Speeding up my iMac late 2012 iMac with external Thunderbolt SSD

I am a motion graphics editor and would like to get better speed from my late 2012 iMac with a 3 TB Fusion Drive.
I have three questions:
1. Does the Fusion drive in this iMac always run the iOS and apps on the ssd part of the fusion drive?
2. If not, is there a way to make that happen?
3. If I add an External Thunderbolt 512GB SSD Drive, will I get a significant boost in performance by keeping the files (video and images) on the SSD, or would After Effects need to reside on the new SSD as well?
I would really appreciate help from anyone that has the expertise to answer this question.
Thank you.
Will H.

Hi there ScharadL,
I would recommend taking a look at the troubleshooting steps boot issues found in the article below.
Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup
-Griff W.

Similar Messages

Imac late 2012 problems with motu ultralite mkIII through thunderbolt to firewire

first - hi @all users here in the forum.
i have a really curious problem with my audio configuration. at first i must say the audio-config. with my macbook pro (mid 2010) and my imac (early 2008) works fine without problems by using firewire.
but not on my imac (late 2012). there is a static, high frequently noise on my monitors. and i don't find the reason for that problem. i have delete alle the audio drivers and make a fresh install. reset the nvram and pram with holding the power key and so on. two weeks ago i have contacted apple care and send the imac to the next service provider. first i think for a defect power-supply. but the provider located only a defect ram. they change it and send me the imac back. but nothing has changed. if i heard about the defect ram from the provider i know this couldn't never ever the reason for that problem.
i hope anyone can help a little bit by this problem...thank you.
here is my hardware setup:
- imac late 2012,"27 3.2ghz core i5 processor, 8 gb ram, 1tb fusion drive (osx 10.8.5)
-> connected over the thunderbolt to firewire adapter to
- the motu ultralite mkiii
-> connected to the yamaha hs80 with balanced cables

the static, high frequently noise on the right is stronger than on the left.

Is the newest iMac (late 2012) compatible with Lion 10.7.4 ?

This new iMac came installed with 10.8 Mountain Lion. Is there any reason why I can't install Lion 10.7.4 or 10.7.5 on it?

The Late 2012 iMac comes with OS X Mountain Lion, so you can't run OS X Lion on that Mac because of three reasons:
1. It's not allowed by the OS X Terms of Use.
2. The firmware of that Mac isn't compatible with OS X Lion.
3. The hardware of the Late 2012 iMac is too new for OS X Lion (OS X Lion isn't compatible with the hardware of this iMac)

Will my iMac (late 2012) support this using Thunderbolt 2?

I'm pretty interested in purchasing this in the future but I wanted to make sure I'd ask before I do so. Or do I have to stick with Thunderbolt 1?
http://store.apple.com/us/product/HE152VC/A/promise-pegasus2-r6-12tb-6-by-2tb-th underbolt-2-raid-system?fnode=5f
Thank you so much in advance.

The Promise is backwards-compatible with Thunderbolt 1 so it would work, but if it costs significantly more due to the Thunderbolt 2 support it would be a waste of money since you won't get the benefit of the higher performance when using your current iMac. If the price vs a Thunderbolt 1 array isn't much more, though, then purchasing the Thunderbolt 2 device might be worthwhile "future proofing".
Regards.

Help for with slow, glitchy (late 2012) iMac

This is an ANSWER and not a request for help. I didn't know where to post this and apologize for stepping where I shouldn't.
I have a Late 2012 iMac that has been crashing, running slow, and now worse; all my documents and everything in Finder have disappeared. I discovered a fix that may help others with similar issues. I use my iMac for use with Logic Pro X and Mainstage where freezeups are a disaster. I thought about this awhile and realized I had installed a new USB 3.0 external hard disk a few months ago when this issue began. I began to experience more and more crashes and extremely slow performance. Beach-balls and slow performance were common. But the last straw was when everything in Finder disappeared. My Document and Application folders were empty. If I clicked on "About This Mac" I saw nothing. It took two tries to prove my theory, but here's what I did to make "the fix". I unplugged the USB 3.0 drive and all USB and external devices. I did a restore of OSX Mt Lion. All was back to normal. But after plugging in the USB 3.0 drive, all the afore mentioned problems came back. I did one more restore, this time NOT connecting the USB 3.0 external hard disk. Now I have gone some time and my iMac's speed is back to "incredible", no beach balls or any sign of slow performance in recording or running any other app. Apparently, the 2012 iMac; although spec'ed to be USB 3.0 compatible, may not be all that compatible. Hope this helps someone!

