iMac 8,1 2008 8gb ram upgrade

Make sure all the RAM modules are seated in their respective slots.

If still issues, return the memory and purchase from these suppliers only.

Correct, compatible and reliable Mac RAM can be purchased from online Mac RAM sources Crucial memory or OWC (macsales.com).

Is anyone using Yosemite after upgrading their 2008 iMac to 6gb or 8gb of ram? Wondering if Yosemite handles the 8gb of ram. Also curious how it runs with 6gb. Any noticeable slowdowns compared to Mavericks?

I have Yosemite running on a number of early 2008 iMacs (2.66GHz) in only 3GB.

They cope with it OK, but I would not ask them to do too much -currently these machines are used to collect seismic data and push it over the web -nothing too arduous. If you ask them to do more on top of this, they start to get a lot slower, which is more of an issue, as we use the same devices to host displays.

They ran 10.8.5 very happily, and seem OK in Mavericks, but Yosemite (10.10.0) certainly feels "busier"

Was reading this to see whether I could increase performance by adding more RAM, and it looks as though swapping the 1GB module for a 4GB module will do this.

Hello Michel,

I have an iMac 20-inch, Early 2008. 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB Crucial RAM, with OS X Lion 10.7.5.

I use the computer for work, I engage in multiple web researches simultaneously for day sometimes weeks so I need to have several Safari windows with multiple tabs open, today safaris's tabs count is 35.

I also use SketckUp Pro 2014, the bigger the drawing the slower the iMac gets, Windows XP on Parallels 7 for QB Premier, and other windows programs I need. Mail, iMovie, Pages & Numbers are apps I heavily use.

I experience spinning beach balls, hang, sometimes web sites will not finish loading.

I'm planing to update to 6GB by replacing one of the 2GB for a 4GB, also buy a SSD Samsung 850 Pro 512GB or 1TR.

Parallels 10, and finally Yosemite.

Do you think this is the way to go or do I need a fresh start as you recommend to Bre Bro?

One thing is not clear is if Yosemite accept recognize and use 8GB RAM this will ideal.

Thanks for your help in advance.

PS: Should I experiment and try to upgrade to 8GB RAM?

Problem description:

Slow iMac

EtreCheck version: 2.1.2 (105)

Report generated December 13, 2014 9:03:29 PM EST

Hardware Information: ℹ️

iMac (20-inch, Early 2008) (Verified)

iMac - model: iMac8,1

1 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU: 2-core

4 GB RAM

BANK 0/DIMM0

2 GB DDR2 SDRAM 800 MHz ok

BANK 1/DIMM1

2 GB DDR2 SDRAM 800 MHz ok

Bluetooth: Old - Handoff/Airdrop2 not supported

Wireless: en1: 802.11 a/b/g/n

Video Information: ℹ️

ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro - VRAM: 256 MB

iMac 1680 x 1050

System Software: ℹ️

Mac OS X 10.7.5 (11G63) - Uptime: 23:35:35

Disk Information: ℹ️

Hitachi HDP725032GLA380 disk0 : (320.07 GB)

S.M.A.R.T. Status: Verified

disk0s1 (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB

Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / : 319.21 GB (36.02 GB free)

Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted> [Recovery]: 650 MB

USB Information: ℹ️

Apple Inc. Built-in iSight

Apple, Inc. Keyboard Hub

Apple, Inc Apple Keyboard

Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver

Kensington Kensington Slimblade Trackball

Apple Inc. BRCM2046 Hub

Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller

Adware: ℹ️

Conduit [Remove]

Kernel Extensions: ℹ️

/Library/Parallels/Parallels Service.app

[loaded] com.parallels.kext.prl_hid_hook (7.0 15106.786747) [Support]

[loaded] com.parallels.kext.prl_hypervisor (7.0 15106.786747) [Support]

[loaded] com.parallels.kext.prl_netbridge (7.0 15106.786747) [Support]

[loaded] com.parallels.kext.prl_vnic (7.0 15106.786747) [Support]

/System/Library/Extensions

[not loaded] com.BlackBerry.driver.USBCDCNCM (1.0.10 - SDK 10.7) [Support]

[loaded] com.eltima.ElmediaPlayer.kext (1.58 - SDK 10.4) [Support]

[loaded] com.kensington.trackballworks.driver (1.1.0) [Support]

[loaded] com.logmein.driver.LogMeInSoundDriver (1.0.2 - SDK 10.5) [Support]

