external ssd

Question

external ssd

I'm a MAC guy, I know what is fast and what isn't. Due to a pretty significant budget hard number I made the decision to buy a 2019 hdd 21 inch i3 (Best Buy open box discounted). I get it would be slow for hdd, but this is stupid slow. I know why, I don't need that input, nor do I need the suggestion to take it back and buy different. Just wanting to know if anybody has a 1-2-3, etc guide to installing an external SSD to boot and operate from. Youtube has tons, but it isn't so simple as 1-2-3. Any help would be appreciated.

Posted on Sep 10, 2020 4:58 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

padams35

Level 4

3,445 points

Sep 10, 2020 5:48 AM in response to christopherfrompekin

Step-1: Install MacOS onto the SSD

Method A: copy. Use Disk Utility (or a 3rd party tool like Carbon Cloner) to restore/clone an image of your Macintosh HDD to the SSD.

https://support.apple.com/guide/disk-utility/restore-a-disk-dskutl14062/mac

Method B: clean start. Boot into recovery mode, select Reinstall MacOS, and select the SSD as the target.

https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/reinstall-macos-mchlp1599/mac

Step-2: Reboot from the SSD

Restart while holding the option key, select the external SSD.

Step-3: Set the SSD as the default startup drive

 > System Preferences, then click Startup Disk.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202796

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Answer 2

Sep 17, 2020 12:53 AM in response to Rob Fuentes

Apple makes a Thunderbolt to Thunderbolt 3 adapter

Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter - Apple

but it will work with a SSD only if the SSD is really Thunderbolt 3 (Lightning bolt icon on the connector), not just USB-C, and the SSD has its own power supply. The adapter cannot provide power.

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Answer 3

Sep 16, 2020 9:46 AM in response to padams35

Have a late 2013 21.5" iMac with stock mechanical hard drive, also too slow. This model has a Thunderbolt(not 3) port. Will an external SSD drive function effectively if used as the boot drive via Thunderbolt? My understanding is that contemporary external SSD drives all have Thunderbolt 3 connectors and I'm asking if this is a workable setup. Thanks.

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Answer 4

Ronasara

Level 6

15,043 points

Sep 16, 2020 10:27 AM in response to christopherfrompekin

Thanks for being up front and very clear as to what you want. So refreshing. I have the same computer with 16 GB of RAN installed. I ordered and installed an external SSD with Catalina and I am happy to say there was a significant increase in my operations, particularly on start up. Sorry I can't give you any statistics, but I'm sure you will be pleased.

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Answer 5

Sep 16, 2020 10:37 AM in response to Rob Fuentes

I’m certain you can, SSD have been around that long, and considering it has Catalina shouldn’t be an issue. I would say as to my problem, the suggested guide was perfect. I did a clean install on the SSD. And my MAC is literally night/day difference. I suddenly got a great deal in my 2019 open box purchase from Best Buy. total investment $1300, that includes the i3 iMac, 500gb T5 SSD, and trackpad 2, Had I got the newest i3 it would of run me $1399 plus $120 i think for trackpad 2. So I’m doing all right! I say be sure you have iCloud on and synced, then run a clean install on the SSD and see what happens.

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Answer 6

Sep 16, 2020 11:36 PM in response to Ronasara

Sorry the question was: would my old iMac, late 2013, be able to run with the new SSD connected via a Thunderbolt 3 connection. I'm uncertain about this since the iMac has an older version of the Thunderbolt port.

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Answer 7

padams35

Level 4

3,445 points

Sep 17, 2020 5:59 AM in response to Rob Fuentes

USB 3.1 type-C SSDs are usually backward compatible with USB 3.0 type-A ports and are your simplest solution.

Thunderbolt-3 SSDs are theoretically backward compatible with Thunderbolt-1 with Apple's Thunderbolt-3 to Thunderbolt-2 Adapter, but in practice that only works with self-powered devices. Bus-powered devices usually will NOT work due to voltage/current differences.

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