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Loyola

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 9, 2004
247
85
I am trying to decide if it is worth it to upgrade the RAM from 8gb to 16gb. The cost of RAM is pretty cheap and it looks very easy to accomplish on my iMac. Will it boost performance at all?

I use the computer to log into Citrix Workspace for work and will be working from home until the end of the yar. In addition I am running Windows 10 which I will use once Citrix Workspace no longer works on my Mac OS. At this point Windows 10 is working as well as I need it to. As a back up, I am considering loading a Linux OS to its on partition. Should all of this fail I can take my father's Windows 8 laptop.

Once I decide to buy a new computer, this one will go to my partner to use for as long as it continues to function. He only does some light browsing and email.

Below is my system info:
21.5 Mid 2010 iMac
3.6 Core i5
ATI Radeon HD 5670
RAM 8 GB
OS 10.13.6
 
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Loyola

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 9, 2004
247
85
It is easy on that model.

@OP: Adding the extra memory is inexpensive and something that will help with what you're using the machine for. I see no reason not to do it.

Thanks for responding. Thankfully this upgrade is easy. I have looked at upgrading the CPU and GPU. Those are way to complicated for my skill set. Back in the day, I was barely able to get my Strawberry iMac back together after adding RAM.

I thinking of one of these two packages.


 

chscag

macrumors 601
Feb 17, 2008
4,622
1,946
Fort Worth, Texas
Both are good. I kind of like Mac Sales (OWC) for memory upgrades but I have also purchased memory from Amazon. You can't go wrong with either one.
 
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Juicy Box

macrumors 604
Sep 23, 2014
7,579
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One good thing about the 2010 compared to the 2012 and up 21" iMacs is the ease of upgrading the RAM. In addition to that, the RAM is pretty cheap.

Although, you may not really notice a performance increase unless you were already having RAM related issues.

This guide would help you determine if you would benefit from more RAM, at least with MacOS:

I would suggest a SSD if you are not already using one. I have swapped HDDs for SSD is many old Macs and it feels like using a different computer after the swap.
 
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Loyola

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 9, 2004
247
85
One good thing about the 2010 compared to the 2012 and up 21" iMacs is the ease of upgrading the RAM. In addition to that, the RAM is pretty cheap.

Although, you may not really notice a performance increase unless you were already having RAM related issues.

This guide would help you determine if you would benefit from more RAM, at least with MacOS:

I would suggest a SSD if you are not already using one. I have swapped HDDs for SSD is many old Macs and it feels like using a different computer after the swap.

I will check the RAM usage when I use Citrix Workspace tomorrow morning.

Unfortunately I don’t have the skill set to upgrade the hard drive. I have the original 1TB 7200-rpm Serial ATA hard drive.
 

Juicy Box

macrumors 604
Sep 23, 2014
7,579
8,919
Unfortunately I don’t have the skill set to upgrade the hard drive.
While I wouldn't want to push DIY on someone that wouldn't feel comfortable, replacing the internal HDD for a SSD isn't really that big of a deal on the Late 2009 to Mid 2011 iMacs. If you decide to give it a try, there are plenty of YouTube videos, How Tos, and forum pages to reference. Plus, you can also ask us here for help if you cannot figure out something.

Replacing the internal HDD for a SSD would be the fastest option for you, so much so that it would feel like a different computer, but if this isn't realistic for your DIY skills, and you don't want to pay someone to do it, you can try an external solution.

Your external storage options would be USB2 and FW800. You also have a SD card slot which could be used as a boot drive.

The USB2 option could be the cheapest, using a SATA3 SSD and a USB3 enclosure or USB3/SATA3, would probably feel faster and more responsive than your old HDD, but still not as fast as other options and could actually be slower transfer speeds than your HDD.

The Firewire 800 option would be more expensive and harder to find new. I would get a FW800 enclosures and put a SATA3 SSD in it. It would be faster than USB2. This would be an ideal external solution for your model. Not as fast as an internal SSD, but it might be the best you are going to get externally without doing a striping RAID.

The SD card slot option, I am unsure about the SD card slot link speed of the 2010 iMac. On my Late 2012, it is 2500Mbps, which would be a decent speed for an old Mac. The high speed SD cards are still pretty pricey. I would check your link speed "System Report" before even considering this option, as it could be slower than my iMac, and not worth it.

You could also use a striping RAID solution such as a Software RAID0. This is a little more complex, and would be more expensive as it would be two times or more drives, but also the fastest option for external on the 2010 iMac.
 

Loyola

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 9, 2004
247
85
Below is the info from the activity monitor:

Physical Memory: 8.00
Memory Used: 4.52 GB
Cashed Files: 3.25 GB
App Memory: 3.62 GB
Wired Memory: 904.6 MB
Compressed: 6.1 MB

This with running Citrix Workspace.

Update: I have seen the Memory Used go as high as 5.50.
 