[loaded] com.parallels.kext.prl_usb_connect (7.0 15106.786747) [Support]

[loaded] com.rim.driver.BlackBerryUSBDriverInt (2.2.7 - SDK 10.7) [Support]

[not loaded] com.rim.driver.BlackBerryUSBDriverVSP (0.0.74) [Support]

[loaded] com.rim.driver.BlackBerryVirtualPrivateNetwork (1.0.18 - SDK 10.8) [Support]

Startup Items: ℹ️

ChmodBPF: Path: /Library/StartupItems/ChmodBPF

HP IO: Path: /Library/StartupItems/HP IO

Startup items are obsolete in OS X Yosemite

Launch Agents: ℹ️

[loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist [Support]

[not loaded] com.iteleport.connect.plist [Support]

[not loaded] com.logmein.logmeingui.plist [Support]

[not loaded] com.logmein.logmeinguiagent.plist [Support]

[not loaded] com.logmein.logmeinguiagentatlogin.plist [Support]

[loaded] com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist [Support]

[loaded] com.parallels.desktop.launch.plist [Support]

[running] com.parallels.DesktopControlAgent.plist [Support]

[running] com.parallels.vm.prl_pcproxy.plist [Support]

[running] com.rim.BBAlbumArtCacher.plist [Support]

[running] com.rim.BBLaunchAgent.plist [Support]

[running] com.rim.blackberrylink.BlackBerry-Link-Helper-Agent.plist [Support]

[running] com.rim.PeerManager.plist [Support]

Launch Daemons: ℹ️

[loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist [Support]

[running] com.eltima.ElmediaPlayer.daemon.plist [Support]

[loaded] com.google.keystone.daemon.plist [Support]

[not loaded] com.logmein.logmeinblanker.plist [Support]

[not loaded] com.logmein.logmeinserver.plist [Support]

[loaded] com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist [Support]

[loaded] com.oracle.java.JavaUpdateHelper.plist [Support]

[running] com.parallels.desktop.launchdaemon.plist [Support]

[running] com.rim.BBDaemon.plist [Support]

[not loaded] com.rim.nkehelper.plist [Support]

[running] com.rim.tunmgr.plist [Support]

User Launch Agents: ℹ️

[invalid?] com.citrixonline.GoToMeeting.G2MUpdate.plist [Support]

[invalid?] com.divx.agent.postinstall.plist [Support]

User Login Items: ℹ️

iTunesHelper ApplicationHidden (/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunesHelper.app)

TrackballWorksHelper Application (/Library/PreferencePanes/TrackballWorks.prefPane/Contents/Resources/TrackballW orksHelper.app)

Dropbox Application (/Applications/Dropbox.app)

iTeleport Connect ApplicationHidden (/Applications/iTeleport Connect.app)

ConnectService Application (/Library/Application Support/ArcSoft/Connect Service/ConnectService.app)

BlackBerry Device Manager ApplicationHidden (/Library/Application Support/BlackBerry/BlackBerry Device Manager.app)

HP Scheduler Application (/Library/Application Support/Hewlett-Packard/Software Update/HP Scheduler.app)

Internet Plug-ins: ℹ️

NPDjVu: Version: Unknown [Support]

o1dbrowserplugin: Version: 5.38.6.0 - SDK 10.8 [Support]

DirectorShockwave: Version: 11.5.1r601 [Support]

PrintDialogExt: Version: 6.1 [Support]

Silverlight: Version: 5.1.30514.0 - SDK 10.6 [Support]

FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 16.0.0.235 - SDK 10.6 [Support]

LogMeIn: Version: 1.0.935 - SDK 10.7 [Support]

Flash Player: Version: 16.0.0.235 - SDK 10.6 [Support]

LogMeInSafari32: Version: 1.0.935 - SDK 10.7 [Support]

googletalkbrowserplugin: Version: 5.38.6.0 - SDK 10.8 [Support]

iPhotoPhotocast: Version: 7.0

QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.1

JavaAppletPlugin: Version: Java 7 Update 71 Check version

User internet Plug-ins: ℹ️

CitrixOnlineWebDeploymentPlugin: Version: 1.0.105 [Support]

WebEx64: Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.6 [Support]

Google Earth Web Plug-in: Version: 7.1 [Support]

3rd Party Preference Panes: ℹ️

Flash Player [Support]

Java [Support]

TrackballWorks [Support]

MacFUSE [Support]

Time Machine: ℹ️

Time Machine not configured!

