What to do with 2009 24-inch iMac

Question

Level 1

17 points

What to do with 2009 24-inch iMac

I inherited a 24-inch iMac early 2009. Had it from 2015 till now. It got increasingly slower over the years.

I hardly use it as I have a MacBook Air. This machine is still very good looking and all seems good except that it is extremely slow. It has no more trade in value, Apple said.

Is there anyway to improve it’s speed? Would setting it to factory setting and starting it as a fresh machine help? Is there any hardware that I can buy to improve it’s performance. or should I just send it for recycling which seems such a waste. Right now, I sometimes use it to watch Netflix or just use it for music.

i wonder why the rag and bone man wanted to pay for Windows PC but told me Apple PC has no value for recycling.

thanks !

Can anyone suggest what I should

[Image Edited by Moderator to Remove Serial Number]

Posted on Jun 12, 2020 6:12 AM

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Answer 1

Zahilla

Level 2

270 points

Jun 12, 2020 11:00 PM in response to Su Juan

well I have a 2008 20 inch iMac and its really fast, its almost as fast as my 2017. Upgrade the RAM to 6 GB, then Putting a 1 TB SSD in it and then Fresh installing macOS on it will make it almost as fast as a new computer and in some ways faster then newer computers based on the speed of the base model 21.5 iMac right now with a hard drive lol

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Answer 2

Jun 12, 2020 4:10 PM in response to Su Juan

To look for possible software issues run EtreCheck and post the report here using the "Additional Text" icon which looks like a piece of paper.

To check for a failing or worn out hard drive (very likely) run DriveDX and post the report here using the "Additional Text" icon which looks like a piece of paper.

My guess is the hard drive is failing or maybe just worn out (macOS is very hard on hard drives).

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Answer 3

rkaufmann87

Level 10

149,098 points

Jun 12, 2020 9:54 AM in response to Su Juan

Please use Apple's recycling center to responsibly get rid of it. Either that or contact your local Office Supply Store and ask about their technology recycling program.

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Answer 4

virgil208

Level 1

102 points

Jun 12, 2020 9:53 AM in response to Su Juan

Just my problem with my 2009 24" iMac before deciding to buy a new 21 1/2" with 16G memory and 1TB SSD storage. I erased my data on the 2009 and gave to my grand daughter to use for some of her written college work. Works ok for that.

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