Upgrading mid-2010 iMac (SSD and RAM and OS)

Question

Hi All,I have a mid 2010, 27" iMac 11,3; 2.8 Ghz i54 GB RAM1TB HD with 202GB still availableI&#x27;m on OS 10.6.8 on this machineIt has served me well but in the past few months has become frustratingly slow to the point that if I want to get anything done I run only one program at a time.So I think I&#x27;m going to add RAM and add an SSD. By reading answers to other questions on this site I&#x27;ve gone to both Crucial and OWC and have pretty much settled onRAM: Add either 2 4GB for a total of 12GBOR, QUESTION 1: Is there any reason not to pull the RAM I&#x27;ve got and replace them with 4 8GBs for 32GB (other than cost)?andthe 240 GB Mercury Extreme Pro 6G SSD with the install kitQUESTION 2: I&#x27;ve watched the instruction video on the OWC site, and I think I can do this; but I also saw somewhere something about replacing the DVD drive with the SSD ... is that easier? Is one method more advisable than the other?My plan is to then make the SSD my boot drive and install OS Mavericks or Yosemite on it, and all my applications, then use the original hard drive for files.QUESTION 3: Is there anything wrong with this idea?QUESTION 4: The BIG question is, after the hardware is in, How and in what order do I install the new OS? Do I upgrade the OS on the hard drive first? or do I leave it as is and download the new OS install and install it on the SSD? Has anyone done this before?Thank you very much.

Muufungman · Accepted Answer

1: It is up to you to decide if the machine requires more RAM, 12GB is more than enough for everyday tasks and usage, so I would just buy the 2x4GB sticks from Crucial (as they are usually cheaper).A bit of info on what kind of Applications you use may help to figure out how much RAM is needed.2: Installation of the SSD into the Optical bay is easier, and best of all you retain your HDD, choose this path if you no longer use the SuperDrive: iFixit GuideI would choose the above method.OR, you could go install an SSD in a secret little nook underneath the Optical bay, however this requires taking most of the machine apart to reach the spare SATA slot on the motherboard, going down this route you will retain the HDD and CD/DVD burining capabilities, while adding a speedy SSD to your system.I would only take this path if you are confident and have dealt with machines like this before: iFixit GuideAs for your choice of SSD and kit, it is just what you need, however make sure you choose the kit with the "DataDoubler" as this is essential for mounting in the Opti-bay.Kit: hereCurrently I have used 2 OWC SSDs in my Macs, both have worked well, but I am astounded at how quickly both have degraded in speed, as a result, my next modification will most likely incorporate Crucial or Samsung SSDs as OWC are too expensive and overpriced for what they are worth.3: Absolutely no problem with this idea at all, if you wanted you could even create a Fusion Drive between the HDD and the SSD and let the operating system decide where to put things!4: I would first install the SSD, then boot into the HDD, from there download Yosemite/find the Mavericks.app if you made a backup of it, proceed to install desired operating system on SSD, finally transfer the required files as you see fit. This the method I chose to use, when upgrading my 21.5 iMac from 2011 with a SSD.Hope this helps!

MichelPM · Answer

If you are still running 10.6.8 Snow Leopard and your iMac has started to become progressively slow, it is not necessarily a problem with RAM  OR needing an SSD.You may have accidentally acquired some incompatible software or malware or some other issues within the last couple months that has been the culprit causing your iMac to run slow. An SSD and more RAM may not solve your issues if the issues are a problematic operating system.It would help us to help you if we could have some more technical info about your iMac. If you like, please go ahead and download, install and run Etrecheck.Etrecheck was developed as a simple Mac diagnostic report tool by a regular Apple Support forum user and technical support contributor named Etresoft.Etrecheck is a small, unobstrusive app that compiles a static snapshot of your entire Mac hardware system and installed software.This is a free app that has been honestly created to provided help in diagnosing issues with Macs running the newer versions of OS X.It is not malware and can be safely downloaded and installed onto your Mac.http://www.etresoft.com/etrecheckCopy/paste and post its report here in another reply thread so that we have a complete profile of your Mac&#x27;s hardware and installed software so we can all help with your Mac performance issues.  Thank You.

