can't even get the same capacity drive as I thought I'd get a 4TB internal and a 8TB external for backups and life would be good. Now everything is SSD (I get it, faster!) but holy cow, more expensive!.

I have friends that have made the switch back to Windows but am sorta vested/and like the integrated world of Apple everything but don't know even what my options are.

I assume I get a 1 TB SSD Mac and then get 2 external drives, one for data, one for backups, but I want something reliable without going SSD (Can't afford a 4TB SSD external and backup drive), even the


I have to go with a middle of the road 27inch iMac and with 1TB and 16GB ram, it's already about a thousand dollars more than I paid ( I know inflation), but then have to add quality external drives that are reliable and no laptop 540 RPM drives, so don't even know where to start!


What's a practical solution 27inch setup? Is the new M1 MacMini the way to go? Seems its overly expensive if you have to buy a new apple mouse/keyboard ( +200) and you can't think of changing the RAM), then have to buy a screen, etc. and then you seem to be back to the iMac so?.....




Looking for suggestions to accommodate 3.5TB plus a little growth as I'll purge my raw pics but....

 

[justashooter]

Are you keeping your current machine or are you looking for a new machine? Either way use external hard drives for your long term storage. Buy higher end NAS hard drives (just bought a new 4TB WD Red drive for less than $100 US). Hard drives are a reliable way to store data.

 

[trevcis]

Are you keeping your current machine or are you looking for a new machine? Either way use external hard drives for your long term storage. Buy higher end NAS hard drives (just bought a new 4TB WD Red drive for less than $100 US). Hard drives are a reliable way to store data.

Giving it to my wife so need whole new system.

It's too bad that Apple is concentrating on the SSD only route but I never looked at NAS before. Assume it's easy setup but wonder about performance. If it is, then it looks like I'll still be looking at might keep me in the Apple Eco system one more revolution.

Just need to figure out whether to an M1 Mac Mini or wait for M1 iMac. Even the Mac Mini plus monitor on the applesotre (with Keyboard/mouse/Monitor) is gonna be $2,779.25 CAN, then the additional price of the external drive solution.

Man, things aren't economical.

Thanks for pointing me the NAS way....

 

[Kcetech1]

Tough call. a NAS is a good way to go IF its a well supported one in MacOS ( lots arent ) and you use actual NAS drives made to be on all the time.

with our Canadian dollar down NOTHING apple is too kind on the pocketbook. I looked at the upgrade path for the Mini on its SSD and pretty much blew coffee out my nose. $750 CDN for an upgrade to 2TB .... when my computer sitting beside me a 2T SSD thats 60% faster is on Amazon for CDN $399. and not an upgrade.

Saw your in Calgary, were north in Red Deer, and hubby is an ACMT and he might have ideas for you since your close by.

 

[justashooter]

I was saying use NAS rated drives, not necessarily a NAS, although that is an option. Another option would be a RAID, again using NAS rated drives. You could set up a RAID 1 (mirrored) with two 6 or 8 TB disks, all data is copied to each disk, one goes bad you have the second disk with the data. Backing them up to a third stored off site would be prudent. It is not the best of the RAID world but it is better than no backup. You could go with a 500GB internal SSD and use a standard 2.5 inch external SSD for your working images. A good quality standard 2.5 inch SSD, such as a Crucial MX500 or Samsung EVO, can be had for around $65 in the US. I'm a full-time freelance photographer, still running a 2012 MacBook Pro 13 inch. I have to deal with the storage for some of my clients, thankfully most are stored in the archives of my 2 biggest clients.

 

[Kcetech1]

I was saying use NAS rated drives, not necessarily a NAS, although that is an option. Another option would be a RAID, again using NAS rated drives. You could set up a RAID 1 (mirrored) with two 6 or 8 TB disks, all data is copied to each disk, one goes bad you have the second disk with the data. Backing them up to a third stored off site would be prudent. It is not the best of the RAID world but it is better than no backup. You could go with a 500GB internal SSD and use a standard 2.5 inch external SSD for your working images. A good quality standard 2.5 inch SSD, such as a Crucial MX500 or Samsung EVO, can be had for around $65 in the US. I'm a full-time freelance photographer, still running a 2012 MacBook Pro 13 inch. I have to deal with the storage for some of my clients, thankfully most are stored in the archives of my 2 biggest clients.

Cant put any internal drive in the M1 mac mini, no SATA, no PCIE, no M2. and only a pair of TB ports ( and docks and externals can be a PITA ). so to do much with externals youd be better with a NAS or a TB/USB external dual drive enclosure. Im still annoyed were back to 1GB ethernet for a network port but such is life.

 

[justashooter]

You would buy the computer with 500gb drive and use an external RAID

 

[hobowankenobi]

It is a change to go external, but it makes a lot of sense. Much more flexible. Modern bus speeds are fast enough that you won't see a bottleneck.

The upside of the internal SSD in modern Macs is both speed and reliability. The downside is obvious: change your workflow to use external direct attached storage or a NAS. Or both.

For a fairly low cost, you can add a small, silent, external SSD for working space that is nearly the same performance as internal. But you can add/swap very easily as prices continue to come down. Not locked in (literally in the machine). Or go robust HDs if you want gobs of space, but don't need blazing speeds. I would suggest a case you can easily swap drives in, not the sealed consumer stuff.

You could also plug in an external HD for backups, but even better would be a NAS. Always on, always backing up all your machines, plus lots of other features if you want them. Sync files between machines, run automatic backups, get your files easily from anywhere on the internet via an app or web interface, share files safely and privately, sync and share with Windows, iOS, Android, and so on.

If you do go NAS, don't get the cheapest you can find. You will not be happy. I would suggest the middle low end Synology models (not the low-end J series. Too slow.) I would go with this one. Use your own drive(s). There are a few cheaper, but they are cheaper for a reason. Smaller CPU, less RAM, not upgradeable.

 

[Fishrrman]

My advice:
Move your photo library to an EXTERNAL drive, instead of keeping such a large library on the Mac's internal drive.

A platter-based hard drive would probably be acceptable, but an external SSD might work, too, if you can find one at a relatively decent price.

Of course, if you have your library stored on an external drive, then you will need AT LEAST ONE MORE external backup drive. TWO backup drives are better.

Now you can keep the size of the INTERNAL drive on the new Mac smaller and more affordable.
1tb may be enough. Just keep "projects in progress" on it, and when done, move them to the "primary external library" on the external drive...