iMac desktop, Catalina, ver 10.15.6

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Level 1

6 points

iMac desktop, Catalina, ver 10.15.6

I bought the middle priced ($1,299.00), 21.5” iMac (3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor. 1TB Storage Retina 4K Display) a couple of months ago.

My old iMac was 8-years old (bought 2012 with OS X 10.6.8, Snow Leopard). An entry-level 21.5-inch all-in-one. 21.5-inch, 1,920-by-1,080 resolution, In-Plane Switching (IPS) screen. Upgraded to OS X 10.11, ElCapitan in 2015.

I have never been so disappointed in an Apple computer. And, I’ve used one since 1993 - 27 years!

This 2020, OS X 10.15.6 is so slow and complicated it’s almost impossible to use. And the cordless mouse is temperamental. I never had a problem with a corded mouse!

Even opening the built-in Safari is slow, but when I go to my back-up browser, Firefox, it’s as slow as molasses.

Just raging. Nothing I can do about it. Or is there?

Posted on Jul 30, 2020 11:26 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

a brody

Level 10

85,320 points

Jul 30, 2020 11:29 AM in response to Don Gee

Oh there is plenty. And no reason for it to be slow except added fluff software that has no purpose being on the machine.

Run Etrecheck to see if anything odd is happening and post the results back to us. We can tell you what needs removing or updating:

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-250002463

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Answer 2

Jul 31, 2020 7:41 PM in response to Don Gee

Sorry but 5400 RPM is a crime in current times. No wonder. It is a very nice machine otherwise. An external SSD connected via USB-C would be orders of magnitude faster. No, unfortunately deleting apps won't noticeably speed up an HDD unless it is 99% full.

The authorized dealer should, in theory, be able to swap in a fusion drive or SSD, but it may cost you additional money. Make sure you do a full backup at home before proceeding. If you go through you will see that it's well worth it! You won't recognize your iMac. I did an SSD upgrade on a 2011 Macbook Pro that was painfully slow in the El Capitan era. The SSD gave it new life, it was an amazing transformation from thick molasses to thin air. Too bad the graphics chip got fried, I would still be using it today.

If you do upgrade the storage you will see that in time you will start enjoying those currently unused apps. GarageBand, iMovie are awesome ways to creatively relax. Podcasts to broaden horizons without annoying ads. Etc. Many of them are glitchy in Catalina but hopefully future updates will improve on that. Sorry I'm getting off track here...

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Answer 3

Don Gee Author

Level 1

6 points

Jul 30, 2020 3:22 PM in response to a brody

I just ran the Etrecheck. Here is a copy/paste of the the top part. I see I can copy and paste the entire report. Do you want that?

EtreCheckPro version: 6.2.6 (6C020)

Report generated: 2020-07-30 17:04:24

Download EtreCheckPro from https://etrecheck.com

Runtime: 10:12

Performance: Below Average

Problem: Computer is too slow

Major Issues:

Anything that appears on this list needs immediate attention.

Kernel panics - This system has experienced kernel panics. This could be a sign of hardware failure.

Minor Issues:

These issues do not need immediate attention but they may indicate future problems or opportunities for improvement.

Clean up - There are orphan files that could be removed.

Unsigned files - There are unsigned software files installed. Apple has said that unsigned software will not run by default in a future version of the operating system.

Low performance - EtreCheck report took an unusually long time to run.

32-bit Apps - This machine has 32-bits apps will not work on macOS 10.15 "Catalina".

External drives and performance - There are external drives connected that could be affecting performance.

Limited drive access - More information may be available with Full Drive Access.

Kernel extensions present - This machine has kernel extensions that may not work in the future.

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Answer 4

Don Gee Author

Level 1

6 points

Aug 3, 2020 6:19 AM in response to al p bundy

Hallelujah! My iMac works good. Spent several hours Saturday night with Adobe InDesign Chat/technical rep/remote control to make this happen. Tech spent a lot of time checking & unchecking boxes and changing setting. However, the biggest thing was getting rid of very old InDesign files still hiding in the guts. I never realized that when a new version of InDesign was installed, that it didn’t scrub all related files. Some files were 8-years old. A few 15 years! So, all’s good now. Thanks to both of you for the reply & for kicking me into the tornado.

