How do I improve the performance on my iMac?

Question

Nakedland Author

Level 1

8 points

How do I improve the performance on my iMac?

processor is 3.6 quad core intel core I3

Radeon Pro 555X 2 GBRadeon Pro 555X 2 GB

8 GB 2400 MHz DDR4

954 GB left of memory.

Don't run any software other than that came with computer desktop. Haven't downloaded a stitch.

It's always been slow in the beginning but it's getting worse. Took it 42 minutes this morning to load a page. Once it has surfed (say 10 minutes more) then it starts to work fine.

I've never added or downloaded anything to it.

What do I do? Please, I need help. The computer is just a couple years old and never been used for anything other than emails and surfing. I'm cautious about where I go online and, as mentioned, I've never downloaded or added anything. It's just like it came out of the box.

Thank you

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Posted on Mar 8, 2024 7:32 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Allan Jones

Level 9

73,688 points

Mar 8, 2024 10:36 AM in response to Nakedland

Don't run any software other than that came with computer desktop.

You have BitDefender:

Antivirus software: Bitdefender

It may be the cause of WebKit, an underlying technology in Safari, using 1/8th of your RAM:

Top Processes Snapshot by Memory:

Process (count) RAM usage (Source - Location)

com.apple.WebKit.WebContent (7) 1.07 GB (Apple) 👈🏻

The real cause so your slowness is your hard drive.

Performance:

System Load: 1.56 (1 min ago) 1.62 (5 min ago) 1.55 (15 min ago)

Nominal I/O usage: 0.01 MB/s

File system: 29.40 seconds

Write speed: 85 MB/s

Read speed: 78 MB/s

You have the entry-level storage option for 2012 through 2019 iMac 21.5-inch models. It was never fast.

Yours is running as fast and can be expected for that model, which was still painfully slow compared to Apple's Fusion (hybrid) drive or a solid-state drive (SSD).

The most cost-effective speed improvement is to use an external SSD as boot volume. The cheapest and slowest external option—an SATA 6G SSD in a USB 3.0 external enclosure—will do 400 MB/sec all day long.

Good user tip here:

Use an external SSD as your startup disk … - Apple Community

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Answer 2

Old Toad

Level 10

212,009 points

Mar 9, 2024 4:41 PM in response to Nakedland

Download and run Etrecheck.

Copy the report

and use the Additional Text button to paste the report in your reply.

Then we can examine the report and see if we can determine the cause of the problem.

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Answer 3

rkaufmann87

Level 10

146,542 points

Mar 8, 2024 8:28 AM in response to Nakedland

It will help us get a good idea of what is causing your problem if you provide a report of your system, that way we do not have to play 20 questions with you. The report we are requesting does NOT provide any personal information and is extremely safe to use. Please navigate to www.Etrecheck.com and download the free version of EtreCheck. Once you have you downloaded the app and installed it, please run the report and save it. This report will help us get a good idea what has been installed on your system and help us be able to diagnose what may be wrong.

When you have your report, you can attach it when you reply to this message and we can then review it and help you determine what is needed to get your system running well again.

For instructions on how to download your EtreCheck report and attach it to your reply to this message please click How to use the Add Text Feature When Post… - Apple Community It is helpful to us if you download the report to your Desktop.

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Answer 4

rkaufmann87

Level 10

146,542 points

Mar 8, 2024 9:02 AM in response to Nakedland

Run the report, save it to your Desktop and follow the instructions below

For instructions on how to download your EtreCheck report and attach it to your reply to this message please click How to use the Add Text Feature When Post… - Apple Community It is helpful to us if you download the report to your Desktop.

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Answer 5

Mar 8, 2024 12:22 PM in response to Nakedland

My observations:

Uninstall BitDefender as per the vendor's instructions. (Google "how to uninstall Bitdefender on Mac").
Your disk speed looks suspiciously low. Perhaps someone else can comment on this. It's possible (though, again, others can perhaps tell with more certainty) your disk drive is failing.

Uninstalling BitDefender should result in some immediate improvement.

