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2013 iMac Running SO SLOW!External SSD help please!

B

bdevries

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 30, 2019
8
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Hi everyone,

I've browsed through a bunch of threads about booting my slow iMac from an external SSD but since I'm such a computer noob, wasn't sure if the advice was applicable to me or not.

I recently purchased a 2013 iMac 3.2ghz 16RAM 1TB HD. I've wiped it a couple times but it's still surprisingly slow - even the mouse and some typing lags behind commands, which is pretty shocking considering I have a Macbook with the exact same specs, except it's on a 128GB SSD. I've run a hardware diagnostics test on it but everything seems to be fine.

I'm afraid taking the screen off to replace the HD with an SSD is too expensive or risky, so I'm thinking of using my 1TB Lacie Porsche Design external SSD as a boot drive. I've spent days researching and there's all this talk about TB/USC-C/USC-3) and I just need some direct answers since right now its reading and writing at around 80mb/s.

I've already installed the OS on the SSD and am booting from that drive, but it's still slow! There is a chance I'm not using the right wire I guess but everything fits and it transfers files extremely quick with my macbook so I don't get it.

Any ideas?
 
It could be the cable on your Lacie. 80mbps is not fast. I have the same issue with an HP external SSD that is USB C to USB. transfers files fast but slow when used as a boot drive.

Get one of these cables and connect it to an internal SSD like a Samsung evo or other well reviewed ssd. I use it with evos and WD blues and they’re fast.


www.amazon.com

StarTech.com SATA to USB Cable - USB 3.0 to 2.5” SATA III Hard Drive Adapter - External Converter for SSD/HDD Data Transfer (USB3S2SAT3CB)

This SATA to USB cable is an external drive adapter that gives you quick and easy access to a SATA drive through the USB-A port on a laptop. This SATA solid-state (SSD) or hard drive (HDD) adapter lets you upgrade to an external 2.5"" SATA SSD or HDD. The cable lets you: add drive space,...
www.amazon.com
 
Last edited:
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Do you know what the connector for the Lacie would be called? Is it USB-C to USB-3? I'd rather try that first I think rather than getting a new SSD
 
OP wrote:
"I recently purchased a 2013 iMac 3.2ghz 16RAM 1TB HD. I've wiped it a couple times but it's still surprisingly slow - even the mouse and some typing lags behind commands"

There is one way, and ONLY ONE WAY, to get the speeds that the iMac is capable of delivering.
That's to boot and run from an SSD.

The SSD can be internal (but you'd have to pry open the iMac to install it, and there's a HIGH risk of breaking something).
or...
You can buy an EXTERNAL SSD, and then boot and run that way. This is little more than "a child's play" on a Mac.

The fastest, easiest, cheapest way to go here is to buy a USB3 SSD, plug it in, and set it up to become the boot drive.

Hmmm... looks like you ALREADY HAVE an external USB3 SSD, right?
Then things get even easier. You're halfway home already.

IMPORTANT:
You haven't told us which version of the OS you're using.

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO NOW:
First, use Disk Utility to erase the SSD to either Mac OS extended with journaling enabled, GUID partition format OR to APFS, GUID partition format. Again, WHAT VERSION OF THE OS are you using?

Then, use either CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper to "clone" the contents of the internal drive to the SSD. Both CCC and SD are FREE to download and use for 30 days, doing this costs you nothing. Do it my way, this will save you a lot of time and trouble!

Copying the contents of the internal drive to the SSD is going to take a while, so be patient.

Once everything is copied, go to the startup disk preference pane and designate the SSD to be the boot drive.

Then, reboot.

DONE !
 
Last edited:
Fishrrman said:
OP wrote:
"I recently purchased a 2013 iMac 3.2ghz 16RAM 1TB HD. I've wiped it a couple times but it's still surprisingly slow - even the mouse and some typing lags behind commands"

There is one way, and ONLY ONE WAY, to get the speeds that the iMac is capable of delivering.
That's to boot and run from an SSD.

The SSD can be internal (but you'd have to pry open the iMac to install it, and there's a HIGH risk of breaking something).
or...
You can buy an EXTERNAL SSD, and then boot and run that way. This is little more than "a child's play" on a Mac.

The fastest, easiest, cheapest way to go here is to buy a USB3 SSD, plug it in, and set it up to become the boot drive.

You can buy either:
- a pre-assembled USB3 SSD that is "ready to go"
or...
- buy a "bare" 2.5" SSD, and a USB3 enclosure, and "assemble it yourself" (again, child's play).

For a pre-assembled drive, you might start with a Samsung t5 or a Sandisk Extreme.

If you're going to buy a bare drive, there are many to choose from.
You can go with "name brands" (such as Crucial, Sandisk, etc.) or there are even "off-brands" that are cheaper.
Prices have come down so much I'd recommend a 1tb drive (or thereabouts, some are 960gb, etc.)

