Replace Fusion Drive in 27" iMac

Hi Servant of Cats,

Thanks so much for your advice. I like your second suggestion above. However, my 2017 iMac only has USB-A ports and an ethernet port on the back. Can I get an adaptor so one of these ports can become a USB-C / Thunderbolt port, to get the USB 3.1 Gen 2 speed? I've decided to go for the LaCie 2TB SSD. My Time Machine backups are on a 4TB external SSD.

Again, many thanks,

peterpatter.

Hi Servant of Cats,

Thanks so much for your information. As I've never, so far, had need for the USB3 ports, I had forgotten that they were there. How stupid can I be? To transfer files between my iMac and my MB Air (M1 chip), is a cable between the respective USB3 ports the best way of doing this?

At the moment both Macs are running OS Ventura. Is it necessary for them both to be on them same OS when transferring files via a cable, or wifi, or does this not matter?

By the way, based on information from you, and others, I will soon be purchasing a 2TB LaCie SSD to be my new startup drive.

Many thanks,

peterpatter.

Hi Servant of Cats,

It's me again. At my local Apple Store, the LaCie rugged 2TB SSD is indicated as being suitable for an iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2019–2020). As my iMac is a 2017 model, is it OK to go ahead with the purchase? The 2TB model costs quite a bit more than the 1TB SSD.

Many thanks,

peterpatter.

Thanks so much for your advice, above. Would the external SSD appear in Finder and as a Desktop Icon, in addition to my LaCie backup drive, which is used for Time Machine?