Changing OEM HD on iMac to SSD

[dtran086]

Hey everyone,

I recently bought a late 2013 27' iMac and I bought the base model. It has the traditional 1TB hard drive in there but I'd like to upgrade it to an SSD drive. Is there a place that anyone can recommend where I can send my iMac to have this upgrade done? I also want to make sure it's done right and the quality of the work is reputable as well as the parts they use. Can someone make any good recommendations on where to turn to?

Thanks!

 

[pigoo3]

Is there a place that anyone can recommend where I can send my iMac to have this upgrade done?

We are a world-wide internet forum. Can't make any recommendations if we don't know where on Earth you live!

- Nick

 

[harryb2448]

OWC if you are in USA.

Elsewhere is pot luck.


http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/turnkey/iMac_2011/UpgradeInstall

 

[dtran086]

We are a world-wide internet forum. Can't make any recommendations if we don't know where on Earth you live!

- Nick

Sorry about that. I forgot to mention. I live in Los Angeles, CA.

 

[dtran086]

OWC if you are in USA.

Elsewhere is pot luck.


Upgrade Drives and Memory: All iMac 2011 Models 21.5" and 27", full OWC TurnKey Installation Program

I've never dealt with OWC. Do I just ship the iMac to them and tell them what i'd like to have upgraded?

 

[chscag]

The OWC Turn Key program does not apply to the 2012 and 2013 model iMacs. You can give OWC a call on their 800 line and speak with a tech advisor. They may have a different program for those iMacs, so you will have to ask. It's best to speak with them directly and get the details and cost.

 

[dtran086]

The OWC Turn Key program does not apply to the 2012 and 2013 model iMacs. You can give OWC a call on their 800 line and speak with a tech advisor. They may have a different program for those iMacs, so you will have to ask. It's best to speak with them directly and get the details and cost.

Thanks for the info!

 

[rubaiyat]

Sorry about that. I forgot to mention. I live in Los Angeles, CA.

Ahhhhh! The centre of the universe.

 

[rubaiyat]

Why not just plug an external drive in?

USB3.0 or Thunderbolt is pretty fast.

 

[pigoo3]

Sorry about that. I forgot to mention. I live in Los Angeles, CA.

If you want...you could add your location to your profile. Then we will know where you are in the future.

- Nick

 

[dtran086]

Why not just plug an external drive in?

USB3.0 or Thunderbolt is pretty fast.

I'd rather have an internal SSD. I have an external drive just for storage but I want the boot up time and general response to be faster. I thought I'd be OK with a standard HD but once I got used to my macbook air, the difference is pretty darn noticeable.

 

[dtran086]

If you want...you could add your location to your profile. Then we will know where you are in the future.

- Nick

Thanks for the tip Nick! I haven't used this forum too much lately so I haven't had the chance to really spend time to update my profile, but will do!

 

[Exodist]

Why not just plug an external drive in?

USB3.0 or Thunderbolt is pretty fast.

Its not extra space someone looks for when upgrading to a SSD, its speed. While USB3.0 is a great option for storage at R/Ws of around 120 to 130ish. It however does not compare to a SSD R/W speed of around 500MB/s. Soon as you hit about 350MB/s, the performance of your system greatly improves and after getting used to the responsiveness and disk speed. It really is hard to go back to a normal HDD even if its a 7200RPM drive.

That said a great option, while not an easy one for iMacs is to swap out the HDD for a SSD, then put they original HDD in a USB 3.0 enclosed for extra speed. Now another option is to put in the SSD and keep the original HDD installed. This will require some additional ribbon cables likely from OWC. You can then re-install the entire system, after formatting both drives in the bootable recovery mode. The system many times will see that there is a SSD and HDD and give the user the option to build those into a Fusion Drive Array, which then gives you a balance of speed and drive space. I did this with my Mac Mini and now have a 1.25TB Fusion Drive that has speeds over 350 MB/s on both Reads and Writes, plus ton of drive space. Which runs great even using video editing like in Final Cut Pro X.

 

[dtran086]

Its not extra space someone looks for when upgrading to a SSD, its speed. While USB3.0 is a great option for storage at R/Ws of around 120 to 130ish. It however does not compare to a SSD R/W speed of around 500MB/s. Soon as you hit about 350MB/s, the performance of your system greatly improves and after getting used to the responsiveness and disk speed. It really is hard to go back to a normal HDD even if its a 7200RPM drive.

That said a great option, while not an easy one for iMacs is to swap out the HDD for a SSD, then put they original HDD in a USB 3.0 enclosed for extra speed. Now another option is to put in the SSD and keep the original HDD installed. This will require some additional ribbon cables likely from OWC. You can then re-install the entire system, after formatting both drives in the bootable recovery mode. The system many times will see that there is a SSD and HDD and give the user the option to build those into a Fusion Drive Array, which then gives you a balance of speed and drive space. I did this with my Mac Mini and now have a 1.25TB Fusion Drive that has speeds over 350 MB/s on both Reads and Writes, plus ton of drive space. Which runs great even using video editing like in Final Cut Pro X.

wow! awesome tip. I might try that... . Thanks!!

 

[Exodist]

wow! awesome tip. I might try that... . Thanks!!

Glad I could help.. Happy Holidays..

 

[chas_m]

Plenty of good Mac places to go in LA (Apple Authorized Service Providers). Should be no shortage of options around there.

 

[dotdotdot]

Now another option is to put in the SSD and keep the original HDD installed.

Is there room to cram in a SSD in there somewhere without removing the HDD? Looks to me every possible square mm is being used.

 

[docx]

Is there room to cram in a SSD in there somewhere without removing the HDD? Looks to me every possible square mm is being used.

The CD/DVD drive is removed and the SSD put in its place

 

[Slydude]

Is the speed with the SSD connected there the same as it would be with the SSD in the hard drive space? On some Macs the connection that the DVD drive is on is slow compared to the connection used by the hard drive.

 

[dotdotdot]

Well, his is a 2013 so no CD/DVD drive.