• After Fifteen Years, Ars Says Goodbye To John Siracusa’s OS X ...

Redirecting to (308). Why I’m Saying Goodbye to Apple, Google and Microsoft. The Mac OS tended to get out of my way. As far as I can find. So I switch back to Windows, the operating system that came with the. Sep 20, 2016 Breadcrumb Trail Links. Personal Tech; Goodbye OS X, hello macOS Sierra: What to look for in Apple's new computer operating system. The latest software update for Mac computers brings iPhone services to Apple laptops and desktops and further breaks down walls between devices. If your Mac is using an earlier version of any Mac operating system, you should install the latest Apple software updates, which can include important security updates and updates for the apps that are installed by macOS, such as Safari, Books, Messages, Mail, Music, Calendar, and Photos.

Mac Daniel'sAdvice

Dan Knight - 2004.09.07

Apple introduced the original iMac in May 1998, and it was firstavailable for sale on August 15, 1998. Some stores held midnight salesto take advantage of the pent-up demand.

Six years is a long time in the computer industry, and the questionof the day is whether a machine that felt pretty speedy running Mac OS8.1 can perform comfortably using Mac OS X.

iMac Basics

The old G3 iMacs had a 15' CRT display, relatively slow hard drives,and had a tray-loading CD-ROM mechanism. The tray-loading iMac wasnever shipped with a DVD or CD-RW drive, let alone a Combo drive.However, there are third-party CD-RW drivesavailable for the tray-loaders for as little as US$135.

The hard drive is a standard IDE mechanism, and you can installdrives up to 120 GB in size. A fast drive with a large buffer is alwaysnice, but keep in mind that throughput is limited to 16.7 Mbps.

The early iMacs used USB as their only expansion port and were notdesigned for processor upgrades. There are several third-party CPUupgrades available, and Sonnet's HARMONi models even as a FireWireport.

UPDATE: The Sonnet HARMONi card was incompatible withearly versions of Mac OS X 10.4. The FireWire port would tie up 100% ofCPU resources. This problem was fixed in version 10.4.7 (if notearlier). If you have a HARMONi card that's had this issue, be awarethat updating to 10.4.7 or newer should fix it.

There were four different tray-loading iMacs. All tray-loadingmodels shipped with just 32 MB of RAM and include a 24x CD-ROM driveand a v.90 modem. Here's a quick overview:

• Revision A:Bondi, 233 MHz G3, 4 GB 4400 rpm hard drive standard. Supports 192 MBRAM, possibly more. 2 MB video RAM, expandable to 6 MB. ATIRage IIc video chipset. Mezzanineslot. First iMac with IrDA support.Requires Mac OS 8.1 or later.
• Revision B:Bondi, 233 MHz G3, 4 GB 4400 rpm hard drive standard. Supports 192 MBRAM, possibly more. 6 MB video RAM. ATI Rage Pro video chipset.Mezzanine slot. Last iMac with IrDA support. Requires Mac OS 8.5 orlater (8.6 or later recommended).
• Revision C:Five colors, 266 MHz G3, 6 GB 4400 rpm hard drive standard. Supports384 MB RAM, possibly more. 6 MB video RAM. ATI Rage Pro Turbovideo chipset. No Mezzanine slot. Requires Mac OS 8.5 or later (8.6 orlater recommended).
• Revision D:Five colors, 333 MHz G3, 6 GB 4400 rpm hard drive standard. Supports384 MB RAM, possibly more. 6 MB video RAM. ATI Rage Pro Turbovideo chipset. No Mezzanine slot. Requires Mac OS 8.5 or later (8.6 orlater recommended).

iMac Drawbacks

These old, tray-loading iMacs can run Mac OS X. We have a pair ofRev. D models at home with 10.3. They're no speed demons, but they'refunctional. And they point out some of the issues you'll deal withusing OS X on a tray-loading iMac.

The first issue is memory expansion.Although you can run OS X with as little as 128 MB of RAM, youwon't be happy doing so. OS X will use your Mac's hard drive tocreate virtual memory when it runs out of RAM, and that's severalorders of magnitude slower than memory chips.

One of our iMac 333s has 320 MB total RAM (a 64 MB module in theshort slot, 256 MB in the long one) and runs OS X prettycomfortably. The other one won't see more than 128 MB in the long sloteven if we plug in a 256 MB module. So that iMac has only 192 MB, andit's noticeably slower running OS X because it has to depend onvirtual memory so often.