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USB3foriMac

macrumors 6502
Apr 15, 2020
317
119
Singapore
Seems as if adding RAM won't change anything. SSD will change a lot, I suggest you attempt the upgrade. It's not difficult, you only need a Torx screwdriver. Use Macsfancontrol to solve the fan problem, since that's easiest for you.
As you described the use case as web browsing/email/etc, Linux will work nicely. Using this myself, Linux Mint 20 to be precise. Try for yourself with a "Live Linux" put on a USB stick. Any help needed? Just post.
And Windows 10 also works.
 

Loyola

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 9, 2004
247
85
While I wouldn't want to push DIY on someone that wouldn't feel comfortable, replacing the internal HDD for a SSD isn't really that big of a deal on the Late 2009 to Mid 2011 iMacs. If you decide to give it a try, there are plenty of YouTube videos, How Tos, and forum pages to reference. Plus, you can also ask us here for help if you cannot figure out something.

Replacing the internal HDD for a SSD would be the fastest option for you, so much so that it would feel like a different computer, but if this isn't realistic for your DIY skills, and you don't want to pay someone to do it, you can try an external solution.

Your external storage options would be USB2 and FW800. You also have a SD card slot which could be used as a boot drive.

The USB2 option could be the cheapest, using a SATA3 SSD and a USB3 enclosure or USB3/SATA3, would probably feel faster and more responsive than your old HDD, but still not as fast as other options and could actually be slower transfer speeds than your HDD.

The Firewire 800 option would be more expensive and harder to find new. I would get a FW800 enclosures and put a SATA3 SSD in it. It would be faster than USB2. This would be an ideal external solution for your model. Not as fast as an internal SSD, but it might be the best you are going to get externally without doing a striping RAID.

The SD card slot option, I am unsure about the SD card slot link speed of the 2010 iMac. On my Late 2012, it is 2500Mbps, which would be a decent speed for an old Mac. The high speed SD cards are still pretty pricey. I would check your link speed "System Report" before even considering this option, as it could be slower than my iMac, and not worth it.

You could also use a striping RAID solution such as a Software RAID0. This is a little more complex, and would be more expensive as it would be two times or more drives, but also the fastest option for external on the 2010 iMac.

Thanks for all of the information. I will take a look at some of the YouTube videos.

When I posted I was thinking that adding RAM would be the easiest way to get a little boost. I don't expect a dramatic improvement and will get that when I buy a new computer. The goal was just to give Citrix Workspace additional RAM resources since I will be working for home through at least the end of the year.
 
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Loyola

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 9, 2004
247
85
As you described the use case as web browsing/email/etc, Linux will work nicely. Using this myself, Linux Mint 20 to be precise. Try for yourself with a "Live Linux" put on a USB stick. Any help needed? Just post.
And Windows 10 also works.

I have tried Ubuntu, Debian and Elementary OS using VirtualBox. Debian seemed the best for Citrix Workspace. I was able to work using this set up but I know it would work better if it wasn't sharing resources with the Mac OS. Windows 10 you just cannot trust it not to break at some point.
 
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Juicy Box

macrumors 604
Sep 23, 2014
7,579
8,919
When I posted I was thinking that adding RAM would be the easiest way to get a little boost. I don't expect a dramatic improvement and will get that when I buy a new computer. The goal was just to give Citrix Workspace additional RAM resources since I will be working for home through at least the end of the year.
RAM might improve things a little, but the spinning drive is the bottleneck.

If you replaced the slow, aging HDD, I am sure that there would be a very dramatic improvement in performance.


Once I decide to buy a new computer, this one will go to my partner to use for as long as it continues to function. He only does some light browsing and email.
Since the Mac will be used after you are done with it, I would consider doing the SSD upgrade.

There really is a huge difference in overall feel of the Mac after the swap.
 

Loyola

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 9, 2004
247
85
RAM might improve things a little, but the spinning drive is the bottleneck.

If you replaced the slow, aging HDD, I am sure that there would be a very dramatic improvement in performance.



Since the Mac will be used after you are done with it, I would consider doing the SSD upgrade.

There really is a huge difference in overall feel of the Mac after the swap.

My windows license is OEM. Would changing the HD prevent me from installing on a new HD?
 

chscag

macrumors 601
Feb 17, 2008
4,622
1,946
Fort Worth, Texas
My windows license is OEM. Would changing the HD prevent me from installing on a new HD?

I don't think so. I've changed out hard drives in an OEM licensed Windows machine before several times and it did not even require re-activation. But that was some time ago.
 

Loyola

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 9, 2004
247
85
I don't think so. I've changed out hard drives in an OEM licensed Windows machine before several times and it did not even require re-activation. But that was some time ago.

I have will have to see if I can find out. It might only be changing the CPU and GPU but I am not sure.
 

Juicy Box

macrumors 604
Sep 23, 2014
7,579
8,919
It might only be changing the CPU and GPU but I am not sure.
I personally wouldn't bother, at least not do that before doing a SSD.

