User profile for user: Vonrussell
Vonrussell Author
User level: Level 1
8 points

Should I replace my hard drive on my 2012 iMac

Hello,


I currently have a 21.5 inch, Late 2012 iMac. It is a 2.7 GHZ Intel core i5, 16 GB DDR3 Ram, NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M 512 MB and a 1TB (5,400 rpm) hard drive (It is not a fusion drive). Also I am running MacOS Sierra, version 10.12.1.


About six months ago, I got a GoPRO that I have been using to make family videos and I want to use iMovie to edit them. However, it takes about a minute twenty seconds for iMovie to start up and then there are numerous "beach balls" spinning and the operation is very jerky at times. (I am mostly recording in 1080p, 60 frames per second... but there is some 4k at 30fps from my iphone that I use also.)


My thought is that my hard drive is choking on the data that I am trying to edit.


My question is would it be worth upgrading the HD to a 1TB SDD (Either the OWC Mercury Electra 6G or OWC Mercury Extreme Pro 6p). I realize that this mac is not upgradable but I am handy enough to replace the HD. This option will probably run around $430. Or should I bite the bullet and purchase a new iMac. That is assuming of course the new iMac can handle editing the video better. If a new iMac is in the cards, what would you recommend in the $1,800 range for the purpose of editing family videos.


Thank you for your time, opinions and help with this.


Eric

iMac, macOS Sierra (10.12.1)

Posted on Mar 16, 2017 11:57 AM

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15 replies
User profile for user: MichelPM
MichelPM
User level: Level 10
81,751 points

Mar 16, 2017 2:02 PM in response to Vonrussell

The 5400 RPM is killing your iMac's read/write speed.

Instead of trying to install a new hard drive or SSD internally,

Forget any internal/external standard mechanical hard drive.


INSTEAD,


To greatly improve the speed and performance of your 2012, 21 inch screen iMac, you are going to have to spend some significant more cash for this to happen.

Purchase an externally enclosed USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt connected SSD.

Format the SSD and then purchase data cloning software, like Bombich Software's CarbonCopyCloner or Shirt Pocket's SuperDuper to make a bootable clone of your current system to the SSD and boot and run your iMac, exclusively from the externally connected and enclosed SSD.

Your iMac will run A WHOLE LOT FASTER from an externally connected and enclosed SSD!

You can either opt to use your internal iMac's hard drive to just store data OR purchase, yet, another external USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt connected 7200 RPM mechanically spinning hard drive to use as your primary data storage and data backup.

If you are from the U.S., here is a good Mac/Apple source for external SSDs and standard 7200 RPM hard drives here.


https://www.macsales.com/


You can call them to speak with a sales/technical rep or contact by email



Good Luck!

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User profile for user: Kappy
Kappy
User level: Level 10
362,153 points

Mar 16, 2017 12:08 PM in response to Vonrussell

Your computer model has an HDD, so replacing it with an SSD would help and is less costly than a new computer. I think your model has a Thunderbolt port (real, not video-only) on it. You could investigate an adapter to connect the SSD externally via Thunderbolt. Then use the SSD as your data drive and reserve the old HDD for OS X and unimportant files. This should speed things up.


I would also recommend the following: visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on dealing with The Spinning Beach Ball of Death.


Not of my making, you should also consider this: If you have enabled iCloud Disk and are storing your Documents and Data in iCloud, then consider turning that off and signing out of iCloud. It can slow down the computer considerably. Please see the following from the user, fotomac: "The solution was to SIGN OUT of iCloud and my problem STOPPED! NO MORE SPINNING BEACHBALL! My computer's speed increased to what it should be and all my Apps now work!"



Ways to help make a slow Mac faster


17 Reasons Why Your Mac Runs Slower Than it Should

Slow Mac Performance? This Article Solves It!

Fix slow start-ups in OS X | MacFixIt - CNET Reviews

How to fix slow shutdown and startup times. | MacTip.net

6 Easy Tips to Speed Up OS X Yosemite on Your Mac

OS X El Capitan- If your Mac runs slowly

Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on Performance

Tips to Fix Issues that affect Mac Performance

Avoid using any third-party cleanup software. Usually, this software does more bad than good. You don't need it. All computers become slower over time even under normal use. Experienced users erase the hard drive and do a clean install from scratch from time to time; or whenever installing a major OS upgrade. Doing so means you must maintain regular and multiple backups.

If you have enabled iCloud Disk and are storing your Documents and Data in iCloud, then consider turning that off and signing out of iCloud. It can slow down the computer considerably. Please see the following from the user, fotomac: "The solution was to SIGN OUT of iCloud and my problem STOPPED! NO MORE SPINNING BEACHBALL! My computer's speed increased to what it should be and all my Apps now work!"

Add more RAM or cut back on the number of concurrently running applications and utilities. Remove unnecessary anti-malware software and any software that promises to clean your Mac. Check for runaway processes: Runaway applications can shorten battery runtime, affect performance, and increase heat and fan activity. Also, visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on dealing with The Spinning Beach Ball of Death.

