What would be a good solid state storage option for a 27” iMac?

The last 27" iMac Apple released was the 2020 Intel model.

If you're looking for reliable SSD storage, you should check out the offerings at OWC/macsales. The company and their devices are often recommended by users here in the community and I myself have never been disappointed with their products. The folks at OWC know their Mac and are very helpful. In fact, the website indicates they have 27" iMacs in their inventory today, and they always have a broad selection of internal and external storage devices and RAM for Macs.

burdell2 wrote:

I have a 2014 iMac 27” and it is really getting slow….However, Apple no longer makes 27” iMacs (only 24” ones)…so my plan is to try to buy a used one (the most recent 27” possible whichever one that is)

The last 27" iMacs were the 2019 and 2020 models. I believe that both are capable of running macOS Sequoia – though I would not count on either getting a lot of updates beyond that. Both have Intel processors, not the Apple Silicon processors that Apple uses in all current Macs.

The 27" 2020 iMacs are not capable of running anything before Catalina, so if you rely on 32-bit applications now, take that into account.

Some of the 2019 machines came with Fusion Drives, and the 1 TB version of the Fusion Drive would not have had very much SSD storage. It looks like all of the 2020 machines had flash (SSD) storage. Both machines are pretty well-equipped as far as ports that you could use to add external SSDs.

see here ➜ https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/ssd/owc/imac

Also note, the Mac mini is the cheapest Mac available . If you have money for a used 27" iMac you almost certainly have money for a Mac mini. You'll be hard pressed to find any iMac that is newer than 2014 and that costs less than a current Mac mini.

There currently are no Intel 27-inch iMacs available in Apple's refurbished store. OWC has previously owned iMacs available that you can configure, though for instance, a 2020 Core i7 with 32 GB RAM and a 1 TB drive will run $2K.

A new M4 Mac mini with 32GB RAM and 1TB drive will cost $1400 and a decent 32-inch 4K display can still cost less than a used Intel iMac mentioned above.

Are you interested in fixing whatever is wrong with your existing Mac? If it uses a traditional hard disk (including Fusion Drive) that would be reason enough though. It could be operating in a state of failure, and they are difficult to replace on that model. Hard disks can't be fixed.

…so my plan is to try to buy a used one

Before you buy I strongly suggest reviewing The All Too Common SAD Reality of Buying a Used iPad/iPhone - Apple Community.

Why not be wise and simply buy a current Mac mini which will be much more upgradeable than a 2020 iMac and simply add the 27" display of your choice. For about $1500 you will have a brand new Mac and external display that is:

• covered by a 1 year warranty
• Eligible for AppleCare
• Can run current and future versions of Mac OS
• Will run AI
• Much faster than a 2020 27" iMac.

Investing in old technology simply makes no sense at all. Yes, you can buy a 2020 27" iMac used (if. that is what you do use macsales.com as they are reliable but again it's not the smart thing to do. If you decide to buy used never ever purchase from the following:

• Ebay
• Craigslist
• Nextdoor
• Marketplace
• local PC shop
• friend or acquaintance

Why, simple these machine are normally not set up per Apple's directions in What to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your Mac which means the machine is still associated with the original owner and you are left with a boat anchor and also you are frequently inheriting someone elses problem.