best place to buy SSD drive for imac?

[macgig]

macsales.com seems high. would newegg.com be a better choice? just wondering where everyone shops online for their mac stuff?

 

[ferrarr]

Crucial is also another option.

Crucial US | DRAM, Solid State Drive (SSD) & Memory Upgrades

Some people use Amazon and ebay as well.

 

[macgig]

thanks.

 

[pigoo3]

Another place to check is Microcenter.

- Nick

 

[macgig]

seems like when I click on "mac hard drives" for most websites to look at SSD or HDD for mac, I seem to get limited choices and higher prices. will any ssd work on mac or must I buy a certain one? here is one option but the prices seem high to me?

OWC SSD Upgrade Kits for 21.5-Inch iMac (2013 - 2019)

1TB is $259.

 

[Lifeisabeach]

seems like when I click on "mac hard drives" for most websites to look at SSD or HDD for mac, I seem to get limited choices and higher prices. will any ssd work on mac or must I buy a certain one? here is one option but the prices seem high to me?

OWC SSD Upgrade Kits for 21.5-Inch iMac (2013 - 2019)

1TB is $259.

That is high, although you are also looking at their highest performing alternatives. Go down further, and the non-Pro version is a lot less, though still a bit high. However, I can't recommend those particular drives from OWC. I've had two give me issues starting with Mojave, and another poster here had problems with one and its replacement out of the box. This is anecdotal of course, and many of us have long recommended OWC's Mercury Drives, but these experiences aren't adding up and I suspect that the controllers they use have problems with APFS.

You don't have to get Mac-specific drives (unless your Mac uses the blade-type). I'm currently using WD's Blue SSD in a Mac mini, which runs $120 for 1TB from Best Buy right now.

EDIT: that bit about blade-types does remind me... what exactly is in your iMac right now? I did a quick check and if SDD-equipped, it'd be the blade-type. If HDD-equipped, then a regular SSD can be put in its place with adapters. Are you up to speed on HOW to do any of this? Replacing a drive in a 2015 iMac is not for the faint of heart. Refer to the guides on iFixIt. There are separate ones for SSD-equipped iMacs vs HDD-equipped.

iMac Intel 21.5" Retina 4K Display 2015 Repair - iFixit

 

[ferrarr]

I guess it depends on what type of SSD your iMac came with? If your iMac came with a rotational HDD, and you are replacing that with an SSD, then it should be a lot less expensive. But if your iMac has a blade SSD to begin with, then that style is newer tech and faster read/write access, which comes at higher costs.

 

[macgig]

@LifeisaBeach I like the price of the 500gb drive, I may try that one. thanks for the heads up I'm going to avoid the other drives you mentioned.

 

[macgig]

I have a HDD now, mechanical. 5400rpm. starting and restarting is so slow... how do I know if its a blade type? I did install a HD in my 2007 imac, so I'm familiar with how its done.

iMac Intel 21.5" Retina 4K Display 2015 Repair - iFixit[/URL]

 

[Lifeisabeach]

I have a HDD now, mechanical. 5400rpm. starting and restarting is so slow... how do I know if its a blade type? I did install a HD in my 2007 imac, so I'm familiar with how its done.

HDDs don't come in a stick format (those are special SSDs that resemble memory sticks), so you are good on that front. But the replacement for the drive in a 2015 iMac is considerably more involved than it was for a 2007. For starters, the LCD is glued in place so you have to strip the glue off and glue it back on. if you haven't read the walkthrough on iFixIt, please do so before you regret not doing so.

 

[macgig]

the hard part is getting the sticky stuff I need to put the screen back on.... some sellers include it when u buy a drive, others don't. apple did away with magnets to hold the screen on... just a sticky tape like u said keeps the screen in place... they cheaped out on that if u ask me. I guess I have to buy a "kit" with the stuff needed to put the screen back on.

 

[chscag]

The reason for the double sided tape to hold the screen in place is because Apple has made the latest iMacs thinner. The last iMacs to have the magnets were the 2011 models. All the later models use the tape. You can order the tape kit from ifixit along with any other tools you might need.

