apogee31
Level 1 (9 points)
Mac OS X

Q: Major update from Mavericks

Hi,

 

I currently use an iMac (late 2013, with 2.7 Ghz Intel Core i5 processor and 16 Go RAM) with Mavericks and I plan to do a major OS update.

Do you advice me to wait for Sierra to update, or to do the update right now with El Capitan, then updating again with Sierra later ?

In other words, considering my hardware configuration, should I update in one step directly to Sierra or in two steps (with updating to El Capitan, then to Sierra) ?

Thanks a lot for kind replies and advices

iMac, OS X Mavericks (10.9.5)

Posted on Aug 29, 2016 8:42 AM

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apogee31

Q: Major update from Mavericks

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  • by JimmyCMPIT,

    JimmyCMPIT JimmyCMPIT Aug 29, 2016 8:48 AM in response to apogee31
    Level 5 (6,702 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 29, 2016 8:48 AM in response to apogee31

    Sierra is in Beta and Beta applications are never remmeneded for production systems, only for testing.

    Past that we can not discuss the details of the current pubic OS over vs the current beta OS in these forums.

    Backup, make sure you system is eligible for the current OS, make sure you system meet or exceeds the specs: Apples assessment of 2GB RAM for 10.11 has been noted on these forums as not effective for an "enjoyable" upgrade, in many cases even 4GB RAM can be problematic. Verify your 3rd party software and hardware is compatible by contacting the vendors as compatibility sites such as Roaringapps.com are prone to user error,

    Once you have done this you can update to El Capitan and wait for the current beta to become public before committing it to a production environment.

  • by BobHarris,Helpful

    BobHarris BobHarris Aug 31, 2016 6:07 AM in response to apogee31
    Level 6 (19,257 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 31, 2016 6:07 AM in response to apogee31

    No one knows much about real world macOS Sierra, so it would be difficult to recommend Sierra at this time.  In a few months it will be a different story.

     

    However, whether you want to run El Capitan or Sierra, I suggest you AT LEAST download El Capitan, and "Quit" the installer, so that you will have El Capitan in your App Store -> Purchased tab, and will then have the option to decide on El Capitan or Sierra at a later date.

     

    Historically, Apple has removed older OS X version for new downloads when the next version is released.  This happened to Mavericks and Yosemite.  Only users that previously downloaded Mavericks or Yosemite can re-download them.

     

    I suggest you do at least one El Capitan download now, so you have the option to decide later.

  • by Terence Devlin,

    Terence Devlin Terence Devlin Aug 29, 2016 8:49 AM in response to apogee31
    Level 10 (139,470 points)
    iLife
    Aug 29, 2016 8:49 AM in response to apogee31

    should I update in one step directly to Sierra or in two steps

     

    Makes no difference.

  • by Eric Root,Helpful

    Eric Root Eric Root Aug 31, 2016 6:06 AM in response to apogee31
    Level 9 (69,529 points)
    iTunes
    Aug 31, 2016 6:06 AM in response to apogee31

    If you do upgrade, check to make sure your applications are compatible.

     

    Application Compatibility

     

    Applications Compatibility (2)


     

    El Capitan 10.11 Compatibility information


     

    Also check to make sure there is a compatible driver for your printer.

     

    Do a backup before installing, preferable 2 backups on 2 different drives.

  • by apogee31,

    apogee31 apogee31 Aug 31, 2016 6:25 AM in response to JimmyCMPIT
    Level 1 (9 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 31, 2016 6:25 AM in response to JimmyCMPIT

    Thanks a lot; of course when I talk about Sierra, I refer to the public version (announced for this Fall I guess ?), not the beta ones

    And you're right: my question is to get the most "enjoyable" update considering my system, the hardware (iMac late 2013, with 2.7 Ghz Intel Core i5 processor and 16 GB RAM) and the specs required to install the new OS.

    Knowing that, is it more careful to update to El Capitan first, then to Sierra in a few months ? Or to make an update with Sierra in one time ?

    I guess my system is eligible for El Capitan, but what about Sierra ?

  • by BobHarris,

    BobHarris BobHarris Aug 31, 2016 8:29 AM in response to apogee31
    Level 6 (19,257 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 31, 2016 8:29 AM in response to apogee31

    I guess my system is eligible for El Capitan, but what about Sierra ?

    Yes, it will run both.

    El Capitan System Requirements:

    <OS X El Capitan - Technical Specifications>

    Sierra System Requirements:

    <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacOS_Sierra#System_requirements>

     

    Again, if you do not download El Capitan BEFORE Sierra is released, it is possible you may never be able to download El Capitan after.  At least download El Capitan and "Quit" the installer when it starts, to reserve your future ability to choose between the 2 releases.