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Why the slow computer?

Cardinal

Cardinal

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So my computer has done what older computers do: it's gotten slow. That said, I've baffled by the why of it. To give some specs, my processor is a 2.6 GHz Intel Core i7. I have 16G memory of which more than 10G is very rarely used. My startup programs have been carefully pruned and I've painstakingly sifted through my activity monitor to search for bull**** processes. The cpu load seems respectably low (currently 1.83% on system, 5.84% on user). I also went through application support programs whereupon I did find Spigot which I promptly nuked. Finally, I was using a 7200rpm 1TB hard drive that was only ever 1/3 full at any time. So I still get the spinning wheel and upgrade to a 1TB sata 3 ssd. Sure, the startup time of my computer and programs have obviously improved, but I still get the spinning wheel that I never got when I first bought the computer.

Finally, I'm running the same boring programs that I did when I bought the computer four years ago.

What am I missing here?
 
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Maybe try defragmenting your drives, cleaning up the computer, emptying temporary files, etc? Maybe you also have a virus from something?
 
Kobie said:
too much pr0n
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Thanks, but contrary to popular belief, I've read that there's actually a lot less malware associated with porn sites than with, say cnet (shudder) because porn sites are simply so experienced at dealing with the issue.

Not that I go to porn sites, mind you.
 
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Carjosse said:
Maybe try defragmenting your drives, cleaning up the computer, emptying temporary files, etc? Maybe you also have a virus from something?
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I use Apple, which has its own defragging thing (yes, I am not a computer person), and l've checked for viruses using ClamAxv, though most people say that is ultimately unnecessary on a mac. In fact, google searches even go so far as to suggest that the mac's equivalent of a temp folder is just for insignificant, low level stuff.
 
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Cardinal said:
I use Apple, which has its own defragging thing (yes, I am not a computer person), and l've checked for viruses using ClamAxv, though most people say that is ultimately unnecessary on a mac. In fact, google searches even go so far as to suggest that the mac's equivalent of a temp folder is just for insignificant, low level stuff.
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Well if you are using Apple all you can do is chuck it in the trash and buy a new one. That is how they are built, maybe next time you should get a PC and you might be able to actually fix it.
 
Carjosse said:
Well if you are using Apple all you can do is chuck it in the trash and buy a new one. That is how they are built, maybe next time you should get a PC and you might be able to actually fix it.
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You know, you're just as much a part of a cult when you automatically dump on Mac as the people who trumpet the "it just works" line. So you may think you're operating inside some imaginary "rebellious" zone, but you've really just chosen a different flavor of kookaid.

Anyway, please take your threadjacking elsewhere.
 
Carjosse said:
maybe next time you should get a PC and you might be able to actually fix it.
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giphy.gif
 
Cardinal said:
You know, you're just as much a part of a cult when you automatically dump on Mac as the people who trumpet the "it just works" line. So you may think you're operating inside some imaginary "rebellious" zone, but you've really just chosen a different flavor of kookaid.

Anyway, please take your threadjacking elsewhere.
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I am actually quite serious, all you can do is either let Apple fix things for you at an extremely high cost or just throw it in the garbage. That is how Apple products are built, it why they are made with everything proprietary, even screws, so they can suck as much money form you as possible.
 
Cardinal said:
I use Apple, which has its own defragging thing (yes, I am not a computer person), and l've checked for viruses using ClamAxv, though most people say that is ultimately unnecessary on a mac. In fact, google searches even go so far as to suggest that the mac's equivalent of a temp folder is just for insignificant, low level stuff.
Click to expand...

Which model specifically do you have, and I read that you bought it four years ago but is it from four years ago?
 
In the labs, early 90s, Apples would do that all the time. We kept a disk image of a good Apple install. When the lab Apples started puking we'd just zero them out and restore the image. That would also tell us if it was a hardware or software problem. Macs aren't built for forever. The components die. Apple gets more money.
 
clownboy said:
In the labs, early 90s, Apples would do that all the time. We kept a disk image of a good Apple install. When the lab Apples started puking we'd just zero them out and restore the image. That would also tell us if it was a hardware or software problem. Macs aren't built for forever. The components die. Apple gets more money.
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I've deliberated rebooting to a mid-2015 backup when it was last running optimally. It's kind of a nuclear option for the simple reason that getting all my browser settings and passwords back is a pain in the ass.
 
