upgrading to 2017 iMac - SSD question

[dachshund44]

I'm planning to upgrade from my 2011 iMac to a new one, 2017. I mostly do Lightroom and Photoshop, but I'm starting to edit video. The 2011 iMac has a boot drive and a second internal drive, and I've been putting the video clips on the internal drive. Everything else - Lightroom and backups - are on external drives.

I was thinking I should get either a 500GB or 1TB SSD drive to handle the video editing. But do I want all of that on the boot drive? Would it be better to get an external SSD for video, given that it'll have the USB-C ports? Then I could easily get away with a 500GB SSD, or even 256GB.

So far I don't have much need for 4K recordings, and the destination is youtube where I think 1080 should be fine for quite a while. I plan to upgrade from iMovie to Final Cut Pro though.

Appreciate any advice. Thanks.

 

[Fishrrman]

Order the iMac with an internal SSD, 512gb should do.

For external storage, use a USB3 SSD. Should be fast enough and these are reasonably priced. You can move "working projects" to the internal drive for editing, and then "move the files back" to external storage when done.

If you "need more [external] speed", I believe one can choose between USB3.1 gen 2 or thunderbolt. But expect to pay more.

 

[tubeexperience]

Get the 1TB fusion drive and replace the 1TB hard drive with a 1TB SSD.

You can get a 1TB SSD for ~$200 and follow my guide here to replace the HDD with the SSD:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/imac-27-inch-late-2013-hdd-ssd-upgrade.2122595/

 

[dachshund44]

Order the iMac with an internal SSD, 512gb should do.

For external storage, use a USB3 SSD. Should be fast enough and these are reasonably priced. You can move "working projects" to the internal drive for editing, and then "move the files back" to external storage when done.

If you "need more [external] speed", I believe one can choose between USB3.1 gen 2 or thunderbolt. But expect to pay more.

Yes I'm leaning towards a smaller internal SSD and putting the money into a fast SSD for working files. Thanks!

 

[mreg376]

Get the 1TB fusion drive and replace the 1TB hard drive with a 1TB SSD.

You can get a 1TB SSD for ~$200 and follow my guide here to replace the HDD with the SSD:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/imac-27-inch-late-2013-hdd-ssd-upgrade.2122595/

This is @tubeexperience's same irresponsible advice to break open your brand new iMac and replace the HD, under his misinformed theory that Apple will happily honor its warranty on your multi-thousand dollar machine after you've broken it open. Ignore that advice. It's dangerous. @Fishrrman's advice, in sharp contract, is excellent.

 

[tubeexperience]

This is @tubeexperience's same irresponsible advice to break open your brand new iMac and replace the HD, under his misinformed theory that Apple will happily honor its warranty on your multi-thousand dollar machine after you've broken it open. Ignore that advice. It's dangerous. @Fishrrman's advice, in sharp contract, is excellent.

1. You are not "breaking" anything. The display is held on by double-sided tape.

2. Opening your computer doesn't void the warranty.

From the FTC:

The letters warn that FTC staff has concerns about the companies’ statements that consumers must use specified parts or service providers to keep their warranties intact. Unless warrantors provide the parts or services for free or receive a waiver from the FTC, such statements generally are prohibited by the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, a law that governs consumer product warranties. Similarly, such statements may be deceptive under the FTC Act.

Each company used different language, but here are examples of questionable provisions:

• The use of [company name] parts is required to keep your . . . manufacturer’s warranties and any extended warranties intact.
• This warranty shall not apply if this product . . . is used with products not sold or licensed by [company name].
• This warranty does not apply if this product . . . has had the warranty seal on the [product] altered, defaced, or removed.

“Provisions that tie warranty coverage to the use of particular products or services harm both consumers who pay more for them as well as the small businesses who offer competing products and services,” said Thomas B. Pahl, Acting Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.

From MacSales/OWC:

Unfortunately though, there exists a misconception among some users and even technicians that opening the machine voids the warranty.

We address this topic directly with customers via our support portals and are happy to inform you here of the same fact: upgrading your Mac does not void its warranty.

This consumer protection is owed to the little known Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act of 1975. Put simply, the act states that a company can’t require you to upgrade with only its own branded parts to retain the warranty. This important act protects your rights as a consumer and allows you to install upgrades with peace of mind confidence.

However, the warranty doesn’t cover any damage incurred while installing upgrades.

 

[dachshund44]

I appreciate that, mreg! I'm sure it's tempting for some to modify a new iMac. Anyway, I'm surprised at the low cost of external SSD drives. I guess for video 1TB is worth the price, vs. getting by with 500GB. The Samsung T5 looks like a winner.

