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iMac 27" mid 2010 to 5,1 Mac Pro or new iMac

M

MullerC

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 11, 2016
12
4
Hoping I can get some direction and thank you in advance.
I have a mid 2010 27" iMac i5 and it has gotten unbarebly slow.
Computer is used to run a small business which will include photo editing and website development. Video editing is done once in a blue moon just for family videos.

I am not sure if I should go the route of buying a Mac Pro 4,1 or 5,1 and using my current iMac as a display or just buy a new iMac.
 
MullerC said:
Hoping I can get some direction and thank you in advance.
I have a mid 2010 27" iMac i5 and it has gotten unbarebly slow.
Computer is used to run a small business which will include photo editing and website development. Video editing is done once in a blue moon just for family videos.

I am not sure if I should go the route of buying a Mac Pro 4,1 or 5,1 and using my current iMac as a display or just buy a new iMac.
Click to expand...

Well your computing needs are fairly low and that slowdown is probably just your hard drive dying especially if it's 6 years old (back up your system now!!!). Get the hard drive replaced with a solid state drive and throw in a little more RAM if you are still on 4GB and for a few hundred dollars that machine will be better than new.
 
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Samuelsan2001 said:
Well your computing needs are fairly low and that slowdown is probably just your hard drive dying especially if it's 6 years old (back up your system now!!!). Get the hard drive replaced with a solid state drive and throw in a little more RAM if you are still on 4GB and for a few hundred dollars that machine will be better than new.
Click to expand...

I second this. Upgrade your existing iMac with an SSD an extra RAM and you'll immediately notice the difference, and for your needs it will feel nearly as fast as a new iMac. You can go up to 32GB of RAM in your version, though if you just buy 2x4GB modules you can combine them with your existing 2x2GB and go up to 12GB, which will be plenty for your needs.
 
MullerC said:
Hoping I can get some direction and thank you in advance.
I have a mid 2010 27" iMac i5 and it has gotten unbarebly slow.
Computer is used to run a small business which will include photo editing and website development. Video editing is done once in a blue moon just for family videos.

I am not sure if I should go the route of buying a Mac Pro 4,1 or 5,1 and using my current iMac as a display or just buy a new iMac.
Click to expand...
That awful 5-year-old Seagate spinner would be the reason, they can slow down over time. I have one which I plan to upgrade to an SSD soon, an upgrade which should make it a lot more bearable. It's a great way to extend the life of your older iMac.
 
MullerC said:
Hoping I can get some direction and thank you in advance.
I have a mid 2010 27" iMac i5 and it has gotten unbarebly slow.
Computer is used to run a small business which will include photo editing and website development. Video editing is done once in a blue moon just for family videos.

I am not sure if I should go the route of buying a Mac Pro 4,1 or 5,1 and using my current iMac as a display or just buy a new iMac.
Click to expand...
Buy a new iMac 27". Make sure you get an SSD (or fusion 2TB at minimum). The retina screen itself is well worth it. Opening up 2010 isn't worth it and the Mac Pro is a bit long in the tooth. And your screen on the iMac is also old old old.
 
Maybe first update the 2010 iMac to an SSD and more RAM and see how that works. You can always buy a new iMac after trying that option. Plus, the SSD could be removed from the 2010 and used as an external backup for a new iMac ( i.e. the money spent on the SSD is not wasted ).
 
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Samuelsan2001 said:
Well your computing needs are fairly low and that slowdown is probably just your hard drive dying especially if it's 6 years old (back up your system now!!!). Get the hard drive replaced with a solid state drive and throw in a little more RAM if you are still on 4GB and for a few hundred dollars that machine will be better than new.
Click to expand...
I have upgraded the ram to 12gb already but I will try the ssd upgrade. And if I do what briloronmacrumo noted no money wasted.

From my understanding easiest way to do sad upgrade is to install a ssd in conjunction with the hdd instead of replacing it. Then all I need is a ssd (thinking the Samsung 850) a sata splitter, and maybe some 3m tape. Did I miss anything?
I won't need to buy a thermal sensor?

Thanks again
 
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