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OS X 10.11 El Capitan Runs on All Macs Capable of Running Yosemite

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OS X 10.11 El Capitan, the successor to OS X Yosemite, is capable of running on all Macs that are able to run Yosemite, according to the OS X 10.11 release notes (via Ars Technica). The first developer beta is listed as supporting the following Macs, which are the same that are able to run Yosemite:

- iMac (Mid 2007 or newer)
- MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)
- MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer)
- Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer)
- MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer)
- Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)
- Xserve (Early 2009)

OS X El Capitan is focused heavily on performance improvements to make the Mac "snappier and more efficient." According to Apple, apps launch up to 1.4x faster and app switching is up to 2x faster. Displaying the first Mail messages when opening mail is up to 2x faster, and it's up to 4x faster when opening a PDF in preview.

elcapitanperfomanceenhancements.jpg

El Capitan also brings Metal to OS X for the first time, improving graphics for more fluid performance in games, high performance apps, and key system-level graphics operations.

iOS 9, the upcoming update for iOS devices, has also been designed to work with all devices that run iOS 8. Even older A5 devices like the iPad 2 and the iPhone 4s will be able to run the new operating system, and in many cases, performance will improve over iOS 8 thanks to the optimizations being introduced.

Both OS X El Capitan and iOS 9 will be available to the public in the fall, with a public beta becoming available in July.

Article Link: OS X 10.11 El Capitan Runs on All Macs Capable of Running Yosemite
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2015/06/08/osx-el-capitan-compatible-macs/
Last edited by a moderator:
Thankfully Apple's insistence to still sell computers with spinning HDDs, and release 'updated' computers with worse specs, has forced their hand to improve software performance. If you work around the limitations of the hardware, it's likely you'll bring out the best from the software.

Anyway, good job Apple. You did the right thing on focusing on performance rather than new features.
 
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Really happy to see this. I upgraded my parents' older 2007 iMac with an SSD, and it still runs Yosemite like a champ. I would imagine that this new OS will run even better. I would also imagine that this is probably the last OS X (and same w/ iOS) before Apple draws a stronger line in the sand with requirements.
 
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Unfortunately, Metal will probably only be available on newer (2012+) Macs, due to the GPU requirements, so not every Mac will get access to all the speed/performance improvements of OS X 10.11.
 
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OriginalMacRat said:
Only the iMac and Mac mini (and the legacy MBP 13") even have HDD options.
Click to expand...

Sadly though the iMac is the desktop that most people buy and it having a spinning hard drive really does affect performance. The 21.5 inch iMac has a 5400rpm Hard drive, and it REALLY slows down the machine. I cannot believe they are still selling this as a default option.
 
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Mr-Stabby said:
Sadly though the iMac is the desktop that most people buy and it having a spinning hard drive really does affect performance. The 21.5 inch iMac has a 5400rpm Hard drive, and it REALLY slows down the machine. I cannot believe they are still selling this as a default option.
Click to expand...

Nope. The majority of Apple's Mac sales are laptops.
 
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Can someone explain to me what Metal is?

Is it a replacement for OpenGL? What is/was OpenGL anyways? A graphics library, or something more?
 
I'm super excited for these graphical improvements. The fact that they even mentioned "system-level" graphics has me hyped. Yosemite is oh so laggy, to the point where it has become a frustration. El Capitan looks like it will fix that. Those window snapping features are also a welcome improvement.
 
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I tell you... that "Creative and free spirit marketing team" at apple was pretty high when they choose this name... El Capitan? No only is that going to be confusing to pronounce for most people (they're say captain... like a ship captain), but it's just bad... I know it's a real place, but come on...
 
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Have to admit I was very pleasantly surprised when my mid-2007 iMac supported Mavericks, then last year with Yosemite, that was totally unexpected and now again. Granted, I've upgraded to an SSD and added 2GB of RAM to the machine, but it's running the latest and greatest from Apple and doing very well at it. Not a bad investment at all!
 
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Can anyone answer (or guess) the following: Will Mid 2007 iMac really perform alright with El Cap? I've got a 27" iMac from '07, with 4GB RAM. I upgraded to Yosemite but it was too slow...downgraded to Snow Leopard because it was streamlined and fast. What do you think...will my system really run okay with El Cap, or should I just stick with Snow Leopard?
 
Thank you, Apple, for legacy support this far back. I hope that they reach further, reach deeper back in time making even older Macs, and iOS devices, be able to run the new OSs. It is a green, green thing to do supporting older hardware. Reuse.
 
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