Replacing 2011 iMac Desktop

I'll let rkaufmann87 provide you with more details related to the EtreCheck report, but I'm sure some of the things that will be brought up will be:

1. Macs don't get viruses. Therefore, your Mac doesn't require a "full-time" AV app, like BitDefender. These kinds of apps then to cause more issues than resolve them.Sure, it may still be possible for your Mac to get "infected" by malware or adware, but just running an EtreCheck report periodically can help you detect and eliminate them. Malwarebytes for Mac is great for this as well.
2. Your Mac's hard drive may be failing and replacing it with an SSD instead should show noticeable improvement.
3. Your Mac's host file has been modified. This could be the result of adware. The following article should help provide more details around this and what you can do about this. Ref: Fixing a hacked /etc/hosts file - ASC (etresoft)
4. Your Mac could use more RAM. 8 or 16GB would be recommended.

As you can see, one of the first things to consider is do you feel that your iMac is worth upgrading or your money better spent just getting a new one? Only you can answer that question.

If you decide to go for a new one, then the next consideration would be how much you will be willing to spend. Then screen size. Obviously, with a notebook, you can always connect it to an external monitor.

So then, the next question is, what's more important: portability or expandability?

None of the general use items you mentioned would require a Mac with a lot of power so any of the Pro models would, most likely, be a bit of an "overkill."

This would be a good starting point. To be honest, I would be hesitant with using the Geek Squad folks. In my experience, ever since they "merged" with Best Buy, they are more interested in getting you to buy a new computer than fixing an existing one and I find their prices a bit too high for what service that they actually perform ... but you may have had a much better experience with them so, of course, that's totally up to you.

Thanks for posting the report. First there are some things you can easily do to improve the performance. First, you have Bitdefender installed which at best is completely unnecessary and at worst damaging to Mac OS. Mac OS is EXTREMELY secure and does not benefit from nor does it require any third party antivirus, cleaning or any other third party "maintenance" apps.

Please locate the uninstall instructions for Bitdefender and uninstall ASAP. https://www.bitdefender.com/support/how-to-uninstall-the-new-bitdefender-antivirus-for-mac-1687.html

Next, you have never upgraded the RAM however you are running Mac OS version 10.13.6 which requires a minimum of 8GB to run okay! Please contact either crucial.com or macsales.com and buy 16GB of RAM and that should improve performance somewhat especially without Bitdefender.

If you don't mind investing a bit more, buy a SSD and have it it installed by your local Apple Authorized Service Provider. This will dramatically improve performance. I would suggest a 1TB SSD kit from www.macsales.com, they can be found at https://eshop.macsales.com/cart/

So for less than $500 you can get your machine running better than new.

All that being said, your computer is almost 9 years old and is considered obsolete by Apple. This means it cannot run current versions of Mac OS. However if it suites your needs a $500 investment is much less than a $2000+ investment!

Peggy,

Please do the following as there may be something wrong with your current iMac that can be fixed to regain performance.

Please navigate to the Mac App Store and download the free version of EtreCheck OR please click www.EtreCheck.com where you will find the app. Once you downloaded the free app and created the report please post it as your reply to this message. In order to post it, please use the following link for more detailed instructions on how to correctly include the results: 

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-250000211

We can then look for obvious issues that may be causing your problem.

Unfortunately, you're not including any "basic requirements" will not make it easy to provide you with any suggestions.

So far, all we know, is that it doesn't have to be portable.

What would help would be:

• Your maximum price point ceiling?
• What you want to use your new computer for? That is, what apps are you planning on using or that are critical to you?
• Etc., etc., etc.?

You may also find that a visit to your local Apple Store will be extremely beneficial as the Apple Representatives can work with you to understand what you computing goals are and find the perfect Apple product(s) to meet them. It will also give you an opportunity for some "hands on" experience.

Please post the report per the instructions in my initial message. This way experienced eyes can review it to see if there are any obvious problems. There is no personal information in the report so it is completely trustworthy.

Not a problem. Let us know what you decide to do.