Best OS for my 2008 iMac??

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Best OS for my 2008 iMac??

I have a 2008 iMac that is running OSX 10.5.8. See more specs here: http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/specs/imac-core-2-duo-2.4-24-inch-alu minum-specs.html - but I also upgraded the ram to 2GB.

I would like to update the OS but would the latest Mountain Lion be too much for my machine? I'm worried if I upgrade to mountain lion that the OS might be too much for my hardware and slow my machine down.

Thanks!

iMac, Mac OS X (10.5.8), 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB Ram

Posted on Jan 25, 2013 4:35 PM

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Answer 1

Jan 25, 2013 4:39 PM in response to jake86

Your computer is capable of running Mountain Lion, but I would only do that after getting more RAM. 2GB is the minimum requirement.

Lion should be OK. But whether you want to go to 10.6, 10.7 or 10.8, you still need 10.6 Snow Leopard [http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC573/mac-os-x-106-snow-leopard]. Snow Leopard gives you access to the Mac App Store, which can be used for downloading later operating systems.

If you want Mountain Lion, it is available in the App Store. If you want Lion (10.7), call Apple and order a download code for $19.99.

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Answer 2

jake86 Author

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Jan 25, 2013 4:43 PM in response to stevejobsfan0123

Thanks so much! What would your recommendation be? Upgrade RAM and go for Mountain Lion? Or Upgrade RAM and settle for earlier OS like Snow Leopard?

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Answer 3

Jan 25, 2013 4:44 PM in response to jake86

If it's within your budget, upgrade the RAM and go for Mountain Lion.

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Answer 4

babowa

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Jan 25, 2013 6:51 PM in response to jake86

Also note that with both Lion and ML, support for PPC apps has ceased. So you might want to take a look at older applications to see if you'd need to update, upgrade, or simply buy something else instead.

As for either, on a 2008, I'd stay with Snow Leopard: very stable and is not as RAM hungry as the other two; in both, kernel_task (part of the system) consumes around 1 GB RAM due to the 64 bit architecture, whereas Snow Leopard is 32 bit. Snow Leopard will do fine with 2 GB RAM; with Lion or ML, 4 GB should be considered a minimum, more would be better.

Your machine is 5 years old - there will be hardware issues at some point, so it's up to you how much you want to spend to upgrade or put the money aside towards the purchase of a new one.

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Answer 5

Jan 25, 2013 7:01 PM in response to jake86

Having just given my early 2008 iMac to my grandkids and upgraded to a new 27" iMac, I agree with babowa in that Snow Leopard is probably the best fit for your iMac. I had 4GB of RAM in my old iMac, and it ran like a turtle with Mountain Lion. Snow Leopard was very snappy and rock solid....I don't think Apple's had a more solid OS X version since then.

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Answer 6

jake86 Author

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Jan 25, 2013 7:16 PM in response to MacMikeInOK

Thanks everyone for the feedback! I am actually trying to sell it and when I was about to restore to factory settings, I was deciding if I should update the OS to make it look a little more attractive on the market.

Looking to just get rid of the thing - so I think I will keep the 2GB ram and go with Snow Leopard.

Thanks again!

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Answer 7

babowa

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78,646 points

Jan 25, 2013 7:19 PM in response to jake86

Aha, important info!!

FYI: it's a good thing you'll be staying with Snow Leopard as the License for both Lion and Mountain Lion purchased at the app store is not transferable - you are obligated to remove it, erase the drive, and reinstall the original. If you were to leave it on there, the buyer would never be able to reinstall as the license is tied to your Apple ID forever.

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