Anyone here using iMac with Fusion Drive?

[derrickgoh]

Am getting a 27" iMac but can't decide whether its worth it to pay extra $280 to upgrade a 7200 rpm 1 TB HDD to a 1 TB Fusion Drive.

To be honest I don't need a 1 TB drive. My old iMac also had 1 TB drive and I was using only about 270 GB so yeah, 1 TB is definitely overkill. If I had the spare cash I'd rather replace the 1 TB HDD with a 512 GB SSD for $700. The speed increase would be great. I could replace the 1 TB HDD with a 256 GB SSD for $280 but I'm just worried I run out of space since my previous iMac I was using about 270 GB.

So all things considered, I guess if I want to enjoy some speed boost for a low price, I should consider replacing the 1 TB HDD with a 1 TB Fusion Drive which has a 128 GB SSD.

Anyone here using a Fusion Drive? Any feedback? Is the speed increase noticeable? I know HDD vs SSD can see big diff lah but HDD vs Fusion Drive leh?

 

[derrickgoh]

BTW is it true that if one wants to change to Fusion Drive, need to order from Apple online shop as the shops don't have it?

 

[PetPet]

Get the fusion drive.
It's worth it.

Not sure about your second question.
Don't like the service in local stores.
Prefer to order directly from Apple. They provide great after sales support

Be sure to get AppleCare.

 

[derrickgoh]

Get the fusion drive.
It's worth it.

Not sure about your second question.
Don't like the service in local stores.
Prefer to order directly from Apple. They provide great after sales support

Be sure to get AppleCare.

But apple online no trade in leh. I have a faulty imac. Istudio offered $100-200.

 

[IronMac]

BTW is it true that if one wants to change to Fusion Drive, need to order from Apple online shop as the shops don't have it?

The store themselves should be able to order in whatever configuration you want as a "CTO". That was what I was told at one retailer years ago when I was looking for a 2010 MBP.

In the end, I ordered through Apple

 

[ahsiao80]

Your most ideal shop to try would be Epicentre, heard that they do most of CTO orders but it may required you to wait for awhile~

 

[derrickgoh]

Normally I wouldn't mind going to any retailer but iStudio is offering $100-$200 trade in for my faulty Mac. Will check with epicentre if they offer trade ins too. If no, then no choice must go iStudio already.

I don't expect to go down and pick up a CTO iMac right away. I don't mind paying a deposit then coming back few days later for it.

 

[danielpng1]

why not go for the 256gb SSD instead? and get an external 1TB hdd.. at least that's what i did.. don't compromise on the speed. =p

however, i waited almost 10 days before my iMac is sent down from Shanghai, cos it's CTO.

 

[derrickgoh]

why not go for the 256gb SSD instead? and get an external 1TB hdd.. at least that's what i did.. don't compromise on the speed. =p

however, i waited almost 10 days before my iMac is sent down from Shanghai, cos it's CTO.

I don't need that much space. Based on my current HDD space, 256GB is just a little under. 512GB SSD would be ideal but damn ex. I guess I could get a 256GB and have less video. LOL!

Wah must wait 10 days? The problem is I am moving house lah. And ViewQwest is coming down on 8 May to do the set up. So die die my iMac must be in before that.

 

[B772ER]

Using late-2012 27" iMac with 1TB FD. Speed wise, pretty fast especially when editing photos using LR5. Have not tried video editing with FCPX but yes I would expect it to offer good performance as well. Boot up and shut down are very fast since the OS is located on the SSD.

When I ordered it CTO off AOS, took about 1 week to manufacture and deliver.

Then again, I have the 3.4GHz i7, 16GB RAM and 2GB dedicated graphics so those may possibly be factors to play in as well.

 

[docomospur]

I just bought a 21" iMac with the fusion drive, from the apple store. It was delivered in 6 days, public holidays and weekends included. Regarding the fusion drive, difficult for me to compare as I was using a 2009 MBP and the overall difference in speed is substantial.

 

[derrickgoh]

Thanks for all the feedback. Seems like istudio is the only one who offers trade in AND apple care + keyboard protector at a bundled discount of $178. Hence i'll prob go with them. They quoted 2 weeks for a customised mac which is way too long for me.

Anyone know of any other shop that does trade in & have apple care bundled at a discount?

 

[B772ER]

Thanks for all the feedback. Seems like istudio is the only one who offers trade in AND apple care + keyboard protector at a bundled discount of $178. Hence i'll prob go with them. They quoted 2 weeks for a customised mac which is way too long for me.

Anyone know of any other shop that does trade in & have apple care bundled at a discount?

Why do you need a keyboard protector for a wireless keyboard?

 

[Kiddream]

Ordering a CTO Mac from retail shop will take longer than Apple Online Store. If you can't wait, AOS is your only option.

 

[derrickgoh]

Why do you need a keyboard protector for a wireless keyboard?

Keeps the dust out. Anyways even if i dont use it, the bundle costs $178 which is still cheaper than APP alone so why not?

 

[IronMac]

With iStudio, do they ratchet down your trade-in depending on what is spoiled? For example, I am pretty sure that my SD card reader is dead but everything else is perfect. Do you think I will still get a decent trade-in or just a flat $200?

 

[blacksail]

I've been using my 2012 27" iMac with Fusion Drive for almost 1 and a half years and to be honest, it still feels as snappy as when I first got it. Was using a macbook pro with HDD before that so the speed difference is really noticeable. So if you have the extra cash, I'd say go for it.

 

[derrickgoh]

With iStudio, do they ratchet down your trade-in depending on what is spoiled? For example, I am pretty sure that my SD card reader is dead but everything else is perfect. Do you think I will still get a decent trade-in or just a flat $200?

No idea. Mine is definitely considered faulty. Cant even boot up. Have a feeling they will say your's is still faulty & give u $200.