New iMac 2020 256/512 SSD... How is this enough space???

How to change music library location: https://support.apple.com/guide/music/change-where-music-files-are-stored-mus69248042d/mac

As it appears you have come here for shopping recommendations and not the upgrade of a current computer, so i offer this:

A relative bought a new iMac 4K with a factory 512GB SSD which seemed enough, However when he set it up for two users, he felt short of space. 256GB is definitely too small. We are seeing reports from 256GB SSD owners of not being able to upgrade their macOS because the installer is big and requires free space 2X that of the installer to work.

👉🏻 A cheap USB3 SDD external will be faster than a factory mechanical drive but FAR SLOWER than Apple's internal SSDs.

I collect Mac drive speed data and this summarizes different drive options:

• Factory 5400RPM mechanical in 21.5-inch iMacs--max of about 80MB/sec
• Factory 7200RPM mechanical in 27-inch iMacs--max of 150-170MB/sec
• USB3 external 6GB/sec SSD--max of 400MB/sec
• USB-C external 6GB/sec SSD--max of about 500-600MB/sec
• Apple Fusion drive--anywhere from 500-1400MB/sec
• Thunderbolt 3 blade style external SSD--up to 2800MB/sec (reference)
• Apple internal SSD in iMac 5K--up to about 2800MB/sec

As you can see, avoid any Apple with a mechanical or Fusion drive. Mech drives are far too slow and the Fusion drives, which can be fast, seem to have more issues, and their actual reported speeds vary like crazy.

Ultimately... My real problem at the moment is money.

I made a sacrifices to get the factory 1TB SSD in my 2017 iMac 5K. We did not starve, and it helps that I I don't buy $5 cups of coffee from boutique shops!

If you are considering upgrading your current model, you can see from padam35's post that your options depend on your sub-model, which we don't know. If you want more upgrade options, please post your current iMac's sub-model and macOS version, found in "About this Mac..."

My recommendation is to buy an external SSD, not a hard drive. They are much faster and have a much lower failure rate, but cost a little bit more.

I meant if you buy a new mac, you should buy an external SSD. I personally don't have experience with logic, but I think you would be able to run it from the external drive (don't quote me on that though!).

There should be no issue if you install MacOS onto the external SSD and then migrate your files/programs as if to a new Mac. You could also delete the internal afterwards for extra storage, but if it is truly failing that may not be reliable.

That said, how old is your current iMac?

2011 and older: No. USB 2.0 and Firewire 800 are probably too slow and Thunderbolt 1/2 drives are rare and expensive.

2012-2015: USB 3.0 works, but are you sure you don't need an excuse for a newer/faster machine?

2017-2019: Yes, use USB-C/USB 3.1

Not sarcasm, but point made. I was pointing out 2020 models are arguably 2x faster in every way than 2014.

I think the 2014 SSD portion of the 2014 Fusion drive ran 750-800 MB/s. Since USB 3.0 drives max out at 500-600 MB/s you may notice some tasks are slower with an external drive, but at least with an SSD performance will be consistently quick for all activity.