1TB/2TB fusion drive with external bootup or 512GB SSD?

[Jhoward]

I'm looking to buy an iMac 27 inch 5K, (obviously upgrading the RAM myself) but I'm having the same trouble a lot of people seem to have, I can't decide on what storage capacity to buy, my options at the moment are -

- 1TB/ 2TB Fusion Drive with a 2TB or 3TB external drive as a bootup

- 256GB SSD drive / 512GB SSD (Possibly with an external drive as well)

I'll mainly be using Premiere Pro, Photoshop, Lightroom, After Effects and other Adobe suite apps.

What would people suggest? I wanted to hear from people who have used them first hand
[doublepost=1515980947][/doublepost]I should add that money is kind of a problem and I'm looking for the cheapest/most efficient option


EDIT : I've decided to go for one of the SSD options, but I'm again unsure of what to go for out of 256GB SSD or 512GB SSD?? Suggestions??

 

[haruhiko]

Internal SSD plus external HDD/SSD.

 

[SaSaSushi]

Internal SSD plus external HDD/SSD.

+1 to this.

Since you want to hear from those who've owned them firsthand, my last iMac (Late 2013) had a 1TB Fusion Drive in which its HDD failed near the end of AppleCare. That was followed a few months later by the failure of the replacement HDD out of AppleCare.

Besides the HDD failure risk, an HDD adds noise and heat to the already narrow confines of the inside of an iMac.

My current Mid-2017 iMac has a 512GB SSD and I use external drives for storage/backup, MUCH better.

I agree that you should get the 256GB or 512GB SSD and use external drives for additional storage. Any premium in price over the Fusion Drive will be well worth it.

 

[smithrh]

Internal SSD all the way. Don't even think twice about it.

Load it up with external storage any way you want, plenty of options available. But keep away from spinning rust inside the machine.

I have an iMac from just before good SSD options, so it came with an internal HDD, but I boot it with an external SSD; even with that sub-optimal setup, I'd never even consider booting from the internal HDD - it's there just as a TM backup drive.

Every other piece of computing gear that I have now (MBP, work MBP, work PC laptop, Mac mini x2) is now internal SSD. Tons of external disks, of course, including SSD, but no more internal HDD for me.

Edit - I see your edit - don't cheap out here. Go smaller on the internal SSD size if you need to save some dollars.

Second edit - see this thread for more convincing, if you haven't already seen it: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/hating-my-new-27-imac.2099882/

 

[haruhiko]

If money is your concern then get the 256GB SSD option.. but it is not very sufficient when you have used it for some time. The optimal point should be 512GB SSD, price not too high with sufficient storage for OS, software and some data file. Media, video etc. can stay in an external HDD. I bought a 8TB Seagate 3.5" USB3 external HDD for $149 last month from Amazon. I don't even know how to fill all of the space, and the speed is okay as a file storage.

The internal SSD of Macs are very very fast now and sometimes can reach over 2000MB/s, that's easily 8x-10x faster than spinning hard drive, not to mention the heat, noise and shorter lifespan of the spinners.

 

[nambuccaheadsau]

You know your storage requirements better than anyone else. The 512GB SSD internal and external is a very balanced, fast way to go. Fusion Drives were great five years ago but no more.

 

[EugW]

Don't go Fusion.

 

[maflynn]

I'd say go with SSD if you can, then if not, go for the 2TB Fusion drive as it offers a larger SSD, and in all honesty, avoid the 1TB Fusion drive

 

[nambuccaheadsau]

Should the budget be tight, consider a macjhne from Apple Refurbished with an SSD.

You may have to watch for a while. Note all 27" models currently available have Fusion Drives. There is a message there.


https://www.apple.com/shop/browse/home/specialdeals/mac/imac

 

[Fishrrman]

IF you don't mind spending the $300 additional buy-in cost, the 512gb SSD wins, hands down.

Just buy USB3 storage for "additional space".
HDD or SSD, your choice (depending on space needs and budget).

 

[Jhoward]

I think after reading most of these responses I'll be buying the 512GB SSD version.

This might sound really dumb, but would you guys recommend apple care? I've never had it for any of my devices but I'm considering it for this.

 

[nambuccaheadsau]

For mine, a must with iMacs being so difficult (and expensive) to crack open and have work done on. If you are in the States or Japan, go with AppleCare+ for extra benefits such as two accidental damage claims, with an excess.