First Imac 2020 and some questions

[Magnusch]

Hello everybody,

I am new here but read a lot here, and happy to be here now.

today I ordered my first iMac that I plan to use for my music production.
I choose this configuration:
- Std. Display
- I7 8core
- 8GB Ram
- 5500 XT
- 1TB SSD
- 10 Gigabit Ethernet
- VESA Mount adapter for my Ergotron Monitor arm

Seperately I ordered the recommended crucial ram from the thread in this nice forum.

Beside the new iMac I ordered I use a small map 13" from 2017 which is ok for smaller music production ideas. On the map I run Mojave OS.

Could someone be so nice and tell me what ways are possible when I will receive the new iMac, hopefully in the next 3 weeks, regarding an easy way to integrate my settings and software installation from my mbp to the new iMac?

 

[zerofour]

Best way is to backup your MBP via Time Machine (or similar) and then move your content to your new Mac - https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT204350

 

[wilberforce]

Agree with @zerofour , Migration Assistant (which pops up automatically on the new iMac) is the most painless way to transfer everything over, just follow the instructions. You can then pick up on the new Mac exactly as if you were on the old Mac. This option is only recommended if you are happy with your setup on the old Mac, and do not have any issues.

The other option which is often recommended is a "clean install." This involves starting from scratch and manually copying everything over, downloading and reinstalling apps, redoing all your settings, etc. In my opinion, this is much more work, and only recommended if you want to spend the time to "clean out" your files and apps.

Neither of these choices are irreversible. You can "start over" by recovering the iMac to its initial factory state. I suggest try the easy approach first (Migration Assistant)

btw, I chose to transfer direct from old Mac to new Mac, rather than from backup to new Mac. I think both methods work fine.

 

[Magnusch]

Thank you for your recommendation,
will the timemachine solution work as well when on my mbp mojave is installed and on the new imac catalina?

 

[mmomega]

If you don't have a newer USB 3 Solid State Drive external, something like a Samsung T5, I would look in to getting one.


Create a time machine backup on an external drive.
During initial setup on the new computer it will ask if you want to setup from a time machine backup, point to the backup, let it continue on it's own.
Walk away and do something else and be patient. This takes much longer than you might think. Just let it finish it's process.
Log in on the new machine and double check EVERYTHING important to you to make sure it transferred properly. Make sure files play or open properly.
Once file transfer is confirmed I would format that drive afterwards and use it as a dedicated back up drive for the new computer, if you want a backup.


There are many other ways but this is the most straight forward for newer owners to follow.

 

[Magnusch]

Thank you mmomega, I will prepare the SSD.
Will I have after the backup the same user Account (as well the same User name) on the new iMac after the backup?

 

[James_C]

Actually you don’t need to use time machine to use Migration Assistant. Provided your laptop and new Mac are on the same network you can use Migration Assistant to migrate everything over. In fact it is probably safer and quicker to do it this way than via a time machine backup.

 

[fhopper]

If you don't have a newer USB 3 Solid State Drive external, something like a Samsung T5, I would look in to getting one.


Create a time machine backup on an external drive.
During initial setup on the new computer it will ask if you want to setup from a time machine backup, point to the backup, let it continue on it's own.
Walk away and do something else and be patient. This takes much longer than you might think. Just let it finish it's process.
Log in on the new machine and double check EVERYTHING important to you to make sure it transferred properly. Make sure files play or open properly.
Once file transfer is confirmed I would format that drive afterwards and use it as a dedicated back up drive for the new computer, if you want a backup.


There are many other ways but this is the most straight forward for newer owners to follow.

I also made an external Clone of my old boot drive rather than a Time Machine BK file (I already have redundant disks as Time Machine repositories and have "Inherited" rather than replacing the old back ups with my new machine. If you don't mind a tangent: What is a good utility to test my external drive through puts? I downloaded "Blackmagic Disk Speed Test from the App Store but it is in the video creation weeds.

 

[mmomega]

Thank you mmomega, I will prepare the SSD.
Will I have after the backup the same user Account (as well the same User name) on the new iMac after the backup?

Yes, the same user account will be there, it may have you go back through iCloud setup if you use iCloud on that machine but it would be the same user account. Then you have the option to add or create new ones after that.


