Worth upgrading iMac to SSD?

[BraddardStark]

I have a late 2011 iMac, still on it's original HDD. I upgraded the RAM a few years ago, but in the last year my iMac has started running really slow. I haven't yet done a clean install (planning to this weekend) but I was wondering whether it would be worth upgrading the HDD to an SSD. Do you think I'd see noticeable speed increase? I'm concerned that my now 5 and a bit year old HDD is slowing because of it's age and may just up and die one day. But I don't want to spend money to upgrade if it's not going to be worth it and I may as well spend that money on a new system. Any advice would be much appreciated! Thanks!

 

[Razzerman]

Hello there,

First off, your original HD has done really well to last this long

It's certainly worth upgrading to an ssd - if you're running bootcamp at all, get as big a disk size as possible. The performance increase is like night and day - that goes for most machines though.

Doing the upgrade yourself isn't simple, but certainly doable - check youtube for a guide how to do it. Otherwise, take it somewhere who'll do it for you - get a price first.

Good luck.

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

 

[BraddardStark]

Hello there,

First off, your original HD has done really well to last this long

It's certainly worth upgrading to an ssd - if you're running bootcamp at all, get as big a disk size as possible. The performance increase is like night and day - that goes for most machines though.

Doing the upgrade yourself isn't simple, but certainly doable - check youtube for a guide how to do it. Otherwise, take it somewhere who'll do it for you - get a price first.

Good luck.

I figured it had, heard the average lifespan of a HDD is about 5 years, so could fail any day now haha!

I think I will, I'm looking at getting a 500GB just so I can prolong the life as long as possible, and like you said, I will most likely be bootcamping.

Thanks for your help!

 

[madeirabhoy]

I have a late 2011 iMac, still on it's original HDD. I upgraded the RAM a few years ago, but in the last year my iMac has started running really slow. I haven't yet done a clean install (planning to this weekend) but I was wondering whether it would be worth upgrading the HDD to an SSD. Do you think I'd see noticeable speed increase? I'm concerned that my now 5 and a bit year old HDD is slowing because of it's age and may just up and die one day. But I don't want to spend money to upgrade if it's not going to be worth it and I may as well spend that money on a new system. Any advice would be much appreciated! Thanks!

I keep thinking the same, I also have a 2011 27" with the original drive. I looked quite a few times before but couldn't decide whether to rip out the internal drive or get a thunderbolt usb drive, or get a thunderbolt to usb3 adaptor.

hadn't really thought about the drive failing, but guess it could soon. gulp.

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

For the 2011 iMac, you can just install a secondary drive in the spare SATA port, such as an SSD, and keep the old HDD running where it is. Just get iFixits kit for doing it.

And as implied above, installing an SSD is DEFINTIELY worth it. It is night and day over a HDD, even in the 2011 iMac (Which I also use as my main machine).

 

[Razzerman]

hadn't really thought about the drive failing, but guess it could soon. gulp.

Best do a backup sharpish. I use SuperDuper, but whatever works for you. Just do a backup, and make sure it works.

Forgot to mention putting Macsfantcontrol on if you do change the hard drive.

Good luck folks.

 

[BraddardStark]

I keep thinking the same, I also have a 2011 27" with the original drive. I looked quite a few times before but couldn't decide whether to rip out the internal drive or get a thunderbolt usb drive, or get a thunderbolt to usb3 adaptor.

hadn't really thought about the drive failing, but guess it could soon. gulp.

Yeah I'm worried mine will go soon. I can hear the HDD whirring loudly while doing just simple things like browsing on Chrome.

 

[sublunar]

Also worth considering a Thunderbolt SSD drive. I run my Mini off a Thunderbolt bridge which has an eSATA enclosure carrying an SSD. More convoluted and expensive than the USB solution though but you do get accessible ports.

 

[madeirabhoy]

Also worth considering a Thunderbolt SSD drive. I run my Mini off a Thunderbolt bridge which has an eSATA enclosure carrying an SSD. More convoluted and expensive than the USB solution though but you do get accessible ports.

I suppose though theres a chance of buying now old models of thunderbolt 1 stuff as now newer models can handle thunderbolt 2 and 3.

 

[AmazingRobie]

Night and day difference. I have had internal platter and SSD (not fusion config, BTO) in original 2011 imac 27" and the platter has been replaced twice. Finally had it pulled the f out because of problems-to-benefits ratio. Have a Monster thunderbolt SSD external drive i use for some editing and both the original internal SSD and the external tb SSD are faster than the traditional spinning drive ever was. Loading apps and running adobe suite. Also have 32GB OWC RAM kit installed. Not bragging, its a 2011 machine thats been a thorn in the side since i got it, but its worth noting in case it matters regarding overall performance. Best of luck with your decision.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:

You have two upgrade choices:
1. Open up the iMac and install a SATA SSD.
2. Buy a thunderbolt SSD, plug it in, and set it up to become an "external booter".

Either way will work, but both ways have disadvantages:
- #1 will yield fastest performance, but you run the risk of breaking something inside.
- #2 will give pretty good performance, but thunderbolt SSDs are on the expensive side (for what you get in terms of storage capacity).

