2019 iMac Desktop VERY SLOW DOWNLOAD on 1GB wired connection

Question

2019 iMac Desktop VERY SLOW DOWNLOAD on 1GB wired connection

My 'new' iMac is the worst performing device in my home. I have a wired fiber-to-the-home Internet service in Asia. On my Windows laptop, Ookla Speedtest shows Download 895 Mbps / Upload 940 Mbps, but using my new Apple iMac the Speedtest result is Down 85 Mbps / Up 940 Mbps. Why is Apple's new hardware such a crappy product on the download-side? (note: I have no programs running on Apple and have installed nothing on the Apple.)

iMac 21.5"

Posted on May 16, 2020 9:59 PM

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Answer 1

rkaufmann87

Level 10

143,598 points

May 16, 2020 10:26 PM in response to AppleDunSupportSDcards

Yours is a common assumption that because other devices work okay it must be the iMac. In most cases that is not the problem, it's a modem or router issue. Please do the following:

Reset Modem
Reset Router
Restart iMac
Test

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Answer 2

May 17, 2020 3:03 AM in response to rkaufmann87

It MUST be the iMac based on the facts. Re-ran Ookla Speedtest to humor you: Download on iMac = 39 Mbps and Upload on iMac = 939 Mbps.

All other Windows-based devices at home are an order of magnitude faster on measured Download using the same 'everything'.

I've been disappointed with the Apple hardware since I purchased it. My 2011 MacBook outperformed my 2019 iMac Desktop. Buying new Apple computers is not worth it anymore - premium price for their brand with less ROI relative to other Windows based products today. Ironically, the Apple user experience of 12-15 years ago relative to then IBM clone has been inverted!

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Answer 3

padams35

Level 4

3,445 points

May 17, 2020 8:03 PM in response to AppleDunSupportSDcards

Y'know, 39-85MB/s is approximately the write speed of a 5400rpm HDD.

Does your iMac is it an off-the-shelf entry-level 21.5/4K model with just a 1TB HDD the problem could very well be that the download speeds are being throttled by how fast the iMac is physically capable of saving data to the disk.

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Answer 4

May 17, 2020 9:41 PM in response to padams35

Yes. I didn't pay Apple for hardware upgrades. I feel 'throttled' for paying the Base Model price. My Microsoft Surface laptop circa 2017 is also Base Model and it vastly outperforms the hulking 21" iMac (start-up, multiapp processing, response to app inputs.) I work on both side-by-side and continue to be amazed at how poor the Apple looks from the standpoint of ROI. I know the mantra at Point of Sale in Apple Stores is always to 'pay the highest price for every device', but you'd expect their Base Model could hold its own against other Base Models. Clearly, they don't. Bummed.

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Answer 5

padams35

Level 4

3,445 points

May 18, 2020 8:36 AM in response to AppleDunSupportSDcards

The basemodel iMac is intended for the stereotypical grandparent. It has a big screen, a webcam to facetime with the grand kids, lots of storage for all the vacation pictures, and a skinny footprint that doesn't take up much space. Unfortunately that cheap high capacity yet compact 2.5" laptop HDD is also very slow.

Fortunately there is a partial fix that doesn't require a dissatisfied user handing Apple more money: buy an external USB 3.1 SSD and switch to using that as your startup drive.

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