 

[Randy B. Singer]

macsales.com seems high. would newegg.com be a better choice? just wondering where everyone shops online for their mac stuff?

The problem is that there are so many different, incompatible, types off SSD's for Macs. You can't just choose the lowest price 1TB SSD from New Egg, for instance, you have to make absolutely sure that it will fit your year and model of Mac:

The Ultimate Guide to Apple’s Proprietary SSDs
Apple Proprietary SSDs: Ultimate Guide to Specs & Upgrades | BeetsBlog

On top of that, there are all sorts of different technologies used in SSD's, even if they are made for your year and model Mac. You don't have to worry too much about this, even middling SSD's have good performance, but you DO have to make absolutely sure that you aren't purchasing an SSD that lacks DRAM:
YouTube

Finally, you have to make sure that the SSD that you get will support Apple's implementation of TRIM, *or* it includes it's own version of TRIM in firmware.

So, it really pays to go with a company that knows their stuff about Macs, like OWC, and which will assure you that the SSD you purchase will work with your Mac and that it won't be a dog.

Another choice is to purchase your SSD from a company that only makes SSD's for the Mac, like AngelBird:
SSD WRK - Solid State Drive for Mac PC with TRIM | Angelbird
Angelbird SSD wrk = native TRIM for Mac

Good SSD review sites:
SSDs - Latest Articles and Reviews on AnandTech
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-recommendation-benchmark,3269.html
http://www.barefeats.com

 

[pm-r]

The problem is that there are so many different, incompatible, types off SSD's for Macs. You can't just choose the lowest price 1TB SSD...

Like a lot of things, this reminds me of John Ruskin's famous quote:

“There is scarcely anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse, and sell a little more cheaply. The person who buys on price alone is this man's lawful prey.”

― John Ruskin

- Patrick
======

 

[macgig]

sounds like getting the right SSD is more complicated than installing it, which is also not easy. :/

thanks for the info @Randy B Singer. guess I wont be getting an SSD just yet. I'll check out some of the links you included.

 

[macgig]

I wonder if a 7200rpm HDD drive would help make things faster? the prices on them are more in my budget than SSD, and Im certain I can install one. $44 with shipping. would I notice any speed increase?

WD Blue 1TB Desktop Hard Disk Drive - 7200 RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache 3.5 Inch - WD10EZEX - Newegg.com

 

[pm-r]

I wonder if a 7200rpm HDD drive would help make things faster? the prices on them are more in my budget than SSD, and Im certain I can install one. $44 with shipping. would I notice any speed increase?

I would say definitely YES to both questions.

I have done a similar swap using the WD Black 7200RPM HDDs.

I found the extra few bucks they normally cost well worth it and they run fast and cool and quiet and have a longer warranty.

Starting and restarting will still be slower than booting from a solid-state drive, but how often are you doing that, that it would be a concern???

https://shop.westerndigital.com/c/internal-storage.WDC.WD





- Patrick
======

 

[macgig]

Starting and restarting will still be slower than booting from a solid-state drive, but how often are you doing that, that it would be a concern???

https://shop.westerndigital.com/c/internal-storage.WDC.WD

- Patrick
======

I put my mac to sleep or lock the screen when not in use, only time I restart is when Im having a problem or do an update that requires restarting.

 

[chscag]

If you're going to open up that iMac and replace the hard drive, it's foolish in my opinion not to replace it with a good quality SSD. Remember, you get the result you pay for and if you're looking for a faster more up to date iMac, then the way to go is with an SSD.

Apple according to preview reports has done away with spinner hard drives on all its new iMacs which they will announce in another week.

Also, I do not trust the drives that WD makes as they are not up to the quality of what they used to produce.

Your decision.

 

[macgig]

If you're going to open up that iMac and replace the hard drive, it's foolish in my opinion not to replace it with a good quality SSD. Remember, you get the result you pay for and if you're looking for a faster more up to date iMac, then the way to go is with an SSD.

you are probably right. I have to wait until its in the budget to move on the SSD.