Cardinal said:
Currently running at 39C without using gui intensive apps.
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that's not even close to running hot. hm

faulty hard drive cable maybe? if its been a problem even after putting in an ssd
 
Cardinal said:
So my computer has done what older computers do: it's gotten slow. That said, I've baffled by the why of it. To give some specs, my processor is a 2.6 GHz Intel Core i7. I have 16G memory of which more than 10G is very rarely used. My startup programs have been carefully pruned and I've painstakingly sifted through my activity monitor to search for bull**** processes. The cpu load seems respectably low (currently 1.83% on system, 5.84% on user). I also went through application support programs whereupon I did find Spigot which I promptly nuked. Finally, I was using a 7200rpm 1TB hard drive that was only ever 1/3 full at any time. So I still get the spinning wheel and upgrade to a 1TB sata 3 ssd. Sure, the startup time of my computer and programs have obviously improved, but I still get the spinning wheel that I never got when I first bought the computer.

Finally, I'm running the same boring programs that I did when I bought the computer four years ago.

What am I missing here?
Click to expand...

If it was my PC I would dust it out, run CCleaner, clean master, super anti-spyware, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and de-frag it. If that didn't work I would probably download all my favorite programs and save them to USB drive, make a back up of my bookmarks/favorites, format my hard drive and reinstall the OS. I don't know if you can do the same with a Apple.
 
instagramsci said:
that's not even close to running hot. hm

faulty hard drive cable maybe? if its been a problem even after putting in an ssd
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I don't know that it's quite fair to say that it's a problem right now. I just wanted a handle on the factors I could be missing even taking into consideration memory, hard drive space, cpu usage and running apps.

Since installing the ssd the mac is running about as good as new, but I don't like not understanding the root cause of the slow-down to begin with.

I'm completely unqualified to comment on the quality of the cables.
 
jamesrage said:
If it was my PC I would dust it out, run CCleaner, clean master, super anti-spyware, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and de-frag it. If that didn't work I would probably download all my favorite programs and save them to USB drive, make a back up of my bookmarks/favorites, format my hard drive and reinstall the OS. I don't know if you can do the same with a Apple.
Click to expand...

Yes, you can. It's a nuclear option, but you can. I took the opportunity to use the air spray can on the inside while I was swapping out the hard drives.
 
Cardinal said:
I'm completely unqualified to comment on the quality of the cables.
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honestly, im not either. its just something i found rooting around

laptop hard drives are, in all honesty, pieces of **** and the toshibas(i think?) they used in those macbooks arent known to be the best either. that may be enough to explain the slowdown
 
instagramsci said:
honestly, im not either. its just something i found rooting around

laptop hard drives are, in all honesty, pieces of **** and the toshibas(i think?) they used in those macbooks arent known to be the best either. that may be enough to explain the slowdown
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Mine was a travelstar hgst. The hard drive before that failed but I don't remember what it was. I didn't know that laptop hard drives in particular were so bad. How do you feel about sandisk? That's now my ssd.

In any case, I appreciate you taking the time try to figure it out. Ultimately a lot of it is voodoo, and if Clownboy is right it's entirely possible it could be for naught anyway.
 
Cardinal said:
How do you feel about sandisk? That's now my ssd.
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sandisk isnt exceptional speed-wise but im not someone that matters much to

i always kick myself for not waiting until a couple months after i bought all my components because the ssd i paid near $80 for in january 2015 is now less than half that
 
Cardinal said:
I don't know that it's quite fair to say that it's a problem right now. I just wanted a handle on the factors I could be missing even taking into consideration memory, hard drive space, cpu usage and running apps.

Since installing the ssd the mac is running about as good as new, but I don't like not understanding the root cause of the slow-down to begin with.

I'm completely unqualified to comment on the quality of the cables.
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So I'm not quite clear here. Is it running fine now, with the SSD? Or are you still having issues after booting?

There are all kinds of reasons a computer might slow down. Bits of the RAM or HDD may become corrupted, updates can make things buggy... With Apple, there's another possibility, which is whether the update they release immediately prior to a new model coming out intentionally bogs down the system of the older models as part of planned obsolescence. This is pretty much confirmed in iPhones, and they might be carrying it over to Macs now. I notice they're about to release a new Macbook in a couple months...

So, here's what I'd do, if it's still inexplicably slower than usual.

First, I'd run some diagnostics on the RAM. Make sure there aren't any bad sectors.

If that comes back clean, then it's most likely one of two things. Either the accumulated and inevitable bugginess of updates and patches are slowing things down, or Apple is bogging down older machines in anticipation of a new release. In either case, restoring your 2015 backup should hopefully reduce the problem. If it does, stick with it 'til the computer dies.

Hopefully you can get this figured out.
 
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