Top Processes by CPU: ℹ️

32% com.apple.coremedia.videodecoder

9% WebProcess

2% WindowServer

1% PluginProcess

1% Safari

Top Processes by Memory: ℹ️

1.10 GB WebProcess

189 MB Safari

176 MB PluginProcess

90 MB Dropbox

56 MB Finder

Virtual Memory Information: ℹ️

831 MB Free RAM

1.77 GB Active RAM

1.11 GB Inactive RAM

583 MB Wired RAM

861 MB Page-ins

136 MB Page-outs

Diagnostics Information: ℹ️

Dec 12, 2014, 09:28:28 PM Self test - passed

In addition to Michels post:

According to your list you have only 136MB page-Outs in 23 hours, if you have used for your normal work in these 23 hours this means that your ram is not too small; however more ram is always beneficially, put either one 4GB module in or put two 4GB modules in: only 6GB will be used however: make sure that you have the correct specifications, mac is very sensitive to that.

Your problem here is a full harddisk, have at least 25-50GB free (it may be that your disk is loosing health). Remove only user files no system files (photo library, music library movies library and such). If you decide to go for a SSD, you need to put it in the HDDs place, because the optical drive bay does not have the standard sata connection. Do not install Trim, your Samsung Pro is a good choice that has enough overprovisioning and a very good GarbageCollection (not so good with the non pro versions).

I have reservations about Onyx, see http://www.macmark.de/osx_tools.php?PHPSESSID=894d8570fda662ff78fc35126d506620#o nyx

I think it is better to use the other methods that Michel described.

Normally I advise to take all entries out of the System->Preferences->Users..->LoginItems: but in your case I make an exception for CHmod: this is a card reader addition, if you need this for internet banking let it be there, if you do not use it take it out also, use the minus sign underneath in the LoginItems page.

Lex

Michell & Lex, All done, thanks for your good advice, I'm know waiting for: New SSD, Use 4GB Crucial RAM, and Parallels 10 SW.

I have some additional questions that I hope you can help with.

- Do you find any problem on buying 2nd hand RAM memory? Does RAM deteriorates with time and use?

- Also I have not been successful at creating a bootable memtest86 USB, the command line instructions are confusing for me, any place where I can find comprehensive instructions on the process of creating a bootable memtest86 USB.

- Do you know which will be the the fates processor to upgrade this iMac?

My existing: 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo.

Available from Amazon Now: 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo.

- Do you know where in the computer do find the exact part no for the processor?

Gonzalo,

Ram: Do not use second hand ram: one never knows how good it is and why it is for sale. As I said, mac is very sensitive for the quality and correct specs of ram. It is not expensive and buy a good brand from a proven supplier, normally Crucial or OWC are recommended here.

For example: http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/compatible-upgrade-for/Apple/imac-%28early-2008%29

click "view more compatible memory"

Memtest: why would you use that? there is a tester called Rember (which is a UI for memtest): http://www.kelleycomputing.net/rember/

CPU: I would not upgrade the CPU: you will not notice the difference, and can lead to all kind of problems.

SSD: notice that you need more free space than on a HDD: this makes the SSD do the "garbage collection" better and faster. Lately I prefer to NOT install the Trim command while it potentially leads to timing issues on the file level access, and the modern SSDs have a very good controller with GarbageCollection.

Lex

Thank Lex,

- Rember seems good! as per recommendation for the "memtest86" you need to run it at least 10 time, would you recommend to run the Rember 10 times too or just one time is sufficient?

- One thing I need to remove from the Login Items is the CHmod but I could not find it in any of the User Accounts, this seems suspicious to me.