Likely the external drive is bad or defective cable.

My Imac late 2012 running Yosemite does not recognise my Huawei 3g usb modem. itried to install Java bt still it does not although the same modem works with my MacBook pro . any help please

My Imac late 2012 running Yosemite does not recognise my Huawei 3g usb modem. itried to install Java bt still it does not although the same modem works with my MacBook pro . any help please

Hey there mbarikiwa,
If your iMac still has not recognized the usb modem, I would use the troubleshooting for Yosemite USB issues in the following article:
OS X Yosemite: If a USB device isn’t working
If the device is connected to a USB hub:
Make sure the device and the hub are the same speed. Connect USB 3.0 SuperSpeed devices to a USB 3.0 SuperSpeed HUB, USB 2.0 Hi-Speed devices to a USB 2.0 Hi-Speed hub, and so on.
If the device doesn’t have a power cord and is plugged into another USB device that doesn’t have a power cord:
Try plugging the device directly into your computer’s USB port or into a USB device that does have a power cord. You might need to disconnect and reconnect the other device as well, if it has stopped responding.
If you have many devices connected to your Mac:
Disconnect all USB devices except the device you’re testing, an Apple keyboard, and an Apple mouse. Make sure that the device is connected directly to the computer, and that any hubs or extension cables are disconnected. If you can use the device now, the problem may be with one of the other USB devices or hubs you had connected to your computer. Try reconnecting them, one by one, to your computer. When you find the device causing the problem, review its documentation for further troubleshooting steps.
Verify that the device appears in System Information:
Choose Apple menu > About This Mac. In the window that appears, click Overview, then click the System Report button to open System Information.
In the window that appears, see if the USB device is listed below Hardware in the Contents list. If the device appears but does not work, review the device’s documentation for further troubleshooting steps.
Restart apps:
Quit and restart any apps that use the device.
Restart your Mac:
Choose Apple menu > Restart.
Check your device’s USB connection
Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
All the very best,
Sterling

[Guide] Install and run Windows 7/8 from an external drive without using bootcamp (works for late 2012 iMacs with 3TB drive)

