Mid 2007 iMac/ Yosemite

[PixelpusherBV]

Hi,

I'm hoping for feedback on how Yosemite runs on the oldest supported iMac, before I take the leap (if at all).

I was worried about updating to Mavericks, but that proved to be a completely painless experience which I didn't regret at all, much to my surprise.

Despite being 'supported', will this OS be an update too far for my elderly iMac?

Specs:

Processor 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory 4 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM
Graphics ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro 256 MB
Software OS X 10.9.5 (13F34)


Thanks in advance.

 

[themanfromvlad]

Bumping up because I'm in the same boat. The glorious beast with a CD/DVD RW and FireWire.

 

[Regbial]

I have 3 GB of Ram and I'm going to install it later this afternoon. I can tell you how it goes after if you really need to.. But I don't think they would "support" it if it didn't work.. I don't think you'd be able to download it.

 

[PixelpusherBV]

Bumping up because I'm in the same boat. The glorious beast with a CD/DVD RW and FireWire.

'Tis a glorious beast indeed! Only the hard drive has failed (recently), but other than that it's been running pretty much flawlessly for over 7 years. Talk about value for money

I have 3 GB of Ram and I'm going to install it later this afternoon. I can tell you how it goes after if you really need to.. But I don't think they would "support" it if it didn't work.. I don't think you'd be able to download it.

I'm sure it'll work, but how well? Yes, please post back; if it works well for you with 3GB ram, then I'll probably go for it.

 

[mreg376]

Hi,

I'm hoping for feedback on how Yosemite runs on the oldest supported iMac, before I take the leap (if at all).

I was worried about updating to Mavericks, but that proved to be a completely painless experience which I didn't regret at all, much to my surprise.

Despite being 'supported', will this OS be an update too far for my elderly iMac?

Specs:

Processor 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory 4 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM
Graphics ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro 256 MB
Software OS X 10.9.5 (13F34)


Thanks in advance.

Great news! I took the plunge last night on my iMac 7,1. Runs great. Actually seems faster and snippier than Mavericks 10.9.5. Proviso: I have 6 GB of RAM and replaced my hard drive with an SSD drive last year. But I can tell you that it seems like a brand new machine.

 

[themanfromvlad]

Update: I did take the plunge and install Yosemite. My mid 2007 iMac has 4GB of RAM and a 7200 RPM HD. I am shocked by how well it is running. Way better than Mavericks. New life on this machine.

 

[PixelpusherBV]

Great news! I took the plunge last night on my iMac 7,1. Runs great. Actually seems faster and snippier than Mavericks 10.9.5. Proviso: I have 6 GB of RAM and replaced my hard drive with an SSD drive last year. But I can tell you that it seems like a brand new machine.

Update: I did take the plunge and install Yosemite. My mid 2007 iMac has 4GB of RAM and a 7200 RPM HD. I am shocked by how well it is running. Way better than Mavericks. New life on this machine.

Excellent news, thanks for posting back! I'll give it a go!

 

[nightlong]

I also have a 2007 iMac 4gb RAM, running latest Mavericks.

Glad to hear of these successful upgrades to Yosemite. I read somewhere here that Yosemite is optimised for retina screens, so ... wondering how text looks? Any less sharp than Mavericks? Is the new font harder to read?

 

[PixelpusherBV]

Update: Well, that was fast and simple - less than an hour for the download and install. Now running Yosemite and I have to say that everything (that I have tried so far) feels quicker. It really looks really good too, in my opinion.

In respect of the fonts/ sharpness, everything looks great!

Might be the only one, but I'm amazed that not only is my iMac still supported, but it actually benefits significantly from the OS upgrades.

Awesome

 

[nightlong]

Did you just replace Mavericks or clean install?

 

[PixelpusherBV]

Just replaced. After over 7 years of use I couldn't face a clean install. Seems like I really didn't need to either. Post back if you take the plunge.

 

[rotlex]

Another mid 2007 24" iMac owner here reporting in with good results. (2.8Ghz 4GB RAM)

Did the upgrade yesterday, and I must say I was a bit nervous. However, my fears have been taken away. This machine is running better than before, even Aperture, which I use heavily with 70k plus images, runs just fine.

The only disappointment is the cool new things like hand off don't appear to work with the old blue tooth setup, and I'm sure a few other things.

Other than that, only good things to report. Who knows, maybe I'll get another 8 years out of this wonderful machine, LOL.

 

[PixelpusherBV]

Who knows, maybe I'll get another 8 years out of this wonderful machine, LOL.

I'm torn, my iMac seems like it'll carry on forever which is great, but it's also denying me justification for buying a 5k iMac

 

[rotlex]

I'm torn, my iMac seems like it'll carry on forever which is great, but it's also denying me justification for buying a 5k iMac

LOL, I'm totally with you on that. I figure years ago I'd replace a computer every 2-3 years. Now that this one has lasted me 8 or so, the $2500 for a new 5k iMac seems cheap.

Yeah, I'll probably look into getting one early next year after the Christmas expenses are paid for.

 

[Mickyo]

I have a 2008 mac 3.06 4GB of ram which worked fine until I installed Mavericks after that it was all downhill. The thing ran like a dog. I tried everything to get it to run better.
On thursday I installed yosemite and I must say that it runs a lot better so I'm guessing that a clean install will be even better!
only thing is I don't know how to do a clean install any Idea's( idiot proof)

 

[slyr114]

How well do you guys think it would run on a 2007 iMac with only 2 gigs of ram, already a bit sluggish with 10.8.5

 

[nightlong]

I feel encouraged to take the plunge, this thread is so positive after reading many about major wifi issues etc.