The second big tray-loading iMac problem is shared with the WallStreet PowerBooks andbeige G3 Power Macs -any drive over 8 GB must be partitioned, the first partition mustbe smaller than 8 GB, and these models will only boot fromOS X if it's installed on the first partition.

Our iMac with 320 MB of RAM has an older, slower hard drive. The onewith 192 MB RAM has a high speed 20 GB* drive split into three equalpartitions of about 6 GiB apiece - install OS X, add severalapplications, and 6-8 GiB becomes restrictive in a real hurry.

On the other hand, the faster hard drive does offer faster dataaccess, virtual memory is much faster than with the older, slower drivein the other iMac, and that gives each of our iMacs roughly equaloverall performance in OS X.

Processor Upgrades

If you've already got the iMac, already have plenty of RAM, andalready have a decently large, fast hard drive, you might be able tojustify $250-369 for a processor upgrade.Maybe.

With all of the other limitations of the tray-loading iMac, don'tbuy one with the intention of adding a processor upgrade. If you haveone and choose that route, consider one unique feature of the Sonnetofferings - they add a FireWire port along with a 500 or 600 MHz CPU.Unless you do a lot of graphics or video work, the higher cost of a G4probably isn't justified.

OS X Suggestions

It's possible to pick up any of the tray-loading iMacs for underUS$200 (plus shipping) if youshop around, but the newer slot-loading iMacs start at about US$30more (350 MHz slot vs. 333 MHz tray), don't have the 8 GB issue oftray loaders, and support up a 1 GB of RAM. If you're buying aused iMac to run OS X, I'd suggest you skip right past thetray-loaders and choose a slot-loading model.

If you already have a tray-loading iMac and want to run OS X onit, step one is to maximize RAM. Many iMacs support 256 MB memorymodules in both slots, but not all do, and there's no way to know inadvance whether yours will or not. Some people have 512 MB in theirtray-loading iMacs. Get there if you can, settle for 288-384 MB as asecond choice, and live with 160-192 MB only if you absolutelymust.

Next find a fast, moderate capacity hard drive. The IDEspecification supported by G3 iMacs won't work see the whole drive ifit's larger than 128 GB (about 120 GiB), so don't spend the money foranything 160 GiB or larger. Speed matters. Although today's drives willbe faster than the iMac's data bus, that means you'll be getting allthe hard drive performance your iMac is capable of.

My first choice would be a new 7200 rpm hard drive with an 8 MBbuffer. Second, a 2 MB buffer. Third, a 5400 rpm drive. Capacity?80 GB drives are pretty much a commodity these days, often on sale ataround US$80 (sometimes with a rebate). Smaller drives may be availablefor a bit less, but the difference is usually inconsequential.

Avoid used hard drives. Pulls, drives taken out of a new computer soa faster and/or higher capacity drive can be installed are often gooddeals - when you can find them.

And don't forget that the first partition must be no morethan 8 GB in size. That's 8,000,000,000 bytes, not 8 GiB(8,589,934,592 bytes). Drive Setup in the Classic Mac OS and DiskUtility in OS X work in GiB, so choose 7.4 GiB as your firstpartition size to keep it within the 8 GB limit.

Upgrading a tray-loading iMac so you can use OS X won't be cheap.You'll probably spend $300 for RAM, a hard drive, and a copy ofOS X - and that's part of the reason I suggest buying aslot-loader instead of a tray-loader for the small difference inprice.

Still, you can run OS X on the early iMacs. Just don't expect earthshattering performance. Even with plenty of RAM and a fast hard drive,the slower video chips, system bus, and CPU speeds mean performancewill range from tolerable to acceptable.

To get the most of out limited resources, run as few apps at once aspossible to avoid depending on virtual memory.

Revised 2004.09.08 to correct and clarify use of GB vs. GiB.

Reviesed 2004.09.09 to include Rev. B as IrDA model.

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Slow computers are no fun, especially since more and more people are working from home. Learn how to optimize mac performance and say goodbye to computer lag.

In 2017, Apple revealed that there were almost 100 million active users of its Mac computers. During that time, the value of the company’s Mac sector alone was worth nearly $25 billion.

Today, iOS X (AKA macOS X) now accounts for 25% of desktop operating systems in the US alone. That makes North America the biggest user of Apple computers in the world.

Despite its pros over other brands, such as ease of use and better security, Macs aren’t immune to lags. Just like any other computer, iMacs and MacBooks will still slow down over time.

Simple hacks to optimize Mac performance can prevent these issues though. What’s more, today’s Macintosh computers make optimization even simpler for users.