Problem description:

Slooooow computer

EtreCheck version: 2.1.2 (105)

Report generated December 15, 2014 1:11:56 PM EST

Hardware Information: ℹ️

iMac (20-inch, Early 2008) (Verified)

iMac - model: iMac8,1

1 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU: 2-core

4 GB RAM

BANK 0/DIMM0

2 GB DDR2 SDRAM 800 MHz ok

BANK 1/DIMM1

2 GB DDR2 SDRAM 800 MHz ok

Bluetooth: Old - Handoff/Airdrop2 not supported

Wireless: en1: 802.11 a/b/g/n

Video Information: ℹ️

ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro - VRAM: 256 MB

iMac 1680 x 1050

System Software: ℹ️

Mac OS X 10.7.5 (11G63) - Uptime: 17:42:1

Disk Information: ℹ️

Hitachi HDP725032GLA380 disk0 : (320.07 GB)

S.M.A.R.T. Status: Verified

disk0s1 (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB

Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / : 319.21 GB (39.10 GB free)

Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted> [Recovery]: 650 MB

USB Information: ℹ️

Apple Inc. Built-in iSight

Apple, Inc. Keyboard Hub

Apple, Inc Apple Keyboard

Kensington Kensington Slimblade Trackball

Apple Inc. BRCM2046 Hub

Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller

Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver

Kernel Extensions: ℹ️

/Library/Parallels/Parallels Service.app

[loaded] com.parallels.kext.prl_hid_hook (7.0 15106.786747) [Support]

[loaded] com.parallels.kext.prl_hypervisor (7.0 15106.786747) [Support]

[loaded] com.parallels.kext.prl_netbridge (7.0 15106.786747) [Support]

[loaded] com.parallels.kext.prl_vnic (7.0 15106.786747) [Support]

/System/Library/Extensions

[not loaded] com.BlackBerry.driver.USBCDCNCM (1.0.10 - SDK 10.7) [Support]

[loaded] com.eltima.ElmediaPlayer.kext (1.58 - SDK 10.4) [Support]

[loaded] com.kensington.trackballworks.driver (1.1.2 - SDK 10.7) [Support]

[loaded] com.logmein.driver.LogMeInSoundDriver (1.0.2 - SDK 10.5) [Support]

[loaded] com.parallels.kext.prl_usb_connect (7.0 15106.786747) [Support]

[loaded] com.rim.driver.BlackBerryUSBDriverInt (2.2.7 - SDK 10.7) [Support]

[not loaded] com.rim.driver.BlackBerryUSBDriverVSP (0.0.74) [Support]

[loaded] com.rim.driver.BlackBerryVirtualPrivateNetwork (1.0.18 - SDK 10.8) [Support]

Startup Items: ℹ️

ChmodBPF: Path: /Library/StartupItems/ChmodBPF

HP IO: Path: /Library/StartupItems/HP IO

Startup items are obsolete in OS X Yosemite

Launch Agents: ℹ️

[loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist [Support]

[not loaded] com.iteleport.connect.plist [Support]

[not loaded] com.logmein.logmeingui.plist [Support]

[not loaded] com.logmein.logmeinguiagent.plist [Support]

[not loaded] com.logmein.logmeinguiagentatlogin.plist [Support]

[loaded] com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist [Support]

[loaded] com.parallels.desktop.launch.plist [Support]

[running] com.parallels.DesktopControlAgent.plist [Support]

[running] com.parallels.vm.prl_pcproxy.plist [Support]

[running] com.rim.BBAlbumArtCacher.plist [Support]

[running] com.rim.BBLaunchAgent.plist [Support]

[running] com.rim.blackberrylink.BlackBerry-Link-Helper-Agent.plist [Support]

[running] com.rim.PeerManager.plist [Support]

Launch Daemons: ℹ️

[loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist [Support]

[running] com.eltima.ElmediaPlayer.daemon.plist [Support]

[loaded] com.google.keystone.daemon.plist [Support]

[not loaded] com.logmein.logmeinblanker.plist [Support]

[not loaded] com.logmein.logmeinserver.plist [Support]

[loaded] com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist [Support]

[loaded] com.oracle.java.JavaUpdateHelper.plist [Support]

[running] com.parallels.desktop.launchdaemon.plist [Support]

[running] com.rim.BBDaemon.plist [Support]

[not loaded] com.rim.nkehelper.plist [Support]

[running] com.rim.tunmgr.plist [Support]

User Launch Agents: ℹ️

[invalid?] com.citrixonline.GoToMeeting.G2MUpdate.plist [Support]

[invalid?] com.divx.agent.postinstall.plist [Support]

User Login Items: ℹ️

Dropbox Application (/Applications/Dropbox.app)

iTeleport Connect ApplicationHidden (/Applications/iTeleport Connect.app)

TrackballWorksHelper Application (/Library/PreferencePanes/TrackballWorks.prefPane/Contents/Resources/TrackballW orksHelper.app)