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Answer 5

Jul 31, 2020 6:07 PM in response to Don Gee

Don't worry about Etre Check. Kernel panics are a Catalina staple, likely there's nothing wrong with your particular Mac. Like all other "computer optimization" apps there's a lot of scare tactics involved to make you peel some dough. See my other post about the HDD/SSD. If you do have an SSD, then there may be a defect which the warranty should cover.

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Answer 6

Don Gee Author

Level 1

6 points

Jul 31, 2020 7:20 PM in response to al p bundy

Thanks, I’m more confused than ever. I think I will go into the local, Authorized Apple Dealer where I bought it in Springfield, Illinois. Nearest Apple Store for possible help is in St. Louis - 200 miles away. And can’t do that. I will take your comments with me and see what they can do for me. I bought it 6-weeks ago, so assume I can get it fixed.

P.S. I don't use most of the items shown it the launchpad - not music, podcasts, TV, garage band, iMovie, dictionary, etc. Can these be cleared and help make this iMac run faster?

Here are the spec (from the box) if it adds anymore clarity to your analysis:

• 21.5-inch (diagonal) 16:9 widescreen LED-backlit

Retina 4K display; 4096 by 2304 pixels; ambient

light sensor

• 3.6GHz quad-core Intel Core i3 with 6MB shared

L3 cache

• 8GB of 2400MHz DDR4 memory

• 1 TB 5400-rpm hard drive

• Radeon Pro 555X with 2GB of VRAM

• FaceTime HD camera*

• Two Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports; support for

high-speed 1/0 and video out

• SDXC card slot and four USB-A ports

• 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet

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Answer 7

Don Gee Author

Level 1

6 points

Jul 31, 2020 8:11 PM in response to al p bundy

Thanks alot. I'll copy this, and previous comments, and take it with me to the dealer. Rhetorical question - Why would Apple sell an expensive product that doesn’t work well? And needs additional changes/upgrades + $. Will let you know how this works out.

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Answer 8

Jul 31, 2020 8:22 PM in response to Don Gee

You are welcome, hopefully they can fix this for you. The answer to your rhetorical question is: get a foot in the door of budget minded buyers like you and me. $1,300 + possible ulterior upgrades initially sounds better than $2,300 + no worries for a decade. I assure you, your second Apple purchase will land you in a higher price range just to avoid issues like this. Their tactics does work.

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Answer 9

Don Gee Author

Level 1

6 points

Jul 30, 2020 2:47 PM in response to a brody

Thanks. I'm really a computer dummy. I assume Etrecheck is what? Google it?

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Answer 10

Don Gee Author

Level 1

6 points

Jul 31, 2020 2:34 PM in response to a brody

I don’t want to appear pushy, but this slow running, new iMac (Catalina, ver 10.15.6) is driving me crazy. I ran a EtreCheck yesterday and major problem: Kernel panics. Plus many minor ones. Then today, I ran a 2nd one and NO major problems. Many minor ones. I notice at EtreCheck there is an option for “unlimited access to solutions” for $ 17.99. Is that an option? Or is it something I have to do/correct? I’m not good at that. Is there some other source that can fix this slow running Mac? Apple?

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Answer 11

Jul 31, 2020 6:15 PM in response to Don Gee

I assume you have the 1 TB HDD option. Even at 7200 rpm, traditional hard drives are much too slow for the massive 64-bit apps of today, all loaded with high-rez eye candy graphics. Not sure if you can still return it and replace with a 1-TB or 2-TB fusion drive, which would be intermediate in price compared to a full SSD, but almost as fast. Another option is to buy a 1-TB Crucial SSD and move the OS onto it.

The fusion drive automatically and seamlessly stores the more frequently used apps and files in the fast access SSD portion, while those longer term, less used files are pushed onto the HDD portion. I have a 21.5-inch, Late 2015 iMac with the 1-TB fusion drive and it's quite spiffy with 10.15.6. I do have other Catalina issues both on the iMac and the Macbook Pro, but apps and files do load fast.

You may already know the abbreviations above but just in case-- HDD means traditional hard disk drive (with spinning hard magnetic discs and movable pickup heads inside); SSD means solid-state drive (no moving parts, information is written by altering diode junctions inside small integrated circuits)

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iMac desktop, Catalina, ver 10.15.6

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