27" iMac: Upgrade or Replace?

[cv91915]

I have this iMac, which I purchased in May of 2013, and it has the standard 8 GB (2x4 GB) of RAM and a 2.9 GHz quad core processor. It's starting to feel a little s-l-o-w.

 

I was first thinking of buying a new iMac, but I see that in almost four years the new one only has a quad core 3.3 GHz processor. And 8 GB of RAM.

 

Should I just add some memory to the one that I have and see if that helps?

 

Is there some other quantum leap in technology that's happened that isn't reflected in the speed of the processor?

[spacemule]

I know nothing about macs, but I built my current pc last spring and went with 16GB of ram. 8GB is low by Windows 10 standards. Typically speaking, increased ram is one of the best bang for the buck upgrades. Also, looks like your mac has a disk drive. I couldn't believe the difference when I built with an SSD. I can literally boot up and be running in under 10 seconds.

[hyschmied]

I recently bought a 2010 iMac off eBay for my kids to use. Bought some memory off Amazon and stuck it in and seemed to help. I'm about $400 all in if one of the kids destroys it.

 

I really don't see $2000 worth of difference in a new one for what we need.

[donuteric]

What kind of applications are running when you feel the imac is running a little s-l-o-w?

 

8GB isn't considered much these days, so my first suggestion is to increase it to at least 16GB.

[cv91915]

What kind of applications are running when you feel the imac is running a little s-l-o-w?

 

8GB isn't considered much these days, so my first suggestion is to increase it to at least 16GB.

 

I'm a pretty light user.

 

Running almost all the time:

 

Mail

Safari

Excel

Bose Soundtouch app

Finder

 

Occasionally I will also run Word, and of course Paintbrush when I'm editing those screenshots of my FICO scores.

 

I do select "Quit" when I shut these down so they aren't running in the background when I'm done using them.

[donuteric]

When it's running slow, you can look at what app is using what resources via "Activity Monitor" (sortable by CPU or Memory). If you're seeing an increasing use of "Swap", it indicates you're running out of memory.

 

I'd still just upgrade to at least 16GB. It should be pretty cheap.

[IndyPoolPlayer]

I'd go ahead and bump up the RAM to 16 GB, and save your ca$h. I am on a 2011 iMac with Core2 Duo and it still works well for web surfing, email, and remote sessions into other systems.

[cv91915]

Thanks, guys. Looks like I'm going memory shopping.

 

This will run 32 GB max. Can I do this?

• Slot 1: 4 GB (existing)
• Slot 2: 4 GB (existing)
• Slot 3: 8 GB (new)
• Slot 4: 16 GB (new)

Looks like a dumb question when I type it, but I'm trying to understand if there is any downside to using memory modules of mixed sizes. I'm sure there would be with Windows, and this is my first Mac.

 

If that's an okay approach I'd probably add 8 GB to slot 3 and see how much that helps, and then evaluate whether to add anything to slot 4.

[IndyPoolPlayer]

It's better if the modules match - so for 32 remove the two 4's and have four 8's put in.

[donuteric]

It's better if the modules match - so for 32 remove the two 4's and have four 8's put in.

 

 

TL;DR: http://superuser.com/questions/696433/can-i-have-two-different-capacity-ram-sticks/696635#696635

[cv91915]

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

 

I'm going to order 2 x 8 GB and replace the 2 x 4 GBs that are in there.

 

For now.

 

I don't need to find the absolute lowest price on the planet, but it looks like apple.com is the absolute worst place to buy memory (price-wise). No surprise.

 

I would appreciate one or two suggestions on where good values are generally found, and then I'll take it from here.

Edited February 10, 2017 by cv91915

[donuteric]

Buying them on apple.com is as bad as redeeming your points for giftcards.

 

Try newegg.com.

[cv91915]

Buying them on apple.com is as bad as redeeming your points for giftcards.

 

Try newegg.com.

 

Thank you!

[IndyPoolPlayer]

Buying them on apple.com is as bad as redeeming your points for giftcards.

 

Try newegg.com.

+1 on NewEgg

[cv91915]

I'm hoping the memory upgrade will get me by until they come out with an iMac with a larger screen.

[donuteric]

It will. There's still room for more memory if that's needed, but unlikely, 16GB should be plenty for general use. A SSD upgrade will also speed things up.

[Agrajag]

If you are still feeling s-l-o-w after getting more RAM then the simplest way to make it run "like new" is going to be backing everything up with Time Machine to an external disk and then erase/restore the iMac. Doing this will give you a fresh install of the macOS then bring back all of your info and installed apps.

 

It may sound like a lot of work but its not really that much.

 

 

How to backup to Time Machine

 

How to restore from a Time Machine Backup * " Restore Everything" section at the bottom

 

macOS Recovery

[cv91915]

If you are still feeling s-l-o-w after getting more RAM then the simplest way to make it run "like new" is going to be backing everything up with Time Machine to an external disk and then erase/restore the iMac. Doing this will give you a fresh install of the macOS then bring back all of your info and installed apps.

 

It may sound like a lot of work but its not really that much.

 

 

How to backup to Time Machine

 

How to restore from a Time Machine Backup * " Restore Everything" section at the bottom

 

macOS Recovery

 

Thank you for the suggestion. I'll tuck that away.

