SSD or new Mac?

Late_crisis · May 9, 2014

I have a 2008 iMac with 8gb of ram and a 1tb hard drive. Back ups are done via time machine to a 1tb external drive. It is running slow and takes up to a minute or more to get to the log in screen when booting up. I am considering fitting a SSD as I am told this will speed everything up. However, they are not cheap so would I be better to sell the Mac and get a new one, or is my proposed upgrade worth it?

pigoo3 · May 9, 2014

Late_crisis said:
However, they are not cheap so would I be better to sell the Mac and get a new one, or is my proposed upgrade worth it?

HELLO. What's more expensive...a new SSD or a new computer?? I say that if the only issue is storage related...just get the SSD.

And by the way...there may be nothing wrong with your current hard drive...it may just need a little maintenance (it shouldn't take 1-2 minutes to get to the log in screen)...unless the HD is dying. If HD maintenance is the only issue...that will cost nothing!

That's certainly MUCH less expensive than a brand new $1200-$1500 computer!

- Nick

chscag · May 9, 2014

Sometimes it's a tough decision to make. New iMacs are fast and the display is great, however, they're not inexpensive to buy. I love the way my 2013 27" iMac can display 3 pages of a Word document on the screen for editing - but again it comes at a cost.

I would say if you're happy with your 2008 iMac and it's in good condition, adding an SSD drive in place of the hard drive will definitely give it a boost in speed. The ifixit web site has excellent step by step instructions on how to open your iMac and change out the drive.

iFixit: The free repair manual - iFixit

Late_crisis · May 9, 2014

pigoo3 said:
HELLO. What's more expensive...a new SSD or a new computer?? I say that if the only issue is storage related...just get the SSD.

And by the way...there may be nothing wrong with your current hard drive...it may just need a little maintenance (it shouldn't take 1-2 minutes to get to the log in screen)...unless the HD is dying. If HD maintenance is the only issue...that will cost nothing!

That's certainly MUCH less expensive than a brand new $1200-$1500 computer!

- Nick

When you talk about HD maint. What would you suggest? The drive was fitted by Apple less than two years ago. I would like to clear the drive and reinstall Maverick, but I'm a bit nervous about doing it, though I have the Time Machine backup. Any suggestion gratefully accepted!

pigoo3 · May 9, 2014

Late_crisis said:
When you talk about HD maint. What would you suggest? The drive was fitted by Apple less than two years ago. I would like to clear the drive and reinstall Maverick, but I'm a bit nervous about doing it, though I have the Time Machine backup. Any suggestion gratefully accepted!

"Clearing" a drive and reinstalling the OS is very very easy (but sometimes a drastic measure). Of course having things backed up first is a great idea (sounds like you already have a backup).

Also…if Mavericks is an OS upgrade for you…better be sure all your important apps are compatible with Mavericks first.

If you wanted to do some HD maintenance (first or instead of wiping the drive)…we recommend an app called Onyx:

Titanium's Software • Index page

Just download and install Onyx…then click on the "auto" button…and let it do it's thing.

Also…if your HD is getting full (more than approx. 80% full)…this can cause slowdowns as well.

- Nick

Late_crisis · May 10, 2014

pigoo3 said:
"Clearing" a drive and reinstalling the OS is very very easy (but sometimes a drastic measure). Of course having things backed up first is a great idea (sounds like you already have a backup).

Also…if Mavericks is an OS upgrade for you…better be sure all your important apps are compatible with Mavericks first.

If you wanted to do some HD maintenance (first or instead of wiping the drive)…we recommend an app called Onyx:

Titanium's Software • Index page

Just download and install Onyx…then click on the "auto" button…and let it do it's thing.

Also…if your HD is getting full (more than approx. 80% full)…this can cause slowdowns as well.

- Nick

Thanks for that. I downloaded Onyx and ran it. When it finished doing its thing some time later, there is little, if any difference to the start up time. I think I will do a clean install of Mavericks. It is the current operating system on my mac now anyway. All my stuff is backed up on the external drive. Can you point me in the direction of 'easy to follow' instructions please? Thanks again.

pigoo3 · May 10, 2014

Late_crisis said:
Thanks for that. I downloaded Onyx and ran it. When it finished doing its thing some time later, there is little, if any difference to the start up time. I think I will do a clean install of Mavericks. It is the current operating system on my mac now anyway. All my stuff is backed up on the external drive. Can you point me in the direction of 'easy to follow' instructions please? Thanks again.

You didn't tell us how full your HD is (gigs used and gigs free).

It would also be helpful to know what OS version is currently installed.

- Nick

SSD or new Mac?

Late_crisis

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