Configuring SSD and HD in old iMac

Question

Configuring SSD and HD in old iMac

I have a mid-2011 quad core 2.7 27" iMac that I am trying to give an extended life to. I installed a 480GB SSD and replaced the original HD with a new 6TB 7200rpm HD. My intention was to use the SSD for the OS and apps, and the HD would be for all user files (photos, videos, music, documents, etc.) I had estimated that the OS and apps would only need about 250-300GB but now I keep getting messages that the drive is almost full. My questions are:

is there a significant benefit to having the applications on the SSD?
Should I move all the apps to the HD?
Is there a way to just move the Library folder to the HD?

Thank you,

(i am limited to 10.13 because of the age of the machine)

iMac Line (2012 and Later)

Posted on Mar 25, 2019 11:32 AM

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Answer 1

rkaufmann87

Level 10

148,624 points

Mar 25, 2019 2:20 PM in response to Michel Corbin

You likely made some type of error when setting it up. the Library folder should remain on the SSD. Verify the SSD does not already the pictures, music files, video etc. on it too. Also verify the Trash has been emptied.

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Answer 2

rkaufmann87

Level 10

148,624 points

Mar 25, 2019 12:24 PM in response to Michel Corbin

Then move large libraries (photos, music, & movies) the the internal HD. What takes up the most space on drives is those types of media. Moving those libraries is a simple process.

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Answer 3

Mar 27, 2019 7:15 AM in response to Michel Corbin

well that's embarrassing! I had over 300GB in the trash. Took out the trash and now it all looks good.

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Answer 4

rkaufmann87

Level 10

148,624 points

Mar 25, 2019 11:50 AM in response to Michel Corbin

I have a similar setup in my 2011 27" imac. I have a 256GB SSD installed. Mac OS (10.13.6) , all apps and critical docs reside on the on the SSD for the speed of retrieval. I use the internal HD just for archiving large libraries. Don't over think this, it's not a difficult operation. :-)

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Answer 5

Mar 25, 2019 1:03 PM in response to rkaufmann87

all my user files (pictures, music files, video, etc.) are already on the internal HD. When I say Library above I am referring to the Library folder that has, among many others, folders for Application Support, ColorSync, CoreAnalytics, Extensions, Fonts, Keychains, ScreenSavers, etc.

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Answer 6

Mar 25, 2019 12:22 PM in response to rkaufmann87

thanks for the reply. I have already gone through my setup and I think I might have done something wrong since my SSD (480GB) is nearly full.

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Answer 7

rkaufmann87

Level 10

148,624 points

Mar 27, 2019 8:40 AM in response to Michel Corbin

Excellent, glad it was so simple and the issue has been solved. You may want to mark this thread as answered so other users in similar situations may benefit.

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Configuring SSD and HD in old iMac

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