 

[mreg376]

I appreciate that, mreg! I'm sure it's tempting for some to modify a new iMac. Anyway, I'm surprised at the low cost of external SSD drives. I guess for video 1TB is worth the price, vs. getting by with 500GB. The Samsung T5 looks like a winner.

Hey, I see both sides of the warranty issue here. I can see that Apple, in manufacturing a tightly spec'd tightly built all-in-one computer, being loath to warranty a machine that someone has opened when it has not been designed to be opened and closed or its internal components changed by the user, a fact known to the user at the time of purchase. On the other hand, I'm not entirely sure whether Apple can legally decline to honor a warranty when in fact the machine has been opened by a non-authorized service center or person if no damage has been done in the process. There are two problems with this -- who is going to be the judge as to whether damage has been done, and what recourse does the user have if Apple declines to work on the machine? Of course people can make their own decisions and do whatever they want with their property. What I resent is @tubeexperiene's blatant one-sided, irresponsible assertion that "Apple cannot refuse to honor its warranty," which is simply false. It happens every day.

Good luck with your setup, and keep us posted!

 

[tubeexperience]

Hey, I see both sides of the warranty issue here. I can see that Apple, in manufacturing a tightly spec'd tightly built all-in-one computer, being loath to warranty a machine that someone has opened when it has not been designed to be opened and closed or its internal components changed by the user, a fact known to the user at the time of purchase. On the other hand, I'm not entirely sure whether Apple can legally decline to honor a warranty when in fact the machine has been opened by a non-authorized service center or person if no damage has been done in the process. There are two problems with this -- who is going to be the judge as to whether damage has been done, and what recourse does the user have if Apple declines to work on the machine? Of course people can make their own decisions and do whatever they want with their property. What I resent is @tubeexperiene's blatant one-sided, irresponsible assertion that "Apple cannot refuse to honor its warranty," which is simply false. It happens every day.

Good luck with your setup, and keep us posted!

Oh, okay.

Apple can void your warranty if break your iMac while trying to upgrade it.

There you go.

 

[nambuccaheadsau]

Note.

A friend of mine is a major Apple Reseller in Sydney. After his technicians broke five screens at about $500 per pop, he now trucks iMacs to Apple HQ for their technicians to do warranty work and repairs that involve cracking the iMac, +2012, open.

 

[Clix Pix]

Yes I'm leaning towards a smaller internal SSD and putting the money into a fast SSD for working files. Thanks!

This really is the best way to go, as it offers you more flexibility as time goes on. The Samsung T5 is a terrific little SSD -- fast and quite portable. I keep just basic apps, files and folders on my machine's internal 512 GB SSD and use Samsung T5s for supplementary drives. This works out very nicely, both at home and when traveling. It also makes it easier to swap folders and files between two or more computers, too.

 

[_Refurbished_]

Get the 1TB fusion drive and replace the 1TB hard drive with a 1TB SSD.

You can get a 1TB SSD for ~$200 and follow my guide here to replace the HDD with the SSD:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/imac-27-inch-late-2013-hdd-ssd-upgrade.2122595/

No way in pigs flyin' hell am I opening a brand new iMac where I'm responsible if something gets broken. I leave that to the professionals. If they break it, they're responsible.

You should really stop encouraging people to do this on a brand new computer. If you want to do that, be my guest. No way in heck should you be recommending this to random Mac users this as the standard of how to choose your storage solution on a brand new iMac.

 

[mreg376]

Oh, okay.

Apple can void your warranty if break your iMac while trying to upgrade it.

There you go.

At least you didn't bother denying that what you have been saying is misleading and false. I'll take that as progress.

 

[tubeexperience]

At least you didn't bother denying that what you have been saying is misleading and false. I'll take that as progress.

It's common sense that if someone breaks his/her iMac (or anything else) while trying to upgrade/service it, the warranty is voided.

I have never denied that this is the case.

 

[mreg376]

When you keep saying that Apple "can't" refuse to honor its warranty because an iMac has been opened, that is false. They can refuse, they do refuse, and have you pointed to no federal agency, court or any other enforcement mechanism that has told Apple otherwise. But yet, you keep telling people that Apple "can't." Your statements are disingenuous.

 

[tubeexperience]

Note.

A friend of mine is a major Apple Reseller in Sydney. After his technicians broke five screens at about $500 per pop, he now trucks iMacs to Apple HQ for their technicians to do warranty work and repairs that involve cracking the iMac, +2012, open.

