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User profile for user: topscott
topscott Author
User level: Level 1
8 points

Slow iMac

I have a 21.5" iMac Retina 2019 running Monterey which I believe has run slowly since I bought it in 2020 but which continues to frustrate me. I'd like to seek advice on fixing the problem before upgrading to Venture so that it doesn't cloud the issue.

It can take up to 4 minutes to boot up from off to the password screen, can take minutes to open an App and many simple tasks take too long to complete. I had a previous iMac (2011) which I felt ran quicker than the new one.

I'm a home user and run nothing very complex on the system.

Have run Etrecheck as advised in other post and will add the report to the post although wasn't offered the opportunity to Allow Full Disk Access.

Latest Etrecheck report

.

Any suggestions would be appreciated

iMac 21.5″, macOS 10.13

Posted on Nov 9, 2022 6:44 AM

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User profile for user: Jack-19
Jack-19
User level: Level 8
46,008 points

Posted on Nov 9, 2022 8:55 AM

Hello!


Your hard disk-equipped Mac can have improved system performance by connecting to an external SSD (solid state drive).


If you have an iMac or Mac mini with an Apple hard disk, you can use an external SSD as your startup disk for improved performance. While the hard disk found in your Mac is perfectly suited to light tasks, for more advanced tasks, and for users who want the maximum performance from their Mac, this hard drive does have its limitations. An external SSD as your startup disk will make your Mac 10 to 40 times faster for storage, and in turn, make your entire Mac faster and more capable.


To learn more, see Use an external SSD as your startup disk … - Apple Community.


Jack

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User profile for user: Jack-19
Jack-19
User level: Level 8
46,008 points

Nov 9, 2022 8:55 AM in response to topscott

Hello!


Your hard disk-equipped Mac can have improved system performance by connecting to an external SSD (solid state drive).


If you have an iMac or Mac mini with an Apple hard disk, you can use an external SSD as your startup disk for improved performance. While the hard disk found in your Mac is perfectly suited to light tasks, for more advanced tasks, and for users who want the maximum performance from their Mac, this hard drive does have its limitations. An external SSD as your startup disk will make your Mac 10 to 40 times faster for storage, and in turn, make your entire Mac faster and more capable.


To learn more, see Use an external SSD as your startup disk … - Apple Community.


Jack

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User profile for user: Allan Jones
Allan Jones
User level: Level 9
72,044 points

Nov 9, 2022 10:40 AM in response to topscott



I had a previous iMac (2011) which I felt ran quicker than the new one.


Your observation is 100% correct. You current drive scores:


Performance:

System Load: 1.65 (1 min ago) 1.34 (5 min ago) 1.24 (15 min ago)

Nominal I/O usage: 4.77 MB/s

File system: 58.46 seconds

Write speed: 48 MB/s

Read speed: 70 MB/s


With EtreCheck, our entry-level 2011 iMac 21.5 scores 100 to 110MB/sec all day long.


The 2011 has a full-size 3.5-inch desktop-class drive rated SATA 3GB 7200 rpm; your 2019 iMac has a 2.5-inch laptop-case drive also rated SATA 3GB but turning at only 5400 rpm.


That's the price of "slim."

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Slow iMac

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