2012 27' iMac HDD swap possibilities

[jprokos]

Everyone seems to be swapping their internal HDD for an SSD. Has anyone swapped out their 1TB HDD for a 3TB or 4TB HDD?

I have read that in previous iMac models there were fan issues if the HDD was swapped for a HDD that didn't have the correct firmware, i.e. Apple Firmware). Is this still an issue with the 2012 iMacs??

Curiously, from what I've read, swapping the HDD for an SSD doesn't cause any issues with the fan. Would someone please corroborate.

Next question… external storage. I have an Icy Dock RAID with eSATA. How can I take advantage of its eSATA connection using the new iMac? The Icy Dock is a RAID device with port multiplication. I have seen some USB3 to eSATA adapters but there seems to be an issue with port multipliers.

Thank you for suggestions.

 

[Bear]

Also look at Thunderbolt to eATA.

As for swapping the internal drive, yes there can be fan issues. You could try and get the Apple 3TB drive that goes in the iMac. Do remember that when you open your iMac up, it voids the warranty.

 

[coocooforcocoap]

Also look at Thunderbolt to eATA.

what is this? Is an external TB drive just as good as the internal? Can you put in an SSD there, and then boot from that? just got a new late 2012 iMac and I want to soup it up. thx!

 

[Bear]

what is this? Is an external TB drive just as good as the internal? Can you put in an SSD there, and then boot from that? just got a new late 2012 iMac and I want to soup it up. thx!

You can boot off an external SSD via Thunderbolt or USB 3.0 and get the full speed of the SSD.

 

[coocooforcocoap]

You can boot off an external SSD via Thunderbolt or USB 3.0 and get the full speed of the SSD.

thx bear! so if i get a thunderbolt SSD drive, and boot from that, will it be like instant on and off, like with my smartphone? i do a lot of software testing and always rebooting my macs, which takes forever it seems. thx again for your experienced tips!

 

[jprokos]

You can boot off an external SSD via Thunderbolt or USB 3.0 and get the full speed of the SSD.

There are no empty external thunderbolt enclosures,,,, yet. People are paying a premium for thunderbolt external cases that already have an SSD or HDD in them. The prices are insane right now for thunderbolt storage.

So you will have to power up your external drive before you power on your iMac for it to boot? Also you will need a power supply and you might have to listen to a fan on the drive.

 

[itsamacthing]

I'm very happy with my single 768 flash with 4TB stripped storage via USB3, and 1 4TB HDD via USB3 for TM. Sure, I'm curious about installing a drive on that second SATA3 port, but is opening it worth it vs. the external storage options? Don't think so

 

[Nuke61]

thx bear! so if i get a thunderbolt SSD drive, and boot from that, will it be like instant on and off, like with my smartphone? i do a lot of software testing and always rebooting my macs, which takes forever it seems. thx again for your experienced tips!

It won't be instant on. I boot from an 840 Pro via Thunderbolt and it takes ~18 seconds to boot. However, your phone likely doesn't have instant on/off either, unless you just mean sleep/wake and not really on/off. My phone, a Moto Android phone, takes MUCH longer to reboot than my iMac.

 

[Nuke61]

There are no empty external thunderbolt enclosures,,,, yet. People are paying a premium for thunderbolt external cases that already have an SSD or HDD in them. The prices are insane right now for thunderbolt storage.

I bought a Buffalo PA500TU3 for $160. A premium, certainly, but nothing I'd call insane. The Buffalo can be attached using Thunderbolt or USB 3.0, which is nice

 

[jprokos]

what is this? Is an external TB drive just as good as the internal? Can you put in an SSD there, and then boot from that? just got a new late 2012 iMac and I want to soup it up. thx!

The Lacie device connects Thunderbolt to eSATA. It costs $200. I don't think there is any performance advantage if you are running HDD to choose Thunderbolt over USB3. If you are running SSDs in your external enclosure then using the Lacie Thunderbolt to eSATA Hub will give you the full speed of eSATA. Not sure what that is; it probably varies depending on your external enclosure, eSATA board, and SSD.

I have a hard time trusting Lacie because of my experiences with their enclosures. They look sexy… but mine have always been unreliable. After my last Lacie enclosure failed… bad drives (out of warranty) I took it apart and found both hard drives had a bent corner! That means they were dropped so hard that the edge of the drives bent, and they were installed anyway! Again, the enclosure was out of warranty. I replaced the drives and a few months later the controller went bad.