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Should I replace my HHD with a SSD - 2017 iMac very slow?

Soulsurfer1

Soulsurfer1

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 2, 2022
7
1
uk
Hi,

I use Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop for my work and spend increasingly more time watching a spinning ball when saving or just doing some general tasks. It has become worse over the past six months with updates to Adobe software and MAC OS.

Would replacing my 1TB HDD with a 1TB or maybe 2TB SSD stop this and speed up my mac?

Is my processor also causing issues due to it's age?

Is it a difficult job? - my son has built 2x PC's so there is some expertise in my house.

macOS Monterey

Version 12.3.1

iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2017)

Processor 3.4 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5

Memory 24 GB 2400 MHz DDR4

Graphics Radeon Pro 570 4 GB

Thanks.
 
There are multiple examples of people damaged their LCD panels while trying to open the iMac to replace/remove the hard disk.
There are tons of successful stories as well.
If you are not comfortable with opening your iMac and try, just get an external USB/thunderbolt enclosure with an SSD and boot the iMac from it. It's not worth the effort and risk to open the iMac.
 
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Thanks for the reply. That sounds much easier if it stops the disk spikes?

How do I put Monterey on the SSD and boot from that?

I assume I will need to transfer all my safari bookmarks, notes, etc.

I also use Logic so not sure where that will live on my drives?
 
Soulsurfer1 said:
Thanks for the reply. That sounds much easier if it stops the disk spikes?

How do I put Monterey on the SSD and boot from that?

I assume I will need to transfer all my safari bookmarks, notes, etc.

I also use Logic so not sure where that will live on my drives?
Click to expand...

1．You can find a disk copy application to clone the internal disk to the external disk.
2. Then boot from the external disk.
3. If things run smoothly, you can consider to move the external disk to internal (replacement) any time you want.
 
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There is actually a performance advantage to getting an external drive, as you can get a USB-C or thunderbolt3 enclosure which provides faster transfer speeds than the internal Sata connector. Just look for an M.2 NVME USB-C enclosure on Amazon with good reviews (thunderbolt3 ones probably aren't worth the extra price at the moment, unless you get one for less than $70) and then get a compatible M.2 SSD (I went with WD Black 750).

Having done an SSD upgrade on a 21inch 2017 iMac (although I replaced the internal drive), you will notice a big difference in how responsive the machine feels.
 
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An SSD will be a HUGE upgrade over your HDD.

That being said, don't do the display removal yourself - That your kid has built a few PC's doesn't make him qualified to remove that one.
 
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Can you explain to me how you know it is an HDD?
I would like learn how to check that. Thanks.
 
OP:
"Is it a difficult job?"

Yes, it IS "a difficult job" to pry open a 2017 iMac and get it all back together -- without breaking anything.

If you don't want to mess with that, there's "an easier way":
Put together a USB3.1 gen2 drive (USBc), and plug it into one of the USBc ports on the back.
Then set it up to be an EXTERNAL boot drive. The iMac will boot and run as easily from an external drive as it will from the internal, and will be faster, as well.

USB3.1 gen2 will give you read speeds of around 850MBps, perhaps a little more.
What kind of reads are you getting from the internal drive NOW?
(Use BlackMagic Speed Test to check, it's a free download)

BTW, is it a 1tb "hard drive" in the 2017 27" iMac, or is it a 1tb "fusion drive"?

There are a few USB3.1 gen2 drives you can buy "ready to use", such as the Samsung t7, or Sandisk Extreme (I think that's the name).

Or, you could buy an "nvme" blade drive, and a USB3.1 gen2 enclosure (many available), and just put it together yourself (many just snap together).

Initialize/erase the drive to APFS, GUID partition format (if you're using Mojave or later).

Then, it's child's play to use either CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper (both are FREE to download and use for 30 days) to "clone" the contents of the internal drive to the external.

Final step is to go to the startup disk preference pane and set the external to be the new boot drive.

Good luck!

Hmmm...
Looks like you have enough RAM already.
Be aware that Adobe products were never speed demons on the Mac (from what I've read from others). This is due to poor software coding... not much the user can do about it.
 
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As others have said you can put the OS on an external SSD. It doesn't have to be big or expensive and you will be able to see if it makes a difference. A good 500GB SSD probably costs about $80.
I imagine you could have 2 external drives running or you could even wipe the internal drive eventually and just use that for data. Personally, I'd start with a small SSD just as a test and they are great for backups anyway.
You need to make sure you are using a really fast interface: that is it won't work very well on the old USB.
Thunderbolt or USB- C or USB-3 is really what you need so you must make sure you have the right enclosure.
If should be hardly different in speed from running an internal drive and if your internal HD is the problem (it very likely is ) you'll see straight away.
 
I’m not going to give the X-years talk about my expertise, but i can see by this thread, and others like it: There is nothing wrong with using alternative options when repair scores are low… I was burned badly by a Mac Mini SSD swap out once(edge of the HD enclosure was sharp and sliced the amazingly thin cables next to it), and I’ve heard so many horror stories with internal iMac repairs; sometimes external expansion is the best option. Consider an external enclosure if you don’t like the external options available to you…
 
It does make a huge difference. However do it at your own risk. I've did it myself about a half dozen times without issue, then on the 7th time I had trouble getting the cable seated correctly. In my haste/frustration to get it aligned I accidentally dropped it like an inch and cracked on a 2015 21" iMac. It cost more to replace the panel than it was worth (was planning on selling it and was basically resealing it with the 3M kit) so it is still in my closet.
 
