Upgrade imac from 2013 to newest?

[ferretguy]

I have a late 2013 iMac that is running very slow. I’ve started working with FCPX a lot. Money is a little tight. is it worth the $ to upgrade? If it is what config would be best to save $ and still get a great iMac? (I am comfortable upgrading my own memory)

 

[nothingtoseehere]

Firstly, SSD. Most bang for the buck. Then RAM.

 

[pldelisle]

If you have a fusion drive, it's normal. Consider to upgrade it for a SSD. Internally if you can, or Thunderbolt (with Thunderbolt 3/USB-C to Thunderbolt 2 adapter) if not. Reinstall the OS on it and it will become your boot device. You'll see great speed difference. It could be enough for you to wait until Apple Silicon iMac.

 

[Fishrrman]

If a new 2020 is too pricey, consider an Apple-refurbished 2019 iMac.

Either of these will be a good "jump up", and the 2019 doesn't really lose much compared to the newest one.

If you're going to be editing video, you need a 27" display.
Get an SSD inside, nothing less than that will do.
512gb is a good size. Use USB3 for additional external storage if needed.

Get 8gb of RAM. Adding RAM on the 27" is easy with the door on the back.

I think the best value when buying an iMac is to be found in the midrange models.

If you need to stick with the 2013 for a while longer, THE BEST upgrade is to add an external USB3 SSD -- then boot and run from that.
Fast, easy, cheap, and you don't risk breaking anything by prying open the iMac.

 

[ferretguy]

Thanks all. I think I'll have to stick to my 2013. I will get an external SSD USB3 drive. Suggestions on best one? 1Tb 2Tb? It's my understanding I'll just be copying my current boot disc to this and then run it from there. Is that correct? Once I'm running the external do I keep everything on the internal? Sorry for all the questions. Is there a site that might answer all the questions?

 

[Juicy Box]

I have a late 2013 iMac that is running very slow.

Can you post your specs?

If you need to stick with the 2013 for a while longer, THE BEST upgrade is to add an external USB3 SSD -- then boot and run from that.

I personally wouldn't consider that the "best" upgrade, but I do agree that it is the cheapest and safest way to get an SSD on that older iMac. Really easy too.

I saw a 1TB SATA3 SSDs for $80 on Best Buy the other day, between that and an enclosure or adapter, the OP could get a nice sized SSD on his old iMac for easily less than $100.

 

[DeltaMac]

Do you have a 21.5-inch, or a 27-inch iMac?
The larger screen is MUCH easier to upgrade RAM (just open the door on the back, compared to completely disassembling the smaller iMac to get to the memory slots)

However, even an external SSD can help make upgrading RAM less of a priority.

 

[4sallypat]

I have the 21.5" 2013 iMac with the achingly slow 1TB spinning drive.

I use a Transcend 512GB SSD Thunderbolt drive which stuck on the back of the stand where it is now my primary boot drive running Catalina OSX.

Runs like a champ - super fast - no more spinning beach ball....

I will get the new AS / ARM iMac when it comes out next year....

 

[ferretguy]

My computer is a 27-inch, Late 2013 14,2 3.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5 with 32 GB DDR3 memory, NVIDIA GeForse GT 755M 1 GB 1 TB SATA drive

I upgraded the RAM myself

 

[Fishrrman]

"Is there a site that might answer all the questions?"

You're on it.

"It's my understanding I'll just be copying my current boot disc to this and then run it from there. Is that correct?"

Yes. I recommend that you download CarbonCopyCloner (FREE to download and use for 30 days), and that will do the job that you need.

"Once I'm running the external do I keep everything on the internal?"

I think that would work out well. Just use the internal (slow) drive to become the "bootable backup" of your external (faster) SSD.

"I will get an external SSD USB3 drive. Suggestions on best one? 1Tb 2Tb?"

Size is up to you.
How much space are you CURRENTLY using on the internal drive?