Ready to get the max out of your Mac? Then be sure to check out these tips on how to clean your Mac and make it perform at its peak once again!

Make Sure You Have the Latest macOS

The first step on how to optimize your Mac’s performanceis to make sure it’s running the most recent OS version. The most recent operating system update is the macOS Catalina version 10.15.3.

To check what version your Mac is running, click the Apple icon on the upper left-hand corner of your screen. Click “About This Mac”, which will bring up a window that contains details about your current OS. If you see other than “macOS Catalina” in there, click the “Software Update” button.

The latest OS version is key to better Mac optimization as it installs the latest app patches. These patches correct bugs that may have been an issue with previous versions. Aside from performance upgrades, these patches also make your Mac more secure.

Take Advantage of Mac’s Storage Recommendations

This being 2020, experts say that the world will produce a whopping 40 zettabytes. That’s 5,200 GB worth of data spread throughout every human being in the world.

While you may not be holding that amount of data to your name, you’re still likely using much of your Mac’s storage. Note that new MacBooks only have 128 GB to 256 GB of hard drive, while iMacs usually come with 1 TB of hard drive. If you have an older model, then your iMac likely only has a 500 GB drive.

The thing is, unnecessary files and apps are likely taking up a good portion of that space. That means you have less space for new files or programs that you do need. Moreover, all those unneeded files can cause your Mac’s performance to drop considerably.

The easiest way to address these files is to follow your device’s recommendations. You’ll find this under the “Manage” option in the “Storage” tab of the “About This Mac” window.

Within that tab, you can set the automatic deletion of files in your Mac’s Trash folder. Turning this on will erase all files in Trash after 30 days of being in that folder.

You can also enable the “Optimize Storage” option for TV shows and movies you’ve already seen. This feature also automates the erasure of these downloads after you’ve watched them.

Move Important Files to the Cloud or a Hard Drive

For files that you don’t want to permanently delete, consider moving them to iCloud. It gives you 5GB of online storage for free, but you can upgrade your plan up to 2TB.

You should also import as many files as you can to an external hard drive. If your EHD has a large capacity, consider setting it up as your main storage space. The less the load on your Mac’s built-in hard drive, the faster it will perform.

Optimize Mac Performance By Uninstalling Apps You Don’t Need

One of the best steps on how to clean Mac computers is to get rid of all those unneeded apps. You don’t use them, but they’re still eating up valuable space in your hard drive. The more of these programs you have, the slower your device will get.

Start with the apps that you may have only used a few times before but no longer really need today. You may also have installed these programs as an “extra” or “add-on” of another download.

Either way, you can easily find all your apps by opening Finder and clicking “Applications”. That should bring up a complete list of all the apps stored in your Mac. Drag those that you don’t need into the Trash or right-click on each one and choose “Move to Trash”.

Monitor Memory-Guzzling Apps Running In the Background

The fastest way to do this is to open Spotlight Search (command + spacebar) and type in “Activity Monitor”. This will bring up a window containing all processes your Mac is running. Go through the list and see if there’s any program that you’re unaware of but is using valuable CPU resources.

If there is, click on that item to highlight it and then click on the “X” button on the upper left-hand corner of the window. You’ll get a message asking if you really want to quit or force quit the program. Make sure that you don’t need that app before hitting either quit or force quit.

Disable As Many Start-Up Items As Possible

Another key step on how to optimize Mac is to make it boot without additional startup items. Startup items are programs loaded and launched as your Apple computer boots. Since your Mac needs to run these at the same time, it will take longer to restart.

Moreover, once these programs launch, they’ll continue to run even if you don’t use them. This means that they’ll still contribute to RAM usage, which can affect your Mac’s speed.

As such, disabling these programs will help optimize your Mac from the moment it boots. You can do this by opening your System Preferences with Finder or Spotlight. Go to “Users & Groups”, select your username, and then choose the “Login Items” tab.

Highlight each of the apps that you want to disable and then click the “-” button at the bottom of the list. You may have to click the Lock icon first and key in your password before you can make changes.

Optimize Your Mac Now for Max Performance

There you have it, all the easy ways to optimize Mac performance and make it a speed monster once again. The more of these hacks you follow, the more space you’ll be able to free up in your Mac. The more free space it has, the faster and better your Apple computer will perform.

After Fifteen Years, Ars Says Goodbye To John Siracusa’s OS X ...

Ready for more insider tips that’ll help improve your tech-savviness? Then be sure to check out the other tech posts on our site!