Hi, I have a 2019 iMac that has a slow mechanical disk. I would like to replace it with an SSD. How much will the labor cost me? I could do it myself. I have a little experience. The problem is the screen, which is delicate to remove.
iMac (2017 – 2020)
You don't want to pay someone to replace the drive. You should do what KiltedTom suggested and get an external SSD. You can get an external SSD from OWC (MacSales.com), clone your internal drive to it and boot and run from it.
You could increase your read and write speed by 10X depending on the external SSD you purchase.
I recommend that you contact OWC's Customer Support and see which of their several offerings would best fit your iMac model, work requirements and budget.
Then when you replace your iMac with a new Mac you can take the external with you for external storage.
If you decide to go either the recommendations of den.thed and get a new Mac consider this: a 10 Core Mac Mini M4 with 16 GB RAM and 1 TB SSD ($999 + tax) with a 27" LG 4k monitor ($250 + tax from Amazon.com) is $1249 + tax which is $560 less than a similarly configured new 24" iMac ($1799 + tax) re 07/2025.
It'll be orders of magnitude faster than your current Mac.
You don't want to pay someone to replace the drive. You should do what KiltedTom suggested and get an external SSD. You can get an external SSD from OWC (MacSales.com), clone your internal drive to it and boot and run from it.
You could increase your read and write speed by 10X depending on the external SSD you purchase.
I recommend that you contact OWC's Customer Support and see which of their several offerings would best fit your iMac model, work requirements and budget.
Then when you replace your iMac with a new Mac you can take the external with you for external storage.
If you decide to go either the recommendations of den.thed and get a new Mac consider this: a 10 Core Mac Mini M4 with 16 GB RAM and 1 TB SSD ($999 + tax) with a 27" LG 4k monitor ($250 + tax from Amazon.com) is $1249 + tax which is $560 less than a similarly configured new 24" iMac ($1799 + tax) re 07/2025.
It'll be orders of magnitude faster than your current Mac.
+2,3 or 4 I agree with Kilted Tim. A 2019 is now 6 years old and is soon (within a month or two) going to classed as a Vintage machine as it will not run Mac OS 26 which will be released in that time-frame. If you want to keep the computer just connect an external SSD then. However if I was in your shoes, I would also be thinking about replacing the computer with a M4 based Mac mini and a new display. Yes more money (depending on the external SSD you select) however you will have a new machine that will be future proofed for many years to come that will have a 1 year warranty, is eligible for AppleCare and will run rings around a 2019 Intel based iMac.
Investing your money in old technology sometimes makes sense, however if you like to stay current then it does not make sense. Just my .02.
I have a 27" 2019 iMac. I use an Acasis external TB enclosure and a WD SN850X NVME drive and works great. I'm still running Monterey because of some app compatibility issues if using Sequoia (although I also have an external Sequoia drive as well for testing.)
Don't. Use an external SSD if you really need to.
At least that will be useful in the future. It's not work sinking any money into that machine.
I concur with KiltedTim.
Your best bet, is to just run it from an external SSD.
Use an external SSD as your startup disk … - Apple Community
You could call the knowledgeable folks at OtherWorldComputing, they have some internal hard drive installation videos on their site and can make some recommendations. But, as already suggested, an external drive may be the best option and plenty fast and will simplify the process of migrating to a newer computer in the future.
Also something to consider: macOS 26 is coming this year, and that 2019 iMac will no longer be supported by the future macOS
i fully, agreed with "KiltedTim" on this issue!
Don't , replace your Mechanical Harddrive with an SSD Drive!
I have a iMac 2017 running Ventura, and is it not a Formel 1 Car, but i will not replace the Machanical Drive with an
SSD Drive yet!
Imac 2019 is not a Vintage iMac in my world.
iMac 2019 mechanical disk (hhd) slowdown
