Should I upgrade iMac mid 2010 to Sierra?

[gabo864]

Hello,

I just purchased an used 21.5 iMac mid 2010 with 4GB of RAM and 500GB hard drive for $150. I just needed something for my mom who's visiting for a month so she can get online. Of course I plan on keeping it because I'm sure my wife will use it. I was wondering if anybody out there got the same iMac model as me and is currently using Sierra on it. Is it running smooth still? should I upgrade to Sierra? or should I stick to what I have right now (Yosemite 10.10.5).

Thanks!

 

[Lunder89]

If the harddrive is an old classic spinner, you might need to consider replacing it with an SSD, before updating to Sierra. The later versions of macOS for some reasons is very slow on these old spinners.

I don't have an iMac from that age, but I do have a 2011 Mac Mini, and it runs terribly on Sierra. It is very slow.

 

[nambuccaheadsau]

The SSD and boost memory to 8GB and download and run El Capitan better for older iMacs.

 

[Fishrrman]

If it runs ok with Yosemite -right now-, I'd leave it that way, at least until your Mom goes home.

If it ain't broke, don't try "fixing" it, at least not yet...

 

[redheeler]

If the harddrive is an old classic spinner, you might need to consider replacing it with an SSD, before updating to Sierra. The later versions of macOS for some reasons is very slow on these old spinners.

If the iMac were running Snow Leopard or even Mountain Lion, performance would take a hit running something later, so the OP would have to decide if the newer OS/better app support is worth it. But for an iMac already running Yosemite, I say go ahead and update.

@gabo864: I definitely recommend installing an SSD into that iMac instead of using the 7-year-old mechanical drive. With an SSD + 8 GB RAM it will be a decent performer for light to medium tasks on MacOS Sierra. My 2010 iMac definitely is, although granted it is a 27" quad-core i5; and installing an SSD in place of the factory HDD did indeed make quite a difference.