No way in pigs flyin' hell am I opening a brand new iMac where I'm responsible if something gets broken. I leave that to the professionals. If they break it, they're responsible.

You should really stop encouraging people to do this on a brand new computer. If you want to do that, be my guest. No way in heck should you be recommending this to random Mac users this as the standard of how to choose your storage solution on a brand new iMac.

Think of the display as a big piece of glass.

If you can handle a glass table top without breaking it, you can handle the iMac's display.

Sure, accidents happened, but you don't have to "call the professionals" every time you want to move your glass table top, do you?

 

[_Refurbished_]

Think of the display as a big piece of glass.

If you can handle a glass table top without breaking it, you can handle the iMac's display.

Sure, accidents happened, but you don't have to "call the professionals" every time you want to move your glass table top, do you?

Not a great analogy.

It would be like buying a $2,500 glass table from a furniture store and immediately suction cupping the glass from the metal base to perform a modification.

I would not do that. Nor would I recommend anyone do that. It's a brand new table.

If the table was seven years old and I wanted to prolong its life by installing the modification, maybe I would give it a shot and learn how to do it myself.

Going onto a forum and telling people to perform the upgrade themselves, without knowing the consumer's level of expertise, is sheer lunacy.

 

[mreg376]

Going onto a forum and telling people to perform the upgrade themselves, without knowing the consumer's level of expertise, is sheer lunacy.

Yep, you pegged it.

 

[tubeexperience]

Not a great analogy.

It would be like buying a $2,500 glass table from a furniture store and immediately suction cupping the glass from the metal base to perform a modification.

I would not do that. Nor would I recommend anyone do that. It's a brand new table.

If the table was seven years old and I wanted to prolong its life by installing the modification, maybe I would give it a shot and learn how to do it myself.

Going onto a forum and telling people to perform the upgrade themselves, without knowing the consumer's level of expertise, is sheer lunacy.

I have upgraded many if these iMac(s) and I know exactly what the process is like.

How many iMac have you upgraded?

From the sound of it, probably none.

 

[tubeexperience]

...

How many iMac (2012 or later) have you ever opened?

You sound like you have no experience.

 

[_Refurbished_]

I have built my own computers (I'm a Windows gamer at heart) for the past fifteen years and recently installed aftermarket radios to both of my cars. Either scenario is much more in-depth than opening an iMac.

That's besides the point.

The point is one should not recommend opening a $2,500 piece of equipment to random people they don't know.

 

[tubeexperience]

I have built my own computers (I'm a Windows gamer at heart) for the past fifteen years and recently installed aftermarket radios to my car. Both scenarios are much more in-depth than opening an iMac.

That's besides the point.

The point is one should not recommend opening a $2,500 piece of equipment to random people they don't know.

You consider building your own desktop PC "in-depth"? LOL

I repaired iMac, Mac Mini, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, MacBook, iPhone, iPad and a lot of non-Apple products.

Before I started attending the University (when I was in high school), I actually leased the back of a hair salon as a repair shop.

 

[_Refurbished_]

You consider building your own desktop PC "in-depth"? LOL

I repaired iMac, Mac Mini, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, MacBook, iPhone, iPad and a lot of non-Apple products.

Before I started attending the University (when I was in high school), I actually leased the back of a hair salon as a repair shop.

I "said" it was more in-depth than taking the glass off of an iMac, I'm not claiming to be Ben Heck. You were the one that accused me of not being competent enough to repair my own iMac. That's false. I am more than capable. Your tech knowledge, and mine, is irrelevant to what we're discussing.

It's utter lunacy to recommend what you're recommending.

 

[tubeexperience]

I "said" it was more in-depth than taking the glass off of an iMac, I'm not claiming to be Ben Heck. You were the one that accused me of not being competent enough to repair my own iMac. That's false. I am more than capable. Your tech knowledge, and mine, is irrelevant to what we're discussing.

It's utter lunacy to recommend what you're recommending.

Okay, so what's so difficult about remove the iMac's display?

Is it the weight of the display, removing the double-sided tape, or what?

 

[dachshund44]

I watched the guy who replaced the hard drive when it failed in my 2011 iMac, and it didn't look very complicated. And though I, too, bought PC clones and modified them back in the day, I'd rather not do that now. And remember this came up to recommend swapping out the Fusion drive for an SSD.... so I just specified an SSD drive. I'm no fun, I know.

I ordered the 27" iMac with 8GB ram, the 3.4 CPU option, a 256GB SSD, and FCPX. I also ordered a Samsung T5 1TB external SSD, and an extra 32GB of memory.