Increasing longevity of 2011 imac

Hi folks, Im new to macs and bought a preowned mid 2011 Imac 27", I7 3.4ghz, 16gb ram, 1tb hdd about a year ago. It runs like a dream other than heating up a bit lately.

I'm not made of money and really want to get time out of this Imac as I don't think i could go back to a pc now.

First I would like to deal with the Heating up issue and would like to know ways to increase the longevity of the imac, regarding anything = software, hardware e.t.c.
I have read allot of articles on it but find peoples opinions very valuable who have, more like to hear the downs as well as ups.

Thanks.

Hi, what are you primarily using the computer for. I only ask because if you are running a current OS and performing a lot of CPU intensive operations like graphic conversion or high end 3D video games like Mine Craft this can create quite a lot of heat on older types of graphics cards. I believe the mid 2011 iMac came with the AMD Radeon HD 6970M 1024 MB graphics card which is known to have caused problems for other users.

Hi thanks for replying.

Only using this mac for surfing, spreadsheets and downloading/watching movies (dont stream though)

However I always have a web page, spreadsheet and video playing. Im always working on something on a spreadsheet and at the same time have a tv show/movie playing on vlc in the corner of the screen. Would like to mess around with video editing but possibly on another mac when i can afford it.

Just use the computer. It's designed to do what you need it to do. Other than packing the computer in a box…sticking it in a closet & never using it…there really is no way to extend the life of your computer.

Parts like a spinning hard drive and the power supply will eventually wear out. But this sort of stuff is like tires on a automobile. If you're going to drive the car…the tires will eventually wear out.

Only thing you can do is make sure dust, dirt, and fuzz doesn't buildup inside…which can decrease cooling air flow.

Just use the computer!

- Nick

You'll need to be more specific about what you mean by "heating up," but that's probably ... um ... the result of actually using it!

Apple products, particularly iMacs, try to work as quietly as possible by minimizing fan noise. In the iMac, this means using convection cooling by allowing heated air to vent naturally (given that heat rises) through a slit in the back of the device. If you mean that that area (the top/back of the iMac) feels warm after you've watched a movie or something ... that's exactly what is supposed to happen.

I guess the test is are the fans running and/or roaring? The iMac is supposed to get warm along the top, you know then old 'warm air rises' from schooldays? Plus fan assisted which should run normally at about 1100-1400rpm. The one thing which would prevent the iMac from becoming obselete is an SSD. Suggest looking at having an OWC SSD installed. They have their own 'garbage collection' and do not need TRIM which has been affected by Apple's security measures in OS X.10.