bantjes · Answer

This is super helpful, thank you. Crucial seemed to be sold out of all the items I wanted, so I went with OWC. And I thought I wasn&#x27;t going to get a reply to this post, so I went ahead and ordered an extra 8MB RAM and the SSD I mentioned with the install kit for installing the SSD under the optical Bay. I do occasionally still use the DVD drive, so I suppose this is good. The instructions on OWC&#x27;s site are extremely clear, but I&#x27;ll check iFixit too.You also answered my question of the OS install. 2 more questions about that: once I&#x27;ve installed Yosemite onto the SSD and made it my startup drive, do I need to do anything to the existing HD? Or I suppose it is then just a bootable slave, like an external drive. But what about the applications? Is there an easy way to transfer them over to the SSD? Or do i have to re install them there? And they will run faster, won&#x27;t they, if they&#x27;re running from the SSD?

bantjes · Answer

Thanks! As you can see, I&#x27;ve made a decision to add RAM and install n SSD, but any help with my existing system is also greatly appreciated.Following is the EtreCheck report of my system.Hardware Information: ℹ️    iMac (27-inch, Mid 2010) (Technical Specifications)    iMac - model: iMac11,3    1 2.8 GHz Intel Core i5 CPU: 4-core    4 GB RAM         BANK 0/DIMM0            2 GB DDR3 1333 MHz ok        BANK 1/DIMM0            2 GB DDR3 1333 MHz ok        BANK 0/DIMM1            Empty           BANK 1/DIMM1            Empty       Bluetooth: Old - Handoff/Airdrop2 not supported    Wireless:  en1: 802.11 a/b/g/nVideo Information: ℹ️    ATI Radeon HD 5750 - VRAM: 1024 MB        iMac 2560 x 1440        spdisplays_display_connector System Software: ℹ️    Mac OS X 10.6.8 (10K549) - Time since boot: 13 days 1:14:43Disk Information: ℹ️    WDC WD1001FALS-40Y6A0 disk0 : (931.51 GB)        - (disk0s1) &lt;not mounted&gt; : 210 MB         Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / : 999.86 GB (200.24 GB free)    OPTIARC DVD RW AD-5680H  USB Information: ℹ️    LaCie Rikiki USB 3.0 931.51 GB        - (disk3s1) &lt;not mounted&gt; : 210 MB         TimeMachine (disk3s2) /Volumes/TimeMachine : 999.86 GB (46.98 GB free)    EPSON EPSON Scanner     Apple Internal Memory Card Reader     Apple Inc. BRCM2046 Hub         Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller     VIA Labs, Inc.          USB2.0 Hub                      Seagate FreeAgent Go 298.09 GB        ARCHIVE (disk6s1) /Volumes/ARCHIVE : 320.07 GB (128.93 GB free)        Mitsumi Electric Hub in Apple Extended USB Keyboard             Mitsumi Electric Apple Extended USB Keyboard         LaCie Porsche Mobile 931.51 GB        - (disk1s1) &lt;not mounted&gt; : 210 MB         Backup-MARIAN (disk1s2) /Volumes/Backup-MARIAN : 999.86 GB (381.06 GB free)    Tablet PTK-440     Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver     Apple Inc. Built-in iSight Firewire Information: ℹ️    LaCie Group SA LaCie Hard Drive FireWire+ 200mbit - 400mbit max         - (disk2s1) &lt;not mounted&gt; : 32 KB         150_Music (disk2s3) /Volumes/150_Music : 159.91 GB (73.74 GB free)    G-TECH OEM ATA Device 00 200mbit - 800mbit max         - (disk4s1) &lt;not mounted&gt; : 210 MB         BACKUP-HD (disk4s2) /Volumes/BACKUP-HD : 322.13 GB (167.43 GB free)        BACKUP-Photos (disk4s3) /Volumes/BACKUP-Photos : 214.75 GB (67.38 GB free)        BACKUP-Archive (disk4s4) /Volumes/BACKUP-Archive : 302.27 GB (119.23 GB free)        BACKUP-music (disk4s5) /Volumes/BACKUP-music : 160.31 GB (74.14 GB free)Kernel Extensions: ℹ️        /System/Library/Extensions    [loaded]    com.cleancutcode.displaypaddriver (14 - SDK 10.7) [Click for support]    [loaded]    com.cleancutcode.displaypadframebuffer (14 - SDK 10.7) [Click for support]    [not loaded]    com.olympus.DSSBlockCommandsDevice (1.1.0) [Click for support]    [loaded]    com.pctools.iantivirus.kfs (1.0.1) [Click for support]    [not loaded]    com.wacom.kext.wacomtablet (6.1.6) [Click for support]    [not loaded]    net.pocketmac.driver.BlackberryUSB (3.0.9) [Click for support]    [not loaded]    net.pocketmac.driver.BlackberryUSBDev (3.0.9) [Click for support]Problem System Launch Daemons: ℹ️    [not loaded]    org.samba.winbindd.plist [Click for support]Launch Agents: ℹ️    [not loaded]    com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist [Click for support]    [loaded]    com.google.keystone.agent.plist [Click for support]    [running]    com.wacom.wacomtablet.plist [Click for support]Launch Daemons: ℹ️    [loaded]    com.adobe.fpsaud.plist [Click for support]    [not loaded]    com.adobe.SwitchBoard.plist [Click for support]    [loaded]    com.adobe.versioncueCS3.plist [Click for support]    [loaded]    com.barebones.bbedit.plist [Click for support]    [loaded]    com.bombich.ccc.plist [Click for support]    [running]    com.bombich.ccc.scheduledtask.3125A988-4757-473A-83E0-0D9621E12C81.plist [Click for support]    [running]    com.bombich.ccc.scheduledtask.31479E16-17F1-4CED-B1DF-5BF39297F783.plist [Click for support]    [running]    com.bombich.ccc.scheduledtask.D5A8F558-DD30-4616-A643-549BEFB315B8.plist [Click for support]    [running]    com.bombich.ccc.scheduledtask.F673F167-C364-4C7C-94A6-6E9222F8B207.plist [Click for support]    [loaded]    com.google.keystone.daemon.plist [Click for support]    [running]    com.WD.WDDriveServices.plist [Click for support]User Launch Agents: ℹ️    [loaded]    com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist [Click for support]    [loaded]    com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist [Click for support]    [running]    com.bombich.ccc-user-agent.plist [Click for support]    [loaded]    com.google.GoogleContactSyncAgent.plist [Click for support]    [not loaded]    com.linotype.FontFolderProtector.plist [Click for support]User Login Items: ℹ️    FontExplorerXAutoload    Application Hidden (/Users/[redacted]/Library/Application Support/Linotype/FontExplorer X/FontExplorerXAutoload.app)    Dropbox    Application  (/Applications/Dropbox.app)Internet Plug-ins: ℹ️    DirectorShockwave: Version: 11.5.0r600 [Click for support]    WacomNetscape: Version: 1.1.1-1 [Click for support]    Google Earth Web Plug-in: Version: 5.2 [Click for support]    WacomSafari: Version: 1.1.1-1 [Click for support]    AdobeExManDetect: Version: AdobeExManDetect 1.1.0.0 - SDK 10.7 [Click for support]    Silverlight: Version: 4.0.50826.0 [Click for support]    FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 18.0.0.203 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]    Flash Player: Version: 18.0.0.203 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]    iPhotoPhotocast: Version: 7.0    QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.6.6    eMusicRemote: Version: Unknown [Click for support]    eMusic: Version: Unknown    JavaAppletPlugin: Version: 13.9.8 - SDK 10.6 Check versionSafari Extensions: ℹ️    AdBlock    WOT    LastPass    Better FacebookAudio Plug-ins: ℹ️    iSightAudio: Version: 7.6.63rd Party Preference Panes: ℹ️    Adobe Version Cue CS3  [Click for support]    Device Detector  [Click for support]    Flash Player  [Click for support]    Growl  [Click for support]    WacomTablet  [Click for support]    Xmarks for Safari  [Click for support]Time Machine: ℹ️    Time Machine information requires OS X 10.7 "Lion" or later.Top Processes by CPU: ℹ️         9%    Safari         8%    WebProcess         5%    WindowServer         3%    Google Chrome Helper(20)         2%    mdworker(2)Top Processes by Memory: ℹ️    1.55 GB    Google Chrome Helper(20)    446 MB    postbox-bin    274 MB    Safari    139 MB    WindowServer    135 MB    Google ChromeVirtual Memory Information: ℹ️    183 MB    Free RAM     3.82 GB    Used RAM     4.26 GB    Swap Used