If you have the right tools, such as the repair bundle from iFixit, it's not wildly difficult. That's subjective, though. If you are good at pre-reading instructions (and comments, if using iFixit guides), going slow and careful, then it might be worth a try to get the old hard drive out; the machine will run cooler and quieter, and of course faster thanks to the SSD. Looking at the iFixit instructions I'd say that it's easier than a Macbook Pro battery replacement, which I've done. Getting the glass off looks to be the hard part. I'd use a rolled towel or something to hold the display, so that I could use two hands on the display cables.

If you are OK with leaving the hard drive in place and running with an external drive, that's for sure going to be the simpler way forward.
 
Do the external route. Get a drive as big as your internet HD and just move everything to the external.

HOWEVER... you say "I use Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop for my work"- and if this is a computer used to make money, I'd strongly consider trading this into Apple (or selling it) and getting a new M1 iMac.

If you were just futzing around with stuff as a hobby, eh. But if your iMac is a professional tool, the overall boost in productivity from moiving to the M1 is well worth the money. If money is tight right now, do as above for now and save up.
 
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Have a professional do the work or do it incredibly carefully and slowly. Getting that screen out without damaging it is a nightmare. The rest of it is easy in comparison. Note that you could also get a good external USB3 enclosure, put the SSD in there, and you'll still get a huge performance increase. That's not technically as fast as if you put in the machine, but still night-and-day better than a traditional HDD and zero risk. Just plug the SSD in, format it (APFS unless your OS is woefully outdated) and then use Carbon Copy Cloner to do a full clone to the SSD. Boot from that. In a few weeks when you know it is all working right you can reformat the internal drive and use it for whatever you want. Note; while booting from the SSD don't accidentally work on files stored on the HDD (a common mistake). I suggest that once you boot from the SSD (and until you reformat your internal HDD) that you always eject the HDD so you can't accidentally work on that drive.
 
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If you don't like the external option (which should work just fine, it's just more stuff using up a port) another option is to have someone who knows what they're doing install an internal SSD. I had OWC do that to my 2011 iMac several years ago. My iMac was gone for about two weeks, and when it came back it was heaven. I'm now on year 11 with that machine.
 
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Honestly, I would save the cash and invest it in an Mx iMac (or whatever) and then sell the old iMac you have. There is no sense investing in a machine that is 5 years old (depending on when you purchased it of course).

With the economy the way it is, it may be best to do a major upgrade now (with increasing equipment costs and raising interest rates (if you purchase on non-Apple CC) and be ready for any downturn but that is just a suggestion.
 
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hagjohn said:
Honestly, I would save the cash and invest it in an Mx iMac (or whatever) and then sell the old iMac you have. There is no sense investing in a machine that is 5 years old (depending on when you purchased it of course).

With the economy the way it is, it may be best to do a major upgrade now (with increasing equipment costs and raising interest rates (if you purchase on non-Apple CC) and be ready for any downturn but that is just a suggestion.
Click to expand...

Totally agree.
OP please follow this advice and sell your iMac cheaply....
 
Fishrrman said:
OP:
"Is it a difficult job?"

Yes, it IS "a difficult job" to pry open a 2017 iMac and get it all back together -- without breaking anything.

If you don't want to mess with that, there's "an easier way":
Put together a USB3.1 gen2 drive (USBc), and plug it into one of the USBc ports on the back.
Then set it up to be an EXTERNAL boot drive. The iMac will boot and run as easily from an external drive as it will from the internal, and will be faster, as well.

USB3.1 gen2 will give you read speeds of around 850MBps, perhaps a little more.
What kind of reads are you getting from the internal drive NOW?
(Use BlackMagic Speed Test to check, it's a free download)

BTW, is it a 1tb "hard drive" in the 2017 27" iMac, or is it a 1tb "fusion drive"?

There are a few USB3.1 gen2 drives you can buy "ready to use", such as the Samsung t7, or Sandisk Extreme (I think that's the name).

Or, you could buy an "nvme" blade drive, and a USB3.1 gen2 enclosure (many available), and just put it together yourself (many just snap together).

Initialize/erase the drive to APFS, GUID partition format (if you're using Mojave or later).

Then, it's child's play to use either CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper (both are FREE to download and use for 30 days) to "clone" the contents of the internal drive to the external.

Final step is to go to the startup disk preference pane and set the external to be the new boot drive.

Good luck!

Hmmm...
Looks like you have enough RAM already.
Be aware that Adobe products were never speed demons on the Mac (from what I've read from others). This is due to poor software coding... not much the user can do about it.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the help. I don't think it is a Fusion Drive. How can I check?
 
Running from external SSD (even via USB type A port) will be much faster than internal HDD. Booting off one, etc. is no problem, just run the macOS installer and select to install to the external drive (will need to be formatted as APFS or HFS first though depending on macOS version).
 
Thank you all for the great help and advice.
I have decided from the posts above definitely not to open the iMac now and go with the external route. I'm just looking for the fastest external SSD drive (USB-C or Thunderbolt) to use as a boot drive.
Thanks again.
 
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throAU said:
Running from external SSD (even via USB type A port) will be much faster than internal HDD. Booting off one, etc. is no problem, just run the macOS installer and select to install to the external drive (will need to be formatted as APFS or HFS first though depending on macOS version).
Click to expand...
I'm using Monterey 12.3.1
 
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