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nturf Author

Level 1

7 points

Internal SSD VS External SSD in new iMac

I will purchase a new 27" iMac as soon as I can decide between internal and external SSD memory. The cost of 4TB internal SSD is over $1,000 from Apple, while an external 4TB SSD drive is less than $200. Is there an advantage to the internal SSD drive over the external SSD drive? Will I notice a difference in performance? It is the last item to decide before the purchase. I'd rather use the extra money for more hardware or software, but will purchase the higher priced internal Apple SSD if it is critical to performance. I have made several calls to Apple Sales and have several different answers. Help!

Posted on Sep 24, 2020 11:02 PM

Top-ranking reply

afberendsen

Level 1

138 points

Posted on Sep 25, 2020 12:03 AM

The transfer speed of your external SSD will be limited by the type of connection you decide to use.

Since it is a new Mac, I assume it will have a Thunderbolt-3 port.

The Thunderbolt 3 and the USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports use the same connector....exactly the same: USB-C

Thunderbolt 3 ports can support USB 3.2 devices.

Thunderbolt 3 supports up to 40Gbps transfer speed.

USB 3.2 Gen 2 supports up to 10Gbps.

So, if you decide to go with an external SDD, please pick a Thunderbolt 3 (not USB) case to house the SDD.

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Internal SSD VS External SSD in new iMac

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