Internet Plug-ins: ℹ️

NPDjVu: Version: Unknown [Support]

o1dbrowserplugin: Version: 5.38.6.0 - SDK 10.8 [Support]

DirectorShockwave: Version: 11.5.1r601 [Support]

PrintDialogExt: Version: 6.1 [Support]

Silverlight: Version: 5.1.30514.0 - SDK 10.6 [Support]

FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 16.0.0.235 - SDK 10.6 [Support]

LogMeIn: Version: 1.0.935 - SDK 10.7 [Support]

Flash Player: Version: 16.0.0.235 - SDK 10.6 [Support]

LogMeInSafari32: Version: 1.0.935 - SDK 10.7 [Support]

googletalkbrowserplugin: Version: 5.38.6.0 - SDK 10.8 [Support]

iPhotoPhotocast: Version: 7.0

QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.1

JavaAppletPlugin: Version: Java 7 Update 71 Check version

User internet Plug-ins: ℹ️

CitrixOnlineWebDeploymentPlugin: Version: 1.0.105 [Support]

WebEx64: Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.6 [Support]

Google Earth Web Plug-in: Version: 7.1 [Support]

3rd Party Preference Panes: ℹ️

Flash Player [Support]

FUSE for OS X (OSXFUSE) [Support]

Java [Support]

TrackballWorks [Support]

Time Machine: ℹ️

Time Machine not configured!

Top Processes by CPU: ℹ️

34% com.apple.coremedia.videodecoder

14% WebProcess

6% PluginProcess

3% Dropbox

1% WindowServer

Top Processes by Memory: ℹ️

1.31 GB WebProcess

215 MB PluginProcess

189 MB Safari

69 MB Dropbox

54 MB com.apple.coremedia.videodecoder

Virtual Memory Information: ℹ️

84 MB Free RAM

2.51 GB Active RAM

1.25 GB Inactive RAM

456 MB Wired RAM

540 MB Page-ins

1 MB Page-outs

Diagnostics Information: ℹ️

Dec 14, 2014, 07:30:32 PM Self test - passed

Dec 14, 2014, 05:45:07 PM iChat_2014-12-14-174507_Lourdes-Delgado-iMac.crash

Rember (memtest) is slow, and not 100% certain, start with one time.

CHMod is not wrong but it is only necessary when you use it for special apps like banking. It is not suspicious. Removing from StartupItems is enough to stop it. When you need it again you redownload and install.

MacintoshHD->Library->StartupItems delete the entry there.

Remove the HP IO also.

I would take out the Blacberry software also.

But you should make more space free on your disk to be comfortable.

Lex

Dual tunnel represents 12% of "speed" as per crucial's technical support rep, and to have dual tunnel you must have an identical pair 4GB x2, the combination of 2GB + 4GB for total of 6GB will not allow the dual tunnel… Is this important or just a sales tactic?

Memory test came out perfect in 10 passes:

Rember Test Results

All tests passed!

Total built-in memory: 4 GB

This is the total amount of physical memory that the computer has installed. If this figure is not showing the correct amount of memory there may be a problem with one or more installed DIMMS.

Available memory: 2821 MB

Available memory is the amount of physical memory that is currently not in use by any other processes. All available memory will be used for testing when the "All" option is selected. To increase the amount of available memory, you can restart your computer before testing. If you are familiar with the command line (CLI), you can run memtest (the core of Rember) in single-user mode. See Rember help, or http://www.memtestosx.org for more information.

Requested amount: All MB

The total amount of memory requested for testing by the Rember application. Not all requested memory can be allocated for testing. See information on "Available memory" for more information.

Memory allocated for testing: 2821 MB

This is the total amount of memory that memtest was able to allocate for testing. See "Available memory" section for more information.

-------

Loops selected: 10

Total loops selected by user for testing. All loops should complete when testing is successful. Test failure when the "Continue on Error" preference is selected will cancel tests before this number of loops has been completed. Users can also cancel testing before this number is reached.

Loops completed: 10

Total loops completed by memtest. Note that the Rember is not always able to identify how many loops ran. If there are discrepancies between this and the loops selected, the log should be examined to determine exactly how many loops were performed.

-------

Total execution time: All tests passed! Execution time: 24051 seconds

This is the total amount of time that it took to execute the selected tests. Execution time may vary from system to system, and is provided as a guide for determining how long users can expect tests to run based on the amount of memory installed on the system.

