Level 1

12 points

Refurbished iMac Retina 4K, 21.5-inch

My most recent Mac purchase has been increasingly frustrating and disappointing: refurbished 2019 iMac Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, purchased in March 2021 via Apple.ca store. Within a few weeks, it started lagging upon startup. Safari (and every other app) takes a very long time to launch and load. Clicking on any window or menu, whether it's in the finder or another app, does not generate an immediate/quasi-immediate response (usually lags). Logging in today my screen would show a black desktop with white menu bar, no spinning processor marker unless I repeatedly clicked my mouse.

• Specs: 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i3, 8 GB 2400 MHz DDR4, 1TB storage (799.48GB available)

• OS: Monterey 12.0.1

• How do I use it? 95% web access (95% Safari/5% Chrome), 5% Numbers or other system and Apple apps/software

• My internet? Bell Fibe 500 (unlimited)

• How many software run at the same time? Usually only a browser, sometimes also Numbers.

• What have I done already to try & remedy? Zap PRAM. Reset SMC. (both repeatedly)

As a graphic designer graduate from the 90's, I've never experienced such a slow and choppy Apple product, even with Photoshop, InDesign/Quark, Illustrator and Outlook operating at the same time. (I still have my Power Macintosh 9600/350 with ZIP drive and it takes less time to launch & load software than this 2019 iMac!)

Anybody else experienced/ing this issue?
What have you done to remedy the problem?
Could this be related to iCloud confusion across multiple devices (iPhone, iPad & iMac)?
Could the configuration of my RAM be insufficient for my hard-drive?
Could I have some malware hiding some where? (And if so, how to detect it?)
Could it simply be that it's because it's a refurbished product?

Help please! I'm willing to trouble-shoot.

Posted on Apr 2, 2022 1:23 PM

Top-ranking reply

Jack-19

Level 8

46,188 points

Posted on Apr 2, 2022 2:15 PM

The reason your iMac is slow is due to the 5400-rpm hard drive. While this hard drive found in your Mac is perfectly suited to light tasks, such as email, web browsing, etc., for more advanced tasks, and for users who want the maximum performance from their Mac, this hard drive does have its limitations. Luckily, you can use an external SSD as your startup disk to run macOS and all your data from that. It will make your Mac 10 to 30 times faster for storage, and in turn, make your entire Mac system much faster. For more info, instructions, and what external SSD to buy, please see: How to Setup and Use an External SSD as your Startup Disk on a Desktop Mac - Apple Community.

Another option is to replace this Mac with a new Apple Silicon Mac: Mac - Apple. If you go this route, it is generally recommended that you purchase 16GB of Memory with the largest SSD that you can afford. You can also use Apple Trade-In to get credit towards a new Mac: Apple Trade In - Apple.

Jack

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30 replies

OldToad

Level 2

445 points

Apr 13, 2022 11:28 AM in response to Jopibo

Don't need one. Just keep it up to date with iOS system updates and you're good to go.

However, for your Mac I would download and use the free version of Malwarebytes. If you s It was developed by a long time contributor to these forums and a highly respected member of the computer security community.

Jopibo Author

Level 1

12 points

Apr 3, 2022 5:27 PM in response to OldToad

It finished installing. It also rebooted - that took a while too.

I decided to rerun EtreCheck and the report is clear in regards to the "Major Issues".

EtreCheckReport_2022-04-03 20:12:52

That said, my computer is not any faster. :/

I will look into the External Drive option, as suggested. (My birthday is coming up, so I might just treat myself ;) ).

Thank you OldToad & rkaufmann87.

rkaufmann87

Level 10

148,470 points

Jun 27, 2022 4:27 PM in response to NJoymyMac

Assuming you have less than 256GB installed on the current HD that should be okay. Personally if you are anywhere close to 256GB, installing a 512GB SSD is fractionally more expensive and provides a lot more peace of mind.

