Hi, I am reading up on how to set up an external bootable SSD drive and I am going to try my luck using the tip sheet provided here in the community. One of the recommended drives is the G-Technology 1TB G-DRIVE mobile SSD R-Series.
While this looks nice and appears to be a well made drive, can anybody recommend another? I have never purchased a SSD, so I am not sure what would work good on with a late 2015 iMAC. Thanks
iMac 27″, macOS 11.5
The G Technology R Series 1TB SSD is about £200 in the UK and as such incredibly overpriced.
You can get similar 1TB portable SSDs for about half the price if not less from
brands such as Samsung, SanDisk, Western Digital, LaCie etc etc.
Make sure you are getting at least 500GBs read and write speeds.
Just search on the net for 1TB SSD portable drives.
Weigh up the options, speed, portability, price,
read the reviews even the bad ones and get a clear picture
of what you get and will it fit your needs.
Remember to make sure the cables provided will work with your mac.
The G Technology R Series 1TB SSD is about £200 in the UK and as such incredibly overpriced.
You can get similar 1TB portable SSDs for about half the price if not less from
brands such as Samsung, SanDisk, Western Digital, LaCie etc etc.
Make sure you are getting at least 500GBs read and write speeds.
Just search on the net for 1TB SSD portable drives.
Weigh up the options, speed, portability, price,
read the reviews even the bad ones and get a clear picture
of what you get and will it fit your needs.
Remember to make sure the cables provided will work with your mac.
Welcome to the Apple Support Communities.
I actually wrote that User Tip! I am glad that you found it helpful.
For an external SSD to function as a bootable device, the SSD and enclosure itself must be bootable. Some are not. The G-Technology G-DRIVE SSD series is.
As far as other SSD options are concerned, options are limited for a pre-USB-C iMac, such as the one you have. These models of iMac only accept USB-A. Some USB-C external SSDs, such as the G-Technology G-DRIVE SSD, include a USB-C to USB-A adapter cable, but recently, there has been a trend to remove this older-style cable. This includes LaCie SSDs, some SanDisk SSDs, Crucial external SSDs, etc. And while you have this connection limitation, you still must look for an external SSD that functions properly for a bootable device.
So, you need a bootable external SSD, with a USB-A cable included, and something that is high-quality and very reliable. This is why I like the G-Technology G-DRIVE SSD series. The only con I see with it are the included cables are shorter.
I hope this helps!
Cheers,
Jack
Recommended SSD drives for external bootable drive
