I have a mid 2011 27" imac. Intel i5 20GB of RAM 1TB SATA Hard Drive OSX El Capitan. It is running very slowly. When shut down it takes a while to startup. Usually I can press the power button go get a drink and come back and it's still loading. Also once it's started up and logged in it takes a little while to first open programs. The rainbow spinner appears pretty much every time a program is opened. Usually once a program is opened for a minute or so it will run fine. I have clear out a bunch of files leaving the hard drive only about 25-30% full. I have cleared the caches. I have tried an SMC and PRAM reset. It also takes a little bit of time to shut down. It will go to a black screen and just show a spinner a little bit before shutting down. Is there anything else I should try? I have plan to take it into Apple if it doesn't improve but the closest Apple store is 3 hours away so I only go there once a month. I'm wanting to try anything that might help before taking it down to them. Thank you for any and all help.
Slow 2011 imac
- Thread starter kevdawg86
- Start date
MaxSmarties
Well-known member
Do you have a SMART monitoring app installed ?
Maybe your mechanical hard drive is starting to fail...
Last versions of OS X run much better on SSD than HDDs, and if your OS X installation is "old" (did you upgraded from previous versions or made a clean install ?) that could explain this behavior.
I would suggest you to install an SSD in you iMac, if you are planning to keep it for a while, and perform a clean installation of OS X.
Maybe your mechanical hard drive is starting to fail...
Last versions of OS X run much better on SSD than HDDs, and if your OS X installation is "old" (did you upgraded from previous versions or made a clean install ?) that could explain this behavior.
I would suggest you to install an SSD in you iMac, if you are planning to keep it for a while, and perform a clean installation of OS X.
anon(9602380)
Well-known member
Welcome to iMore!
You have done just about all you can do. You have more than enough RAM. The biggest slow down with the 2011 iMac will be your hard drive. Honestly the best thing you could do for your machine is put in an SSD. It will greatly improve the performance of your iMac. I owned the i7 version of that iMac and it was never a really fast machine to begin with compared to today's iMac's. I currently have a late 2012 i7 27" 24GB RAM and Fusion Drive. It is light years ahead of the 2011 in speed. Your machine is 5 years old now and only has a 7200 drive in it.
I also have a 20" iMac that a couple years ago started getting slow. Had virtually nothing stored on it, but none the less still slow. Maxed the RAM and changed the HDD for an SSD. It was night and day the difference in speed. Even being almost 9 years old now, it still preforms well.
So my best suggestion would be to change the hard drive to an SSD. This will extend the life of your machine another couple of years and greatly improve its performance.
You have done just about all you can do. You have more than enough RAM. The biggest slow down with the 2011 iMac will be your hard drive. Honestly the best thing you could do for your machine is put in an SSD. It will greatly improve the performance of your iMac. I owned the i7 version of that iMac and it was never a really fast machine to begin with compared to today's iMac's. I currently have a late 2012 i7 27" 24GB RAM and Fusion Drive. It is light years ahead of the 2011 in speed. Your machine is 5 years old now and only has a 7200 drive in it.
I also have a 20" iMac that a couple years ago started getting slow. Had virtually nothing stored on it, but none the less still slow. Maxed the RAM and changed the HDD for an SSD. It was night and day the difference in speed. Even being almost 9 years old now, it still preforms well.
So my best suggestion would be to change the hard drive to an SSD. This will extend the life of your machine another couple of years and greatly improve its performance.
I don't believe that I do have one installed. I'm not sure though. I did upgrade from previous versions. Would you recommend getting an SSD before trying a clean install?
Yeah everything is pointing towards a SSD. That's what I had a feeling the issue was.
anon(9602380)
Well-known member
It most likely is. It will be like having a new machine. It is a powerful iMac, but slow. Plus you will get your money's worth out of it by having a decent machine for a few more years.
MaxSmarties
Well-known member
A clean install could help for sure, but can't do miracles. An SSD would change things in a much better way. I don't know how difficult is to replace the hard drive on your model (today is a nightmare, but a while ago was easier).
anon(9602380)
Well-known member
Extremely easy on the 2011 or before. It changed in late 2012 model to being difficult to near impossible. That was when they went thin and decided to glue the screen and frame together. A clean install on that machine may do a little, but from my experience of owning that machine, it was not fast to start with. For 2011 it was quick, but then came the Fusion and SSD.
robertk328
Moderator
I put an SSD in my 2011 Mini and it's been great. Not exactly like a new machine, but much cheaper
I expect a few more years of life out of it now, vs replacing it.
MaxSmarties
Well-known member
I put an SSD in my 2011 Mini and it's been great. Not exactly like a new machine, but much cheaper
I'm still using a late 2009 Mini, with 4 Gb of RAM and an OCZ SSD it runs great.
I'll have to check out some videos. I do agree about the speed though. In 2011 it seemed very fast. I have a MacBook Pro that I bought last year. Now that's the definition of a lighting fast startup. That's what originally made me wonder if updating the iMac to a SSD was the best move.
anon(9602380)
Well-known member
I have no doubt it will be good. Just depends on if you plan on keeping it. If you are not planning on keeping it long, then not worth the upgrade. If you are in for the long haul, then it will certainly be worth it. Let us know which way you go in the end. Still a darn good machine.
I definitely plan on keeping it. It actually belongs to a church and is used at the church for worship music and presentations. I just do all the tech stuff for them. They really would rather upgrade it than invest in a new one.
robertk328
Moderator
Wise to do it while you can. The newer models are essentially locked down for the most part.
Would you guys recommend changing this on my own or taking it to a certified Apple service center?
robertk328
Moderator
I did it no problem in my 2011 Mini after watching a video a few times. It was easier than I thought.
anon(9602380)
Well-known member
If you are confident in you skills to take it apart, then yeah. Otherwise take it in and have it done. iFixit has great guides on how to do it and the tools you will need.
It looked fairly easy when I watched a video on OWC. Do you recommend their SSD from their site?
anon(9602380)
Well-known member
mayconvert
Well-known member
I agree with everyone else. Drop an SSD in it.
The internal HD that comes with it is 5400 rpm. Very slow and just get worse over time.
Be careful if you plan to do it yourself. Go slow, use a ground strap.
A static free mat wouldn't be a bad idea.
OWC is awesome. I have bought from them many times. Great customer support too.
The internal HD that comes with it is 5400 rpm. Very slow and just get worse over time.
Be careful if you plan to do it yourself. Go slow, use a ground strap.
A static free mat wouldn't be a bad idea.
OWC is awesome. I have bought from them many times. Great customer support too.
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