2019 iMac running slow.

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Level 1

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2019 iMac running slow.

For the last couple of weeks I've been trying to figure out why my iMac has suddenly lost quite a bit of its performance. It started with Photoshop and Illustrator using an excessive amount of RAM, (around 30GB total) after reinstalling PS and AI to no effect I wiped the drive and started over with a fresh install of Sonoma 14.5. The Adobe app RAM usage seems to be back to reasonable levels and the performance of the apps seems fine at times, but there are sluggish moments and some hanging. This sluggishness seems to run through the whole system- apps seem to take awhile to load and then are a little pokey and the boot time is very slow. I ran an (attached) EtreCheck report and it basically told me what I already knew- "Below Average" performance and I checked the drive with DriveDX thinking it maybe Fusion Drive related but it says all is OK. So I've come here hoping someone has had success solving a similar issue. Thanks in advance

iMac 27″, macOS 14.5

Posted on Jun 30, 2024 11:26 AM

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Answer 1

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den.thed

Level 10

92,998 points

Jun 30, 2024 12:34 PM in response to HerrBurger

1) It looks the original Fusion Drive is split and you are only running from the slower 2T HDD.

Which is causing your iMac to run really really slow.

2) Highlight the Apple SSD drive and post a screenshot of the DriveDX report for it.

3) If DriveDX reports that the Apple SSD is OK and healthy...?

Then you need to fix the split SSD and HDD Fusion Drive and restore from your backup.

see > How to fix a split Fusion Drive - Apple Support

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Answer 2

Jun 30, 2024 3:57 PM in response to HerrBurger

I would suggest that you replace the Fusion Drive with a new SATA3 or NVME SSD unit.

It will run about 4x faster.

That would be a fairly easy upgrade for your iMac, if you are technical yourself, or

you can find a local tech store to do it for you.

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Answer 3

den.thed

Level 10

92,998 points

Jun 30, 2024 3:01 PM in response to HerrBurger

HerrBurger wrote:

So it looks like I'll be repairing the Fusion Drive. Thank you so much, I'll let you know how it goes.

Sorry I was out for awhile.

Yes you need to backup and follow the directions for fixing the split Fusion Drive.

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Answer 4

HerrBurger Author

Level 1

10 points

Jun 30, 2024 6:35 PM in response to captnkirk2010

Ha! I might must do that. I was looking at SSD prices before I posted here and noticed they’ve come down quite a bit since the last time I looked. As soon as I’m done with my current job I may pop for the SSD option, but I’m really looking towards moving my work machine to a M-series Mac.

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Answer 5

HerrBurger Author

Level 1

10 points

Jul 1, 2024 5:23 AM in response to den.thed

EtreCheckPro 07-01 test

Here's the EtreCheck test after the Fusion rebuild. The difference is dramatic, which isn't too surprising I just wanted to post the results to benefit anyone searching here in the future with a similar problem. Thanks again to the community for the help, it's greatly appreciated.

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