We have a 500GB HDD on a iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2014):
- 1.4 GHz Intel Core i5
- 8 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
- Intel HD Graphics 5000 1536 MB
- 224GB / 498GB available
We have spoken to Apple who said we cannot upgrade it to an SSD Drive, because it could break the motherboard.
We cannot afford a new Mac at the moment so I am looking for a solution to make these programs run faster.
Anyone have an tips/tricks to make it run faster?
Possibly install them all on an external Thunderbolt drive?
Best Answer
Unfortunately, the choice of internal storage for your model iMac was the worst possible, in that the 500GB hard drive you have installed was a 5400rpm model. These iMacs also came with a 1TB Fusion (or Hybrid) drive option as well as a 256GB SSD option, both of which are significantly faster (especially the SSD).
Storage
So, to answer your question as asked, you can in fact replace the hard drive in your model iMac if you want, although Apple does not 'officially' consider the storage (i.e. HDD/SSD) in any of the Tapered Edge aluminum iMacs to be upgradable. However, to be fair to Apple, upgrading this is extremely difficult and I would not recommend anyone having a go at it unless they're experienced or are very technically competent.
Based on your specs, your iMac has the model identifier iMac14,4 (you can double-check this via the About This Mac option under the Apple Menu - click the System Report button). Instructions on upgrading your storage, along with videos, are available here.
Remember though, this is not easy!
RAM
Your particular model iMac only came with 8GB RAM and this was soldered onto the Logic Board, so cannnot be removed and replaced. There are no additional memory slots. In other words, this cannot be upgraded whatsoever.
External Storage
In terms of external storage, the fastest option would be to use an SSD in an external enclosure connected to one of your Thunderbolt ports. Here are some example options. However, you'd have to factor in the cost of the SSD and enclosure and decide whether that money would be better put towards a different Mac? The fact is that your model iMac is not really suited to heavy work as it's throttled by a lack of both processing power and RAM.
Comparison test
Also, as a test, I used a mid-2010 iMac with a 500GB hard drive installed and launched Xcode and compiled a few builds to the simulator and in all instances these were a lot quicker than the 15 mins you talk about. Of course, without compiling the same code this is not a fair comparison. However, this iMac did have 12GB of RAM installed and that is a 50% boost compared to what you will ever have for yours.
My recommendations
Any problems/questions, let me know.