Ready to order ext SSD for iMac

I'd definitely go with SSD, depending on which iMac you want, I'd do the RAM myself. (Unless it's a non-user upgradable model)

SSD is definitely the first thing I would do. Huge response difference.
More than 8GB is not necessary unless you really use a lot of memory intensive apps.

garycurtis said:

The question wasn't addressed concerning USB-3 vs TB cable for the dock.

The other issue about RAM sort of dropped in my lap. Today I was backing up via Time Machine. And a little later transferred a 2Gb program to a Thumbdrive.
Really, really slow. In the midst of both actions I looked briefly at Activity Monitor. Memory usage was at 7.9Gb. The highest I've seen yet. Far higher than multitasking with Aperture, PhotoShop, LightRoom 5, and InDesign.

So the backup and file transfer put surprising stress on the RAM. That was enough for me. I'm buying and additional 8 or 12Gb of Crucial RAM.

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A USB3 dock with UASP support is fine for large externals and SSD. Thunderbolt will not gain you any performance in a single disk external mode. 3 & 4 disk externals can take advantage of Thunderbolt in Certain Raid modes when you're ready.

A USB3 dock is a very wise choice for the new iMacs right now. Ram is a contested issue here, but my general, if old school rule - buy as much as possible and max out when possible.

Photoshop and InDesign Love ram. Lightroom Loves fast drives. That's my theory and I'm sticking to it

Good Luck To You

garycurtis said:

Thanks. So the USB-3 is fine even for booting from an ext. SSD. I didn't know that. TB is such a new thing (so is USB-3 really) that it is something of a mystery.

When I add RAM to iMac, do the additional 2 chips/cards have to be the same size? I was thinking about adding an 8 & 4Gb to the existing 2x4s. I hear something about 'symmetry' mentioned.

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UASP enabled USB3 can max out what's available via external. The internal eSata on a new iMac can go almost twice as fast (but you didn't mention what you have as a boot)

Ram pairing is still a good practice - i.e. 4plus4 - 8 plus8 - 16 or 24 or 32 is a solid idea. Others might argue you can get away with the odd 20 in the second pair of 4, or as you say an 8 and 4. The costs are close, so why bother.

For an external SSD, I'd suggest going for one with Thunderbolt, because enabling TRIM is crucial for maintaining the SSD, and TRIM can only be enabled over TB but not USB.

garycurtis said:

OK. I didn't know that. And along with UASP I have to look up the definition of TRIM. So there is a long run advantage to having a TB connection.

Other an faster boots due to the SSD, is there an advantage to having the OS ON an SSD? And how about an ext SSD?

By the way, Jeremy, I have the 27" Late 2013 iMac. I can open a trap door on the back and change or add RAM. One reason I waited for this machine to hit the market.

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Having the OS on an SSD means you'll be able to boot in just a few seconds and app launching is instantaneous, you don't have to wait for the icon to bounce in the dock for a long time before it opens. On my 27" late-2013 machine with an internal 512GB SSD, iMovie launches in just 2 bounces on the dock.

garycurtis said:

Thanks again. Altogether, an SSD for booting is too much power for me. I never shut my machine down. I just put it to sleep.[/url]

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think that's the first time I've seen anyone post that their setup might have too much power....

I used to leave machine on always, but with the SSD I now use for booting I've found I can turn it off, saving power and heat. And boy does it come in handy when you have an issue and need to keep rebooting. And applications launch so much faster. I really don't see a reason NOT to boot from it; I think you'd get comfortable with the too much power pretty quickly.

And shop around those scanning services; it's a very competitive field right now. I had Digmypics do mine, and they did a better job than I could have. I dunno about Scancafe but I got to go online and pick the ones I wanted to keep and didn't have to pay for the duds. You just toss it all in and sort the scans rather than pick and choose what to send. Might not be an issue with movies though.