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Swift1113 Author

Level 1

0 points

OS X Mavericks - Awful Performance

Well, here we go again...

Apple releases an updated OS and it turns my Mac which is less than a year old into an underperforming little box of frustration for no apparent reason. I installed Mavericks last night and the overall performance of my system has taken an absolute nosedive. Seemingly every operation (booting up, launching apps, playing video/audio, browsing the filesystem, etc) is noticably slower. I really don't feel like this should be the case considering the hardware I am running on which is listed below:

Mac mini (late 2012):

2.6GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7

8GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x4GB

1TB Fusion Drive

I literally got this thing (maxed out on specs and $$$) less than a year ago and already Apple's awesome OS update has already devalued it. Is this the strategy these days? Release OS updates that run like crap on hardware that isn't even a year old in order to force people to keep purchasing newer hardware? All of a sudden a system that left nothing to be desired in terms of performance is now exhibiting early-2000s behavior that includes stuttering video/audio, spinning beach balls galore, and apps that sit and bounce in the dock 15 times before it even launches and becomes useable.

Is anyone else seeing this stuff? The memory and CPU useage on my system looks fine to me so it's tough for me to just blame a bad install for all of this. I can't see any reason why it's performing so badly now given all of the features Apple bragged about that are supposed to speed up your system (App Nap, Compressed Memory, OpenCL, etc). This is worse than going from Snow Leopard to Lion, IMHO.

Apple - You can keep your Maps app, tabbed Finder, and the annoying notifications flashing in my face every two seconds if it means that my system will be able to perform well again. I want my system back.

Mac mini, OS X Mavericks (10.9)

Posted on Oct 23, 2013 9:49 AM

277 replies

nj10101

Level 1

0 points

May 24, 2014 1:33 PM in response to Swift1113

same thing.... performance down the drain... logic pro has slowed right down and starting up ..... AND NOTHINGS CHANGED FOR WHAT I USE MY MAC FOR !!!!! o mann

Drew Reece

Level 6

10,666 points

May 25, 2014 8:03 AM in response to nj10101

nj10101 wrote:

same thing.... performance down the drain... logic pro has slowed right down and starting up ..... AND NOTHINGS CHANGED FOR WHAT I USE MY MAC FOR !!!!! o mann

The trouble is there is a lot of other users that have also migrated to 10.9 and are finding performance is OK or better.

I'd like to tell you I have the answer to your woes, but that is untrue. The best I can suggest is that you do as others have done…

Run EtreCheck, post a report to your own thread with some actual details of what performs badly & see if anyone can point to apps or system level extensions that may effect how the OS behaves.

http://etresoft.com/etrecheck

You may be lucky & find that Logic runs well without certain apps or extensions modifying the way the OS operates. This is often the case with users who just migrate to every OS release, when was the last time you did a clean install? How many other apps & utilities are installed - are they all up to date & compatibile with 10.9? http://roaringapps.com is a good place to find out.

gmd12

Level 1

26 points

Jun 16, 2014 11:27 AM in response to Swift1113

I have this problem too. Solution? revert back to 10.6. All we get from Apple and its shills are the calling black is white strategy. They say there is no problem, it must be the extensions and apps you installed. This is not the case as it occurs on a brand new macbook pro with nothing added.

I have explored what seems to be happening. It seems to be a fundamental issue with conflict over network access (maybe other resources).The problem mainly occurs when you launch an application that wants network access when you are already running one (most do to look for updates). This is a problem as apple attempts network access in the background with the repulsive appstore (far more intrusive than the mild software update) and many apps such as itunes are constantly listening for devices.

All the users want is a simple solution, yet apple will not provide one because to do so would admit that there new flagship OS is far from perfect.

petermac87

Level 5

7,447 points

Jun 16, 2014 12:35 PM in response to gmd12

If it's brand new then it is under warrenty. Take it in for a free check up.

Pete

Sep 3, 2014 2:01 PM in response to Swift1113

If I'm using other software and switch back to Finder, I get the beach ball for about a minute. Totally unacceptable! I have a SSD hard drive, and another external HD that might need to wakeup, but I'm not accessing it when I switch to Finder... is it putting it to sleep and waking it up every time? This *****.

petermac87

Level 5

7,447 points

Sep 3, 2014 2:06 PM in response to Colbster182

Colbster.com wrote:

If I'm using other software and switch back to Finder, I get the beach ball for about a minute. Totally unacceptable! I have a SSD hard drive, and another external HD that might need to wakeup, but I'm not accessing it when I switch to Finder... is it putting it to sleep and waking it up every time? This *****.

Not any where near enough information. Try starting your own thread with precise information. Start with an Etrecheck Report here.

Pete

Sep 15, 2014 11:22 PM in response to Drew Reece

I was searching for poor mavericks performance when I found this (pretty long now) thread. Way back on Page 10 Drew had posted some tips about cleaning up any old stuff at the system level. 10 minutes in the Library file throwing out all the old air card drivers and the like and the performance change is huge! Thanks Drew!

OS X Mavericks - Awful Performance