***Another option, like stated, is Migration Assistant via a cable. I don't typically recommend that unless a person already has the correct cable they need to connect the two machines on hand. Just because a majority of the time, this is the only time they will ever use this, so a one time purchase. Whereas the SSD external can have many benefits outside of initial setup. I just know that as one that travels and works across multiple machines, I can't have too many externals.
I also don't typically recommend a Thunderbolt external of any type unless that person understands thunderbolt, it's limitations and that the name doesn't automatically mean FASTEST solution just because it is Thunderbolt.

 

[mmomega]

I also made an external Clone of my old boot drive rather than a Time Machine BK file (I already have redundant disks as Time Machine repositories and have "Inherited" rather than replacing the old back ups with my new machine. If you don't mind a tangent: What is a good utility to test my external drive through puts? I downloaded "Blackmagic Disk Speed Test from the App Store but it is in the video creation weeds.

AJA System Test is another one I typically use more than BlackMagic, just a personal preference.

AJA System Test: Accurately Test Your System performance and speed

Predict the capabilities of any drive system for recording and playing back of various resolutions and codecs

www.aja.com

I believe it is available from the Mac App Store as well as direct download from their website.

DriveDX is another. I haven't used it in years, just because I haven't thought about it much or had the need.

DriveDx - the most advanced drive health diagnostics and monitoring utility

DriveDx - the most advanced drive health (S.M.A.R.T.) diagnostics and monitoring utility. Save yourself the data loss and downtime that is associated with unexpected SSD and HDD failures. Don't worry about losing your important data, music, and photographs.

binaryfruit.com

I don't particularly care for CleanMyMac but again just a personal preference but it can test drives.

Also, a good app remover I have used for probably a decade or more and still works on Big Sur, is AppZapper2.
For me it was completely worth the cost.
They have a free trial to get so many "zaps" or app removals. Then pay a couple dollars and you have a license for unlimited use across multiple machines.
It is great when you toss on an app to try it out but then decide you don't want it, and AppZapper just makes it a one click, delete the app and all files associated with it. It's pretty good IMO.

 

[fhopper]

AJA System Test is another one I typically use more than BlackMagic, just a personal preference.

AJA System Test: Accurately Test Your System performance and speed

Predict the capabilities of any drive system for recording and playing back of various resolutions and codecs

www.aja.com

I believe it is available from the Mac App Store as well as direct download from their website.

DriveDX is another. I haven't used it in years, just because I haven't thought about it much or had the need.

DriveDx - the most advanced drive health diagnostics and monitoring utility

DriveDx - the most advanced drive health (S.M.A.R.T.) diagnostics and monitoring utility. Save yourself the data loss and downtime that is associated with unexpected SSD and HDD failures. Don't worry about losing your important data, music, and photographs.

binaryfruit.com

I don't particularly care for CleanMyMac but again just a personal preference but it can test drives.

Also, a good app remover I have used for probably a decade or more and still works on Big Sur, is AppZapper2.
For me it was completely worth the cost.
They have a free trial to get so many "zaps" or app removals. Then pay a couple dollars and you have a license for unlimited use across multiple machines.
It is great when you toss on an app to try it out but then decide you don't want it, and AppZapper just makes it a one click, delete the app and all files associated with it. It's pretty good IMO.

Thanks I found ATTO on the App Store and it seems "simpler".
My internal is a lot faster than my OWC Mercury 6G in an Origno 3.1 gen 2 case going through my Buss powered hub. My goal was to see how that little hub would perform, I am pretty ignorant but I think it is not slowing anything down.

 

[Magnusch]

Hi mmomega, the cable solutions sounds even great as well, but what type of cable will I need for that, I guessed that it will be a normal LAN connection with a LAN cable in the same network with both machines.
Is that possible?
On the other hand I guessed that a WLAN connection with both machines in the same net should work, but Ian not sure if that would work.

 

[James_C]

Hi mmomega, the cable solutions sounds even great as well, but what type of cable will I need for that, I guessed that it will be a normal LAN connection with a LAN cable in the same network with both machines.
Is that possible?
On the other hand I guessed that a WLAN connection with both machines in the same net should work, but Ian not sure if that would work.

To use migration assistant with a another Mac they just need to be on the same local network. Wifi connection is fine, but ethernet will be quicker.