iMac incredibly slow to boot even from external SSD

plusmore57 wrote:

The Etrecheck report is there in a reply further up the message list in the reply to ksaro1

Thank you, I had missed that.

More than one antivirus app - This computer has multiple antivirus apps installed.

This almost guarantees trouble.

Antivirus software: Apple, Symantec, and Trusteer

Uninstall Symantec and Trusteer. They are conflicting with each other and the system security, and very likely causing severe system slowdown... while not actually improving the security of your mac.

You also have software from WD and from Seagate. Third party drive manufacturer software is not needed for your mac to use the drives, and often causes problems, especially if it's old.

[Loaded] LaunchAtLoginHelper (App Store - installed 2022-11-15)

Modern Login Item

/Applications/CleanMyDrive 2.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/LaunchAtLoginHelper.app

Anything with "clean" in its name should be regarded with suspicion - and being from macpaw, the same who peddle the awful "cleanmymac"... I strongly recommend that you uninstall this.

All these "sync extensions" trying to sync to online content are likely to stall and cause your mac to beachball. There is a good chance that one or more is involved in the long boot times:

Finder sync extensions:

WDDesktop Finder Extension - /Library/Application Support/WDDesktop.app

Dropbox Finder Extension - /Applications/Dropbox.app

OneDrive Finder Integration - /Applications/OneDrive.app

Core Sync Helper - /Applications/Utilities/Adobe Sync/CoreSync/Core Sync.app

FinderSyncExtension - /Applications/Google Drive.app/Contents/Applications/FinderHelper.app

Fusion Drive are a Combo of a SSD drive fused together( by the Operating System ) with a Technical / Rotational Drive

The Operating System presents the Fusion Drive as a Single Drive to the User.

Mixing SSD and Platter / Rotational Drives ( this Fusion Drive ) are historical Slower to Boot Up

This is further amplified in versions of macOS like Big Sur, Monterey and Ventura which seem to the geared towards and ALL SSD Drive configuration

If the User wishes to actually share the Full Etrecheck Report >>

We can have a look at the report for possible issues and may have possible suggestions to resolve the issues

Is this in fact a 2020 iMac or some other model? 2020 iMac appear not to have a fusion drive.

Can you please post a screenshot of DiskUtility or About this Mac showing the drive configuration, as well as confirmation of the model of iMac.

" My 27" iMac purchased in 2020 " does not automatic translate to being a 2020 iMac

When someone purchased being the Key wording.

Suggest following the previous advise and a Screen Shot without the Serial Number appearing in image may enlighten use all as to the real Year of the Computer

Thereafter, if the machine does or does not have a Fusion Drive

Your issue seems strikingly similar to what I saw with my iMac for years. Mine only had an internal HDD, not a fusion drive. When I eventually bought a Thunderbolt compatible SSD the boot times are now under a minute. Even though you mention a USB SSD drive, if you aren't using the Thunderbolt port, then you may still be seeing transfers speed similar to an internal HDD. Is your SSD using the Thunderbolt port?

Reference below from https://everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/specs/imac-core-i5-3.0-21-inch-aluminum-retina-4k-early-2019-specs.html

As originally configured, this model has a 1 TB "Fusion" Drive, which combines a 32 GB SSD and a 1 TB hard drive. It has a Serial ATA (6 Gb/s) connector for a 2.5" hard drive and a PCIe connector for the SSD.

At the time of purchase, Apple also originally offered a 256 GB, 512 GB, or 1 TB SSD for an extra US$100, US$300, and US$700, respectively (1 TB SSD upgrade price cut to US$500 on July 9, 2019).

**On August 4, 2020, Apple switched the default storage from a 1 TB hard drive to a 256 GB SSD with the 1 TB "Fusion" Drive -- 32 GB SSD and a 1 TB HDD -- still available via custom configuration for the same price. The company also cut the price of the 512 GB and 1 TB SSD upgrade options to US$200 and US$400, respectively.

