problem with 2009 27" core i7 iMac freezing

Question

problem with 2009 27" core i7 iMac freezing

I have a 2009 27" core i7 iMac and every once and a while it starts freezing randomly

like in photoshop it would freeze up (i could still use the mouse) then i found that i could click f3 (expose) and it would unfreeze but in 2 seconds it would freeze back up again

sometimes in safari it freezes up and i have to move the mouse the bottom then it unfreezes and freezes up again

other times it just randomly freezes

after a restart it doesn't happen as often but in a few hours it starts freezing again

it would be greatly appreciated if someone would help me with this problem when i bought a quad core mac i expected it would "never" freeze

iMac, Mac OS X (10.6.7)

Posted on Apr 17, 2011 1:38 PM

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Answer 1

MikeDre

Level 1

0 points

May 7, 2011 6:05 AM in response to jackfromsan diego

Also experiencing similar problems, sent my imac to apple repair services twice already 1st replacing the hard drive and then the logic board, neither have solved my freezing issues.

(iMac 27" i5 2010)

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Answer 2

rkaufmann87

Level 10

148,624 points

May 7, 2011 6:30 AM in response to jackfromsan diego

Jack,

I'd recommend running Activity Monitor (Applications - Utilities - Activity Monitor) while using the computer under normal circumstances. You will be looking for Apps that use significant %CPU, if you see a process taking large sections then you know you have a problem app. Also equally important is how much RAM the computer has Free at all times. In AM click the System Memory tab and check how much FREE ram it has. Please report back with the

Free

Wired

Active

Inactive

Used

amounts of RAM your system has.

Roger

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Answer 3

May 7, 2011 9:01 AM in response to jackfromsan diego

I use istat menus to moniter the system all the time

the cpu usage is about 10% with safari and 20% with photoshop

nothing crazy

Free 690 MB

Wired 382 MB

Active 1.95 GB

Inactive 1006 MB

Used 3.31 GB

total is 4 GB

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Answer 4

May 7, 2011 9:10 AM in response to jackfromsan diego

Jack,

Can you tell us the temperatures (in Celsius) right after it freezes?

,dave

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Answer 5

May 7, 2011 9:27 AM in response to jackfromsan diego

about 40 C

or about 105 F for everyone else

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Answer 6

rkaufmann87

Level 10

148,624 points

May 7, 2011 9:35 AM in response to jackfromsan diego

Jack,

Your FREE RAM is pretty low. I would suggest upgrading to 8 or 12 GB. If you order from OWC (www.macsales.com) a 12GB upgrade is going to be $102 and I pretty sure that will fix your problems. Your temps are fine, the system is just low on RAM.

Also when answering a post on these forums please click reply in the box of the communication you are replying to, otherwise we don't know who your communication is directed to. 🙂

Roger

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Answer 7

May 7, 2011 9:38 AM in response to rkaufmann87

thanks I'll look into it

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Answer 8

rkaufmann87

Level 10

148,624 points

May 7, 2011 9:42 AM in response to jackfromsan diego

Another reputable vendor is Crucial. Either OWC or Crucial are good vendors with quality service.

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