Better CPU and GPU could improve things, but I would bet the improvement won't nearly be as dramatic as getting a SSD. Also, changing the CPU and GPU is much more complex and expensive than just swapping the HDD for a SSD.

I don't think you would have a problem, as I have used the same Window License on multiple drives before with no issue.

If you clone the drive using the CCC free trial, the software won't know the difference, so no need to worry about it.

Worse case scenario, you can always use your internal HDD as external if something goes wrong, but I don't think there would be a problem, as many people do the SSD swap without issues.
 

Loyola

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 9, 2004
247
85
In the end I decided not to upgrade the HD. I searched the Internet for various ways to speed up my computer such as clearing cache, cleaning up my desktop, removing programs at start up, removed items from preference panes and changed visual effects from the dock.

I did purchase 8 gb of RAM to go from 8 GB to 12 GB for about $30.
 

Juicy Box

macrumors 604
Sep 23, 2014
7,579
8,919
Let us know how it all works.

I think most would agree that the bottleneck is the HDD, so replacing that would be best option for you, at least performance wise.

RAM could see an improvement, but only if you were using enough RAM before that the computer was Page Swapping often causing the HDD to work.

Hopefully, it works out for you.

searched the Internet for various ways to speed up my computer such as clearing cache, cleaning up my desktop, removing programs at start up, removed items from preference panes and changed visual effects from the dock.
With the exception of removing start up items, I don't think those other things would have much of an impact on your performance. Having unnecessary start up items could, but only if these things were unused. If you end up opening up or using these items anyway, there would be no effect.
 

Loyola

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 9, 2004
247
85
Let us know how it all works.

I think most would agree that the bottleneck is the HDD, so replacing that would be best option for you, at least performance wise.

RAM could see an improvement, but only if you were using enough RAM before that the computer was Page Swapping often causing the HDD to work.

Hopefully, it works out for you.


With the exception of removing start up items, I don't think those other things would have much of an impact on your performance. Having unnecessary start up items could, but only if these things were unused. If you end up opening up or using these items anyway, there would be no effect.

I fully agree that replacing HD would have the most benefit. After looking at videos, I am not confident that I can do it without possibility damaging my computer.

The RAM should help when I have Citrix Workspace and playing music using iTunes or YouTube.

There was a small noticeable improvement after doing all of the things I referenced. Clearing cache seems to be the most beneficial.
 

Juicy Box

macrumors 604
Sep 23, 2014
7,579
8,919
The RAM should help when I have Citrix Workspace and playing music using iTunes or YouTube.
None of those are really heavy on RAM usage. 8GB should be overkill if that is all you are doing.

There was a small noticeable improvement after doing all of the things I referenced. Clearing cache seems to be the most beneficial.
At least you are seeing an improvement.


After looking at videos, I am not confident that I can do it without possibility damaging my computer.
You external options are limited with having only USB2 and FW800. You do have a SD card slot, but I think it has a link speed at 480Mbps, so that wouldn't really be a good options.

But...

I wonder what your old HDD speed is. Maybe using a SSD over FW800, while might not give you the best possible read/write speed, could be an overall improvement when it comes to the feel and responsiveness of the OS.

I know someone that used a USB2 SSD as a boot drive on a 21" 2010 iMac, as they were scared to open theirs to replace their slow HDD. They told me that it was a huge improvement for them.

If you use a SATA SSD with a FW800 enclosure as a boot drive, this would be faster than using USB2.

I guess something to think about.

I have some spare SSDs and FW800 drives, if I get around to it, I will test how the OS feels when using it as a boot drive.
 

Loyola

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 9, 2004
247
85
None of those are really heavy on RAM usage. 8GB should be overkill if that is all you are doing.

I should have more more clear. When I am working I am listening to YouTube or ITunes while running Citrix Workspace. According to Activity Monitor I was using between 4.5 to 6 gb when just running Citrix. I cannot remember the value when I was listening to music.

Thank you for all of your input.
 

Fishrrman

macrumors Penryn
Feb 20, 2009
29,183
13,230
"Is it worth it to upgrade RAM on Mid 2010 21.5 iMac?"

No, not really. It's not going to "speed things up" much... if at all.

It's really time to consider "something newer"...
 

Loyola

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 9, 2004
247
85
"Is it worth it to upgrade RAM on Mid 2010 21.5 iMac?"

No, not really. It's not going to "speed things up" much... if at all.

It's really time to consider "something newer"...

The computer is running sufficiently. I asked because much of what I read suggested adding RAM.

I agree at some point I will need a new one. The plan was to get one this year however I decided to try to get this one a little while longer for a few different reasons.
 

chrfr

macrumors G5
Jul 11, 2009
13,703
7,267
The computer is running sufficiently. I asked because much of what I read suggested adding RAM.

I agree at some point I will need a new one. The plan was to get one this year however I decided to try to get this one a little while longer for a few different reasons.
For your described usage, 8GB is probably fine and will likely not result in any performance improvement. There's no need to rush out and buy a new iMac if this one is serving your needs.
 
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