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Answer 6

rkaufmann87

Level 10

146,542 points

Mar 8, 2024 8:46 AM in response to Nakedland

It's 100% safe , it was written by a trusted member of these communities. It is often recommended and used to help diagnose issues. No personal information is included in the report and there is no reason to fear it.

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Answer 7

Nakedland Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 8, 2024 9:44 AM in response to Nakedland

EtreCheckPro version: 6.8.4 (68040)

Report generated: 2024-03-08 10:21:51

Download EtreCheckPro from https://etrecheck.com

Runtime: 5:45

Performance: Below Average

Problem: Computer is too slow

Description:

Drags

Major Issues:

Anything that appears on this list needs immediate attention.

Security updates disabled - Security updates are disabled. This computer is at risk of malware infection.

Apple security disabled - Apple security software is disabled. This computer is at risk of malware infection.

Minor Issues:

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

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Answer 8

Nakedland Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 8, 2024 9:53 AM in response to Nakedland

System extensions installed - This computer has system extensions installed. System extensions can be difficult to uninstall.

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

Hardware Information:

iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019)

Status: Supported

iMac Model: iMac19,2

3.6 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i3 (i3-8100) CPU: 4-core

8 GB RAM - Upgradeable by an Apple Authorized Service Provider

BANK 0/ChannelA-DIMM0 - 4 GB DDR4 2400

BANK 2/ChannelB-DIMM0 - 4 GB DDR4 2400

Video Information:

Radeon Pro 555X - VRAM: 2 GB

iMac (built-in) 4096 x 2304

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Answer 9

Nakedland Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 8, 2024 10:02 AM in response to Nakedland

Sorry, I've tried using those instructions 3 times now and nothing works. I have a report saved in downloads and in documents but I can't find any button that allows me to attach it. It's just asking for me to add a link. I want to add an attachment.

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Answer 10

Nakedland Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 8, 2024 10:44 AM in response to Allan Jones

Mr. Jones,

We bought this thru Apple. Brand new, not used and cleaned up. I had to look Bitdefender up because I didn't know what it was. Never installed that either.

How do I remove that or is it no big deal? We thought we were getting a good computer when the Apple rep helped us. Yes, it's still an awesome computer compared to Dell but this slow down sucks.

Guess I deal with the slowness. Thanks to you all.

You have my heartfelt thanks.

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Answer 11

rkaufmann87

Level 10

146,542 points

Mar 8, 2024 12:05 PM in response to Nakedland

Allan is 100% correct please look for BitDefenders uninstall instructions and uninstall it . Then I would recommend downloading FindAnyFile and have it search for

Bitdefender

and empty the Trash. Then reinstall Mac OS to repair any damage caused by Bitdefender. Finally get yourself a high quality external SSD and use that as your boot drive.

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Answer 12

Nakedland Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 8, 2024 12:54 PM in response to MacMikeInOK

I got that Bitdefender program uninstalled. Still don’t know how it was there. I never download anything to my computer unless I’m dealing with professionals, like you folks.

Thank you all for your help. I’ll update tomorrow when I start my day. Fingers crossed

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Answer 13

Nakedland Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 9, 2024 6:17 AM in response to Nakedland

The speed was better this morning after removing all the Bitdefender programs. It is still slow when I just start out but seems to get faster the more I surf. Strange.

Finally, you all said it’s a base model, what should we have gotten? (Ram, memory, video, etc, etc)

Thank you all for your help. Hope you know how much I appreciate you all

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Answer 14

Mar 9, 2024 7:53 AM in response to Nakedland

The base model refers to the processor and memory (Core i3 and 8GB RAM). Both were "standard" back then. Your hard drive size appears to be 1TB, which is plenty for your needs. But the drive is so slow it hinders performance.

Even with today's Apple Silicon processors, most here recommend 16GB RAM vs the standard 8GB offered in most base models. The current Apple Macs all use solid state (SSD) storage vs the mechanical disk storage used in your Mac. SSD drives will always be significantly faster than disk drives.

Glad to hear that your Mac has "perked" up!