Time for a Newer Mac?

[junkw]

according to the serial number, the model is MC015LL/B
upgradeable to 8GB of RAM


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try this free app maybe: Mac OS X 10.7 Lion - Mac OS X 10.11 El Capitan

from:

https://www.crystalidea.com/macs-fan-control/download

it says "Solve noise problems such as those caused by iMac HDD replacement"

 

[topcat001]

When your service guy replaced the hard drive, he/she did not replace the thermal sensor. Those mac HDDs have a thermal sensor to control the fan which is now missing, causing the fan to run at full speed. This can make the fan fail eventually.

See, for example: https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/DIDIMACHDD09/
Another option is to run Mac Fan Control: See https://www.howtogeek.com/399038/how-to-manually-control-your-macs-fans/

 

[Christine1234]

Thank you! I downloaded it, and my ears thank you. Tomorrow I'll call him and tell him about the sensor.

 

[ScreenSavers]

Or use macs fan control and set the HDD fan at a constant value. That’s what I do. You have the early 2009 style. I think that machine uses DDR3 and can hold 8 GB.

 

[Christine1234]

Maybe I need to find another Mac repairman. I set the hard drive fan a little over half speed and it's much better. Before that, it reminded me of when I worked on the flight line in the Air Force. At least they gave us ear protection! And I'll call OWC and see about getting more RAM. You folks are great!

 

[topcat001]

You're welcome! If possible I'd advise getting 8 GB RAM; that should give you a very usable system for your tasks!

 

[Glockworkorange]

yup it's indeed a SSD
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https://support.apple.com/kb/sp616?locale=en_US

it says up to 8 GB of RAM

Yeah, I think whoever told you 3 GB was way off.

Max the RAM, maybe consider a larger SSD, but it sounds like you perhaps have the issue fixed.

It's an older machine, but if it takes care of your needs, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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You're welcome! If possible I'd advise getting 8 GB RAM; that should give you a very usable system for your tasks!

Yeah, max that sucker out to 8GB. You've probably given yourself a few more years.

 

[B.A.T]

Based on your needs (email, youtube and Pages) you could get by on an iPad with a keyboard. Just a thought, but of course it all comes down to personal preference. And congrats on getting so much life out of your 2009 iMac, I hope to do the same with my 2013.

 

[squarus]

Hello, writing this from a 2007 iMac running Catalina.

If you already have put an SSD inside, you can check out dosdude1's "Catalina Patcher for Unsupported Macs" With this patch you can install Catalina on your iMac quite easily, and by my experience it is well worth it. The only thing I don't really know right now is how well it'll run with 2 gigs of ram, but my older iMac only has 3 gigs and it works fine so I'll say it's worth a shot.

The fan problem is very unfortunate. Maybe try installing something like TG Pro of Macs Fan Control to turn them down manually and set custom fan curves. I'm sure that would help your ears.

But whatever you do never throw away your iMac. Thick iMacs of 2007-2011 are very beautiful and capable machines which people tend to quite easily overlook. You can try some of these before spending more money on new hardware. Cheers!

 

[Christine1234]

Thanks, I'll do that!