This is a copy of a post from my blog, you can also Read it on my blog...
Introduction
After I received my new iMac with a 3 TB Fusion Drive, I was disappointed when I realized that Bootcamp was not running on this model and prevented me from installing Windows on it. I wanted to take advantage of the powerful iMac hardware to play games but I couldn't.
There are a few ways of working around this limitation, but I found most of them quite complex and most of the time they required formatting the internal hard drive or repartitioning it and go for a brand new installation of Mac OS X. I was not comfortable with that.
But there is another way, and that is to install Windows on an external hard drive, using either USB or Thunderbolt. Personally I used a Lacie Rugged 1 TB drive that has both USB3 and Thunderbolt connectors. Both work very well.
This guide may interest you if:
You have an internal hard drive of more than 2TB and you can't run bootcamp at all (like late 2012 iMacs with a 3TB drive)
You have limited space or you don't want to dedicate disk space on your internal hard disk drive to a Windows installation
What this guide will make you do:
It will make you erase all your data from your external USB3/Thunderbolt hard drive
It will make you install Windows on your external USB3/Thunderbolt hard drive
It will make you install bootcamp drivers
What this will not make you do:
It will not make you modify anything on your internal Mac hard drive
It will not make you use or install the bootcamp assistant
It will not activate the Preference Pane for the default boot drive. You have to boot by pressing the ALT key to manually select your boot drive each tome you want to boot Windows.
What you'll need
An external hard drive with a USB3 and/or Thunderbolt connector. This drive will be formatted so ensure you saved your files before going further. You can use either an SSD drive or a classic hard drive.
A Windows 7 or 8 install DVD or ISO (check whether to install 32 or 64 bits versions based on your Bootcamp drivers) and the corresponding Windows serial number.
One of the following:
Mac OS X with a Windows 7 or 8 Virtual Machine (use VMWare Fusion or Parallels Desktop for example. Note: VMWare Fusion seems to have some issues with Thunderbolt and USB3. Plug your drive to a USB2 enclosure or hub to work around this -it worked for me-, or use another VM software) → Read the important note below
A PC running Windows 7 or 8 → Read the important note below
Windows AIK (free) running on your Virtual Machine or on your PC, or just the imagex.exe file (the rest of the Windows AIK package is not needed)
Download imagex.exe
Download Windows AIK (this download and installation is not required if you have already downloaded imagex.exe)
Bootcamp drivers for your Mac. You can get these either by running bootcamp from your Mac (Applications > Utilities > Bootcamp) or, if like me you have a 3TB drive and can't run bootcamp at all, use the direct download links here.
A USB stick to store your bootcamp drivers
IMPORTANT: If your Mac has a 64 bits processor, your Windows Virtual Machine on OSX, your Windows installation on your PC and your Windows DVD/ISO must also be in 64 bits!
Step by Step guide
Step 1: Get the install.wim file
If you have a Windows ISO file:
Mount the ISO
If you're on OS X: double click on the ISO file
If you're on on Windows 7: Use a software like Virtual Clone Drive (free)
If you're on Windows 8: double click on the ISO file
Open the mounted drive, then go to the "sources" folder and locate the "install.wim" file. Save this file to C:\wim\ on your Windows installation or virtual machine.
If you have a Windows DVD: open the "sources" folder on the DVD and locate the "install.wim" file. Save this file to C:\wim\ on your Windows installation or virtual machine.
IMPORTANT: If instead of a "install.wim" file, you have "install.esd", you can not continue this step by step guide. And an ESD file can not be converted into a WIM file. So you must get a version of the Windows installation DVD/ISO that has an install.wim file.
Step 2: Clean, partition and format your external hard drive
On your Windows installation or virtual machine, plug in your external hard drive (can be plugged using USB2, USB3 or Thunderbolt at this stage)
Open the command prompt in administrator mode (cmd.exe). To run it in administrator mode, right click on cmd.exe > Run as admin.
Type the following and hit enter to open the disk partitioner utility:
diskpartType the following and hit enter to list your drives:
list disk
This will display a list of disks mounted on your computer or virtual machine. Make sure your drive is listed here before you continue.Identify the disk ID of your external hard drive. Replace # by your real external disk ID in the command below:
select disk #Clean all partitions by typing the following (warning: this will erase all data from your external drive!):
clean
Create the boot parition by typing the following followed by the enter key:
create partition primary size=350
This will create a 350MB partition on your external driveFormat the partition in FAT32 by typing the following:
format fs=fat32 quick
Set this partition to active by typing:
active
Assign a letter to mount this partition. We will use letter B in our example. If B is already used on your PC, replace B by any other available letter:
assign letter=b
Windows will detect a new drive and probably display a pop-up. Ignore that.Create the Windows installation partition using all the remaining space available on the external drive by typing the following:
create partition primary
Format the new partition in NTFS:
format fs=ntfs quick
Assign a letter to mount this partition. We will use letter O in our example. If O is already used on your PC, replace O by any other available letter:
assign letter=o
Windows will detect a new drive and probably display a pop-up. Ignore that.Exit the disk partitioner utility by typing:
exit
Step 3: Deploy the Windows installation image
Still using the command prompt in admin mode (you didn't close it, did you? ), locate the imagex.exe file mentioned in the "What you'll need" section and access its folder. In our example, we have put this file in C:\imagex\imagex.exe
Type the following and hit enter (remember to replace o: with the letter you have chosen in the previous step):
imagex.exe /apply C:\wim\install.wim 1 o:
This will take some time. The Windows installation image is being deployed to your external driveOnce done, type the following to create the boot section (remember to replace o: and b: with the letters you've chosen in the previous step):
o:\windows\system32\bcdboot o:\windows /f ALL /s b:
If you get an error message saying that you can't run this program on your PC, then most probably you are running on a 32 bits installation of windows and you're trying to deploy a 64 bits install. This means you did not read the important notes in the beginning of this guide
If you get an error message on the options that can be used with the BCDBOOT command, then it's because you're installing Windows 7, and the /f option is not supported. If that is the case, remove /f ALL from the command and retry.
Step 4: Boot from your external drive and install Windows
Plug in your external drive:
If you've done all the previous steps from a Windows PC, unplug your external drive from your PC and plug it to your Mac, either on a USB3 or a Thunderbolt port.
If you've done all the previous steps from your Mac using a Virtual Machine, ensure the external drive is plugged in to a USB3 or Thunderbolt port. Using USB2 should also work but you'll get very poor performance so I don't recommend doing that.
Reboot your Mac and once the bootup sound is over, immediately press the ALT (option) key and release it only when the boot drives selection screen appears. If you did not get the boot drives selection screen, reboot and try again. The timing to press the ALT (option) key is quite short. It must not be too early or too late.
On the boot selection screen, choose "Windows" using the arrow keys on your keyboard, then press enter.
The Windows installation starts. Follow the on-screen instructions as normal. The installation program will restart your computer one or 2 times. Don't forget to press ALT (option) right after the bootup sound, and boot on Windows again each time to continue the installation.
Step 5: Install bootcamp drivers
Once the Windows installation is complete, plug in the USB stick where you stored the bootcamp drivers (see "what you'll need" section), open it and right click on "setup.exe" and select "Run as admin". Follow the on-screen instructions.If you have an error saying that you can't run this program on this PC, obviously you have installed a 32 bits version of Windows and the bootcamp drivers for your Mac are made for a 64 bits version. You have to restart the whole guide and make sure to get a 64 bits version of Windows this time!
Once the bootcamp drivers are all installed, reboot and press ALT (option) after the bootup sound to boot on Windows again. And Voilà, you have Windows installed on your USB3/Thunderbolt drive running on your Mac.
Now each time you want to boot on Windows, press and hold the ALT (option) key after the startup sound and select "Windows", then press Enter.