MichelPM · Answer

Your iMac is pretty loaded up, so yup, I think getting more RAM into your system will be a good thing.Your year and model iMac can take up to 32 GBs of RAM!I noticed Google Chrome is hogging well over 1.5 GBs of RAM.My strong advice?Ditch ALL Googlewares. They are ALL a serious resource hogs on the OS X system.The additional benefit is that you&#x27;ll stop Google from mining your data when you surf the webhttps://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95319?hl&#x3D;enIf you do not like Apple&#x27;s Safari web browser, download, install and try Mozilla FireFox, instead.http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefoxThe current, up-to-date version of FireFox is fully compatible with OS X and is regularly updated by the great developers of the Mozilla group.I have, also, stopped using the Google search engine regularly (due to Google&#x27;s privacy policies or lack thereof) and I now use DuckDuckGo as my default search engine.Also, you have two versions of Adobe Flash Player installed.Use Adobe&#x27;s Flash Player uninstaller app and use it twice to uninstall both Flash Player versions then go the Adobe Flash Player download of the Adobe website and reinstall the latest version of Adobe Flash Player.Uninstall/delete any external hard drive software that maybe installed on your system. I spotted some Western Digital software in your report.This is not needed by OS X.I spotted iAntivirus software installed, if you are not running Windows on your Mac, any antivirus software IS NOT NEEDED for OS X.If you are running antivirus software on your Mac, properly uninstall it by searching the web for the proper and correct way to uninstall the particular antivirus product.I, also, spotted some RIM Blackberry and Olympus device software that may or may not be compatible with OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.Also, if you are still using an old RIM Blackberry cell phone, be advised that the supporting RIM Blackberry software has not been updated in many years and will never be updated for any of the newer versions of OS X.If you no longer use a Blackberry cell phone or you don&#x27;t really use the installed Blackberry support software any longer, completely uninstall this software, too!http://btsc.webapps.blackberry.com/btsc/viewdocument.do?noCount&#x3D;true&amp;externalId&#x3D; KB18771&amp;sliceId&#x3D;1&amp;cmd&#x3D;displayKC&amp;dialogID&#x3D;1693797&amp;docType&#x3D;kc&amp;isLoadPublishedVer&#x3D;&amp; stateId&#x3D;1693905&amp;docTypeID&#x3D;DT_SUPPORTISSUE_1_1&amp;ViewedDocsListHelper&#x3D;com.kanisa.ap ps.common.BaseViewedDocsListHelperImplIF you still use a Blackberry phone, RIM has recently release a new version of the Black berry software for Mac. RIM is a dead company still walking in zombie mode.I will leave it up to you to decide to uninstall or update this software.http://us.blackberry.com/software/desktop/desktop-mac.htmlGood Luck!

bantjes · Answer

Thank you! I am always astonished by the amount of time a stranger is willing to spend on my troubles. I&#x27;m very grateful.I will take ll of your advice under consideration. Google and chrome is a dependency I know I need to break. I was surprised to see the anitvirus software in there, and especially the Blackberry stuff. It seems like eons since my ill-fated Blackberry acquisition (a device I hated more than any other I&#x27;ve ever owned). I&#x27;ll clean it all up.Thanks again for your time and advice.

Lexiepex · Answer

Michel forgot to mention, that you should uninstall the WesternDigital software. When you did already, remove the leftovers (WDDriveServices).