iMac OS update help

[luke707]

Hi

I was recently given a free old iMac from work and was wondering if I posted the specs someone would be able to let me know how (and if) I can update the OS?

I currently don't have a computer or laptop and for photography I need something with a decent screen and something I can run Lightroom on. That's all I'll be using the iMac for (and iTunes).

I tried downloading iTunes the on it the other day but it said I couldn't as my OS was too old. The specs are as follows:

Version: 10.5.8
Model: iMax5,1
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Ppeed: 2.33 GHz
No. of Processors: 1
Total no. of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 4MB
Memory: 1GB
Bus speed: 667 MHz
Boot ROM version: IM51.0090.B00

Questions:

1) Can I update the OS? If so, what do I need to do?
2) If I manage to update it, will it still be fast enough to use Lightroom effectively?
3) What year of model is this?
4) Is it worth selling and then saving up for a new iMac? If so, what could I get for it in the UK?

Not really used iMacs before so please treat me like a newbie!

Thanks in advance.

 

[benwiggy]

The details of your Mac and its upgrad-ability can be found here:
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/specs/imac-core-2-duo-2.16-20-inch-specs.html

1. You can upgrade the OS to 10.7.5 Lion. You will first need to buy Snow Leopard on disk from the Apple Store. You may find Snow Leopard good enough. Lion has many nice new features, but radically changes some long-standing conventions, and some people don't like those changes.
Snow Leopard will be a significant improvement on Leopard, mostly in terms of speed.

2. You need more RAM in the Mac. It can take 3Gb. See the EveryMac pages for more details.

3. This is a Late 2006 iMac.

4. Look on eBay and compare similar machines. I am about to get rid of an Early 2006 iMac, and I doubt I will get much for it.

 

[justperry]

Hi

I was recently given a free old iMac from work and was wondering if I posted the specs someone would be able to let me know how (and if) I can update the OS?

I currently don't have a computer or laptop and for photography I need something with a decent screen and something I can run Lightroom on. That's all I'll be using the iMac for (and iTunes).

I tried downloading iTunes the on it the other day but it said I couldn't as my OS was too old. The specs are as follows:

Version: 10.5.8
Model: iMax5,1
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Ppeed: 2.33 GHz
No. of Processors: 1
Total no. of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 4MB
Memory: 1GB
Bus speed: 667 MHz
Boot ROM version: IM51.0090.B00

Questions:

1) Can I update the OS? If so, what do I need to do?
2) If I manage to update it, will it still be fast enough to use Lightroom effectively?
3) What year of model is this?
4) Is it worth selling and then saving up for a new iMac? If so, what could I get for it in the UK?

Not really used iMacs before so please treat me like a newbie!

Thanks in advance.

1. Yes, yours can go up to 10.7.5

2. It will probably a bit slow but it should run.

3. See Screenshot.

4. look on Ebay what you can get for it.

 

[luke707]

Thanks for the quick responses!

So I should really do the following:

1) Upgrade to Snow Leopard
2) Increase the memory to 3GB

More questions:

1) The memory installation video looks pretty straight forward, but how do I know what memory upgrade to buy or is there only 1 option (never done this before)? Not sure what I'm looking for.
2) From what I can tell the screen is not damaged in anyway, are iMacs already set up to the best configuration options for photo editing or will I need to calibrate it (again, new to this)?

Thanks again

 

[benwiggy]

1. Most good memory online shops let you specify what computer you have, then they show you what RAM they have for it.
I use Crucial.com/uk

However, you can see from the link I gave you that you need 667 MHz PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM (200-pin SO-DIMM).

2. You can calibrate the screen in System Preferences > Displays.
(However, as an old-school print production guy, I never rely on a screen. )

 

[luke707]

1. Most good memory online shops let you specify what computer you have, then they show you what RAM they have for it.
I use Crucial.com/uk

However, you can see from the link I gave you that you need 667 MHz PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM (200-pin SO-DIMM).

2. You can calibrate the screen in System Preferences > Displays.
(However, as an old-school print production guy, I never rely on a screen. )

Thanks again. So if my amazing technical knowledge is correct (!) I will need to get two: one 2GB and one 1GB?

Ahh lucky, I'm partially colourblind so I need all the help I can get in that respect!

 

[benwiggy]

Yes. You can put in 4Gb, but the system will only be able to use 3.