Hi i'm trying to follow your guide, I installed windows 8 on bootcamp to do it planning to remove it after the operation is done, but i get stuck at part 3: every command i give to imagex i get a pop-up ftom windws asking how do I want to open this kind of file install.wim and imagex does nothing, what do i have to do to stop those pop-ups?

Issue with Fusion drive (Late 2012 iMac)

I have a late 2009 iMac that has been backed up with Time Machine. I recently picked up a late 2012 iMac with the 1TB Fusion drive. When I first plugged in my Time Machine drive, I was asked if I'd like to transfer my files over. I did, and everything was working fine. I was using about 800GB of my 1.12TB Fusion Drive.
I recently decided to add a new partition to the Macintosh HD in order to put Windows on it. I did this through the Disk Utility. I noticed that it was taking an inordinately long time to create this partition. Finally, I realized that the Disk Utility was locked up. I was forced to reboot to fix it.
I went back and tried again and I got an error stating that the drive had errors and I couldn't make a new partition. So I attempted to "repair disk". That gave me an error "Error: This disk needs to be repaired using the Recovery HD. Restart your computer, holding down the Command key and the R key until you see the Apple logo. When the OS X Utilities window appears, choose Disk Utility."
So I rebooted into recovery. Recovery was absolutely no help either. It couldn't repair the drive, even though it had me erase all the data. So I downloaded 10.8.2 on my Mac Mini and made a boot disk out of my Thunderbolt drive. I booted into OS X and tried again to repair, thinking it would work since the Fusion was no longer the boot drive. No such luck. I then booted back into recovery and had recovery download and install a fresh version of 10.8.2. 2+ hours into the download/install, I get an error that says "OS X couldn't be installed because the disk Macintosh HD is damaged and can't be repaired."
Ok, so as a final attempt, I had recovery use my time machine to start over. That worked, kinda. It now shows my Fusion drive as being completely filled in Disk Utility (49KB remains, only about 800 or so was used before), and Finder shows the Fusion drive as being 860GB capacity with 837GB used. I still can't repair the disk. And now my Time Machine acts like I'm working on an entirely new computer and says there's not enough room on the drive unless I format my Time Machine drive and start over.
Yeah, TL;DR, but does anybody have any idea how I can get this issue resolved? I wonder if doing the TM restore from my 2009 iMac may have introduced the non-Fusion version of Disk Utilities that doesn't know how to fix my issue.

Yes I have AppleCare.
Before that I've now made a bootable disk and tried to repair the internal drive, but this was not possible.
I have a Time Machine backup, but excluded some temporary folders.
Is there a way to access these folders in case they aren't in a damaged area?
Maybe using "Target Disk mode"?
I've never done this before.
This Mac has no FireWire, but we have an adaptor for Thunderbolt to FireWire - could I connect an older Mac with FireWire using this adaptor for Target Disk Mode?
Many thanks.