[cv91915]

I have this iMac, which I purchased in May of 2013, and it has the standard 8 GB (2x4 GB) of RAM and a 2.9 GHz quad core processor. It's starting to feel a little s-l-o-w.

 

I was first thinking of buying a new iMac, but I see that in almost four years the new one only has a quad core 3.3 GHz processor. And 8 GB of RAM.

 

Should I just add some memory to the one that I have and see if that helps?

 

Is there some other quantum leap in technology that's happened that isn't reflected in the speed of the processor?

 

I've decided to buy an additional 2 x 4 GB instead of replacing the current memory with 4 x 8 GB.

 

Is this the right item (link to my current iMac is above):

 

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=2E2-0010-000U8

 

?

[DollarDog]

 

What kind of applications are running when you feel the imac is running a little s-l-o-w?

 

8GB isn't considered much these days, so my first suggestion is to increase it to at least 16GB.

 

I'm a pretty light user.

 

Running almost all the time:

 

Mail

Safari

Excel

Bose Soundtouch app

Finder

 

Occasionally I will also run Word, and of course Paintbrush when I'm editing those screenshots of my FICO scores.

 

I do select "Quit" when I shut these down so they aren't running in the background when I'm done using them.

 

These activities don't require more than 8GB of RAM.

 

The GHz numbers are irrelevant. Your iMac has an old processor. New Macs have newer, faster processors. GHz is not the measure of performance.

 

If it has a spinning hard drive, replace it with an SSD.

[IndyPoolPlayer]

 

I have this iMac, which I purchased in May of 2013, and it has the standard 8 GB (2x4 GB) of RAM and a 2.9 GHz quad core processor. It's starting to feel a little s-l-o-w.

 

I was first thinking of buying a new iMac, but I see that in almost four years the new one only has a quad core 3.3 GHz processor. And 8 GB of RAM.

 

Should I just add some memory to the one that I have and see if that helps?

 

Is there some other quantum leap in technology that's happened that isn't reflected in the speed of the processor?

 

I've decided to buy an additional 2 x 4 GB instead of replacing the current memory with 4 x 8 GB.

 

Is this the right item (link to my current iMac is above):

 

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=2E2-0010-000U8

 

?

 

Yup. That's it.

[IndyPoolPlayer]

 

 

What kind of applications are running when you feel the imac is running a little s-l-o-w?

 

8GB isn't considered much these days, so my first suggestion is to increase it to at least 16GB.

 

I'm a pretty light user.

 

Running almost all the time:

 

Mail

Safari

Excel

Bose Soundtouch app

Finder

 

Occasionally I will also run Word, and of course Paintbrush when I'm editing those screenshots of my FICO scores.

 

I do select "Quit" when I shut these down so they aren't running in the background when I'm done using them.

 

These activities don't require more than 8GB of RAM.

 

The GHz numbers are irrelevant. Your iMac has an old processor. New Macs have newer, faster processors. GHz is not the measure of performance.

 

If it has a spinning hard drive, replace it with an SSD.

 

Core i5 isn't "old". Even brand new PC's sold today still have i5's in them. Granted, they are on the low end along with the i3's but they're still around.

[cv91915]

They sure like to send email.

 

[gamecockcountry]

 

 

 

What kind of applications are running when you feel the imac is running a little s-l-o-w?

 

8GB isn't considered much these days, so my first suggestion is to increase it to at least 16GB.

 

I'm a pretty light user.

 

Running almost all the time:

 

Mail

Safari

Excel

Bose Soundtouch app

Finder

 

Occasionally I will also run Word, and of course Paintbrush when I'm editing those screenshots of my FICO scores.

 

I do select "Quit" when I shut these down so they aren't running in the background when I'm done using them.

 

These activities don't require more than 8GB of RAM.

 

The GHz numbers are irrelevant. Your iMac has an old processor. New Macs have newer, faster processors. GHz is not the measure of performance.

 

If it has a spinning hard drive, replace it with an SSD.

 

Core i5 isn't "old". Even brand new PC's sold today still have i5's in them. Granted, they are on the low end along with the i3's but they're still around.

 

Brand new PC's sold today are shipped with 6th and 7th generation i5 processors. This computer has a 3rd generation i5. That is an "old" processor in the technology world.

 

It's still a good processor and the memory upgrade should help. An SSD would also improve things but it's not going to come close to a brand new one with the newer generation i5.

[DollarDog]

 

 

 

What kind of applications are running when you feel the imac is running a little s-l-o-w?

 

8GB isn't considered much these days, so my first suggestion is to increase it to at least 16GB.

 

I'm a pretty light user.

 

Running almost all the time:

 

Mail

Safari

Excel

Bose Soundtouch app

Finder

 

Occasionally I will also run Word, and of course Paintbrush when I'm editing those screenshots of my FICO scores.

 

I do select "Quit" when I shut these down so they aren't running in the background when I'm done using them.

 

These activities don't require more than 8GB of RAM.

 

The GHz numbers are irrelevant. Your iMac has an old processor. New Macs have newer, faster processors. GHz is not the measure of performance.

 

If it has a spinning hard drive, replace it with an SSD.

 

Core i5 isn't "old". Even brand new PC's sold today still have i5's in them. Granted, they are on the low end along with the i3's but they're still around.

 

Core i5 is a product family name. There are seven generations of the Core i5 processor. Obviously a 1st gen Core i5 is slower than a 7th gen Core i5.