Hi
I have a late 2013 iMac 21.5 inch i5 with 16GB RAM and would like to retro fit a 1TB SSD. I have been reading that 3rd party SSDs can cause problems with the fan speed? I am thinking of either a Samsung or Crucial SSD, if that makes any difference? Will I find the fan speed goes to max. after replacing the existing Apple hard drive and is this a problem?
thanks
Simon
iMac 21.5", macOS 10.14
Do yourself a favor, at least get the full upgrade kit from OWC
with the inline temperature sensor replacement at a bare minimum.
In terms of a drive, everyone seems to jump on the OWC bandwagon,
and while good, they are pricier than other alternatives, which will
work just as well. Personally, I have used Sandisk, Toshiba, and Kingston
drives in various Macs and all work great. They may not be the bleeding
edge in speed, but they are still leaps and bounds faster than HDD and
at somewhat more lower price points.
I also suggest, getting a USB3.0 case or USB3.0 to SATA adapter and clone or
install fresh macOS on the new SSD via that and test for an extended period
to insure all works well before "cracking you iMac". Or, if all works well,
simply just boot from the external and resolve the whole issue of "cracking
open" the iMac. The SSD may not be quite as fast as if it were internal but
will still be much, much faster than the internal HDD.
Do yourself a favor, at least get the full upgrade kit from OWC
with the inline temperature sensor replacement at a bare minimum.
In terms of a drive, everyone seems to jump on the OWC bandwagon,
and while good, they are pricier than other alternatives, which will
work just as well. Personally, I have used Sandisk, Toshiba, and Kingston
drives in various Macs and all work great. They may not be the bleeding
edge in speed, but they are still leaps and bounds faster than HDD and
at somewhat more lower price points.
I also suggest, getting a USB3.0 case or USB3.0 to SATA adapter and clone or
install fresh macOS on the new SSD via that and test for an extended period
to insure all works well before "cracking you iMac". Or, if all works well,
simply just boot from the external and resolve the whole issue of "cracking
open" the iMac. The SSD may not be quite as fast as if it were internal but
will still be much, much faster than the internal HDD.
Don't use either, use a SSD kit from OWC (www.macsales.com). Here is a link to the complete kit:
https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/K21IM12HP1TB/
Why OWC, simple because they work, they work 100% of the time, OWC specializes in Macs and has excellent support. They even have install videos, here is the link to the video: https://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/imac_21inch_late_2013/
Thanks but expensive tastes! Choice for me is my option for c. £110 or all this for c.£300.
You guys aren't having to deal with Brexit meltdown! I think the view from California must be nice!!
We feel your pain.
Good luck.
we need more than luck - man, it's a mess. All completely avoidable too. Meanwhile, like many, we are counting the pennies more carefully.
Thanks for the advice. Prices a VERY high for OWC and I also have shipping to the UK on top. In reality therefore the support offered is rather at a distance. I work in a school which uses dozens of iMacs and we have had no problems at all with Crucial or Samsung SSD replacements. Have you?
None of the fora that I look at refer to a fan problem after 2011/2012. It would be interesting to know if you or anyone has experience of any such problems.
many thanks
If that is your decision then be prepared for your installation to not work well. This is money very well spent if you intend to install a third party SSD. Not following the advice will result in loud fans constantly running and may result in over heating and component failure. However, it's your money.
Upgrade to SSD (iMac late 2013)