The Ultimate Fix: Backup everything, erase the drive, reinstall OS X, and restore your data from the backup. Reinstall third-party software from original media/scratch.

Reply
User profile for user: Vonrussell
Vonrussell Author
User level: Level 1
8 points

Mar 17, 2017 5:56 PM in response to Allan Eckert

Allan,


Thank you for your reply. I ran etrecheck and here are the results...


EtreCheck version: 3.1.5 (343)

Report generated 2017-03-17 19:44:44

Download EtreCheck from https://etrecheck.com

Runtime 5:13

Performance: Below Average


Click the [Support] links for help with non-Apple products.

Click the [Details] links for more information about that line.


Problem: Computer is too slow

Description:

Applications take a long time to start up


Hardware Information: ⓘ

iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2012)

[Technical Specifications] - [User Guide] - [Warranty & Service]

iMac - model: iMac13,1

1 2.7 GHz Intel Core i5 (i5-3330S) CPU: 4-core

16 GB RAM Upgradeable - [Instructions]

BANK 0/DIMM0

8 GB DDR3 1600 MHz ok

BANK 1/DIMM0

8 GB DDR3 1600 MHz ok

Bluetooth: Good - Handoff/Airdrop2 supported

Wireless: en1: 802.11 a/b/g/n


Video Information: ⓘ

NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M - VRAM: 512 MB

iMac 1920 x 1080


System Software: ⓘ

macOS Sierra 10.12.1 (16B2555) - Time since boot: about 54 days


Disk Information: ⓘ

APPLE HDD HTS541010A9E662 disk0 : (1 TB) (Rotational)

[Show SMART report]

EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB

Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / [Startup]: 999.35 GB (89.75 GB free)

Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted> [Recovery]: 650 MB


USB Information: ⓘ

Apple Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in)

Apple Inc. BRCM20702 Hub

Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller

Norelsys NS1066

SanDisk Extreme

Canon MG3100 series


Thunderbolt Information: ⓘ

Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus


Gatekeeper: ⓘ

Mac App Store and identified developers


Kernel Extensions: ⓘ

/System/Library/Extensions

[not loaded] com.Belcarra.iokit.USBLAN_netpart (3.1.1 - SDK 10.6 - 2017-01-24) [Support]

[not loaded] com.Belcarra.iokit.USBLAN_usbpart (3.1.1 - SDK 10.6 - 2017-01-24) [Support]

[not loaded] com.RemoteControl.USBLAN.usbpart (3.1.1 - SDK 10.7 - 2017-01-24) [Support]

[not loaded] com.wdc.driver.1394.64.10.9 (1.0.1 - SDK 10.9 - 2017-01-24) [Support]

[loaded] com.wdc.driver.USB.64.10.9 (1.0.1 - SDK 10.9 - 2017-01-24) [Support]


/System/Library/Extensions/2.2.0/Belcarra.USBLAN_netpart.kext/Contents/Plug-Ins

[not loaded] com.belcarra.iokit.netpart.panther (1.6.3 - 2017-01-22) [Support]


/System/Library/Extensions/2.2.0/Belcarra.USBLAN_usbpart.kext/Contents/Plug-Ins

[not loaded] com.belcarra.iokit.usbpart.panther (1.6.3 - 2017-01-22) [Support]


/System/Library/Extensions/2.2.0/RemoteControl.USBLAN_usbpart.kext/Contents/Plu g-Ins

[not loaded] com.RemoteControl.USBLAN.panther (1.6.2 - 2017-01-22) [Support]


Startup Items: ⓘ

PKard: Path: /Library/StartupItems/PKard

Startup items no longer function in OS X Yosemite or later


System Launch Agents: ⓘ

[not loaded] 7 Apple tasks

[loaded] 154 Apple tasks

[running] 103 Apple tasks

[killed] 7 Apple tasks

7 processes killed due to insufficient RAM


System Launch Daemons: ⓘ

[failed] com.apple.csrutil.report.plist (2016-09-13)

[failed] com.apple.smbd.plist (2016-10-19)

[not loaded] 40 Apple tasks

[loaded] 151 Apple tasks

[running] 106 Apple tasks

[killed] 5 Apple tasks

5 processes killed due to insufficient RAM


Launch Agents: ⓘ

[not loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist (2015-11-27) [Support]

[failed] com.adobe.AdobeCreativeCloud.plist (2015-11-27) [Support]

[running] com.canon.MFManager.plist (2012-12-23) [Support]

[loaded] com.citrix.AuthManager_Mac.plist (2014-10-17) [Support]

[running] com.citrix.ReceiverHelper.plist (2014-10-17) [Support]

[running] com.citrix.ServiceRecords.plist (2014-10-17) [Support]

[not loaded] com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist [Support]

[running] com.thursby.pkard.tokendagent.plist (2015-07-16) [Support]


Launch Daemons: ⓘ

[running] com.adobe.adobeupdatedaemon.plist (2015-11-27) [Support]