You didn't tell us which version of the OS you're using.
Once you have the drive, use Disk Utility to initialize (erase) it to either HFS+ or APFS (again, this depends on the OS you're using).
Then, use either CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper to "clone" the contents of the internal drive to the SSD. Both CCC and SD are FREE to download and use for 30 days, doing this costs you nothing.

Then, go to the startup disk preference pane and designate the SSD to be the boot drive.

Then, reboot.

DONE !
Click to expand...


Hi! I mentioned that I already have a Lacie SSD that I'd like to use, it's already set up as the boot drive, but it's still only reading and writing around 80mb/s :)
 
Is the Lacie enclosure USB3?
Or is it something else?

You need a USB3 enclosure that is specifically stated to support "UASP" (USB attached SCSI protocol), AND you need a USB3 connecting cable to the Mac (these usually have blue connectors).

The wrong connecting cable can prevent the drive from delivering the proper speeds, even if the enclosure supports UASP.

Is the drive removable from the enclosure?
If so, you could use a DIFFERENT enclosure, or you could use a USB3/SATA adapter dongle (I use these and they work fine).

If you're only getting 80mbps from an SSD, something isn't right...
 
I'll check the colour of the USB connector!

LaCie Porsche Design 1TB USB-C Portable External Hard Drive (STFD1000400) | Best Buy Canada

If you're looking for the Italian sports car of external storage, then look no further. This LaCie Porsche designed 1TB mobile drive is built for speed and will turn heads with its sleek, aluminum casing design. This portable hard drive is compatible with both Mac and Windows operating systems.
www.bestbuy.ca www.bestbuy.ca

This is the exact SSD that I have. It came with 2 cables I believe but one must have got lost in the move. Hopefullu it's just a cable issue!
 
bdevries said:
I'll check the colour of the USB connector!

LaCie Porsche Design 1TB USB-C Portable External Hard Drive (STFD1000400) | Best Buy Canada

If you're looking for the Italian sports car of external storage, then look no further. This LaCie Porsche designed 1TB mobile drive is built for speed and will turn heads with its sleek, aluminum casing design. This portable hard drive is compatible with both Mac and Windows operating systems.
www.bestbuy.ca www.bestbuy.ca

This is the exact SSD that I have. It came with 2 cables I believe but one must have got lost in the move. Hopefullu it's just a cable issue!
Click to expand...

I don't think the hard drive inside the enclosure is an SSD. I think it's just a spinning laptop drive. $100 for 1TB external SSD seems way to cheap. Go get the cable I linked to on Amazon and buy a SATA SSD.
 
Well. This is extremely embarrassing! For some reason I was thinking my older external HD was an SSD and like you said - it's not! Wow... no wonder there as no speed change when I hooked it up!!
 
Can anyone then recommend an SSD for me? I do a lot of FCPX 4K work. I'm currently running 16RAM that I may update down the road but for now will just do the SSD. The 2013 has TB and USB3 ports, so should I be looking for an external SSD connecting via USB3, or an internal SSD in an enclosure so it can go to the Thunderbolt port?
 
If I got the T5, installed the OS on it as well as kept a bunch of files on it, would I be okay to occasionally remove it to see the files on my laptop too or should I partition it so the OS is separate from the files?
 
If you plan on disconnecting from the iMac to your laptop often the T5 would be better. I would just make one partition and make a folder for files you want to view on the laptop.
 
OP wrote:
"If I got the T5, installed the OS on it as well as kept a bunch of files on it, would I be okay to occasionally remove it to see the files on my laptop too or should I partition it so the OS is separate from the files?"

Actually, the better way to "move files around" would be to use a USB3 flash drive.

Something VERY IMPORTANT to be aware of when moving files between two Macs, even if you have the same username and password on both computers:
The OS will see "the ownership" of these files as coming from two DIFFERENT accounts. Your "file permissions" could become messed up.

I've found over the years that for important business/data/personal files, things work best if I keep those files "concentrated" on ONE Mac (which of course has multiple backups). If I need to open a few files on my other Mac(s), mainly my laptop, I use a flashdrive to "move 'em over". But I generally just "look" at them, I don't change them. "Changes" are done on the "main computer".

That works for me.
But then, I'm not you.

Also....
I do "separate" the OS and data files on my main boot drive. I set it up FOUR partitions (512gb drive) like this:
- Boot partition (contains OS, apps, basic accounts)
- Main partition (contains all my "main" files that aren't music or media related)
- Media partition (contains photos, movies, etc.)
- Music partition (contains music, of course).

Others in the forum will say "that's too many partitions, to complicated to know where things are supposed to go!".

But I find stuff just fine.
 
The permissions issue is a good point. Moving a boot drive between computers like that may introduce minor complications. Not to mention that you won't be able to use your iMac while the boot drive is gone (or you'll end up booting from the original internal drive, and then you'll want to save a bookmark or something and it will save to the internal drive and won't be readily available when you later boot from the SSD).

Flash drive to share files works great. File sharing from the iMac to the MacBook also works great.

Fishrrman said:
Others in the forum will say "that's too many partitions, to complicated to know where things are supposed to go!".
Click to expand...

What he said. :)
 
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