HDD/SSD Replacement for 27" iMac (Late 2013). Should I upgrade or replace the whole thing?

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Level 1

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HDD/SSD Replacement for 27" iMac (Late 2013). Should I upgrade or replace the whole thing?

Hi all,

I've seen many people post about upgrading their iMacs, but I haven't found any discussion boards referring to my model specifically. I've been using the same iMac for the last 6-7 years; it's a 27" iMac (late-2013 model) - 3.2 GHz Intel Core i5 processor - 16 GB of RAM (4 x 4GB). I use my computer primarily for music production in Logic Pro X. I also have an external 500 GB SSD drive for all of my 3rd party samples so it takes the burden off of the HDD. However, I'm still getting system overload messages quite a bit; it really depends if I have grouped tracks or if I'm running projects with like 30 to upwards of 70 tracks. In addition, it has a really tough time opening up other apps like Google Chrome, Microsoft Suite, Safari, etc.

My question is this: Should I replace the internal HDD with an SSD? Or would I just be wasting my money and buy a newer model? Would appreciate any help!

iMac 27", macOS 10.14

Posted on Jan 5, 2020 4:21 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

D.I. Johnson

Level 7

33,407 points

Jan 5, 2020 5:24 PM in response to mlevin7

You said something here that makes me wonder if your internal drive, your system and boot drive, isn't beginning to have some reliability issues. It is pushing 6-7 years old by now.

mlevin7 wrote: In addition, it has a really tough time opening up other apps like Google Chrome, Microsoft Suite, Safari, etc.

These are not necessarily high impact applications, but if your drive is starting to have block failures or some other problem it could definitely be gumming things up.

I recommend you run EtreCheck and see what it can tell you about the performance of your machine. It's got a great rep here in the communities and it's available in the Mac App Store for free. EtreCheck in the Mac App Store

Optionally you can run any other drive utility you may have or like as well.

Your iMac is still a very capable machine. For the cost of a new SSD to either a) replace your internal rotational boot drive, or b) simply become your external boot drive, this machine can still serve you well for a few more years.

I'm sure Apple would love to sell you a new machine, but I think you would be wise to consider what others here have suggested and invest in a SSD to replace the oem boot drive.

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Answer 2

babowa

Level 9

78,568 points

Jan 5, 2020 4:48 PM in response to mlevin7

You should run those apps from the boot disk. If you clone your internal to an external drive (SSD), then you would boot into that and run everything from there. You can use CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper to do this and erase/format the new external as Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and GUID partition scheme before cloning to it.

A word of caution if you buy a new Mac: you are running 10.14? If so, best check if your apps, especially Logic, will work with Catalina since that is what a new one would come with. If you're on 10.15, don't worry.

A plus for a new Mac: If you do all of that on your Mac, an i7 processor, twice the RAM (32), and an all SSD would make it perform better. Do not fall for the fusion combo (small SSD and large spinning drive) as you would not gain anything.

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Answer 3

macjack

Level 10

111,242 points

Jan 5, 2020 4:33 PM in response to mlevin7

Replacing the internal HD is a bit of a PITA and if its a 2013 you may be better off running it off an external SSD. It won't be as fast as an internal but a lot faster than your present rotational drive. Plus when you are ready to replace it, you'll still have another good useable external SSD to use with your new Mac.

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