Testing start time: 2014-12-15 22:36:47 +0000

Testing end time: 2014-12-16 05:17:41 +0000

Rember version: 0.3.7b Memtest version: 4.22

It has improved but not by much, I still have to use the "purge" command line to free up the memory, I'm sure that the additional 2GB RAM will help, and the Samsung 850 PRO will make a faster.

Do you know if this is this statement is correct: Dual tunnel represents 12% of "RAM speed" as per a crucial's technical support rep, and to have dual tunnel you must have an identical pair 4GB x2, the combination of 2GB + 4GB for total of 6GB will not allow the dual tunnel… Is this important or just a sales tactic?

I do not think it is sales tactic. In general in earlier days it was strongly advised to have matching pairs of memory, but lately the production quality may be much better. I never tried 2+4 and always use matched pairs. I don't really know about the effect on the dual Tunnel. I have several older and newer Crucial SSDs and have never had any problem not the need for advice on the Dual Tunnel effects....

Why not ask Samsung or OWC?

Lex

BTW: Mavericks handles memory much efficienter than older OSX: in ActivityMonitor it looks as if all memory is allocated, but it reality it is only allocated to Mavericks to handle (sort of time compression) and it does not mean that memory can not instantly be given to an process that needs it: When you have not enough Ram to do everything you will see the Page-Outs take more and more (say in the GB range). You should look in ActivityMonitor to the MemoryPressure and Memory Compression and the Page-Outs values.

Hello,

I have early 2008 8,1 iMac with two 2+2GB modules. I would like to upgrade it to 4+2GB.

My questions are:

1) can I keep one of my old 2GB Kingston modules and add just one Crucial/OWC 4GB module to this configuration? Will it be stable? Or do I have to buy matched pair 4+2 made by one manufacturer (OWC, Crucial) to ensure the stability?

Is it right to insert 2GB module into the left slot and 4GB into the right slot? Or it does make no difference?

2) Of course I would prefer to upgrade to 8GB too, but let's say I buy matched Crucial pair 2x4GB (CT2KIT51264AC800) but the system doesn't recognize 8GB, is there any chance to run at least 6GB on the same configuration without further modules changing? Or will i have to throw 2nd 4GB module away and use another 2GB module instead?

Thank you very much for your help

1) In such a situation I would buy the exact same Kingston for second chip. I hope they are still available. I suggest not to mix brands. It may or may not work with different brands, eg I really do not know if different CL values (8,9,...11) create issues.

See #2, I don't think it matters in which slot they sit.

2) if you have a matching pair 2x4GB (correct specs, same brand) the 8GB will be recognised although 6GB is used.

Hi MichelPM. I also have a early 2008 iMac (Model 8,1) running slow since I installed Mavericks when Apple stopped supporting Snow Leopard. I am planning to upgrade the RAM from 4GB to 6GB. Also considering replacing hard drive with SSD. After reading this thread, I decided to get some feedback here before proceeding. Thanks. Here is my EtreCheck report.

Problem description:

Computer runs slow since installing OS X Mavericks

EtreCheck version: 2.1.5 (108)

Report generated January 6, 2015 at 3:48:13 PM MST

Click the [Support] links for help with non-Apple products.

Click the [Details] links for more information about that line.

Click the [Adware] links for help removing adware.

Hardware Information: ℹ️

iMac (24-inch, Early 2008) (Verified)

iMac - model: iMac8,1

1 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU: 2-core

4 GB RAM Upgradeable

BANK 0/DIMM0

2 GB DDR2 SDRAM 800 MHz ok

BANK 1/DIMM1

2 GB DDR2 SDRAM 800 MHz ok

Bluetooth: Old - Handoff/Airdrop2 not supported

Wireless: en1: 802.11 a/b/g/n

Video Information: ℹ️

ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro - VRAM: 256 MB

iMac 1920 x 1200

System Software: ℹ️

OS X 10.9.5 (13F34) - Uptime: 6:43:53

Disk Information: ℹ️

Hitachi HDP725032GLA380 disk0 : (320.07 GB)

EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB

Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / : 284.97 GB (164.40 GB free)

Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted> [Recovery]: 650 MB

Windows HD (disk0s4) /Volumes/Windows HD : 34.25 GB (903 MB free)