Airplay Problem with Late 2012 iMac

Hi all,
Since I bought the iMac, I was never able to function the Airplay.
Spend hours with tech support on the phone, but stil not resolved.
These is no option in Display Preference at all.
Try everything with router, change network, still nothing.
The weird part is, Airplay does work on iTunes.
I also tried install fresh OSX (Mountain Lion), still the same.
I am now on Mavericks, hoping that new OS will solved it, still nothing.
Is there anyone that know what else to do before I bring the iMac to the store?
Cheers,
Aaron

Welcome to Apple Support Communities
It looks like you have an unsupported iMac. Are you sure you have got a Late 2012 iMac? You can check it in  > About this Mac > More Info

I buy the new imac,late 2012 with a hard-drive 3TB and i want to change with another hard-drive 1TB....where i can buy?

i buy the new imac,late 2012 with a hard-drive 3TB and i want to change with another hard-drive 1TB....where i can buy?

It's also much more difficult to install third-party hard drives in current or recent Macs than it was. See:
http://blog.macsales.com/10146-apple-further-restricts-upgrade-options-on-new-im acs
The 2012 iMacs are also in essence glued together and very difficult to disassemble and reassemble. The bottom line is: don't try it.
Why, if I may ask, would you want to remove the 3TB drive and replace it with a 1TB drive? What is it you hope to achieve even if it were possible?
Regards.

HT5619 Is it possible to reattach an iMac (Late 2012 and later) with a Built-in Vesa Mount Adaptor to an iMac stand?

Is it possible to reattach an iMac (Late 2012 and later) with a Built-in Vesa Mount Adaptor to an iMac stand? I'll be moving and having my iMac on a stand would be easier then mounting it on my bowling table.

benjayzachariah wrote:
Is it possible to reattach an iMac (Late 2012 and later) with a Built-in Vesa Mount Adaptor to an iMac stand? I'll be moving and having my iMac on a stand would be easier then mounting it on my bowling table.
No, please look to your right and click More Like This for posts on that subject.

Vesa with late 2012 iMac

I have an iMac from late 2012, i would like to use a vesa wall mount, is it compatible? Which "arm" product should i pick?

Hello Selyfer,
Unfortunately, unless it is configured as such at the time of purchase, a VESA mount cannot be used on your iMac.
iMac (Late 2012 and later): VESA mount compatibility
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5619
Cheers,
Allen

I have a late 2012 iMac running osx 10.8.5. I keep losing access to my internal hard drive. I can reboot and regain access and it will last for a few minutes or hours. Disk utility does not seems to help.

I have a late 2012 iMac with an I5 precessor running OSX 10.8.5 and a 1tb internal hard drive. I keep losing access to the internal hard drive/startup disk.
I can reboot and everything operates as normal for a few minutes or hours but then I lose all access again to anything on the hard drive. The computer is still up and running but no files can be accessed and certain websites cannot be acessed even though internet access appears to be normal. Disk utility can only find permission errors related to iTunes which can be repaired only to come back at the next scan (I would not think permission errors would have anything to do with the hard drive crashing). It does not seem to matter what program I am using at the time access is lost and it can lose access sometimes right after reboot when no program is running.

You will need to boot into the Recovery Volume (command - R on a restart or hold down the option/alt key during restart and select it) to run Disk Utility/Disk Repair.

How can i connect my Imac late 2012 to my Samsung TV??

How can i connect my Imac late 2012 to my Samsung TV??I have a hdmi cable stuck in my Tv and the other end a adapter from hdmi to mini display port. but it won't work I don't get no picture or sound on my tv

I have an Apple tv and with this it works of course. But I wanted it to use with Windows 7 so I need to connect my imac to my tv...
how can i turn it on in the settings? it won't work or recognize my tv

How to connect my PS3 to my iMac (Late 2012)

Hello every one, I have a question. Can I connect my PS3 to my late 2012 iMac with 27 inch over HDMI?
I looked in the internet but I only found such Adapters, for the older iMac's.
If I can do this, please let me know what I need and where I could get this Adapter or Device.
Thank You.

You would need a display port to HDMI adapter. One of the newer features (which the 2012 iMac has) is that it can display this type of content like a DVD player to the iMac.
http://store.apple.com/us/product/TY600VC/A/griffin-mini-displayport-to-hdmi-wit h-audio-dvi
Use the above link to review that item. It also has a DVI adapter that you would not use. But the display port to HDMI is the correct item. Then you connect the PS3 to the hdmi on it. I don't think it would passthrough audio though so you would have to figure something out for sound.

Speeding up my iMac late 2012 iMac with external Thunderbolt SSD

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