FAO Anyone with a pre-2012 iMac

[FishFluff]

I finally got round to something I've been meaning to do for a while now. Install an SSD in my mid-2011 iMac instead of the next to useless optical drive.

I'll not lie, the install process is pretty nerve wracking if you've never opened up an iMac before (I hadn't), but I managed to get the drive installed with no issues. I went for a Samsung 500GB EVO 850 and the difference in performance is unbelievable. I'm currently using the Sierra beta and it honestly feels like a new Mac. For ~£150 I've successfully put off buying a new computer for a couple of years

 

[traveyb]

Amazing what a difference it makes!

 

[Deleted member 651465]

SSDs are the single biggest upgrade you can make and notice a massive difference

 

[GeForce]

Couldn't agree more!

 

[Feek]

It's a massive upgrade! I specced my 2011 iMac with both SSD and mechanical drive and so I've had the benefit of one since I got it. A year ago I upgraded the internal HDD to 4Tb and made a Fusion drive out of the two. I'm seriously tempted now to break the Fusion drive and upgrade the SSD to a larger one but I am potentially on the verge of a new iMac anyway.

But what EVH says is correct, an SSD is the single best upgrade anyone could do to any computer for the most noticeable difference in performance.

 

[snow patrol]

i'm running an external thunderbolt 500gig lacie drive as my boot drive on my 2011 imac and it's made a huge difference.

 

[Bes]

I have a 2009 Macbook Pro running an SSD. To be honest, it's about 90% as good (Bar the screen and the form factor) as the machine work gives me (2015 top spec MBP) for day-to-day shizzle and medium- intensity tasks like a bit of Lightroom/ some of the snazzy Powerpoint stuff we use for our sales presentations. I'm not planning on upgrading for a while - unless the next iteration of laptop hardware gives us something really special...

 

[Behemoth]

I've just given my mid 2010 MacBook Pro a 240 gig SSD. Best upgrade ever. Can really the difference, turn on, 30 seconds later full boot all done

I've read I can put 16 gig of RAM in mine, which will be the next upgrade for it next month

 

[Silly Goose On The Loose]

An SSD is something you install and then genuinely the experience you have it just immeasurably better.

Probably the only upgrade I've ever done where I (and everyone else), could see a difference straight away.

 

[Bes]

The other improvement I noticed is about 30 minutes more on my MBP's battery life... Probably due to it not having a spinning disk any more?

 

[THC_SsSsSnake]

I finally got round to something I've been meaning to do for a while now. Install an SSD in my mid-2011 iMac instead of the next to useless optical drive.

I'll not lie, the install process is pretty nerve wracking if you've never opened up an iMac before (I hadn't), but I managed to get the drive installed with no issues. I went for a Samsung 500GB EVO 850 and the difference in performance is unbelievable. I'm currently using the Sierra beta and it honestly feels like a new Mac. For ~£150 I've successfully put off buying a new computer for a couple of years

Hi did you have to do anything re the fans as im thinkin of doing same but read there is a fan issue with pre 2012 imacs?
Thanks

 

[Zero Pope]

An SSD is usually the first thing I suggest to someone complaining of a slow PC. Everything in my house is now running at least one as an OS drive. As already mentioned, it's the single biggest improvement you can make to a PC or Macs performance.

 

[FishFluff]

Hi did you have to do anything re the fans as im thinkin of doing same but read there is a fan issue with pre 2012 imacs?
Thanks

Nope, if you're replacing the optical drive with an SSD then it's pretty simple. Just need the SSD and an optical drive shaped caddy for it to go in.

If you're replacing the HDD with an SSD then that's a bit more complicated as you need to add a thermal sensor so that the fans aren't constantly spinning.

 

[Hxc]

SSD is probably the reason I still feel no need to upgrade my 2011 11" MBA. I can't believe I've had a laptop for 5 years with no strong desire to change it.

 

[snapdragon69]

Hi did you have to do anything re the fans as im thinkin of doing same but read there is a fan issue with pre 2012 imacs?
Thanks

Just install SSDFanControl http://exirion.net/ssdfanctrl/
Reboot, open the app and click SMART in the left pane and Quit.
I have fitted many SSDs to 2012 iMacs at work and have to do this with all of them otherwise the fans stay on full.