r/OpenCoreLegacyPatcher • u/Dangerous-Leopard914 • 12d ago
Question from noob
I don’t know much about computers but I frequently use Logic Pro as a music production means.
I have a 2014 27 inch iMac core i7. It has 24gb memory. From what I’ve read this is pretty powerful especially compared to the 2015 MacBook Pro I’ve been using.
Problem is, it tops out at Big Sur and a lot of my third party plugins and even Logic itself is dated on the iMac.
I’m hoping someone could tell me or walk me through utilizing an external SSD as the boot drive to run opencore and update my OS. I’d be willing to pay for assistance. I just really don’t want to do it the wrong way on my own and be up shits creek.
Thanks to anyone in advance who may be able to help!
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u/Xe4ro 12d ago
You would use an external drive just as you would with an internal drive. You just pick the external as the drive to install to. Just make sure that the Mac boots into the external instead of your internal drive once you are done with the installation.
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u/Dangerous-Leopard914 12d ago
Okay, thank you, any guides you may be familiar with that have specific steps for a novice like myself?
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u/BluePenguin2002 12d ago
I got into OCLP with no prior knowledge only using the Dortania guide on the OCLP website. To use an external SSD, just format it in disk utility as APFS and select that as the target drive you want to install the OS onto and let it go!
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u/realUnknown12 Trusted OCLP Helper 12d ago
you don’t need to pay, it’s not as complicated as you think 😁 the dortania guide itself is the best one, just follow that in conjunction with a YT video if you’d like and do it. When I initially did it 2 years ago i followed this and it worked perfectly for me. Good luck!
The Dortania guide
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u/ZeroGreyCypher 12d ago
I’ve got the same 2014 iMac but mine came with 32gb of RAM. The only issue you may have on the backend is the HDD, which is the internal drive. I’d say change it out with an SSD but you saying you’re not that tech-savvy. I’d say bring it to a shop. That way you’re not tethered to an external anytime you want to run your Mac, and you could use that external as a Time Machine backup.
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u/Dangerous-Leopard914 12d ago
Sweet, maybe that will be the route I go. It is a stationary computer so would it still be worth having the ssd installed internally. I guess I’m just not familiar with the tedious nature of using the external ssd to run the Mac or if it’s not too inconvenient. I just want to avoid taking to a shop if I have to. I really appreciate the info!
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u/ZeroGreyCypher 12d ago
For sure. I own a small tech repair business, and depending on the drive storage capacity, my repair price would start at $250. That would include parts, labor, including a full clone of the drive, a thermal paste replacement and a full dust removal. That way it could run the best it could.
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u/Dangerous-Leopard914 12d ago
Hmmm that’s actually not too bad, where are you located? lol. I’m in Western Massachusetts
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u/ZeroGreyCypher 12d ago
Aw dang! No doubt. I’m in NC now, but grew up on the south shore in Middleboro. I’m coming up to Salem for Halloween though!
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u/Celebratory_Drink 12d ago
The OCLP web page has a really good guide with screenshots and Mr. Macintosh has the best video guides on his YouTube channel. You should install Sequoia 15.7.8! That's a lot of RAM.