I prefer Crucial or Sandisk drives.
You don't need "the fastest" drive.
I would suggest a "bare" 2.5" SATA SSD.
Then put it into an external USB3 enclosure, like this:

SABRENT 2.5 Inch SATA to USB 3.0 Tool Free External Hard Drive Enclosure [Optimized for SSD, Support UASP SATA III] Black (EC-UASP)

SABRENT 2.5 Inch SATA to USB 3.0 Tool Free External Hard Drive Enclosure [Optimized for SSD, Support UASP SATA III] Black (EC-UASP)

www.amazon.com

(sorry for the long URL)

Erase it with disk utility and use CCC to clone over the contents of the internal.
Then go to the startup disk pref pane and set the SSD to be the boot drive.

 

[Macky-Mac]

....
If you need to stick with the 2013 for a while longer, THE BEST upgrade is to add an external USB3 SSD -- then boot and run from that.
Fast, easy, cheap, and you don't risk breaking anything by prying open the iMac.

And how about for a mid 2009 13" Macbook pro? Would using an external SSD drive as a boot drive work for it in order to get a few more years out of it?

I've seen several SSD drives that say OS 10.10 or more recent would be required for the drive, and the 2009 Macbook Pro can be upgraded to that, but other than that, do you know if any issues that might be a problem?

 

[Juicy Box]

And how about for a mid 2009 13" Macbook pro? Would using an external SSD drive as a boot drive work for it in order to get a few more years out of it?

The problem with older Macs is slower USB. FW800 is a faster option, but not by much.

I would recommend doing an internal SSD swap, as this would be the cheapest option. Doing the swap on the 2009 MBP is relatively easy by Mac standards:

I've seen several SSD drives that say OS 10.10 or more recent would be required for the drive, and the 2009 Macbook Pro can be upgraded to that, but other than that, do you know if any issues that might be a problem?

That is most likely do to the lack of TRIM support on older MacOS versions.

There are third-party solutions to this, but I wouldn't bother with this unless you are going to replace the internal drive.

 

[Macky-Mac]

The problem with older Macs is slower USB. FW800 is a faster option, but not by much.

I would recommend doing an internal SSD swap, as this would be the cheapest option. Doing the swap on the 2009 MBP is relatively easy by Mac standards:

That is most likely do to the lack of TRIM support on older MacOS versions.

There are third-party solutions to this, but I wouldn't bother with this unless you are going to replace the internal drive.

that's potentially an option.....can one use something like CCC to clone the software from the old existing drive to an external drive and clone it back to the newly installed internal SSD? There are various expensive and hard to replace programs on the existing drive, and it may or may not be possible to find the install disks after 11 years

 

[Juicy Box]

can one use something like CCC to clone the software from the old existing drive to an external drive and clone it back to the newly installed internal SSD?

Yeah you can, or you can just do it once.

You can get a USB3/SATA adapter for less than $10
Buy the SSD you want
Connect the SSD to the Mac using the adapter
Format the SSD
Use CCC to clone the internal HDD to the external SSD
Boot using the SSD by holding alt/option during start up and selecting the external SSD
Make sure it works and boots fine
Do the swap
Keep the HDD around as a bootable back up that you update every now and then incase something happens


BTW, I would always have a back up of your data, preferably a bootable one.

 

[Juicy Box]

Here is a cheap USB3/SATA3 adapter that I own a couple of and recommend for 2.5" drives:

SABRENT USB 3.0 to SSD / 2.5 Inch SATA I/II/III Hard Drive Adapter (EC-SSHD)

Product Description:Take advantage of the lightening speed of USB 3.0 to quickly transfer files up to 5 Gbps! Connect any 2.5'' Serial ATA (SATA) / SSD or SATA II Hard Drive to your computer through an available USB 3.0 port on your desktop or laptop. Reverse compatible with USB 2.0 and 1.1, this...

www.amazon.com

I have some other ones too, but I like the one above because the cable is really long compared to others I have.




