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Slow Brand New iMac. Help?

Bought a brand new iMac (specifics below in diagnostic report "additional text"), and it has always been oddly slow. Have been a MacBook user for a long time, but never had issues like this. Ran this report as suggested in another post, and it says my harddrive may be failing and I have a runaway process? Help? Thank you.


(Also, just wanted to note it is past the return date, but I do have AppleCare.)


UPDATE: "Additional Text" feature doesn't seem to be working. Here is a link to the EtreCheck diagnonstic report. And the following is my original description of the problem:


"Recently bought new iMac, iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019), macOS Cataline 10.15.5.

Ever since the beginning, it’s just been slow.  I have a MacBook Pro and it’s so quick to boot up, open apps, etc., yet on the iMac I click an app or a window or try to do anything, and sometimes it takes literally 30-60+ seconds for the window to become activated after clicking on it, or the apps to launch, etc.  Even trying to search for the Calculator from the search button on the top right, it takes a while for the Calculator app to auto-pop up as an option, and then longer once I’ve clicked on it.  I’ve never experienced this lag time on my MacBook Pro before. Sometimes there is beach balling, sometimes it’s the normal cursor but just nothing is happening.  What’s going on?"




iMac 21.5″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Nov 8, 2020 2:45 PM

Reply
4 replies

Nov 12, 2020 8:04 AM in response to den.thed

Even if it's a slower HD, is it normal for a report to say it seems as if it's failing? And also that there's a runaway process?


I've had and used older computers, but nothing has been as slow as this computer sometimes. Again, it takes a few minutes even at times for a window to show up (e.g. after clicking on my Mail app to launch it), and 30-60+ seconds for a window to become activated after clicking on it at times. Even for the slower HDs on an iMac, certainly it shouldn't be like that?

Nov 12, 2020 10:06 AM in response to aaron_mota

Etrecheck doesn't have any special knowledge on the HDD's condition. It simply is warning you that the HDD is running slower than average and/or that the overall performance is slower than average without any of the usual antivirus/adware/out-of-memory issues to blame. It isn't uncommon to see that warning with 3rd party software installed.


For the runaway process check Activity Monitor. That isn't normal.


As for HDDs... MacOS hasn't played nice with 5400rpm HDDs since Yosemite. I don't know if it is verbose diagnostic logging, saving the ram-state in for power-failure recovery, or what but in recent years MacOS has demanded all the iops a 5400rpm HDD can offer. If anything slows the HDD down... beachballs.


Anyway, get a USB 3.x SSD and reinstall/restore MacOS onto that. Even a cheap 2.5" Sata SSD enclosure can process a 1000x more iops (input/output operations per second) than the HDD and solve all your beachball issues.

Nov 8, 2020 3:27 PM in response to aaron_mota

You purchased a 21.5" iMac with a really really slow 3G 5400rpm Hard Drive.

Drives:

   disk0 - APPLE HDD HTS541010A9E632 1.00 TB (Mechanical - 5400 RPM) 

   Internal SATA 3 Gigabit Serial ATA


Your MacBook Pro has an SSD that is at least 10 to 15 times faster and that is why the new iMac feel so much slower.


If you have had the 21.5" for less that 14 days, I suggest that you return it and order a 21.5"with an SSD and more RAM or move up to a 27" iMac with an SSD.


If you are past the 14 day return date, then another option is to get an external USB 3.0 SSD and run macOS from the external SSD...

Nov 8, 2020 4:09 PM in response to aaron_mota

I'm in 100% agreement with den.thed's evaluation of the problem. Unfortunately you purchased the slowest iMac offered at the tine of purchase.


Getting an external SSD will help with booting, opening apps and files and saving files but won't help with speed when many apps and files are open at the same time.


Two excellent candidates for an external SSD are the following from OWC (MacSales.com)


1 - OWC Envoy Pro EX with USB C or 3


2 - OWC Envoy Pro EX with Thunderbolt 3


The Thunderbolt drive will be a lot faster than the other two but at an $80-100 premium.


Either of the 3 will be much faster that what you've got.

Slow Brand New iMac. Help?

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