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2TB Fusion Drive or 512GB SSD?

T

tomdwan

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 19, 2015
37
18
Hey guys,
sorry for yet another Fusion vs SSD thread.

I am about to buy a 27" iMac Retina.
Not quite sure which option to take.
I am a regular user (MS Office, 30+ tabs of Chrome, Netflix, Spotify, iTunes, occasional iMovie).
So compared to many users here I am by no means a power user, but the stuff that I do do, I want to do as fast and efficiently as possible.

I am aware of the general pros and cons of fusion vs SSD, but would be grateful for advice especially regarding 2TB Fusion vs 512 SSD (money not the deciding factor here). How much better is the pure SSD and in which moments/activities will i notice it the most? How much better is the pure SSD compared to the SSD part of the Fusion?

Thanks!
 
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Regarding how you use it, I think you can hardly feel the difference between SSD and Fusion Drive.
But if money is not a problem, get the 1 TB SSD. That's definitely the best option.
 
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Winfield said:
Regarding how you use it, I think you can hardly feel the difference between SSD and Fusion Drive.
But if money is not a problem, get the 1 TB SSD. That's definitely the best option.
Click to expand...
thanks for your answer. well 1 TB SSD is too crazy expensive, I just meant that I am willing to pay the premium of the 512 SSD compared to the 2TB fusion.
 
I'm in the same boat and after reading and asking questions here I've gone for the 512GB SSD External HDDs are cheap. So it's easy to add more storage and USB 3's are fast. The 512GB SSD will Defo give the best bang for buck
 
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thanks for all of your answers, they were super helpful.
I went with the 512 SSD in the end, figuring that I want the highest performing computer and that i can worry about additional storage later.
 
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tomdwan said:
thanks for all of your answers, they were super helpful.
I went with the 512 SSD in the end, figuring that I want the highest performing computer and that i can worry about additional storage later.
Click to expand...

I had the same dilemma and ended up going with the 512SSD over the 2TB fusion. I'm sure i won't be sorry for that choice. external storage is so cheap now too.
 
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If you are thinking about maxing capacity then the Fusion drive will give you most options.

You can defuse it, use the 128GB part as fast storage for system and data and install a cheap 1TB SATA SSD drive or even 2TB instead of internal hard drive. Then you can have 1TB+ of SSD with fraction of the cost compared to Apple.
 
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I like the 512 GB SSD, I'd avoid the 1TB Fusion drive like the plague. Apple shrunk the flash portion of the drive to 24GB so basically your data will sitting on the 5400 rpm drive.

If you need storage, get the 2TB flash or the 512 GB SSD.
 
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I think it's only a tough choice because I wonder how much it will affect the resale value of the computer. From a cost perspective, it makes little if any sense as you will be able to find 512GB ssd's for around $100 on Black Friday. I just bought a 1TB ssd for under $300.
 
looking4anotebo said:
you will be able to find 512GB ssd's for around $100 on Black Friday
Click to expand...
From what I hear the iMac is pretty much sealed and its difficult (though no impossible) to open up and upgrade. I agree the cost of 512GB SSDs are much cheaper then what Apple charges but by the same token there is a risk factor in trying to do the work yourself.
 
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maflynn said:
From what I hear the iMac is pretty much sealed and its difficult (though no impossible) to open up and upgrade. I agree the cost of 512GB SSDs are much cheaper then what Apple charges but by the same token there is a risk factor in trying to do the work yourself.
Click to expand...


I was talking about external storage, it wouldn't be hard to throw an SSD in an external closure. I wasn't talking about self upgrade.
 
I struggled for days about this decision, 512gb ssd vs 3tb fusion. In the end I decided to go with the 1TB SSD.

If I went with the 512GB SSD I'd always think to myself, damn, I wish I had more space.

If I went with the 3TB Fusion I'd always think to myself, damn, some things aren't as fast as they could be.

but with the 1TB SSD I don't think I'll have to worry about space or speed for a long time.

It's the most expensive option, but I don't think I will regret it. Another reason I decided to spring for the upgrade is because external SSDs won't be able to match the PCI-e transfer rates of the internal SSD at least for the next 2-3 years unless you paid something ridiculous like 1500 for a RAID Thunderbolt SSD setup.
 
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I too was leaning towards the 512 ssd. Then I started thinking about the 2 tb fusion. I was thinking about resale as mentioned, ease of use, and the fact that I could buy today without waiting for a BTO. But then I realized if I installed Windows on bootcamp it would not go on the ssd portion. Guess I will go with the 512 ssd. Sure wish the 1tb option wasn't so expensive.
 
Is the any info whether the 27" 2 TB fusion drive has a 5400 or 7200 hdd? From what I read some people THINK it's 7200 but no one actually checked.
 
Since apple charges so much money for ssd , would it be better buying an imac with 1TB hdd and later replace it with an SSD once the warranty expires? Is the total cost of buying an SSD and paying a technician to replace it for you the same as if you had bought it from apple from the get go?
 
I use either an external NAS or cloud, but even my 3 Y/O rMBP with 128GB has more 60% free.
I dont want data local on a device. 256GB SSD would be my "choice".
 
For me the 2 TB Fusion Drive is the clear choice. That is because it has now been documented that if you order only SSD, you lose the ability to connect an internal SATA hard drive. Likewise, if you order a spinning drive only, you lose the connector for the internal SSD. The 2 TB Fusion drive is plenty fast for me. In time, I will upgrade both parts of the Fusion Drive on my own when third party options become available. (I am quite comfortable working on the insides of iMacs).
 
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