What OS ?

[canoeheadca]

Just purchased a mid 2010 Imac 11,3 with mac os x 10.6.8

Is there a better OS that can be installed on this machine or is it limited by its age etc.

thanks

 

[revmacian]

Just purchased a mid 2010 Imac 11,3 with mac os x 10.6.8

Is there a better OS that can be installed on this machine or is it limited by its age etc.

thanks

You should be able to upgrade all the way up to High Sierra (macOS 10.13). However, upgrading to the latest possible OS may cause the system to become slower.

I would probably try for El Capitan because of the introduction of SIP (System Integrity Protection). I don’t recall anything major being included in Sierra or above that would warrant consideration on a 2010 iMac.

Also, if you like the beautiful user interface of Snow Leopard, stop at Mavericks.. Yosemite included drastic changes to the UI.

 

[mmomega]

You can run Windows 10 on it. Ubuntu. Pretty much whatever your choice is.

"Better" is subjective to you, not someone else.

 

[revmacian]

You can run Windows 10 on it. Ubuntu. Pretty much whatever your choice is.

"Better" is subjective to you, not someone else.

I’m glad you mentioned Linux. On a 2010 iMac I would probably run Linux rather than macOS because it will most likely be upgradeable for a while still.

 

[pje65]

I have that exact computer (27" i3). I loved 10.6.8 and used it for a long time. When my hard drive died a few years ago, I replaced it with a SSD. I used 10.11 for a few years, then upgraded to 10.13 this summer. I haven't had any problems at all with it. However, if it still has the original HD, you might want to stick with 10.6.8.

 

[MultiFinder17]

I use a 21” i3 2010 iMac in my classroom as my primary machine. With an SSD and 16GB of RAM, the machine runs High Sierra and the 15+ apps that I keep up at all times flawlessly. Enjoy your new to you iMac!

 

[Fishrrman]

I'd suggest El Capitan.
You can get it here:

https://itunes.apple.com/app/os-x-el-capitan/id1147835434?mt=12

 

[iluvmacs99]

Just purchased a mid 2010 Imac 11,3 with mac os x 10.6.8

Is there a better OS that can be installed on this machine or is it limited by its age etc.

thanks

This will support up to High Sierra (10.13.6) and since it's got a Core i3 chip with decent horsepower, I don't think it's slow. I work in a computer thrift store and we routinely rebuilt and refurbished old iMacs such as this and put on the latest OS that the machine can accept and don't find them slow. Slow is a relative word, because if you find someone who's been using a Mac Pro 5,1 with RAID SSD and a Vega 64/RX580 graphics card or even a Mac Mini 2018 Core i5 6 core, then anything below that will be SLOW or SUPER SLOW. You need to balance security vs performance. Where are your priorities in regards to using this computer?

There are a number of reasons you want the latest OS. Security patches and updates are still available for Sierra, High Sierra and Mojave, though Sierra (10.12.x) will probably receive its last security updates this year. Security updates are important when you use your computer as a daily driver to access banking and government benefits site (social assistance branches) as they require the latest web browser updates. The latest security updates allow you to use VPN services as most services require you to have Sierra as a minimum OS. If you use secured encrypted email service, then again you need Sierra as a minimum OS or some browsers that prevent tracking also may require the latest OS.

Hope this helps.

 

[nvsbl]

I have mid 2010 Macbook pro 10.13.6 High Sierra. Was told by Apple my machine is obsolete, can't get parts or new battery (not apple made, anyway), and I can't put Mojave on it/can't upgrade