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Upgrading iMac

B

BruceiD

macrumors member
Original poster
May 1, 2012
94
0
Belgium
Hello everyone!

I need some help concerning upgrading my iMac.
So I have a 2010 Intel Core i3 3,06 GHz 21,5" iMac and I've already upgraded the RAM from 4 to 12GB and I'm very pleased an likely will upgrade that to 16Gb in the near future.
Now I'm running a 500GB HD at 7200 rpm.

The main things that I do on my iMac are photo- and video editing, browsing web, mail,... (Apps I use a lot: Photoshop CS5, After Effects CS5, Final Cut Pro X, Aperture,...) I also do some gaming (not much but some).

I've been wanting to upgrade the hard drive for a very long time to a SSD, but I don't want to do it myself because I've seen videos and that doesn't look easy at all! (I don't want to damage my computer).

So I called a local authorized Apple Reseller (since we don't have actual Apple Stores in Belgium) and they would do the job for:
€299 for a 240GB SSD + €84 (installation work) = €383

So the question is: Is it worth €383 to upgrade my iMac from a 500GB 7200 rpm HD to a 240GB SSD? Will I actually benefit from upgrading?

Thanks in advance! :apple: Bruce
 
BruceiD said:
Hello everyone!

I need some help concerning upgrading my iMac.
So I have a 2010 Intel Core i3 3,06 GHz 21,5" iMac and I've already upgraded the RAM from 4 to 12GB and I'm very pleased an likely will upgrade that to 16Gb in the near future.
Now I'm running a 500GB HD at 7200 rpm.

The main things that I do on my iMac are photo- and video editing, browsing web, mail,... (Apps I use a lot: Photoshop CS5, After Effects CS5, Final Cut Pro X, Aperture,...) I also do some gaming (not much but some).

I've been wanting to upgrade the hard drive for a very long time to a SSD, but I don't want to do it myself because I've seen videos and that doesn't look easy at all! (I don't want to damage my computer).

So I called a local authorized Apple Reseller (since we don't have actual Apple Stores in Belgium) and they would do the job for:
€299 for a 240GB SSD + €84 (installation work) = €383

So the question is: Is it worth €383 to upgrade my iMac from a 500GB 7200 rpm HD to a 240GB SSD? Will I actually benefit from upgrading?

Thanks in advance! :apple: Bruce
Click to expand...
That's roughly $500. If it was an older Core 2 duo, I'd say no but that upgrade should get you another 2-3 years or more.
 
kdoug said:
If it we're me, I'd install the SSD myself and save some money. But yes, it's definately worth it. It's still a newer machine and the SSD will make it feel like a "Brand New" computer.
Click to expand...

I don't have the right materials to do it myself nor do I have the experience besides just upgrading RAM.

Thank you so much!

Anyone else here with thoughts/experiences/...?
 
BruceiD said:
I don't have the right materials to do it myself nor do I have the experience besides just upgrading RAM.

Thank you so much!

Anyone else here with thoughts/experiences/...?
Click to expand...

It's strictly a personal call. What you will experience with a SSD is faster startup times, faster shutdown times and faster app launch times. However for day-to-day work unless you're opening and closing Apps all day long a SSD won't buy you a thing accept personal satisfaction. I rarely turn on my computer, I leave it running for 2-3 weeks at a time, I also normally only open apps 2-3 times a day so for me a SSD would only be there to make myself feel good. Your situation could be something totally different, it just something you need to decide for yourself.
 
SSD compatible with iMac

Hey everyone!
I made thread a couple weeks ago about placing an SSD in my 2010 iMac.
I've decided to actually do it but I don't know whether the SSD I'm about to buy is compatible with my iMac.
iMac specs:
  • Mid 2010
  • Intel Core i3 3,06 GHz
  • 12GB RAM
  • 500GB HD (7200 Rpm)
  • ATI Radeon HD 4670 256 MB
The SSD:
http://www.crucial.com/store/partspecs.aspx?imodule=ct256m4ssd2
256GB Crucial m4 2.5-inch SATA 6Gb/s

Thanks in advance! Bruce :)
 
M4 ssd

BruceiD said:
Hey everyone!
I made thread a couple weeks ago about placing an SSD in my 2010 iMac.
I've decided to actually do it but I don't know whether the SSD I'm about to buy is compatible with my iMac.
iMac specs:
  • Mid 2010
  • Intel Core i3 3,06 GHz
  • 12GB RAM
  • 500GB HD (7200 Rpm)
  • ATI Radeon HD 4670 256 MB
The SSD:
http://www.crucial.com/store/partspecs.aspx?imodule=ct256m4ssd2
256GB Crucial m4 2.5-inch SATA 6Gb/s

Thanks in advance! Bruce :)
Click to expand...


It not really a matter of if the SSD will work in the system it's all about mounting it in the system. If you have the mounting bracket than it will work in the iMac. The connection between an 3.5 and 2.5in. drive are exactly the same. Crucial doesn't list the drive as being compatible because they don't sell the bracket for the system that will work. Theirs is more a general purpose bracket.
 
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