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2007 - 24" Imac 2.16 - Very slllooooooww.

N

Nedmark

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 29, 2009
6
0
I've wanted to give an Apple Imac a shot. I've been a PC user for years and I've been told that Apple/Imacs have come a long way. A friend suggested to buy a used Imac just to get a feel for it. If I didn't like it I wouldn't have such buyers remorse from spending a premium on a new model.

I bought a used 2007 - 24" Imac 2.16 with 1 GB ram. The system had a fresh install of the OS prior to buying it. (It's not the current OS - it's the one that came with the system)


Here is my problem - I'm currently downloading the world of warcraft client for Mac. While this is downloading and installing at the same time - I can't do ANYTHING else. Nothing. If you click on something - it takes about 3 mins for it to show up on the screen. I can't surf the net, look at photos, or run anything else.

Prior to downloading the WOW client - when I set up the system I checked for new software updates. Of course there were a few things that had to be updated. Again - When anything is being downloaded the system comes to a screeching hault. You can't run anything else while something is being transferred. This doens't seem normal. The system should be able to download, install and run other things. I've never had this problem with a PC.

I just got back from Best Buy and purchased the 4 GIG ram upgrade.


Any thoughts?
 
HE15MAN said:
The 4GB of ram should help a ton. Try popping those in and seeing how it runs. Also, is the hard drive 7200 RPM?

Here is a video showing you how to swap the ram

http://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/imac_mid_2007/

How I was able to help you
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. I have NO idea how fast the HD is running. Is there a way to tell? What are my options? I was told that installing a new HD in the iMac is a nightmare. True?
 
Nedmark said:
Thanks for the reply. I have NO idea how fast the HD is running. Is there a way to tell? What are my options? I was told that installing a new HD in the iMac is a nightmare. True?
Click to expand...

The only reason I mentioned the hard drive is that 7200 rpm hard drives are a bit faster. But yes it is a nightmare as it involves taking off the entire screen. Its not a huge deal, the memory will help much more and is the best bang for the buck upgrade. It took me about 10 minutes to do the swap also :)
 
HE15MAN said:
The only reason I mentioned the hard drive is that 7200 rpm hard drives are a bit faster. But yes it is a nightmare as it involves taking off the entire screen. Its not a huge deal, the memory will help much more and is the best bang for the buck upgrade. It took me about 10 minutes to do the swap also :)
Click to expand...

I really hope the RAM is the fix. I had such high hopes for the system. If the ram isn't the fix I will be sadly disappointed and most likely end up relisting the unit on craigslist/ebay. Then again - it's why I tried used model instead of paying the premium for new.
 
imacs all have 7200 RPM hard drives, so that's not the issue. It certainly sounded like a RAM issue to me, but that performance did sound pretty bad, even for having only 1 GB of RAM. How is it with the 4 GB?
 
the ram will help, but unless i'm wrong b/c I have the same machine - it only holds a total of 3 GB RAM..

you needed a 2 GB stick to add beside the 1 GB (unless it's 2 x 512 MB sticks - in which case you need a 1 x 1 GB stick to replace those).

the Ram will make a huge difference.

you're just overloading it right now. Adding more ram will give it more room to play.

my imac is just fine. I can even edit video on it (albeit it's taxing on the system).

Cheers,
keebler

And remember, you bought technology that was almost 2 years old and even if you had bought a PC from the same time period, you'd probably be experiencing the same power issues. not slamming either platform - just technology :)
 
Keebler said:
the ram will help, but unless i'm wrong b/c I have the same machine - it only holds a total of 3 GB RAM..

you needed a 2 GB stick to add beside the 1 GB (unless it's 2 x 512 MB sticks - in which case you need a 1 x 1 GB stick to replace those).

the Ram will make a huge difference.

you're just overloading it right now. Adding more ram will give it more room to play.

my imac is just fine. I can even edit video on it (albeit it's taxing on the system).

Cheers,
keebler

And remember, you bought technology that was almost 2 years old and even if you had bought a PC from the same time period, you'd probably be experiencing the same power issues. not slamming either platform - just technology :)
Click to expand...

Thanks for all the feedback. I installed the ram and the screen shows 4GB. The ram was a huge improvement. I still feel for a 2.16 machine it should run a bit faster. I still feel that moving files from the old computer (pics & video) are taking forever. The primary reason I bought the system was for family photo and video editing. My wife has taken this up recently with the birth of our baby girl. It seemed that anyone I asked told me to get a mac.

I guess there is a huge difference between a 2007 and 2009 Mac. If the wife feels the machine is still too slow I will have to resell it and look for something a bit more to her needs.

This forum has been a big help - I'm glad I found it. Thanks to everyone!

On a side note - I was never able to install my World of Warcraft client. The client is stating "you seem to be behind a firewall" - I check my apple settings and the firewall is turned off. Not sure as my PC is fine with patching and installing. Just a simple router config going to the PC and Mac.
 
Your probably running Tiger correct? Update/Upgrade to Leopard (or Snow Leopard) and you should feel a performance boost. OS X on 1GB ram does not handle all that well. Also, did you reset your PRAM? Command-Option-P-R on boot should do it.

Nedmark said:
On a side note - I was never able to install my World of Warcraft client. The client is stating "you seem to be behind a firewall" - I check my apple settings and the firewall is turned off. Not sure as my PC is fine with patching and installing. Just a simple router config going to the PC and Mac.
Click to expand...

Its your router more than likely. You might need to port forward WOW's ports for it to work.(or just ditch world of warcrack all together... my $.02)
 
nullx86 said:
Your probably running Tiger correct? Update/Upgrade to Leopard (or Snow Leopard) and you should feel a performance boost. OS X on 1GB ram does not handle all that well. Also, did you reset your PRAM? Command-Option-P-R on boot should do it.



Its your router more than likely. You might need to port forward WOW's ports for it to work.(or just ditch world of warcrack all together... my $.02)
Click to expand...


Yes I'm running Tiger. I'm going to buy the upgrade. Will reset the PRAM tonight. Thanks for the tip!

Can't give up Warcraft! Nothing else compares.
 
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