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+--- Thread: Don't think I have it in me to help friend with 2015 iMac 21.5" swap HDD to SSD (/showthread.php?tid=258353)
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Don't think I have it in me to help friend with 2015 iMac 21.5" swap HDD to SSD - pRICE cUBE - 07-27-2021
Friend has a late 2015 non retina 21.5" iMac with a regular HDD in it. Getting a lot of rainbow wheels with Catalina. It's quite disruptive. I experienced this on my 2011 Mac mini after I put High Sierra on it. A switch to SSD cleared that right up.
However, I just watched the friendly video from our sponsor and lost my nerve. It is labeled by our sponsor as "Advanced". It involved wedging the lcd monitor off.
A local place in town will charge $150 to do the swap. The friend has a 24" LG monitor. I may suggest finding a cheap Mac mini with SSD drive to use with that external monitor
Should I cowboy up? I am scared that I won't be able to put the thing back together.
https://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/imac_21inch_late_2013_hdd/iMac14-4/
Re: Don't think I have it in me to help friend with 2015 iMac 21.5" swap HDD to SSD - sekker - 07-27-2021
iFixit says it's 'Moderate' difficulty. Takes less than an hour. Give it a try.
https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iMac+Intel+21.5-Inch+EMC+2805+Hard+Drive+Replacement/27886
Or buy an external USB3 case and run the SSD that way. Will be great.
Re: Don't think I have it in me to help friend with 2015 iMac 21.5" swap HDD to SSD - Gareth - 07-27-2021
Just get a USB 3.0 SSD and run it as an external and call it a day. 2.5" SATA (or other SATA based) would probably be fine since that's all you'd get replacing the internal, but you could do NVMe in a case for future possibilities.
I swapped the PCIe SSD in a Late 2013 21.5" iMac myself, but I have no qualms about pulling logic boards and being able to put it all back together. (I think at some point the 21.5" iMacs only had the PCIe connector if the computer shipped with a Fusion or SSD drive, which is why I said you'd be stuck at SATA speeds above).
Re: Don't think I have it in me to help friend with 2015 iMac 21.5" swap HDD to SSD - sekker - 07-27-2021
PS: WTH Apple? You make someone spend 30 steps to replace the main part that will fail in a desktop? Your obsession with 'thinness' on iMacs is clearly unhealthy.
Re: Don't think I have it in me to help friend with 2015 iMac 21.5" swap HDD to SSD - jdc - 07-27-2021
sekker wrote:
Or buy an external USB3 case and run the SSD that way. Will be great.
3 out of 3 MRFers agree with this.
I run my 2014 iMac from an external NVMe via USB 3. No problems at all. Cost is about the same as a 2.5" SSD +/- $10.
Plug, play, go.
Skip the whole internal thing.
this: https://www.amazon.com/Inland-Platinum-Internal-Compatible-Solutions/dp/B08FT4J52Z/ref=sxin_12?asc_contentid=amzn1.osa.9e3ee09f-8189-4014-a66c-76268050acde.ATVPDKIKX0DER.en_US&asc_contenttype=article&ascsubtag=amzn1.osa.9e3ee09f-8189-4014-a66c-76268050acde.ATVPDKIKX0DER.en_US&creativeASIN=B08FT4J52Z&cv_ct_cx=1tb+ssd&cv_ct_id=amzn1.osa.9e3ee09f-8189-4014-a66c-76268050acde.ATVPDKIKX0DER.en_US&cv_ct_pg=search&cv_ct_we=asin&cv_ct_wn=osp-single-source-earns-comm&dchild=1&keywords=1+tb+ssd&linkCode=oas&pd_rd_i=B08FT4J52Z&pd_rd_r=9e57b74b-5ec4-4537-a428-1f07f2b3987a&pd_rd_w=Dnay2&pd_rd_wg=MrNQt&pf_rd_p=8065c57d-81c6-4bce-844a-e686936787b8&pf_rd_r=HYZZ016JX1CH15QS649Q&qid=1627359539&sr=1-3-64f3a41a-73ca-403a-923c-8152c45485fe&tag=ospwareableus-20
plus this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08WL3LQTC/ref=sspa_dk_detail_1?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B08WL3LQTC&pd_rd_w=aMB5T&pf_rd_p=6a5fcbdb-acb4-4a8f-9fd6-ca75a09642f9&pd_rd_wg=ydgw5&pf_rd_r=YFB9MMNGR3XD0852HSFX&pd_rd_r=78f8a613-8717-4989-b041-ac78c381fe3f&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFDS1dRUjNYSDMwVkQmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTAxODMzMDYzVE42ME1IVVYxNUxCJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAxODE3NDBDWUU4VDk1UDhHTDgmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9kZXRhaWwmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl
Re: Don't think I have it in me to help friend with 2015 iMac 21.5" swap HDD to SSD - pRICE cUBE - 07-27-2021
jdc wrote:
[quote=sekker]
Or buy an external USB3 case and run the SSD that way. Will be great.
