Running OS X off an SSD in a USB enclosure

[NShukla]

Hi,

I have a 2013 iMac that I use at work. I want to upgrade the internal HDD to an SSD. I have the SSD, but IT won't let me teardown the Mac and void the warranty, so my only option is to get either a Thunderbolt or USB enclosure.

Thunderbolt enclosures are rare or expensive, so I'm wondering if a USB enclosure would cut it for running the OS. Would it be stable, am I gonna deal with disconnects and dropouts? Will the overall "snappy-ness" of the SSD translate over USB. I'm not to concerned with max transfer rates, just not having to wait a hundred years for programs to open, close and windows to open.

Or should I spring for the Thunderbolt enclosure? Thanks for any suggestions.

-Neil

 

[TechyInAZ]

If you can go thunderbolt. I personally have tried using USB 3.0 external drives on vm's, and it's slow.

 

[NShukla]

What is the USB 3.0 like compared to a 7200rpm HDD? Do you still get that night and day improvement in snappyness of an SSD?

 

[STFLightning]

I can't give you any exact figures, but using USB at all cuts down an SSD by a fair bit. If possible use Thunderbolt, or even FireWire. In the pre-Thunderbolt days I used FireWire for any bootable drives.