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Activity Monitor and Mac speed

My iMac desktop (early 2009 with OS X El Capitan; version 10.11.3; Processor 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo; Memory 2 GB) is running extremely slow. This is what I've done so far: I managed Startup items by removing unnecessary apps. I've been told NOT to install cleaning software such as MacKeeper or CleanMyMac.


Next, I planned to quit some apps that are taking up space on my Mac RAM. I understand that to stop the app(s), I click on the app(s) in the list shown in the Activity Monitor. My question is, how do I know which apps to delete? Some have names that I don't recognize and some list the System Administrator as the user and some list "root" for user.


Should I forget about speeding up this Mac and consider purchasing a new computer?

iMac, Mac OS X (10.7.5)

Posted on Feb 9, 2016 4:27 PM

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Posted on Feb 10, 2016 12:49 PM

readersinc wrote:

Should I forget about speeding up this Mac and consider purchasing a new computer?

It really depends on if you like throwing money at problems or if you want to try to improve what you already own. A newer Mac is normally faster, but you may not need it.


2GB of RAM is a the bare minimum for 10.11 as Apple state in the requirements…

Upgrade to OS X El Capitan - Apple Support


Any computer running on the bare minimum will have issues doing multiple things - you should just quit all the apps running in the Dock.

Activity Monitor is not intended to be used like you describe - if you force quit the wrong process or app the computer may crash, become unstable or lose your data. Please stop looking at that in an attempt to kill processes, it is meant to allow you to diagnose the current state, force quit isn't designed for this.


You can purchase more RAM for your Mac, that will allow it to do more tasks, otherwise you have to accept that it is best to do one or two tasks & quit other open applications.


An Apple store may help you if you need advice on fitting RAM, I think that model may support up to 32GB (Apple state 16GB, but newer RAM modules are larger & seem to work) but you should check the model identifier in System Information. That appears under the Apple menu, hold the option key & open the Apple menu (a.k.a alt key).


RAM is normally easy to fit, but you may want to get someone technical to do it for you. There are user guides made by Apple for fitting RAM in each model.


Slowness may also be caused by other software or slow hard disks. Do you want to create a report to show what is installed? Etrecheck is designed to do that…

http://etrecheck.com/



P.S. Apps like Clean My Mac & Mac Keeper will use more RAM, so they really won't help your predicament. Most of their tasks seem pointless to me.

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Question marked as Best reply

Feb 10, 2016 12:49 PM in response to readersinc

readersinc wrote:

Should I forget about speeding up this Mac and consider purchasing a new computer?

It really depends on if you like throwing money at problems or if you want to try to improve what you already own. A newer Mac is normally faster, but you may not need it.


2GB of RAM is a the bare minimum for 10.11 as Apple state in the requirements…

Upgrade to OS X El Capitan - Apple Support


Any computer running on the bare minimum will have issues doing multiple things - you should just quit all the apps running in the Dock.

Activity Monitor is not intended to be used like you describe - if you force quit the wrong process or app the computer may crash, become unstable or lose your data. Please stop looking at that in an attempt to kill processes, it is meant to allow you to diagnose the current state, force quit isn't designed for this.


You can purchase more RAM for your Mac, that will allow it to do more tasks, otherwise you have to accept that it is best to do one or two tasks & quit other open applications.


An Apple store may help you if you need advice on fitting RAM, I think that model may support up to 32GB (Apple state 16GB, but newer RAM modules are larger & seem to work) but you should check the model identifier in System Information. That appears under the Apple menu, hold the option key & open the Apple menu (a.k.a alt key).


RAM is normally easy to fit, but you may want to get someone technical to do it for you. There are user guides made by Apple for fitting RAM in each model.


Slowness may also be caused by other software or slow hard disks. Do you want to create a report to show what is installed? Etrecheck is designed to do that…

http://etrecheck.com/



P.S. Apps like Clean My Mac & Mac Keeper will use more RAM, so they really won't help your predicament. Most of their tasks seem pointless to me.

Feb 10, 2016 3:38 PM in response to readersinc

I can't see anything particularly bad in that report. There is a 'coupon printer' that I have never heard of – npBcsMcTcIO

A quick search turns up this post that has instructions that should help remove it. I doubt it would effect the entire Mac.

Re: Mac running super slow



You have a lot of processes that have been killed, that is normal considering you are running on the bare minimum RAM. Installing more memory would be my priority.

If you want to add a SSD drive that would also improve performance - they read & write data quicker than a spinning disk. It is a complex task to replace the disk in an iMac, so you may want to find an Apple service centre (or Apple Store) to do that for you. There are also guides that can be used, but you are required to remove the screen and some of the internal parts to access the drive - not something most people should do. There may also be specific requirements for the drive too. Apple sometimes require particular models for temperature sensors or other features, so you would need to research that if you do it yourself. Your data would need to be cloned to the new disk, but that is simple if you fit the old disk into an external case.


I would consider removing the login items unless you use them often. Open Apple menu > System Preferences, select Users & groups, login items tab & remove the Arcsoft & HP tasks. It is pointless adding extra tasks to a Mac that is low on resources.


I don't know what else to suggest besides rebooting. It should clear out any memory that hasn't been released correctly but the Mac will slow down as it has to purge processes to free RAM for other tasks.


You can continue other troubleshooting steps (reset the PRAM, verify/ repair the disk, test under safe mode…) but the lack of memory won't be altered by any of that.

Feb 11, 2016 12:38 PM in response to Drew Reece

I am ordering two 4GB RAM modules and will start with that. I also spoke with an AppleCare Telephone Support person yesterday and she was helpful by telling me what kind of modules to order and how to install them in my computer. I am confident the extra memory will make a big difference. If that isn't enough, I will take your suggestion of adding an SSD drive. The AppleCare person also gave me the names of two certified repair companies in my area that I can use (in addition to the Apple Store). Thank you for telling me how to remove the login items--I will follow through with that. You have been more than helpful and I truly appreciate your help! I don't want to replace this computer if it's not necessary.

Feb 11, 2016 1:16 PM in response to readersinc

Check out Apple's guides for RAM fitting…

Install memory in an iMac - Apple Support


This site also has guides if you need to see how the disk is fitted.

https://www.ifixit.com/Device/Mac_Desktop


readersinc wrote:


You have been more than helpful and I truly appreciate your help! I don't want to replace this computer if it's not necessary.


No problem, with a little care & a few upgrades Macs can often keep going for years 🙂

Good luck with it.

Activity Monitor and Mac speed

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