SSD Help

[ArtyFishell]

Best SSD I can get on a budget for and iMac?
Also, do I have to install Mac OS on the SSD first? How would I do this?
Can I just buy any SSD or is there specific things to look for?
I'm going to be replacing the HDD on a Late 2006 iMac.

 

[Audit13]

Your iMac uses a SATA1 interface.

Modern 2.5" SSDs use a SATA3 interface which are backwards compatible with SATA1 and SATA2; however, this is not always the case. I have seen instances in the Windows world where a SATA3 drive would not work with a SATA1 laptop. Only a SATA2 drive would work in this particular laptop.

Brand new SATA1 and SATA2 drives are going to be difficult to find and probably expensive if you do find them.

I recommend buying a drive from a vendor that will accept open-box returns. You'll probably need a 2.5" to 3.5" adapter to mount the drive in your iMac.

You can use Time Machine to create a backup of your existing drive, install the new drive, use disk utility to format the drive, and restore your Time Machine backup.