Best OsX Choice for an old iMac

[Alejopeth]

Hi, i have a 2009 iMac with this specs:

Model Name: iMac
Model Identifier: iMac10,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 3,06 GHz
Processor Number: 1
Total number of cores: 2
Memory: 4 GB
Bus Speed: 1,07 GHz
OsX: 10.6.8

i want to upgrade to a new OsX but i don't want to have problems with my older apps, lose information or make my iMac slower. I read about Yosemite, but the reviews are not the best, so, knowing the specs of my iMac and with your experience, can you give me an advise?

Hope you guys can help me, thanks

|| Extra info if you don't want or have time to read: ||

I'm currently running Mac os X 10.6.8 because always i read reviews from a new operating system, most comments are not positive, and my experience with new iOS systems is not the best, seems like they are not taking much care with them and is a shame .

So i tried to keep my iMac with the same system through this years, it works fine and does the job well, but i'm reaching the point where most new apps, software and all the apps i like on the market now comes with the "10.7 OsX or Superior" message and i think i will need an upgrade soon in order to stay on top with my work (i use a lot of Design and Music production software)

 

[redheeler]

OS X has gotten heavier over time so you are likely to experience a slight slow down, especially if your iMac still has an HDD. The difference won't be huge, but still noticeable. You could always dual-boot Yosemite with Snow Leopard if you're concerned.

You shouldn't lose any information updating (of course it's always nice to have a backup just to be sure), and app compatibility will likely only become a problem if your old apps are based on the PowerPC architecture.

Also, do keep in mind that machine is now six years old and was the low-end 27" model in its day, so it may soon be time to start looking for an upgrade or at least an SSD if it doesn't have one.

 

[tom vilsack]

Do you use your Imac for online banking ect?

As of almost 1 year ago Snow Leopard is no longer supported by Apple (meaning security updates no longer being offered!)

I personally ran Yosemite on a older Unibody 2009 Macbook (stock harddrive,4g ram)...found it ran just fine.

note: I did a clean install of Yosemite (using "Diskmaker") so perhaps why I didn't have issues that others have had with Yosemite.

 

[h9826790]

IMO, in term of speed and stability (NOT security), 10.6.8 still better than all the newer OSX. However, it's clearly not good enough for you now due to the new apps requirement.

So, the 2nd best is 10.9.5.

1) It's relatively up to date, should be supported for few more years. You won't be forced to upgrade again in a short period of time (if you just upgrade to 10.7)

2) It support most of the new software / hardware.

3) It's more stable than Yosemite at this moment (I've try all 10.10 to 10.10.3 beta, none of these OSX works better than 10.9.5 on my 2009 Mac Pro). Yosemite is good enough for normal daily use, but not as good as 10.9.5. Some UI still a bit buggy in Yosemite (coding problem, most likely will improve in the future, at least much better in 10.10.3 beta already).

4) It's free, just no point to buy any older OSX.

However, in my experience, anything higher than 10.7, HDD become the bigger and bigger bottleneck. 10.6.8 work fines with traditional HDD, but once you upgrade to 10.9.5, I am sure you will feel that the OS is much slower. It's not the RAM, not the CPU, but just the HDD. It seems anything beyond 10.8 was designed base on SSD. With SSD, 10.9.5 is really an enjoyable OSX, and will make you feel that your 2009 iMac has a new life. So, you better account for this factor before you really try the upgrade.

 

[Count Blah]

I have both an early and late 2008 iMac, with much slower C2D. Both run Mavericks just fine. I have heard not too good things about Yosemite, at least without swapping out HDD with an SSD.

 

[Alejopeth]

Hey thanks for all the detailed and usefull responses, what a great community! This help me a lot, definitively i will update my iMac as soon as i have some time, Thank you all.

 

[perspective7]

Snow leopard

 

[supernova777]

i like that people suggested snow leopard but im gonna have to put my vote on Mtn Lion 10.8 or Mabericks 10.9.5