time for a system refresh??

I have a still operating 2009 model year 27" iMac.
It has 12GB ram, 2.66 GHz core i5
1TB HD.

The display works fine, but it has become dog slow with often spinning pinwheels-of-doom. Opening any app means a 30sec wait.
Last year it got hit with a minor virus and we recovered. We have also upgraded the OS to Sierra.

It has become a frustrating machine to use.
At this point, given its age, I am thinking of replacing it with a new model.

Am I nuts?

8-9 years is a good run for any PC. You don't have to get a brand new Mac, but any newer model year (2014+) would definitely be faster.

Last year it got hit with a minor virus

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No, there are no viruses, major or minor, for Mac. You may have had malware, or shareware, or annoy-ware, or ransomeware, or just about any other -ware, but not a virus. There aren't any.

I was first thinking of upgrading my HD to an SSD and maybe upping RAM to 16GB or more.
However, the more I think about it the more I worry about the life of the machine and what will likely fail soon down the road ... the power supply? ... GPU hardware?
... display?

I'd rather not keep putting money into a machine which has a very limited life.
Then again, I'm a cheapskate and am going back and forth. : )

That is the shot an SSD first then increased memory. It will bring a new lease of life to your iMac.

The slow old platter drive is struggling with today's demands.

harryb2448 said:

That is the shot an SSD first then increased memory. It will bring a new lease of life to your iMac.

The slow old platter drive is struggling with today's demands.

Click to expand...

That's what I was thinking but, I fear that a week after I sink money into an SSD etc the PC will die.!

Just a thought or two in case you are looking for a reason not to purchase right now:

1. If your ac has a hard drive that is easy to replace you have little to lose by swapping an SSD for the spinning hard drive. If the Mac were to fail, pull the SSD and use it with your replacement machine. It could be put into an enclosure fairly easily.

2. Whether adding memory will have significant impact on your Mac's performance depends upon how you use your Mac and how many apps you typically have open. You can use Activity monitor to check the Memory Pressure readings. See this article for more info. Essentially if the memory pressure continues to shoe green while you are experiencing the slowdowns, extra memory may not help.

albireo13 said:

Opening any app means a 30sec wait.

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Two things to try first:

- How full is the hard drive?
- Run the free maintenance app called Onyx?

If hard drive is not let's say more than 80% full...and running Onyx doesn't help or help much...then replace the hard drive. I had the same exact issue with my 2011 MacBook Pro (apps really slow to open)...and other things slow. Hard drive maintenance apps all said my HD was fine...but I knew the HD was "heading south" for a long time. Hard drives do get slower over time.

Your iMac is 2 years older than my MacBook Pro. I'm betting the hard drive needs to be replaced. As others have suggested...if you're ok with going with an SSD...go for it. if cost/gig is a concern...then get a replacement spinner HD ($50-$75). Believe me...with how slow your HD is now...a replacement spinner HD will feel a lot faster. FYI...if you do go this route...make sure to get a 7200 rpm model.

- Nick

I've only used 300G of the 1TB HD so far so that's not an issue.

Is there a good tutorial for upgrading the main HD to SSD?
How to migrate the OS and the old files to the new SSD without hiccups?

I've always had trouble in the past doing this with WIN pc builds but, this would be the first time with a MAC.
Thx

Is there a good tutorial for upgrading the main HD to SSD?
How to migrate the OS and the old files to the new SSD without hiccups?

Click to expand...

Both are normally available at:
ifixit.com
and
OWC macsales.com

And different upgrades for your model in the specs area at everymac.com




- Patrick
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