I have a late 2009 iMac, with new RAM bringing the total to 16 GB. My SATA drive has 396 GB available. I would like to upgrade to Catalina. However, your charts say that I can not. With the extra RAM, can upgrade to Catalina?
iMac, macOS 10.12
No, your equipment is simply too old and it will not be able to update Mac OS beyond 10.13.6. The reason why is that Mojave (10.14.x) and beyond require GPUs that have a feature Apple calls Metal. These GPUs did not become available on iMacs until the 2012 iMac's were released. Before you ask, no you cannot upgrade to a Metal GPU and no there are no work-arounds.
In the event you have a need to run Catalina, then it is time to buy a new Mac, something you may want to seriously consider as your 2009 is extremely out-of-date and has been considered obsolete by Apple for years due to a lack of parts availability. This means that if some hardware fails on it, getting a replacement part will not be likely. It also means Apple Stores will not work on it and finally it means that the applications you currently use on it cannot be updated to current versions of Mac OS which paints you into an obsolesce corner.
I also have an old Mac (2011 27" iMac) that I know needs to be updated, something I intend to do before the end of the year.
No, your equipment is simply too old and it will not be able to update Mac OS beyond 10.13.6. The reason why is that Mojave (10.14.x) and beyond require GPUs that have a feature Apple calls Metal. These GPUs did not become available on iMacs until the 2012 iMac's were released. Before you ask, no you cannot upgrade to a Metal GPU and no there are no work-arounds.
In the event you have a need to run Catalina, then it is time to buy a new Mac, something you may want to seriously consider as your 2009 is extremely out-of-date and has been considered obsolete by Apple for years due to a lack of parts availability. This means that if some hardware fails on it, getting a replacement part will not be likely. It also means Apple Stores will not work on it and finally it means that the applications you currently use on it cannot be updated to current versions of Mac OS which paints you into an obsolesce corner.
I also have an old Mac (2011 27" iMac) that I know needs to be updated, something I intend to do before the end of the year.
No. Only Macs from 2012 and later have the required hardware to run Catalina. Your model's EOL version is El Capitan - 10.11.6.
I'm sorry if I am wrong, but I believe that this model can only be upgraded to High Sierra. That has been my experience with a late 2009 iMac.
Yes, a late 2009 can go to High Sierra 10.13.6.
Sorry, I was looking at an earlier 2009 model. Your model can, indeed, run High Sierra - 10.13.6.
Thank you for the detailed answer. I was afraid of the obsolence corner. My late 2009 machine is great. Looks great. Works well. With the extra RAM, it is quicker and prevents some bottlenecks. I have not yet run into software not being able to be upgraded yet, but will probably run into it shortly with some steps I want to take.
I have had Macs since 1984, their first year, so have run into Apple's planned death of their machines several times.
Your welcome and okay.
Enjoy the "ol girl."
Yes, 10.13.6 is what I have.
I have a late 2009 iMac, with new RAM bringing the total to 16 GB. My SATA drive has 396 GB available. I would like to upgrade to Catalina. However, your charts say that I can not. With the extra RAM, can upgrade to Catalina??
