IMac performance issues

JMP220478

Ive got a late 2012 21.5" mac - 8GB ram / 1TB hdd / 2.7GHz - running latest version Mojave ... performance is not great - open reaper up and its really slow - memory usage into late 80's ... 

so looking for advice re best performance apps - to actively monitor and release memory as an example 

otherwise I suspect its the HDD - not particularly full - any utilities / housekeeping to maximize read / write performance 

utlimately I may go down the SSD / Mem upgrade route but as this is sealed unit - is this a user doable job and if not is there a  recommended 3rd pty service or indeed a forum member who does this as a paid service ?   

any advice really appreciated 

Funkfingers

What graphics processor does your computer have? Do you have statistics for CPU load?

Danny1969

You could try backing up your files then start internet recovery, use disk utility to delete the partition, make new partition and install clean load via the net. You might find a fresh install of OSX does the trick


Changing the drive would be a good idea, the original drive is 7 years old now and might be close to failure as well as slow. 

Unfortunately these models are a lot harder to upgrade internal drive wise because the LCD needs to come up with heat and a lot of care .... similar to a modern  iPad. If you do this job yourself be very careful of the SMPS just behind the screen at the bottom ... even when upplugged from the mains the caps will have hundreds of volts across them for some time and it's very easy to touch and get a belt 

Kittyfrisk

To get statistics on performance, open Activity Monitor (usually hiding in Applications-Utilities).

As @Danny1969 says, a clean install is always a good idea to ensure fewer unknowns.
Also try downloading & running 'Etrecheck' to check for any hidden issues (free to use, trustworthy).

Physically upgrading these iMacs is possible, but not easy & can be a fraught exercise with no guarantee of not ruining the computer      So, a last resort if you don't want to sell it & upgrade. Guides are here :  
https://www.ifixit.com/Store/Mac/iMac-Intel-21-5-Inch-Late-2012-Mid-2017-SSD-Upgrade-Bundle/IF173-042?o=1

I really detest Apple & others for this shocking built in waste & obsolesence, but it is what it is.
Let us know how you get on 

JMP220478

Funkfingers said:

What graphics processor does your computer have? Do you have statistics for CPU load?

NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M 512 MB graphics

Currently have two browser windows open - cpu usage just  over 10% inc system and user  ; mem 6.83 gb of 8 ?? / approx 85%

I manually run Dr Cleaner and get back approx 5gb Mem ..

JMP220478

Also try downloading & running 'Etrecheck' to check for any hidden issues (free to use, trustworthy).

I ran free version and nothing significant reported - but for further details buy the inapp upgrade $18

Kittyfrisk

No need to bother with the 'Pro' version unless you were a full time Mac supporter & needed some detailed information.
If you want another perspective, there are other good free utilities like onyX  https://www.titanium-software.fr/en/onyx.html  
I can say that both of these utilities are safe to use, other 'freeware' maybe not so much.

I would not be using Dr. Cleaner, read this article  http://https//www.macworld.co.uk/feature/mac-software/best-mac-cleaner-3682820/
Similarly, the infamous 'MacKeeper"....avoid 

Apple's own built-in Disk Utility is not bad at all in fixing OS issues, safe & non destructive.
Boot into recovery mode;  Restart & immediately press and hold the Command (⌘) and 'R' keys at the same time, hold until startup/installation screen appears.
Select Disk Utility & run.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201314
From Recovery mode you can also reinstall the OS, but I strongly recommend just doing one thing at a time.
Tedious, but at least you know what you last did in case something went wrong.

There are other things you can do, such as resetting the system power management (SMC)  https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201314   or reset the parameter RAM (PRAM)  https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204063  but these actions are unlikely to fix your issues, just being thorough 

Sorry there isn't a simple, quick single solution, I really wish there was 

: edited to fix broken link.

JohnS37

I think the answer is SSD.  I have a 2007 MacBook Pro, and about three years ago it slowed down to snail’s pace.  I bought an SSD for about £60 and put it in myself, not too difficult, and it was not only much faster straight away, but it hasn’t slowed down or faltered since.
An IMac is a slightly different proposition, but I have also opened a few of them for various reasons, and you can usually find clear instructions somewhere on the inter web.
Just for the record, I have a 2011 IMac with an SSD, which is my main music computer running Logic, and it is fine.
Good luck!

Kittyfrisk

^ Not disagreeing with you about an SSD being a good solution, but older MacBook Pro's are a totally different proposition to upgrade.
My mid 2012 i7 MBP now has an SSD boot disk & a large hybrid HD, latest OS & is fast & stable.
 A doddle to do, but an iMac is a different beast.
Also your 2011 iMac screen was not glued in (so far as I recall) so is much more accessible.

As I said earlier in this discussion  "Physically upgrading these iMacs is possible, but not easy & can be a fraught exercise with no guarantee of not ruining the computer      So, a last resort if you don't want to sell it & upgrade. Guides are here :  
https://www.ifixit.com/Store/Mac/iMac-Intel-21-5-Inch-Late-2012-Mid-2017-SSD-Upgrade-Bundle/IF173-042?o=1"

As with all such matters, it's usually down to confidence, experience, skill & your attitude to risk 
Cheers.

Modellista

Hang a USB SSD off the back with a fresh OSX install. 

Danny1969

Modellista said:

Hang a USB SSD off the back with a fresh OSX install. 

That's an option, won't be great because restricted by the USB bus speed but will prove the point whether it's hardware \ board \ ram related or simply OS related

Having done loads of iMacs,  I would agree with @Kittyfrisk ; .... the bonded models are not easy to do ... you need to know how much heat is enough but not too much as excessive force will ruin the LCD and so will too much heat. You also need large and small area heat guns to do it well. As well meaning as Ifixit is etc they are in the business of selling repair kits and some of their guides are not the best way of going about it.  

uncledick

I'd agree with the internal SSD upgrade suggestion.  Just be careful because some iMac HDDs have a fan control device built in so if you do a straight swap, the fan runs flat out all the time.  OWC do some nice kits with tools etc.  My 2009 27" blew its graphics card for the second time at the weekend so I got onto Marketplace and upgraded to a late 2015 which came with a 512GB SSD as standard.  I'm really chuffed - it's much faster (i5 4.0GHz) and even the built-in speakers are properly usable.  What you have is saleable as it is and by the time you add on the faff and expense of upgrading it you might as well just upgrade the whole thing for not a whole lot more.

marauder

Macs Fan Control sorts the hard drive fan control issues when using a third party SSD.  Works perfectly.  No need to spend the cash on the OWC sensor kit.  I've got a 2011 iMac and its like a new machine since I put a 1TB SSD in it.

JMP220478

Danny1969 said:

Modellista said:

Hang a USB SSD off the back with a fresh OSX install. 

That's an option, won't be great because restricted by the USB bus speed but will prove the point whether it's hardware \ board \ ram related or simply OS related

Having done loads of iMacs,  I would agree with @Kittyfrisk ;; .... the bonded models are not easy to do ... you need to know how much heat is enough but not too much as excessive force will ruin the LCD and so will too much heat. You also need large and small area heat guns to do it well. As well meaning as Ifixit is etc they are in the business of selling repair kits and some of their guides are not the best way of going about it.  

@Danny1969 ;  do you do this as a service ?