USB 3.0 is 5 Gb/s the iMac Thunderbolt 3 is 40. 8 times the speed that you are using. I'd suggest that you check out some Thunderbolt compatible SSD drives.

I'm using a Samsung T7, which is Thunderbolt 3/USB 3.2, which is 40Gb/s.

plusmore57 wrote:

The external Thunderbolt drives are horribly expensive - I wonder if I am better off taking it to my local Mac repair specialists who can swap out the Fusion drive and replace it with my external SSD for around the same price (I have a WD Blue 1TB SSD)

Even though the theoretical limit of Thunderbolt is much higher, that does not mean that: a) a Thunderbolt connected SSD will necessary reach limit; or b) an SSD connected via USB3 at 5Gbps (or 3.2 at up to 10Gbps) should not be able to boot your mac in a timely fashion.

There is bound to be something else involved - either hardware or, more likely, software.

Please follow the previous advice by P. Phillips and post that Etrecheck report so we can look for possible causes.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-T7-Portable-SSD-MU-PC1T0T/dp/B087DFLF9S/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2GQDEN7TWCF4G&keywords=samsung+t7+ssd&qid=1677512500&s=computers&sprefix=samsung+t7%2Ccomputers%2C87&sr=1-3

This is only about £90. That's not horribly expensive to me. What's your budget.

As per Luis's reply - yes there may be other issues. But I had a very similar experience with boot times and general performance for years and I tried all kinds of troubleshooting. Then I swapped to booting from the Samsung SSD and all issues disappeared instantly.

AFAIK USB 3.2 Gen 2, which Samsung claim the T7 is, is 20 Gb/s. But, whatever the actual speed is, I attached my T7 to a Thunderbolt port on my iMac and suddenly the iMac's performance was like the difference between night and day.

ksaro1 wrote:

AFAIK USB 3.2 Gen 2, which Samsung claim the T7 is, is 20 Gb/s. But, whatever the actual speed is, I attached my T7 to a Thunderbolt port on my iMac and suddenly the iMac's performance was like the difference between night and day.

That is the kind of difference in performance that I would expect. Even if it were just a USB-A connector and 5Gbps it should be a lot faster than the fusion drive.

Everything I have found about 3.2 Gen 2 says 10Gbps, but 10 or 20 is plenty fast, anyway.

As an aside to this issue - I asked ChatGPT to compare USB 3.1 to USB 3.2 gen 2 and this is what it replied:

"USB 3.1 and USB 3.2 are both versions of the USB standard that offer faster data transfer speeds compared to their predecessors. However, there are some differences in the transfer speeds of USB 3.1 and USB 3.2 Gen 2.

USB 3.1, also known as SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps, has a maximum data transfer rate of 10 Gbps (gigabits per second). This is twice as fast as the previous generation, USB 3.0, which has a maximum data transfer rate of 5 Gbps.

USB 3.2 Gen 2, on the other hand, has a maximum data transfer rate of 20 Gbps. This is twice as fast as USB 3.1 and four times as fast as USB 3.0. USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 offers even higher transfer speeds up to 40 Gbps, but this requires a compatible cable and device.

It's important to note that actual transfer speeds will depend on a number of factors, such as the quality of the cables and devices used, as well as any bottlenecks in the computer's hardware. However, in general, USB 3.2 Gen 2 offers faster data transfer speeds compared to USB 3.1.

"

However, then asking it for the speed of just USB 3.2 it tells me:

"USB 3.2 Gen2, also known as USB 3.2 Gen2x1, can achieve a maximum data transfer rate of 10 Gbps (gigabits per second). This is twice as fast as the previous USB 3.0/3.1 Gen1 standard, which has a maximum speed of 5 Gbps.

It's worth noting that the effective data transfer rate you can achieve will depend on a variety of factors such as the quality of the USB cable, the performance of the devices being connected, and the type of files being transferred. However, in general, USB 3.2 Gen2 offers significantly faster transfer speeds than previous USB standards, making it ideal for transferring large files such as video or high-resolution images."

So, yet another example of not taking these new AI chatbots at their word!