upgrade iMac 27 2013 to SSD or buy new 27 2017

[Eduardot]

Hey people:
Have the opportunity of upgrade my iMac 27 late 2013 i5 to 1 TB SSD. Would it make a big difference?
Or should i upgrade to the iMac 27 2017 i7 with 1 TB SSD.
I use the machine for daily work, chat, email, music, facebook, office, video. Will have open 12 -14 programs at the same time.
What would you recommend upgrade the hard drive to SSD or change the machine?

Thank You for the input.....

 

[nambuccaheadsau]

The 1TB SSD will indeed be a HUGE boost over the 7200rpm drive if that is what is now installed now. If a 2/3TB Fusion, not so great a difference but still a better option. And of course a couple of thousand cheaper.

 

[Eduardot]

The 1TB SSD will indeed be a HUGE boost over the 7200rpm drive if that is what is now installed now. If a 2/3TB Fusion, not so great a difference but still a better option. And of course a couple of thousand cheaper.

Thank You

 

[mikehalloran]

Read my post at the bottom of this thread. When it comes to updating the SATA III drive, the 2012 and 2013 are identical.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/imac-fan-issues.2153474/

As you can see, the parts cost isn't much. If you don't wish to do the labor, any tech can do it in an hour. Once done, the following Terminal Command must be run

sudo trimforce enable

The 2013 has an even faster option, however. It has a PCIe 2 buss that can take an NVMe blade type SSD. These are available used as system pulls up to 1T and new up to 2T. It's more expensive but approximately 3x the speed of the SATA III option above in a 2013. Here's a system pull:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-1TB-...2:g:jVsAAOSwUPVb7xKv:rk:2:pf:1&frcectupt=true

New is a bit less.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BN217QG/ref=twister_B07CY2RR4Z?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
and needs a pin-out adapter to fit the socket in your Mac
https://www.amazon.com/Sintech-Adap...d=1543399719&sr=1-4&keywords=nvme+adapter+mac
These must run High Sierra or later and require the following Terminal Command to wake from sleep:

sudo pmset hibernatemode 0 standby 0

Trim is enabled from the start, however, so that command is not run.

 

[JRBuchanan]

Does anyone have a link to instructions for installing one of these NVMe blade SSDs in a iMac14,2 (late 2013)? I found a video on YouTube of someone doing the install, but it was in Spanish and my Spanish is not that good. I have seen the kits at OWC for opening an iMac and installing an SSD, but not for plugging an SSD blade into the PCI buss. I feel like this is someone I could do for myself and get a few more years out of my iMac (currently has the 1TB 7200 RPM HDD). Thanks.

 

[mikehalloran]

iFixIt has instructions. It plugs into a socket behind the right speaker. If using a system pull or OWC Aura, very easy once you get to it. Because of the clearance, you cannot use the version of the Aura with a heat sink.

If using a blade such as a 970 EVO with a pin-out adapter, the speaker has to be loosened so that the adapter has clearance to slide behind and into the socket—tighten the speaker afterward. The 970 requires High Sierra or later. To prevent a wake from sleep issue in a 2013–2014 iMac, run the following Terminal Command (not an issue 2015-on):

sudo pmset hibernatemode 0 standby 0

The reason to consider a 970 in a 2013–14 is that you can get 2TB under $600. The double-speed you get with the 2015 model iMac is not available because of the PCIe 2 buss.

 

[EugW]

You can run that model off a USB 3 drive, so that's another option. You can get a 256 GB SSD for use as a boot drive, and keep the existing internal drive for data.

 

[Fishrrman]

Going from a 2013 to 2017 iMac should be "a nice enough jump" upwards.

BUT... unless you really, really have a need for 1tb of SSD, I wouldn't give Apple the money.
I'd get 512gb and use an external drive for the "less important stuff".

Then again, you may have the extra $$$ to just toss away to them.
If so, go right ahead!

 

[CairnsRock]

Going from a 2013 to 2017 iMac should be "a nice enough jump" upwards.

BUT... unless you really, really have a need for 1tb of SSD, I wouldn't give Apple the money.
I'd get 512gb and use an external drive for the "less important stuff".

Then again, you may have the extra $$$ to just toss away to them.
If so, go right ahead!

Agreed and highly recommended. I just bought a Samsung T5 512GB SSD external drive for $129 Cdn from Amazon. I use it to store high volume items like videos.

 

[Eduardot]

Thanks for the input? How about getting the iMac 27 i7 without the SSD? Just the Fusion?

 

[SecuritySteve]

Thanks for the input? How about getting the iMac 27 i7 without the SSD? Just the Fusion?

Fusion drives are notoriously prone to failure. Don't even consider it an option. If you really want bang for your buck, get the smallest internal SSD you can get away with, and then get external storage for larger files. It's the best way to do it.

 

[Fishrrman]

I'd skip the fusion, and get the SSD (even a 256gb if you have to).
The SSD will run faster, for longer.

 

[Eduardot]

Finally decided to have a Go with Samsung 860 EVO 1 TB SATA replacing the original HDD inside.
Will post speed updates and process. Thanks for the input. Waiting on results to decide if it is worth upgrading to the 2018 imac.

 

[Eduardot]

Ok Guys, connected the SSD to a sabrent USB3 UASP SATA III 2.5 " enclosure, the SSD is a Samsung EVO 860 1 TB.
Previously formatted the disk and then used Carbon Copy Cloner to make the HDD clone. Afterwards of 4 hours that it took to make the copy, in settings i selected the SSD to be the boot drive, and then restarted the iMac. R/W speeds are in the 400- 430 mb/s. And still we have to try to put the SSD inside the iMac. I post pictures. The boot process did take a little longer than 1.5 minutes. All is working fine. Definitely faster.

 

[Eduardot]

With those R/W speeds do you all recommend opening the iMac and installing the SSD inside?