pearcefromchurchville
Level 1 (4 points)
Mac OS X

Q: Upgrading 2008 iMac to El Capitan

I am running 10.8.5, with 2.4 GHz Core Duo Processor, and 2GB 800 MHz DDR2 SDRAM Memory.

I use  my 2008 iMac mostly for mac mail and google; will it  run ok with El Capitan?

iMac, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.5)

Posted on Aug 31, 2016 12:39 PM

by KiltedTim,Solvedanswer
KiltedTim KiltedTim
Level 9 (54,765 points)
iPhone
A:

No. 2GB of RAM is barely enough to load OS X. Upgrade the RAM to the max your machine will hold. Even so, you're going to be pushing the limits given the CPU that's in it. You can make it work, more or less, but it's really time to consider upgrading your hardware soon.

Posted on Aug 31, 2016 12:48 PM

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pearcefromchurchville

Q: Upgrading 2008 iMac to El Capitan

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  • Helpful answers

  • by KiltedTim,Solvedanswer

    KiltedTim KiltedTim Aug 31, 2016 12:48 PM in response to pearcefromchurchville
    Level 9 (54,765 points)
    iPhone
    Aug 31, 2016 12:48 PM in response to pearcefromchurchville

    No. 2GB of RAM is barely enough to load OS X. Upgrade the RAM to the max your machine will hold. Even so, you're going to be pushing the limits given the CPU that's in it. You can make it work, more or less, but it's really time to consider upgrading your hardware soon.

  • by Dr.Mac.,Helpful

    Dr.Mac. Dr.Mac. Sep 1, 2016 6:55 AM in response to pearcefromchurchville
    Level 3 (616 points)
    Sep 1, 2016 6:55 AM in response to pearcefromchurchville

    OS X El Capitan - General Requirements

    • 2GB of memory  -- >4GB Recommended
    • 8.8GB of available storage

    Mac Hardware Requirements

    • iMac (Mid 2007 or newer)

  • by Eric Root,Helpful

    Eric Root Eric Root Sep 1, 2016 6:50 AM in response to pearcefromchurchville
    Level 9 (69,529 points)
    iTunes
    Sep 1, 2016 6:50 AM in response to pearcefromchurchville

    I have an early 2008 iMac running El Capitan and it meets my needs, but I have upgraded to 6 GB RAM. I also have the 3.06 GHz processor.

     

    One option is to create a new partition (~30- 50 GB), install the new OS, and ‘test drive’ it. If you like/don’t like it it, you can then remove the partition. Do a backup before you do anything. By doing this, if you don’t like it you won’t have to go though the revert process.

     

    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.

    Open Disk Utility, select your hard drive (step 1), then the Partition tab (step 2), and select the partition. Using the /// at the bottom move it up (step 3) until the size box decrease by about 50 GB. Select the newly created space and hit the + button (step 4). Name it something and select Mac OS Extended (Journaled) as the format (step 5). Then hit the Apply button(step 6). Download the installer from the App Store and when it starts, point it at the new partition. You might want to make a copy of the installer outside the Applications folder to avoid having to re-download it in the future. Once installed, restart with the option/alt key held down, select the new partition and reboot. Test away.

     

    The 2 places I’ve seen recommended most to buy reliable RAM are below. I have purchased RAM several times from Other World Computing and have always been very satisfied with the product and service. They have on-line instructions on how to replace the RAM. OWC has also tested RAM above what Apple states is the maximum. I now have 6GB installed on a early 2008 iMac supposedly limited to 4 GB and noticed an improvement.

     

    Crucial

     

    Other World Computing

  • by pearcefromchurchville,

    pearcefromchurchville pearcefromchurchville Sep 1, 2016 6:54 AM in response to KiltedTim
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 1, 2016 6:54 AM in response to KiltedTim

    Thanks, I'll bite the bullet