Best inexpensive Thunderbolt SSD Adapter?

[dandingo]

Hey guys,

After a lot of deliberation, I've decided on a 27" iMac for my photography business and am picking up a used one tomorrow. The problem is it has no SSD and I can't go back to anything but after using one. As most of you know, they're a must-have.

My question is is the Seagate thunderbolt adapter the cheapest option to get an SSD running as a boot drive? I know I can do USB 3.0 but I've read that it can be hard on the processor and I'm not ecstatic about spending $100+ for a Seagate TB adapter and another $30 for a TB cable! Insane!

 

[SaSaSushi]

The main reason you want to avoid USB3 because it doesn't support TRIM.

If you're using the external SSD to boot the iMac, you probably don't need the portability of a bus-powered enclosure like the Seagate.

I've been using the Delock 42490 TB enclosure for the past 8 months and can recommend it highly. It is AC-powered and very light aluminum construction You can see some benchmarks of it in my review of the Inateck FEU3NS-1E UASP enclosure.

 

[jdsmooooth]

Thanks everyone!

I'm sorry for the late reply.. Work has gotten crazy and my pregnant wife has been ill.

In the interim my iMac with 3TB Fusion Drive has shipped. I think ultimately I'm going to start with this and go to an external SSD if necessary at a later time. I can see that there can be a significant performance boost by going all SSD... I love the SSD in my MacBook Air. However, the need for more storage vs. cost relationship on my family's desktop was just a little more than I was willing to spend currently.

If within 14 days I'm unhappy with the performance of the machine I ordered.. I can always return it and restart.

Thanks again for all of your input. I really weighed it all.. and still am.