I have such faith in this seemingly invincible old iMac, it has never had a problem or any repairs in 7 years, and it worked hard until I got the MBPr late 2013. With my work now distriuted between that and 2 iPads it has an easier life but still love using it in dual screen mode with a Dell u2412.

I don't think they build them like this anymore, with these crazy annual cycles etc!

While it might be ideal to do a clean install, to really clean it out, and then restore selectively from Time Machine ... I'd prefer not to .. So I will do some culling and then try just replacing Mavericks.

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How well do you guys think it would run on a 2007 iMac with only 2 gigs of ram, already a bit sluggish with 10.8.5

Recommend getting more ... I think 4GB is minimum these days.

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I have a 2008 mac 3.06 4GB of ram which worked fine until I installed Mavericks after that it was all downhill. The thing ran like a dog. I tried everything to get it to run better.
On thursday I installed yosemite and I must say that it runs a lot better so I'm guessing that a clean install will be even better!
only thing is I don't know how to do a clean install any Idea's( idiot proof)

I have only done clean installs on iPads and iPhones. So, not expert advice coming up. You need to back up to Time Machine (I also back up with Carbon Copy Cloner, which is bootable, so I could go back to Mavericks as well as all content from that if necessary). Then I think you can erase the hard disk, install Yosemite, and restore content from TM ... but I haven't done this, so I'm not sure if it keeps all yr settings etc.

 

[PixelpusherBV]

I have a 2008 mac 3.06 4GB of ram which worked fine until I installed Mavericks after that it was all downhill. The thing ran like a dog. I tried everything to get it to run better.
On thursday I installed yosemite and I must say that it runs a lot better so I'm guessing that a clean install will be even better!
only thing is I don't know how to do a clean install any Idea's( idiot proof)

Not sure why your iMac shouldn't run well on Mavericks/ Yosemite, seeing as it's better specced than mine. Might be a different issue causing your problems, either that or we have different definitions of running well/ running like a dog.


There must be plenty of info to do a clean install, but I'm too lazy to look

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How well do you guys think it would run on a 2007 iMac with only 2 gigs of ram, already a bit sluggish with 10.8.5

Probably more of the same. The minimum ram requirements are 2GB's I seem to remember.

I'd but some more ram - it'll be cheap & worth every penny. Officially your iMac will take 2x2GB, unofficially it'll take 6GB (1x2GB + 1x4GB), although a 4GB stick is pretty pricey.

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LOL, I'm totally with you on that. I figure years ago I'd replace a computer every 2-3 years. Now that this one has lasted me 8 or so, the $2500 for a new 5k iMac seems cheap.

Yeah, I'll probably look into getting one early next year after the Christmas expenses are paid for.

We're on exactly the same iMac and exactly the same thought processes

----------

Just to say that the software I use most frequently/ depend upon, all seem to function properly;

-Adobe CS 6 (Photoshop & Illustrator mainly).
-Handbrake, Mac DVD Ripper Pro and Identify2.
-mSecure.
-TeamViewer.
-Plex and Air Video HD.
-DropBox.

 

[El Jefe]

Man, this update has given new life to my iMac. Really impressed.

 

[nightlong]

Updated my late 2007 iMac to Yosemite yesterday. Went smoothly and I'm amazed how much faster and smoother it is, my laptop also. Both had lag on Mavericks.

 

[mzd]

i have mixed feelings about the Yosemite install. it was a little clunky at first, though it has sped up over time.

page rendering in Safari is a little odd. when i scroll down a webpage (happens on Macrumors), i get a blank screen and then eventually the content fills in.

font legibility is horrible on my screen! i did turn off LCD font smoothing and that seems to help, but Mail is still bad and it seems like LCD font smoothing turns itself back on after a while and a reboot is needed. still need more time with it to see if it is a persistent problem.

i'm probably going to give it another week and if the font issue isn't cleared up, i'm going to roll back to Mavericks. i just can't deal with blurry system fonts all over the place.

[edit] so far font smoothing has stayed off and legibility is much improved, in Mail as well.

 

[andrew0122]

Great news! I took the plunge last night on my iMac 7,1. Runs great. Actually seems faster and snippier than Mavericks 10.9.5. Proviso: I have 6 GB of RAM and replaced my hard drive with an SSD drive last year. But I can tell you that it seems like a brand new machine.

I took the plunge the first day the public release was available. . . (too skittish to attempt the Beta with this old of hardware)

Which SSD did you put in yours? My HDD failed a couple years ago and I replaced with a traditional HDD, but not the prices are so low it almost make sense to just to fork over the couple hundred with how low they are dropping in price.

Any input is greatly appreciated. I am looking for the 512gb area. OR possibly Hybrid if anyone has tried one in this old of a machine...

 

[BlazednSleepy]

I upgraded my mother's 2007 20inch iMac 4gb ram. It runs beautifully, to my surprise.

I first repaired the disk permissions, installed 10.9.5 and then installed Yosemite. And so far it's running really well. I would say even better than mavericks. The only thing I noticed is that 2008 office (entourage, word) is a little slow at opening up. But when it does, it works fine. Everything else just feels "snappier".

She's very happy, so that makes me happy and a bit relieved. *knocks on wood*

 

[mreg376]

I took the plunge the first day the public release was available. . . (too skittish to attempt the Beta with this old of hardware)

Which SSD did you put in yours? My HDD failed a couple years ago and I replaced with a traditional HDD, but not the prices are so low it almost make sense to just to fork over the couple hundred with how low they are dropping in price.

Any input is greatly appreciated. I am looking for the 512gb area. OR possibly Hybrid if anyone has tried one in this old of a machine...

I used a 256GB Corsair. Runs flawlessly. That was a while ago. At correct prices I would do a 512GB also.