Advice on a 2011 iMac 27"

[jordoncloutier]

Hey guys ,

I'm new here , I'm not super familiar with macs but not totally illiterate either haha,

I recently acquired a 2011 iMac 27" desktop from my wife's uncle who passed away . Seems the computer was rarely used . I'd like to see if it can be turned into something useful without breaking the bank . It boots up and seems to work ok . Seems to run slow and the hard drive is buzzing away almost constantly . Would love to throw more ram into it and upgrade to an SSD . Maybe even the processor ? If you guys could let me know what's available and if a lot of it can be done diy .

Here Is some of the specs that I found on the computer ,

Imac 12.2
Intel Core I5
2.7 GHz
4 cores
256 kb L2 cache
6 MB L3 cache
4 GB Memory 1333mhz DDR3
Boot Rom version is 87.0.0
SMC version is 1.72f2
AMD Radeon HD 6770M 512 MB graphics
I TB SATA Disk

Thanks .

 

[Cory Cooper]

Hello and welcome.

Because of its age, you are be limited in hardware upgrades and macOS compatibility.

The iMac (27-inch, Mid 2011) only supports up to macOS 10.13.6 High Sierra, which is starting to have compatibility issues with current Internet browser security (Safari/Chrome/Firefox) and the latest versions of most software. Also, the 204-pin PC3-10600 (1333 MHz) DDR3 SO-DIMM RAM is user-upgradeable (I would go to at least 8 or 16 GB- there are 4 slots), the hard drive can be replaced with an internal SSD, but I suggest having a certified technician install that. You could opt for an external drive instead of replacing the internal, as you will still realize speed gains that way. The processor cannot be upgraded.

What kinds of things are you looking to do with it?

C