3 out of 3 MRFers agree with this.
I run my 2014 iMac from an external NVMe via USB 3. No problems at all. Cost is about the same as a 2.5" SSD +/- $10.
Plug, play, go.
Skip the whole internal thing.
this: https://www.amazon.com/Inland-Platinum-Internal-Compatible-Solutions/dp/B08FT4J52Z/ref=sxin_12?asc_contentid=amzn1.osa.9e3ee09f-8189-4014-a66c-76268050acde.ATVPDKIKX0DER.en_US&asc_contenttype=article&ascsubtag=amzn1.osa.9e3ee09f-8189-4014-a66c-76268050acde.ATVPDKIKX0DER.en_US&creativeASIN=B08FT4J52Z&cv_ct_cx=1tb+ssd&cv_ct_id=amzn1.osa.9e3ee09f-8189-4014-a66c-76268050acde.ATVPDKIKX0DER.en_US&cv_ct_pg=search&cv_ct_we=asin&cv_ct_wn=osp-single-source-earns-comm&dchild=1&keywords=1+tb+ssd&linkCode=oas&pd_rd_i=B08FT4J52Z&pd_rd_r=9e57b74b-5ec4-4537-a428-1f07f2b3987a&pd_rd_w=Dnay2&pd_rd_wg=MrNQt&pf_rd_p=8065c57d-81c6-4bce-844a-e686936787b8&pf_rd_r=HYZZ016JX1CH15QS649Q&qid=1627359539&sr=1-3-64f3a41a-73ca-403a-923c-8152c45485fe&tag=ospwareableus-20
plus this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08WL3LQTC/ref=sspa_dk_detail_1?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B08WL3LQTC&pd_rd_w=aMB5T&pf_rd_p=6a5fcbdb-acb4-4a8f-9fd6-ca75a09642f9&pd_rd_wg=ydgw5&pf_rd_r=YFB9MMNGR3XD0852HSFX&pd_rd_r=78f8a613-8717-4989-b041-ac78c381fe3f&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFDS1dRUjNYSDMwVkQmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTAxODMzMDYzVE42ME1IVVYxNUxCJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAxODE3NDBDWUU4VDk1UDhHTDgmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9kZXRhaWwmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl
Appreciate the info. Haven't tried this before.
It will search for this external every time on restarts and after shut down?
Re: Don't think I have it in me to help friend with 2015 iMac 21.5" swap HDD to SSD - sekker - 07-27-2021
pRICE cUBE wrote:
[quote=jdc]
[quote=sekker]
Or buy an external USB3 case and run the SSD that way. Will be great.
3 out of 3 MRFers agree with this.
I run my 2014 iMac from an external NVMe via USB 3. No problems at all. Cost is about the same as a 2.5" SSD +/- $10.
Plug, play, go.
