Low-End 2011 iMac: No SSD option because it's too slow?

MDLarson

MDLarson

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So I'm speccing out some new workstations and am very interested in the SSD options out there. Apple charges $500 to switch from a 1 TB HDD to a 256 GB SDD, but only offers that option on the three top-end models; NOT the low end 2.5 GHz machine.

I hit up Apple's website chat (which was pretty slick) and asked why they didn't offer the SSD option on the low end model and the rep said that the SSD requires the faster processors.

I'm calling B.S. on this answer. Can anyone shed some light on this topic?
 
That answer is the biggest load of BS I've heard all week.

A great retort would have been, "Then what about the MacBook Air 11" 1.4GHz 2GB RAM? Certainly that computer is far slower than the base-model Mac Pro, and you can't get that MacBook Air with anything but an SSD!"

Just for the record, I'm about to stick an SSD in my 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo 2009 Mac mini, and the speed of my pokey processor is of no concern in my decision. In fact, switching from a spinning-platter hard drive to an SSD will make almost any computer feel twice as responsive.
 
MDLarson said:
...

I'm calling B.S. on this answer. Can anyone shed some light on this topic?
Click to expand...
The real answer is slapping you in the face, but you refuse to acknowledge it. SSDs are expensive. Replace the HDD with a SSD and the low-end iMac becomes more expensive than the high-end model with a HDD.
 
MisterMe said:
The real answer is slapping you in the face, but you refuse to acknowledge it. SSDs are expensive. Replace the HDD with a SSD and the low-end iMac becomes more expensive than the high-end model with a HDD.
Click to expand...

OK jerk,

I figured the lack of the SSD configuration option was entirely marketing based, and I only posted here to confirm that suspicion with other valued members of the Mac community. I didn't expressly state that suspicion because I wanted to believe that the Apple rep had a sliver of intelligence, and I wanted to hear what others said without coloring the issue with my own opinion too much.

And I wasn't suggesting that Apple make the SSD the default option…*I was just wondering why they didn't offer the SSD upgrade as an option. I know SSDs are expensive, and if I could order them as a config option on the low-end model, I'd save $300 just by staying on the low-end platform.

MisterMe, you're a freakin' jerk. I didn't invite your hostility and I don't deserve it. It's people like you who make me think twice before posting even the most innocent questions online and why my activity here has dropped hugely in the past several years. I'm tired of flippant, rude people like you.

ElDiablo, on the other hand, thanks for the thoughtful answer. You have always been a very helpful poster on this site and I value your input greatly.
 
On the plus side, they can't stop you from buying your own SSD and slapping it in there. You can get them for cheaper from other stores. Not a LOT cheaper, but still cheaper. They're expensive anywhere you go. Check out crucial.com or newegg.com.
 
Once Intel gets their firmware update released, I would highly recommend the Intel 320 series: they balance price and performance quite well, and are readily available both online and in major electronics stores (like Best Buy), so if you're like me and just can't wait sometimes, you can run on down to the store and pick one up instead of waiting days for shipping.

Again: wait until Intel releases the newest firmware updater, otherwise your drive may catastrophically fail if your power is ever cut. But hey, besides that tiny, little, minor problem, they're great drives!
 
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