[running] com.adobe.agsservice.plist (2017-03-07) [Support]

[loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist (2017-02-28) [Support]

[running] com.backblaze.bzserv.plist (2017-02-06) [Support]

[running] com.macpaw.CleanMyMac3.Agent.plist (2016-10-13) [Support]

[loaded] com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist (2011-03-10) [Support]

[not loaded] com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist [Support]

[loaded] com.sonos.smbbump.plist (2015-02-22) [Support]


User Launch Agents: ⓘ

[loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist (2015-11-27) [Support]

[running] com.backblaze.bzbmenu.plist (2017-02-06) [Support]

[loaded] com.cisco.videoguard6.plist (2016-09-13)

[loaded] com.cisco.videoguard6.uninstall.plist (2017-02-27)

[running] com.cisco.videoguardmonitor.plist (2017-02-27)

[loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist (2017-01-13) [Support]

[loaded] com.macpaw.CleanMyMac3.Scheduler.plist (2017-03-11)


User Login Items: ⓘ

iTunesHelper Application (2017-01-24)

(/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunesHelper.app)

Google Drive Application

(/Applications/Google Drive.app)

Safari Application

(/Applications/Safari.app)

CleanMyMac 3 Menu Application (2017-03-11)

(/Applications/CleanMyMac 3.app/Contents/MacOS/CleanMyMac 3 Menu.app)

Canon IJ Network Scanner Selector EX Application

(/Applications/Canon Utilities/IJ Network Scanner Selector EX/Canon IJ Network Scanner Selector EX.app)

WDDriveUtilityHelper Application

(/Applications/WD Drive Utilities.app/Contents/WDDriveUtilityHelper.app)


Internet Plug-ins: ⓘ

AdobeAAMDetect: 3.0.0.0 - SDK 10.9 (2015-11-27) [Support]

FlashPlayer-10.6: 25.0.0.127 - SDK 10.9 (2017-03-14) [Support]

QuickTime Plugin: 7.7.3 (2016-11-27)

Flash Player: 25.0.0.127 - SDK 10.9 (2017-03-14) [Support]

CouponPrinter-FireFox_v2: 1.1.10 - SDK 10.6 (2013-09-09) [Support]

LogitechHarmony: 2.0 - SDK 10.7 (2013-07-01) [Support]

WidevineMediaOptimizer: Unknown (2012-12-26) [Support]

CitrixICAClientPlugIn: 11.8.2 - SDK 10.7 (2013-10-22) [Support]

SharePointBrowserPlugin: 14.3.5 - SDK 10.6 (2013-07-04) [Support]

Silverlight: 5.1.20125.0 - SDK 10.6 (2016-09-09) [Support]

JavaAppletPlugin: 15.0.1 - SDK 10.7 (2016-01-09) Check version


User internet Plug-ins: ⓘ

CitrixOnlineWebDeploymentPlugin: 1.0.105 (2013-08-26) [Support]

Picasa: 1.0 (2011-03-28) [Support]


Audio Plug-ins: ⓘ

DVCPROHDAudio: 1.2 (2006-01-17)


3rd Party Preference Panes: ⓘ

Backblaze Backup (2017-02-06) [Support]

Flash Player (2017-02-28) [Support]

handyPrint (2012-11-04) [Support]


Time Machine: ⓘ

Time Machine not configured!


Top Processes by CPU: ⓘ

6% bzfilelist

4% WindowServer

2% Finder

2% kernel_task

2% com.apple.WebKit.WebContent(2)


Top Processes by Memory: ⓘ

1.75 GB kernel_task

1.38 GB softwareupdated

672 MB CleanMyMac 3

541 MB iMovie

377 MB mdworker(10)


Virtual Memory Information: ⓘ

5.26 GB Available RAM

402 MB Free RAM

10.74 GB Used RAM

4.87 GB Cached files

1.93 GB Swap Used



Any help is appreciated. Thanks


Eric

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User profile for user: Vonrussell
Vonrussell Author
User level: Level 1
8 points

Mar 17, 2017 6:00 PM in response to Kappy

Kappy,


Thank you for your response. I did download, before I read this, CleanMyMac 3 thinking that would help. Apparently, I should delete it. I will look into possibly getting an external ssd with either Thunderbolt of USB 3.0 connections and see if that will help. Do you know if the transfer rates will be equilivant to an internal ssd?


Thanks again,


Eric

Reply
User profile for user: MichelPM
MichelPM
User level: Level 10
81,751 points

Mar 17, 2017 6:10 PM in response to Vonrussell

USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt are very fast data transfer protocols.

Extremely faster than USB 2.0 or FireWire 800.

There should be no perceptible differences in response performance running from an externally enclosed SSD.

Compared to the 5400 RPM internal drive inside of your Mac, the external SSD will be a noticeable difference to the extreme!


Good Luck to You!

Reply

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Should I replace my hard drive on my 2012 iMac

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