iMac - How do I increase the speed?

[81Tiger04]

I just got a MBP to replace my iMac G5 PPC. The iMac is about 5 years old and was running great until a few months ago when I noticed things slowing down. Even browsing websites wasn't as fast as it used to be. Anyway, I want to keep my iMac and use it as a backup. Here are my specs:

1GB of RAM
250 GB HDD (about 30GB are actually "free")
1.9 Ghz PPC Processor

Outside of adding RAM, what can I do to make it faster? Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks in advance for your help ...

 

[MacInLaw]

I would run Disk Utility and do a Verify and Repair Permissions. That might help. I'd also be somewhat concerned about the hard drive -- 5 years is pretty close to the mean time before failure on many hard drives. Verifying the disk status will give you some indication if there's a problem there.

 

[81Tiger04]

Once I transfer everything I want over to the MBP, should I just erase everything on the iMac?

 

[sotiredofsoup]

You could try reloading OS X, but that's not guaranteed to make it run faster. Your best bets are RAM and a higher RPM HD.

The amount of space you have left isn't bad, but it is approaching <10% which is the point where I would definitely increase space. I've read that OS X has a disk defragmenter that runs in the background to keep your HD clean, so that isn't the issue as is often with PC's.

 

[81Tiger04]

How hard is it to add RAM? A new HDD?

Is there RAM that you recommend? A HDD?

 

[hcho3]

You put SSD in it. It will boost up the speed.

 

[MacInLaw]

Adding RAM is easy - there's an access panel on the bottom that comes off with two screws. IIRC replacing the hard drive is significantly harder, but not impossible. You'd need to carefully disassemble the unit, remove the drive and the enclosure, unscrew the drive from the enclosure and replace everything. It's possible to do yourself, but you may want to see if there's a repair shop that would do it for you at a reasonable price.

 

[Gregintosh]

I thought the old iMacs from the PowerPC era had easy access to the hard drive.

I also believe that the current hard drive is probably 7200 rpm as is, I don't think Apple used 5400 rpm hard drives in older computers, but I may be wrong. If the hard drive is 5400 rpm, going to 7200 will boost speed a bit.

The biggest thing will be the RAM, which you are already doing. An extra gig will really make a night and day difference. You did not say which system you were using, but if you are using Leopard or Snow Leopard, then you really need more RAM. In fact, I'd say if you put Snow Leopard on it, to downgrade to just regular Leopard.

I don't think investing into an SSD is worth it. Yes, it would boost your speed.

But if you end up spending $400 or $500 on a solid SSD and another $100 or $200 on RAM, you are already 2/3 of a way to a refurb of the last gen 21.5" iMac which is $929 right now in the refurb store. And it would be better than your computer by leaps and bounds in every regard, even after your upgrades (Easily 10 times or more faster).

You could probably sell your existing unit on craigslist for maybe $300 or $400 which further offsets the cost of a last gen refurb.

Think about it carefully. A couple hundred bucks here or there MIGHT be doable and you would get a MUCH better machine and a lot less hassle (no need to open your computer up and mess with it and risk breaking it entirely).

 

[81Tiger04]

Depending on the cost of RAM, I'd be interested in that route. However, this will now be my secondary computer and I'd rather put a SSD in my MBP than my iMac. Once I transfer the files I want to my MBP, I'll probably just start all over as if it were a new computer. From there, I'll just use it as a backup HDD.

FWIW ... I am running Leopard.