How can I improve the performance of an older iMac? [duplicate]
Solution 1:
The only two things you can realistically do are change the HD to an SSD & upgrade the RAM.
Some iMacs have GPUs that can be upgraded [slightly] but that's not really going to gain you much.
A 1TB SSD can be bought these days for the price your 1TB HD would have cost back then, approx $£€ 100.
According to Everymac that model can take 32GB RAM. I'd recommend at least 16GB these days.
The SSD alone will put some spring back in its step. The RAM will let it breathe a bit better.
Solution 2:
There are basically two things you can do:
- Get more RAM. There are two free slots, so adding 2x4 GB is easy and having 16 GB instead of 8 GB will make a difference
- Replace the drive with an SSD
I have a late 2012 Mac mini as my main machine, with 16 GB and a Fusion drive. Definitively not the fastest machine but useable, even with big RAW files etc.
Solution 3:
Replace the hard drive with an SSD. I recommend an SSD of at least 1 TB again. Not sure about if this is possible with your iMac either but I had my original 1 TB drive left inside my mid-2011 27” iMac. I am now happily using both drives. My iMac boots from the SSD which has the OS and the programs while my pics, videos and music are on the original drive. If keeping the original drive inside the computer is not possible, you can (have it) put it inside a proper enclosure and use it as an external drive.
Have the RAM increased to at least 16 GB and more if you can afford it.
Each of these two alone should make a big difference and together they should make you feel like you got a brand new computer. Plan ahead well about what to do, especially when adding / replacing the hard drive, and, if you are not already doing so, backup with Time Machine before doing or getting done either.