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Slow iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2017) so slow and showing spinning beachballs?

Why is my iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2017) so slow and showing spinning beachballs?

iMac 21.5″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Feb 17, 2022 6:46 PM

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Posted on Feb 18, 2022 10:18 AM

Yes, it does not have the capacity to manage your data! The only method of making it work is to get an additional external HD and move large libraries (typically your photos, music and movie libraries) to the external HD. The goal is to get your storage down well below 480GB of storage, if you can get it 200-300GB that would be best. Otherwise I'd just pony up for the 1TB external SSD option or consider replacing the computer.

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Feb 18, 2022 10:18 AM in response to cliftonbob

Yes, it does not have the capacity to manage your data! The only method of making it work is to get an additional external HD and move large libraries (typically your photos, music and movie libraries) to the external HD. The goal is to get your storage down well below 480GB of storage, if you can get it 200-300GB that would be best. Otherwise I'd just pony up for the 1TB external SSD option or consider replacing the computer.

Feb 17, 2022 7:52 PM in response to cliftonbob

Welcome to the Apple Support Communities.


I believe we need to proceed with an EtreCheck report. EtreCheck is a useful App to diagnose and identify issues, both hardware and software. It is trusted by many users. Please follow the steps outlined below:


1. Navigate to: https://etrecheck.com and get the free version of EtreCheckPro.

2. Download it. It is a free and trusted app. It is often recommended here on Apple Support Communities.

3. Open EtreCheck, and before running the report, be sure to check “Allow full Drive Access” at the bottom of the EtreCheckPro window.

4. Run the report, and put it in a post, as shown here: https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-250000211. We will then examine the report for issues in your Mac.


Jack

Feb 18, 2022 8:35 AM in response to cliftonbob

As I guessed, the primary bottleneck is that the computer has a 5400 RPM HD which is incredibly slow to the point it slows down an otherwise good computer. In addition the computer has not been restarted in 20 days. Consider restarting about 1x per week.


To speed up the computer you will need to get an external SSD. To get extremely fast performance I'd recommend the https://eshop.mahttps://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/TB3ENVPSX01/lt... however if cost is an issue then the https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/MSU3SSDT1.0/on and a https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/MOTGPWR/ would be fine.


Once you have purchased and connected the external SSD use an app such as SuperDuper! or Carbon Copy Cloner and clone your internal HD to the new SSD. Then set the new SSD as your startup drive in System Preferences.


That should do it.


The are other options which include replacing the computer for a new model with an internal SSD. You can also have the internal HD replaced with a SSD however that would be very expensive as iMacs are difficult to work on.


Best of luck.

Slow iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2017) so slow and showing spinning beachballs?

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