If it was me, I'd hold out until the 2018 iMacs are released later this year.
Then I'd make a choice:
- buy a new one, or...
- buy a just-discontinued 2017 iMac at closeout pricing.

 

[Peter72]

I have a late 2011 iMac, still on it's original HDD. I upgraded the RAM a few years ago, but in the last year my iMac has started running really slow. I haven't yet done a clean install (planning to this weekend) but I was wondering whether it would be worth upgrading the HDD to an SSD. Do you think I'd see noticeable speed increase? I'm concerned that my now 5 and a bit year old HDD is slowing because of it's age and may just up and die one day. But I don't want to spend money to upgrade if it's not going to be worth it and I may as well spend that money on a new system. Any advice would be much appreciated! Thanks!

I’ve now doneThis on two 2011 machines (one 27 inch , one 21 inch )
They were both getting sluggish and I couldn’t afford to buy a 2 new 2019 machines.
Replacing the internal hard drive with a SSD has made them SO much faster!
Like

And SSDs are pretty cheap these days.

I did the installations myself as am quite techy but basically just followed you tube video .

One point - the SSD s wont give the correct heat info to the computer so the HD’s fan will run at full speed.
2 solutions

The first one I used a kit from OWC that includes a physical connector that solves the fan speed issue.)£40 or so.

but I have learnt you can save your money and install free software called Mac fan control thatdoes the job fine.

so definitely do it. If you are not confident with opening electronics I waa quoted £60 for a shop to do it for you.

do it - like getting a new iMac for a fraction of the cost

 

[||\||]

It's definitely worth it! I can say it's not difficult at on models from 2012 up. I think the 2011 model uses magnets and screws rather than tape, so it should be even easier.

 

[Peter72]

It's definitely worth it! I can say it's not difficult at on models from 2012 up. I think the 2011 model uses magnets and screws rather than tape, so it should be even easier.

Yes that’s correct. It’s the older slightly thicker design with magnets. So pretty easy - took me 2 hrs.
I got the second iMac For my 13 year olds Xmas present I bought a 2011 21 inch iMac with keyboard and mouse for £185 on eBay . Stuck in a £50 250GB Samsung SSD yesterday. Upgraded to OS to High Sierra. IMHO it’s a really nice usable computer that has the same attractive external design appearance as a a new iMac .
Works really fast and cost me £235.
A new iMac 21 inch with 256GBssd costs £1200 in U.K.
I m really pleased and Ithink he’ll be delighted.

 

[||\||]

Yes that’s correct. It’s the older slightly thicker design with magnets. So pretty easy - took me 2 hrs.

It only takes about 30 minutes to swap drives in 2012+ models. Maybe the double sided tape is a time saver.

 

[mmomega]

I have a late 2011 iMac, still on it's original HDD. I upgraded the RAM a few years ago, but in the last year my iMac has started running really slow. I haven't yet done a clean install (planning to this weekend) but I was wondering whether it would be worth upgrading the HDD to an SSD. Do you think I'd see noticeable speed increase? I'm concerned that my now 5 and a bit year old HDD is slowing because of it's age and may just up and die one day. But I don't want to spend money to upgrade if it's not going to be worth it and I may as well spend that money on a new system. Any advice would be much appreciated! Thanks!

So worth it.

A month after getting my 2009 27" I put in an SSD, and that thing was $400 back then for 80GB.
Never went back to a spinning main drive again.
Substantial day to day usage difference.

I still have love for platter drives. Just not as my main drive.

 

[Glockworkorange]

I have a late 2011 iMac, still on it's original HDD. I upgraded the RAM a few years ago, but in the last year my iMac has started running really slow. I haven't yet done a clean install (planning to this weekend) but I was wondering whether it would be worth upgrading the HDD to an SSD. Do you think I'd see noticeable speed increase? I'm concerned that my now 5 and a bit year old HDD is slowing because of it's age and may just up and die one day. But I don't want to spend money to upgrade if it's not going to be worth it and I may as well spend that money on a new system. Any advice would be much appreciated! Thanks!

Yes. Do it.
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I suppose though theres a chance of buying now old models of thunderbolt 1 stuff as now newer models can handle thunderbolt 2 and 3.

Plenty of original Thunderbolt peripherals floating around out there. Check OWC (macsales.com) or even Amazon.

 

[mmomega]

Plenty of original Thunderbolt peripherals floating around out there. Check OWC (macsales.com) or even Amazon.

I will note. Because I have had first hand experience with this on multiple occasions.

Thunderbolt DOES NOT mean it is automatically as fast as it "should be".
I have over the years purchased lesser expensive Thunderbolt items from major brands as well that do not meet what one would have thought the speeds to be.

For example. I had several Thunderbolt external drives when it was initially introduced. A RAID external drive. At the time SSD drives were not as common and the product came with platter drives. So the company installed a SATA 1 controller.
Meaning, that even if I put an SSD into the enclosure now, it is overall limited to the SATA controller. So roughly 150MB/s MAX.
Actually I have 2 externals that have either SATA 1 or SATA 2 controllers because that is a point where companies can cheap out. The product can be connected over thunderbolt and was quicker than USB at the time but just know simply because something is Thunderbolt does not mean it can transfer data at Thunderbolts max speed.