USB Information: ℹ️

Apple, Inc. Keyboard Hub

Mitsumi Electric Apple Optical USB Mouse

Apple, Inc Apple Keyboard

Apple Inc. Built-in iSight

Apple Inc. BRCM2046 Hub

Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller

Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver

Firewire Information: ℹ️

Seagate GoFlex Pro Mac 800mbit - 800mbit max

EFI (disk1s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB

FreeAgent GoFlex Drive (disk1s2) /Volumes/FreeAgent GoFlex Drive : 749.81 GB (169.43 GB free)

Gatekeeper: ℹ️

Mac App Store and identified developers

Kernel Extensions: ℹ️

/System/Library/Extensions

[loaded] com.seagate.driver.PowSecDriverCore (5.1.1) [Support]

/System/Library/Extensions/Seagate Storage Driver.kext/Contents/PlugIns

[not loaded] com.seagate.driver.PowSecLeafDriver_10_4 (5.1.1) [Support]

[loaded] com.seagate.driver.PowSecLeafDriver_10_5 (5.1.1) [Support]

[not loaded] com.seagate.driver.SeagateDriveIcons (5.1.1) [Support]

Launch Agents: ℹ️

[running] com.epson.epw.agent.plist [Support]

[running] com.seagate.SeagateStorageGauge.plist [Support]

[running] com.trusteer.rapport.rapportd.plist [Support]

[loaded] org.macosforge.xquartz.startx.plist [Support]

Launch Daemons: ℹ️

[loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist [Support]

[loaded] com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist [Support]

[running] com.trusteer.rooks.rooksd.plist [Support]

[loaded] org.macosforge.xquartz.privileged_startx.plist [Support]

User Launch Agents: ℹ️

[loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist [Support]

[running] com.amazon.music.plist [Support]

[running] com.microsoft.LaunchAgent.SyncServicesAgent.plist [Support]

User Login Items: ℹ️

iTunesHelper Application (/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunesHelper.app)

Dropbox Application (/Applications/Dropbox.app)

Microsoft Database Daemon Application (/Applications/Microsoft Office 2011/Office/Microsoft Database Daemon.app)

ConnectService Application (/Library/Application Support/ArcSoft/Connect Service/ConnectService.app)

Internet Plug-ins: ℹ️

Default Browser: Version: 537 - SDK 10.9

Flip4Mac WMV Plugin: Version: 3.3.0.9 - SDK 10.8 [Support]

OfficeLiveBrowserPlugin: Version: 12.3.6 [Support]

AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: Version: 11.0.10 - SDK 10.6 [Support]

FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 16.0.0.235 - SDK 10.6 [Support]

Silverlight: Version: 5.1.30317.0 - SDK 10.6 [Support]

Yahoo! Installer 3: Version: 1.0.128 [Support]

Flash Player: Version: 16.0.0.235 - SDK 10.6 [Support]

QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3

Mathematica: Version: 9.0.1.4092152 [Support]

SharePointBrowserPlugin: Version: 14.4.7 - SDK 10.6 [Support]

AdobePDFViewer: Version: 11.0.10 - SDK 10.6 [Support]

CouponPrinter-FireFox_v2: Version: Version 1.1.6 [Support]

iPhotoPhotocast: Version: 7.0

Safari Extensions: ℹ️

Ghostery [Installed]

3rd Party Preference Panes: ℹ️

Flash Player [Support]

Flip4Mac WMV [Support]

Trusteer Endpoint Protection [Support]

Time Machine: ℹ️

Skip System Files: NO

Auto backup: YES

Destinations:

FreeAgent GoFlex Drive [Local]

Total size: 749.81 GB

Total number of backups: 182

Oldest backup: 2012-02-05 00:22:30 +0000

Last backup: 2015-01-06 22:10:35 +0000

Size of backup disk: Excellent

Backup size 749.81 GB > (Disk size 0 B X 3)

Top Processes by CPU: ℹ️

11% mdworker

5% firefox

3% WindowServer

0% ConnectService

0% mdworker32

Top Processes by Memory: ℹ️

387 MB firefox

150 MB mds_stores

129 MB Microsoft Outlook

90 MB WindowServer

69 MB Dropbox

Virtual Memory Information: ℹ️

1.13 GB Free RAM

1.84 GB Active RAM

755 MB Inactive RAM

561 MB Wired RAM

604 MB Page-ins

0 B Page-outs

Diagnostics Information: ℹ️

Jan 6, 2015, 09:04:58 AM Self test - passed