Jack-19

Level 8

46,188 points

Apr 2, 2022 2:17 PM in response to Jopibo

As for the RAM, 99% of my iMac's usage is web (via Safari) and Apple's Numbers app. Never thought that 8 GB of RAM would be insufficient for that.

8GB of Memory is plenty for that.

Jopibo Author

Level 1

12 points

Apr 2, 2022 1:58 PM in response to rkaufmann87

But I'm not using any professional grade apps on there. I don't have any Microsoft Office apps, nor Adobe Suit apps. The ONLY apps I have on here that didn't come with the iMac is the Affinity Suite (Publisher, Designer & Photo). Those apps are not in use 99% of the time. However my problem occurs 100% of the time. I fail to understand how these 3 apps would be at fault.

As for the External SSD, why specifically an SSD? I already have this external drive (https://www.verbatim.com/prod/hard-drives/portable/store-n-go-usb-3.0-sku-99373/). I purchased it in 2019 for my 2010/2011 (can't remember the year exactly) Mac mini. It's the only one that was compatible with my Mini because the OS was maxed out. When it died on me in 2020, I had my data transferred out by an authorized Apple Service provider. Could it be an infected file within that external drive?

As for the age of the computer, I purchased it in March 2021. So, no more refunds/exchanges or post-purchase services (see below).

Jopibo Author

Level 1

12 points

Apr 3, 2022 11:50 AM in response to rkaufmann87

Thank you rkaufmann87 for confirming the EtreCheck is safe to use. I was a little suspicious about Old Toad's suggestion (sorry OldToad) - I'm very hesitant and cautious about what goes into my gear ;)

I will install & run EtreCheck, and post the results. Thank you all so very much for your involvement. :)

OldToad

Level 2

445 points

Apr 3, 2022 3:55 PM in response to Jopibo

If it doesn't finish and begin installation try booting into Safe Mode according to How to use safe mode on your Mac and try installing from there. That's what I do as I seem to have some 3rd party software that interferes with the download. In Safe Mode it proceeds smoothly.

Jun 28, 2022 6:31 PM in response to Jopibo

Jopibo, you have marked this thread as Solved. But you also stated it was not any faster after clearing up Major Issues from EtreCheck report. Since there is no way to ask you in a private message, please let us hear back... Did a SSD make you a happy iMac user again? The things you asked of that computer are like my usage. So I hope to hear it was solved after your "Solved" post 4/3.

Jopibo Author

Level 1

12 points

Apr 2, 2022 2:22 PM in response to Jack-19

Just checked: Apple would give me 360$ for it.

I purchased it last year and it cost me 1,500$!!!

What a ripoff!

Jopibo Author

Level 1

12 points

Apr 3, 2022 12:22 PM in response to rkaufmann87

EtreCheck Report - 2022_04_03

rkaufmann87 & OldToad

Thank you for your help.

I'm currently proceeding with their first suggestion under "Major Issues", and will work my way through to see what I can/will do.

Jopibo Author

Level 1

12 points

Apr 3, 2022 3:21 PM in response to OldToad

I've been proceeding with the system update. I started about 2 hours ago. The counter below the status bar has been displaying "10 minutes" for the last hour. Should I be concerned?

Jopibo Author

Level 1

12 points

Apr 3, 2022 3:24 PM in response to Jopibo

Just moved down to 5... (WOW!)

Jopibo Author

Level 1

12 points

Apr 13, 2022 10:03 AM in response to OldToad

Is there a similar app for iPhones for malware dectection? I see that EtreCheck is for computers only.

rkaufmann87

Level 10

148,470 points

Apr 13, 2022 11:24 AM in response to Jopibo

IOS is pretty robust and does not require any additional malware detection. Simply keep IOS up-to-date and ensure all updates are installed.

babowa

Level 9

78,562 points

Jun 28, 2022 8:10 PM in response to NJoymyMac

The report is a report - it does not magically get rid of problems. And, it will not help that you have a glacially slow hard drive - it simply reports it. That drive will always be slow.

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Refurbished iMac Retina 4K, 21.5-inch