10-31-2022, 10:39 AM
Robert M wrote:
Ka jowct,
External boot drive all the way. Go for an NVME based model that connects via USB-C. USB 3.1 Gen 2 min. That way, it'll connect to a Thunderbolt 3 port on the machine. It'll cost about the same or a little more than a 2.5" based USB 3 that connects to the USB-A port and will provide superior performance.
I also wouldn't use the internal drive for Time Machine. Actually, I probably wouldn't use the internal drive at all. That's me. If I were to use the internal drive, it would only be for scratch purposes. Maybe throw a clone of the external boot drive onto the internal drive to use as an emergency last resort.
For Time Machine, you'll want a higher capacity platter drive that connects externally. It shouldbe 2 to 3 times the used capacity of the main boot drive. Easier just to buy it in terms of terabytes i.e. 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, etc.
Robert
She has a 1TB internal and a 3TB external. I took apart the Seagate external drive that had been rudely powered off by cat teeth, and put it into a decent OWC enclosure. About 500 GB of the internal drive appear to be used, but it may be less. Given how painfully bad the iMac’s performance is now, I think she’ll very happy with USB A and an SSD. She doesn’t do anything demanding with it.