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I hope to soon upgrade the 320GB HDD in my Mid 2009 iMac to a more roomy 2TB drive. I have looked at 2TB HDDs like this Seagate one, but was wondering if the 2TB Seagate Hybrid Drive is worth the extra $40. I know it would be faster, obviously, but would it work with my iMac? And is it substantially faster than just an HDD? Right now my iMac takes over 1 minute to start up, and then over 1 1/2 minutes after logging in to load all the startup items. Thanks for the help!
I do think the extra for a hybrid drive is worth it. In your case you can’t add a second drive via SATA so this is your best option. The only thing you do need to watch out for is SATA I/O speed. Your systems SATA I/O is SATA II (3 Gb/s) This HD offers compatibility across SATA I (1.5 Gb/s), II (3.0 Gb/s) & III (6.0 Gb/s) others might not play well (in case you change your choice). Go for it! you’ll be happy with the speed improvements.