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have older iMac running OSX 10.6.8 what OSX upgrade should I go to?

Have older iMac running OSX 10.6.8, need to upgrade OS, what version should I upgrade to?

iMac, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Feb 7, 2015 11:55 AM

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11 replies

Jan 2, 2017 5:48 PM in response to Beezer01

No, I don't think you should upgrade your OSX 10.6.8 at all, not even to Yosemite. I own a Macbook Air laptop that runs OSX 10.6.8 and I've never in my whole life have ever upgraded the software and hardware and never will because the latest software could be confusing and maybe even not as reliable as you think. Another reason why is because on OSX 10.6.8, my Macbook Air laptop is fast as any other software and works as fine as any other software and I can have a ton of tabs opened up on Google Chrome and it's still working fine. So, here's my advice, just stick with OSX 10.6.8 and stay on OSX 10.6.8 and never ever upgrade any software and hardware ever.

Jan 2, 2017 6:33 PM in response to Teanster1

Problem with your strategy is security online.

The version of Safari on OS X 10.6.8 is long out of date and unsecure!

The version of Google Chrome you are using has been out of date and unsecure for quite a few months, now. as Google ended Chrome web browser support for OS X 10.6.8.

You are accessing the web with an out of date, unsecure web browser.

You need to dump Google Chrome ( a total OS X hardware/software resource hog) and either switch to the recent version of the WaterFox web browser,


OR,


before Mozilla pulls it from their download area, switch to Mozilla Firefox ESR 45.x version of Firefox before it is gone from being able to download.

Mozilla is planning on removing the download of the Firefox 45.x ESR web browser sometime this January 2017.


https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/organizations/faq/


Ignore all of the notes about enterprise and education.


https://www.waterfoxproject.org/downloads


OR


Upgrade your OS X on your MacBook Air to something more recent, like the pay ($20 U.S.D) OS X 10.8.5 Mountain Lion OR OS X 10.11 El Capitán or, if possible, the latest macOS Sierra only if your MacBook Air has suffIcient RAM (8 GBs or more) and sufficient hard drive/ flash memory drive data storage space.


Good Luck to You.

Feb 7, 2015 11:56 AM in response to Beezer01

Upgrading to Lion


If your computer does not meet the requirements to install Mavericks, it may still meet the requirements to install Lion.


You can purchase Lion at the Online Apple Store. The cost is $19.99 (as it was before) plus tax. It's a download. You will get an email containing a redemption code that you then use at the Mac App Store to download Lion. Save a copy of that installer to your Downloads folder because the installer deletes itself at the end of the installation.


Lion System Requirements


1. Mac computer with an Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7,

or Xeon processor

2. 2GB of memory

3. OS X v10.6.6 or later (v10.6.8 recommended)

4. 7GB of available space

5. Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.


Upgrading to Yosemite


You can upgrade to Yosemite from Lion or directly from Snow Leopard. Yosemite can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for FREE.


Upgrading to Yosemite


To upgrade to Yosemite you must have Snow Leopard 10.6.8 or Lion installed. Download Yosemite from the App Store. Sign in using your Apple ID. Yosemite is free. The file is quite large, over 5 GBs, so allow some time to download. It would be preferable to use Ethernet because it is nearly four times faster than wireless.


OS X Mavericks/Yosemite - System Requirements


Macs that can be upgraded to OS X Yosemite


1. iMac (Mid 2007 or newer) - Model Identifier 7,1 or later

2. MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer) - Model Identifier 5,1 or later

3. MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later

4. MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer) - Model Identifier 2,1 or later

5. Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later

6. Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later

7. Xserve (Early 2009) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later


To find the model identifier open System Profiler in the Utilities folder. It's displayed in the panel on the right.


Are my applications compatible?


See App Compatibility Table - RoaringApps.


You do not have to upgrade to Lion in order to upgrade to Yosemite if your Mac can run Yosemite.

Feb 7, 2015 1:08 PM in response to Beezer01

Yes. Kappy's last comment is the key here. It all depends on what apps, programs you are running which will not work on Lion and above. I would add that in my view Lion is not the most desirable of OSs, indeed the OSs above Lion all seem to have their problems, too. Many of us feel that Snow leopard, despite not being officially supported is still the best OS around. You should be asking yourself do you really need to upgrade it?

May 4, 2016 4:43 AM in response to Beezer01

Beezer01, I realized Snow Leopard was generating "outdated browser notices" so I added RAM to my 2007 ( now have 4GB) iMac and installed El Capitan without intermediate OS X upgrades. I am delighted with the improvements and the performance which will extend the life of my nine year old computer while keeping me up to date.It did not take long to update my favorite apps and installation went smoothly. Although I had said I didn't really need many of the new features, once I tried them, I was pleased. Go for it!

May 4, 2016 10:58 PM in response to Eric Root

Thanks Eric Boot


Hardware Overview:


Model Name: MacBook

Model Identifier: MacBook5,2

Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo

Processor Speed: 2 GHz

Number Of Processors: 1

Total Number Of Cores: 2

L2 Cache: 3 MB

Memory: 4 GB

Bus Speed: 1.07 GHz

Boot ROM Version: MB52.0088.B05

SMC Version (system): 1.38f5

Serial Number (system): 459117FW4R1

Hardware UUID: FDB470C0-1567-5D6E-B367-D2E7E7D83673

Sudden Motion Sensor:

State: Enabled


Not by the looks of it?


Cheers. 🙂

May 5, 2016 3:35 AM in response to Vetski99

You certainly CAN upgrade to the free El Capitán.

Your MacBook is a 5,2 model. You need a 5,1 model or later.

While 4 GBs of RAM is sufficient, newer versions of OS X need all the RAM they can get.

Your MacBook year and model can total max. RAM of 6 GBs.

You replace one of the 2 GB RAM modules with a 4 GB one.

If you live in the U.S. or in a country where this online Mac company can ship.

Correct and reliable Mac RAM can be purchased from online Mac RAM source OWC (macsales.com).


http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/6400DDR2S4GB/


Installing RAM.


http://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/macbook_13_mem_hd/


Good Luck!

have older iMac running OSX 10.6.8 what OSX upgrade should I go to?

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