Should I upgrade an 8,1 iMac?

[caioferrari]

Hi,

I have an 8,1 iMac (C2D 2.66 Ghz / 4 Gb RAM) running Mavericks.

I used Snow Leopard since it's release until Mavericks, which appeared to be an "Ok" system. I did the upgrade for Yosemite and the system started to run very slow, so I did downgrade back to Mavericks.

What happens now?

I really would like to have the slit view feature but um afraid to turn my performance down like Yosemite did.

What you guys think?

I'm thinking about adding a SSD drive to my iMac but I'm a little afraid to take this machine apart so, I have to consider upgrading with HDD

 

[jgo78]

umm, I think it's time for a new computer? C2D is very old.

 

[ryannel2003]

If you aren't using the computer for anything heavy, upgrading to an SSD and upping the RAM to 8GB or 16GB will definitely speed the machine up.

 

[caioferrari]

I cant afford a new computer right now. I live in Brazil and right now, due to currency stuff the prices are reaching the sky.

I do use my computer for:
MS Office
LaTEX programming
Internet / e-mail
Making Graphs at Grapher
Very basic image editing at PixelMator.

This computer was fast more than enough with Snow Leopard.
It turned Ok with Mavericks
Unacceptable with Yosemite

 

[rkaufmann87]

I cant afford a new computer right now. I live in Brazil and right now, due to currency stuff the prices are reaching the sky.

I do use my computer for:
MS Office
LaTEX programming
Internet / e-mail
Making Graphs at Grapher
Very basic image editing at PixelMator.

This computer was fast more than enough with Snow Leopard.
It turned Ok with Mavericks
Unacceptable with Yosemite

Then upgrade to a SSD and max out the RAM.

 

[Nospig]

I have the 8,1 as you. I skipped Yosemite and did a clean install of El Capitan when the latest Mavericks update trashed all my user accounts (another story). It's not too bad actually, I didn't notice any real performance difference from Mavericks. If you could squeeze in an extra 2GB of RAM that would help but an SSD drive would make a huge difference. I was going to do the same myself but ended up going back to PC for my main computer instead as I was disappointed with the new 21" iMac.

 

[widescreenparis]

Same mac here. Put a 4GB ram module that will bring you up to 6 (maximum), and put a SSD inside.
Make a fresh install of El Capitan and you'll happily squeeze a couple more years out of your iMac.

 

[fa8362]

I think you should use that machine as is for as long as possible then upgrade. I wouldn't spend even $200 on on a 7 year old computer. Save the money, and use it on a replacement when the time comes.

 

[caioferrari]

Thanks for the advices.

I agree that upgrading this iMac is a waste of money... Maybe. I can't imagine what I could do with a SSD drive here.

What I cant decide yet is what system should I keep installed. I have no doubt Snow Leopard is the fastest system I can install here. Yosemite is the worst.

Now I'm using Mavericks.... Will I any improvements installing El Capitan?

 

[scottish]

Thanks for the advices.

I agree that upgrading this iMac is a waste of money... Maybe. I can't imagine what I could do with a SSD drive here.

What I cant decide yet is what system should I keep installed. I have no doubt Snow Leopard is the fastest system I can install here. Yosemite is the worst.

Now I'm using Mavericks.... Will I any improvements installing El Capitan?

I think an SSD upgrade would make a huge difference. I did this with our aging mid 2007 iMac a couple of years ago and it definitely extended its life - though it's finally being replaced. SSDs are pretty cheap these days and the installation on your iMac is not too difficult if you're up for doing it yourself.

 

[widescreenparis]

You'll see improvements with El Capitan if you do a clean install (ie from scratch and then reinstall the programs). Start with doing this. Then add the 4GB RAM module if you can afford it, your system will require less (if any) access to the hard drive when missing RAM.
At this point your system should already feel a lot faster.
If that's not enough then you can consider the SSD. Pick a small 128GB and put your data on an external disk if they don't fit.
Trust me it's not a waste.