Skip the whole internal thing.
this: https://www.amazon.com/Inland-Platinum-Internal-Compatible-Solutions/dp/B08FT4J52Z/ref=sxin_12?asc_contentid=amzn1.osa.9e3ee09f-8189-4014-a66c-76268050acde.ATVPDKIKX0DER.en_US&asc_contenttype=article&ascsubtag=amzn1.osa.9e3ee09f-8189-4014-a66c-76268050acde.ATVPDKIKX0DER.en_US&creativeASIN=B08FT4J52Z&cv_ct_cx=1tb+ssd&cv_ct_id=amzn1.osa.9e3ee09f-8189-4014-a66c-76268050acde.ATVPDKIKX0DER.en_US&cv_ct_pg=search&cv_ct_we=asin&cv_ct_wn=osp-single-source-earns-comm&dchild=1&keywords=1+tb+ssd&linkCode=oas&pd_rd_i=B08FT4J52Z&pd_rd_r=9e57b74b-5ec4-4537-a428-1f07f2b3987a&pd_rd_w=Dnay2&pd_rd_wg=MrNQt&pf_rd_p=8065c57d-81c6-4bce-844a-e686936787b8&pf_rd_r=HYZZ016JX1CH15QS649Q&qid=1627359539&sr=1-3-64f3a41a-73ca-403a-923c-8152c45485fe&tag=ospwareableus-20
plus this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08WL3LQTC/ref=sspa_dk_detail_1?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B08WL3LQTC&pd_rd_w=aMB5T&pf_rd_p=6a5fcbdb-acb4-4a8f-9fd6-ca75a09642f9&pd_rd_wg=ydgw5&pf_rd_r=YFB9MMNGR3XD0852HSFX&pd_rd_r=78f8a613-8717-4989-b041-ac78c381fe3f&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFDS1dRUjNYSDMwVkQmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTAxODMzMDYzVE42ME1IVVYxNUxCJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAxODE3NDBDWUU4VDk1UDhHTDgmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9kZXRhaWwmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl
Appreciate the info. Haven't tried this before.
It will search for this external every time on restarts and after shut down?
Yes. I’ve been booting off an SSD via FireWire 800 drive on an early i3 iMac for a decade or so this way.
Re: Don't think I have it in me to help friend with 2015 iMac 21.5" swap HDD to SSD - jdc - 07-27-2021
pRICE cUBE wrote:
It will search for this external every time on restarts and after shut down?
nope. Been able to boot from external for 20 years. I linked to a 1 TB, but any size is fine.
Who shutdown/restarts anymore? pfft. waste of time. Put it to sleep at night if its a thing.
Re: Don't think I have it in me to help friend with 2015 iMac 21.5" swap HDD to SSD - pRICE cUBE - 07-27-2021
jdc wrote:
[quote=pRICE cUBE]
It will search for this external every time on restarts and after shut down?
nope. Been able to boot from external for 20 years. I linked to a 1 TB, but any size is fine.
Who shutdown/restarts anymore? pfft. waste of time. Put it to sleep at night if its a thing.
The friend is not technologically adept. If it isn't the default drive after restart, shut down, kernel panic, then I would have to intervene every time.
Re: Don't think I have it in me to help friend with 2015 iMac 21.5" swap HDD to SSD - GGD - 07-27-2021
pRICE cUBE wrote:
[quote=jdc]
[quote=pRICE cUBE]
It will search for this external every time on restarts and after shut down?
nope. Been able to boot from external for 20 years. I linked to a 1 TB, but any size is fine.
Who shutdown/restarts anymore? pfft. waste of time. Put it to sleep at night if its a thing.
The friend is not technologically adept. If it isn't the default drive after restart, shut down, kernel panic, then I would have to intervene every time.
Unless things have changed radically over the years, you should be able to use the Startup Disk system preference to select the external boot drive, and as long as it's powered on, it should boot from it on restarts and power ons.