 

[Glockworkorange]

I will note. Because I have had first hand experience with this on multiple occasions.

Thunderbolt DOES NOT mean it is automatically as fast as it "should be".
I have over the years purchased lesser expensive Thunderbolt items from major brands as well that do not meet what one would have thought the speeds to be.

For example. I had several Thunderbolt external drives when it was initially introduced. A RAID external drive. At the time SSD drives were not as common and the product came with platter drives. So the company installed a SATA 1 controller.
Meaning, that even if I put an SSD into the enclosure now, it is overall limited to the SATA controller. So roughly 150MB/s MAX.
Actually I have 2 externals that have either SATA 1 or SATA 2 controllers because that is a point where companies can cheap out. The product can be connected over thunderbolt and was quicker than USB at the time but just know simply because something is Thunderbolt does not mean it can transfer data at Thunderbolts max speed.

This is true and something to consider.

 

[||\||]

If you are booting a Mac externally, you really want the Monster Digital Overdrive (Thunderbolt version). Write speeds are not great, in the 300’s, but the drive will read in the 500’s. TRIM support. Unfortunately, these drives are now in short supply.

 

[dogslobber]

For the 2011 iMac, you can just install a secondary drive in the spare SATA port, such as an SSD, and keep the old HDD running where it is. Just get iFixits kit for doing it.

I certainly wouldn't trust an 8yo spinner so when the machine is open pull it. An SSD is all you need nowadays.
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If you are booting a Mac externally, you really want the Monster Digital Overdrive (Thunderbolt version). Write speeds are not great, in the 300’s, but the drive will read in the 500’s. TRIM support. Unfortunately, these drives are now in short supply.

It's a waste. Pick up an external USB3 drive and run from that. Run TRIM periodically via an internal boot. TB was always the new generation FireWire for storage.

 

[||\||]

TRIM isn’t available through USB. Firewire never got to these speeds. Thunderbolt is best seen as an external PCIe.

 

[Strib]

I have a late 2011 iMac, still on it's original HDD. I upgraded the RAM a few years ago, but in the last year my iMac has started running really slow. I haven't yet done a clean install (planning to this weekend) but I was wondering whether it would be worth upgrading the HDD to an SSD. Do you think I'd see noticeable speed increase? I'm concerned that my now 5 and a bit year old HDD is slowing because of it's age and may just up and die one day. But I don't want to spend money to upgrade if it's not going to be worth it and I may as well spend that money on a new system. Any advice would be much appreciated! Thanks!

I’ve upgraded few of my Mac. MacBook Pro - 2012 to a 2tb SSD form a 500g SSD to increase capacity. I now use the 500g in an enclosure as a flash drive. Last night I upgraded my iMac (13,2 - late 2012) from a 1tb fusion to a 4tb SSD. I run this computer daily and rarely power it down. It has ran like a champ. I could hear the HDD sounding suspect, so I wanted to get ahead of it before there was an issue. SSDs will speed up the performance and add to the life. OWC’s 4tb was pretty pricey at $900. I elected to purchase a Samsung 860 EVO 4tb and purchasing a 1tb kit from OWC to acquire the install kit (screen adhesives, etc. - could be purchased for about $100, so I figured I get an extra SSD out fo the deal.)

The process was not bad, but should not be rushed. You have one shot at it or you’ll be ordering another adhesive kit.

- Formatted external drive (same or greater size) to Mac OS Journal
- Set up TimeMachine and point it to the external drive (I did this over USB, so it took several hours)
- Cut the screen adhesive with the tool, disconnected the screen (2 ribbons).
- Applied suction cups (came with kit) to lift screen and removed the bottom adhesive
- Removed excess adhesive with tool and set screen aside
- Unplugged left speaker (two connections), pulled out a little and pull to the side out of the way
- Removed old HDD (two screws) and pull the HDD out by removing the sata connection
- Remove h/w from the HDD (side mount and screw the sit in the grommets
- Add h/w to the new SSD (you’ll need an insert for 2.5 to 3.5 bay)
- Add the heat sensor (it connects in between the HD and the computer sata cable. Stick the heat sensor on the metal of the SSD near the connections.
- Reassemble in reverse (double heck all cables are reattached)
- Apply the adhesives using small screw drivers to the holes in the computer’s edge (the two bottom ones should go directly onto the monitor - placed by hand
- Press down and say a little prayer
- booted mine up and it went directly to recovery mode. I formatted the NEW drive to Mac OS Journal. I then ran a restore from TimeMachine pointing to the previously used external HD. After that, I just had to update my Apple ID.

I kept mine on Mojave because my MacBook does not run well on Catalina (battery and recourse hog). I made a boot up disc to be safe, but never had to use anything. I was very surprised to see a few button clicks was all it took. I let it run overnight and was firing emails in just a few minutes after logging in.

OWC had great videos on "how to”. They even show you have to access the flash drive on the mother board. I saw no value in messing with that.

Hope this helps. Note: I fully expected this to end disastrously, but it did not.

Strib