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Haswell iMac - Fusion drive or No Fusion drive?

N

NbinHD

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 26, 2012
317
0
Macbook Pro 13'' - Mid 2012 Baseline
Ill be buying a base model 21.5'' 2013 iMac - eiather with a:
1 TB Fusion drive and a phone such as a Samsung galaxy s4 mini or HTC One Mini (around $450)
or
a 1 TB standard HDD with a phone such as a iPhone 5

I dont use the phone heaps - and probably use it more as a phone then for internet browsing, as i cant stand browsing on such a small screen - but it would be nice to have. Any thoughts/opinions guys?
Also - I really like the look of iOS 7 and prefer it to android, but am unsure what to do.
 
Last edited:
NbinHD said:
Ill be buying a base model 21.5'' 2013 iMac - eiather with a:
1 TB Fusion drive and a phone such as a Samsung galaxy s4 mini or HTC One Mini (around $450)
or
a 1 TB standard HDD with a phone such as a iPhone 5

I dont use the phone heaps - and probably use it more as a phone then for internet browsing, as i cant stand browsing on such a small screen - but it would be nice to have. Any thoughts/opinions guys?
Also - I really like the look of iOS 7 and prefer it to android, but am unsure what to do.
Click to expand...

If you are going to be using your iMac for working on, then the fusion drive will be nice to have. Not having the delays of programs opening alone is one good point. Plus render times are quicker. After working for years on a standard hdd it is an improvement. You state you actually use your phone more as a phone, then the S4 and HTC are still good options.

If you are not using your computer for working on, then a standard hdd may just be fine for you. The iPhone 5 is a nice phone to have and so far I like ios7. But unless you are going to use it for more than a phone, option 1 is probably a better choice.
 
firedept said:
If you are going to be using your iMac for working on, then the fusion drive will be nice to have. Not having the delays of programs opening alone is one good point. Plus render times are quicker. After working for years on a standard hdd it is an improvement. You state you actually use your phone more as a phone, then the S4 and HTC are still good options.

If you are not using your computer for working on, then a standard hdd may just be fine for you. The iPhone 5 is a nice phone to have and so far I like ios7. But unless you are going to use it for more than a phone, option 1 is probably a better choice.
Click to expand...

Thats what im thinking - there is always a iPhone 4s which allows me to get iOS 7......
 
SSD as boot drive + data drive should be fitted as standard in the imac. Hopefully this will be rectified when they are updated. I.e. Fusion drive as standard.

I wouldn't get an imac with a normal spinning disk as boot drive in this day and age. It's so antiquated and unnecessary. Apple even switched to using laptop drives when they made the imac thinner!!!! Unbelievable. Form over function sucks.
 
d0nK said:
SSD as boot drive + data drive should be fitted as standard in the imac. Hopefully this will be rectified when they are updated. I.e. Fusion drive as standard.

I wouldn't get an imac with a normal spinning disk as boot drive in this day and age. It's so antiquated and unnecessary.
Click to expand...

This. After using computers with SSDs as boot drives, I wouldn't use anything else. Even for occasional use, it makes *such* a difference. I used Fusion drive briefly in my 2011 MBP with an optibay and it was just as quick as the SSD for me. I only removed it as the noise of the spinning disk annoyed me in the laptop, but I imagine this will be less of an issue in an iMac.

My next purchase will be an iMac, and will definitely have a fusion drive.

It's also worth considering that you can't retrofit fusion drive into the new iMacs, as the blade SSD connector is not soldered onto the board if you don't order it. Seems like a no-brainer to me, get the fusion!!!
 
Since you are debating HDD vs Fusion... I would strongly recommend Fusion.

However, for those debating Fusion vs full SSD... it becomes much tougher. For those who could afford full SSD (or SSD+ External TB array)... then it is superior (and more costly) option.

/Jim
 
i really hope that with haswell upgrade we get Fusion like: 256PCIe+1Tor3T 7200RPM on both 21.5" and 27" for the same money
 
I bought the base model (HDD) 21.5 and returned it after 3 days and upgraded to a Fusion Drive. What a masterstroke! It's Fusion/SDD or the highway!
HDD is depressingly slow and painful. If you have the money, do it. Or buy a refurb.
 
d0nK said:
I wouldn't get an imac with a normal spinning disk as boot drive in this day and age. It's so antiquated and unnecessary.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say HDDs are antiquated and unnecessary. I don't see spinning drives going anywhere soon, as the prices for SSD are still too expensive compared to the amount of storage you get per dollar for HDD.

Also, I don't see what the utter fascination of the Fusion Drive is. I got the standard 1TB HDD and I must say it's definitely fast enough for my needs. My new iMac starts up in about 15-20 seconds and opens Photoshop CS6 in about 7 seconds. After initial launch however, the program will always start up in 2-3 seconds. Start up times don't even matter if you sleep the computer and never shut it down. I looked at videos with the Fusion Drive and I see only several seconds difference. The only massive speed difference is when you're transferring large files (which I don't do often).

For me, it's not worth shelling $250 for. Especially considering I can get better performance and bang for the buck by buying a 256GB external SSD, hook it up to Thunderbolt and use it as boot drive. That's if I need the several second extra speed difference, that is.
 
wonderpierrot said:
Start up times don't even matter if you sleep the computer and never shut it down.
Click to expand...

This.

We've got 7 Macs, two with SSDs, one with a hybrid drive, and the rest with HDDs. None of the computers are ever shut down (they use sleep) unless required by software updates. Applications are launched but never shut down (use Cmd-W instead of Cmd-Q). As long as you have sufficient RAM the Drive doesn't matter for most uses.

Two systems are Mac minis used as entertainment centers in two rooms. Both have 4GB RAM and Mountain Lion. One had its hard drive fail, so I replaced the drive with an SSD. You can't tell the difference between the two systems.
 
My biggest regret was that I didn't order the fusion on my 2012 iMac. My 2010 core 2 duo macbook air feels snappier then my 2012 i7 iMac.
 
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