Here is one that worked out well for me for 3.5" drives:

EYOOLD SATA to USB Adapter, High-Speed Data Transfer External Hard Drive Adapter, Data Recovery Converter Compatible with 2.5" and 3.5" SSD, HDDs Includes 12V/2A Power Adapter

EYOOLD SATA to USB Adapter, High-Speed Data Transfer External Hard Drive Adapter, Data Recovery Converter Compatible with 2.5" and 3.5" SSD, HDDs Includes 12V/2A Power Adapter

www.amazon.com

 

[Macky-Mac]

Yeah you can, or you can just do it once.

You can get a USB3/SATA adapter for less than $10
Buy the SSD you want
Connect the SSD to the Mac using the adapter
Format the SSD
Use CCC to clone the internal HDD to the external SSD
Boot using the SSD by holding alt/option during start up and selecting the external SSD
Make sure it works and boots fine
Do the swap
Keep the HDD around as a bootable back up that you update every now and then incase something happens


BTW, I would always have a back up of your data, preferably a bootable one.

thanks....after watching the video, it looks fairly straight forward

 

[ferretguy]

I purchased an SSD drive and got the USB to Lightning Bolt 3 adapter. My computer does not take Thunderbolt 3 or 2. I can't find the older USB to Thunderbolt adapter! Can anyone point me towards a source please? Or can I use a USB connection? (I'm assuming that will be much slower)

 

[James_C]

I purchased an SSD drive and got the USB to Lightning Bolt 3 adapter. My computer does not take Thunderbolt 3 or 2. I can't find the older USB to Thunderbolt adapter! Can anyone point me towards a source please? Or can I use a USB connection? (I'm assuming that will be much slower)

Your iMac has a USB 3 port, I would use that as there is not a huge difference in performance compared to standard thunderbolt port. In addition your unless your external drive specifically supports the thunderbolt protocol, it will never work with a Thundebolt port as USB 3 only connections do not support the Thunderbolt protocols. It is confusing as USB 3 and Thunderbolt 3 use the same connector and a Thunderbolt 3 port can also support USB 3, but a USB3 port can't support Thunderbolt 3.

The good news is USB4 will support both Thunderbolt and USB.

 

[ferretguy]

Your iMac has a USB 3 port, I would use that as there is not a huge difference in performance compared to standard thunderbolt port. In addition your unless your external drive specifically supports the thunderbolt protocol, it will never work with a Thundebolt port as USB 3 only connections do not support the Thunderbolt protocols. It is confusing as USB 3 and Thunderbolt 3 use the same connector and a Thunderbolt 3 port can also support USB 3, but a USB3 port can't support Thunderbolt 3.

The good news is USB4 will support both Thunderbolt and USB.

I'm a bit confused. I have a USB 3 hub going into my computer but is the 2013 iMac equipped with USB 3?

 

[James_C]

I'm a bit confused. I have a USB 3 hub going into my computer but is the 2013 iMac equipped with USB 3?

Yes your Mac has USB 3 ports.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:

It would help if you told us WHICH SSD you bought.
Provide a link, perhaps?

 

[ferretguy]

I now have a 2Tb Samsung T7 as my boot disc using the USB 3 port. Love it. It will do until I am able to replace my iMac. Thanks for all the help!

 

[James_C]

I now have a 2Tb Samsung T7 as my boot disc using the USB 3 port. Love it. It will do until I am able to replace my iMac. Thanks for all the help!

Great, good to know that is working well, enjoy your new faster Mac.

 

[Boyd01]

Cool, I have two 2tb T7's for my 2018 Mini and they are great. Very fast, however I don't think the USB ports on your iMac will provide the speed that I get. But when you finally upgrade it will nice to have.

 

[LordeOurMother]

Not super familiar with iMacs, but if you're doing video editing, and your Thunderbolt ports are TB3, you could also invest in an e-GPU.