Extremly slow 2019 iMac - EtreCheck Report

[jas_mine]

Hi,

I have a 2019 iMac Retina 4K, 21.5 Inch iMac with 3.6 GHz QuadCore Intel Core i3 which is extremely slow. I have run an EtreCheck report which has provided me the following however I don't quite understand why a computer that is only four years old would be like this. Can anyone help me? It has been like this for the past year, what can I do?

Graphics: Radeon Pro 555X 2GB
Memory: 8GB 2400 MHz DDR4
MacOS Sonoma 14.0



EtreCheckPro version: 6.8.3 (68032)

Report generated: 2023-11-15 22:43:07

Download EtreCheckPro from https://etrecheck.com

Runtime: 26:27


Performance: Poor

Problem: Computer is too slow

Description:

Computer is extremly slow


Major Issues:
Anything that appears on this list needs immediate attention.


Hard drive too slow - The hard drive in this computer is too slow.


Minor Issues:
These issues do not need immediate attention but they may indicate future problems or opportunities for improvement.


No Time Machine backup - Time Machine backup not found.

Clean up - There are orphan files that could be removed.

Limited permissions - More information may be available with Full Disk Access.


Hardware Information:
iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019)
Status: Supported
iMac Model: iMac19,2
3.6 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i3 (i3-8100) CPU: 4-core
8 GB RAM - Upgradeable by an Apple Authorized Service Provider
BANK 0/ChannelA-DIMM0 - 4 GB DDR4 2400
BANK 2/ChannelB-DIMM0 - 4 GB DDR4 2400

Video Information:
Radeon Pro 555X - VRAM: 2 GB
iMac (built-in) 4608 x 2592

Drives:
disk0 - APPLE HDD HTS541010A9E632 1.00 TB (Mechanical - 5400 RPM)
Internal SATA 3 Gigabit Serial ATA
disk0s1 - EFI (MS-DOS FAT32) [EFI] 210 MB
disk0s2 [APFS Container] 1000.00 GB
disk1 [APFS Virtual drive] 1000.00 GB (Shared by 6 volumes)
disk1s1 (APFS) [APFS Container] (9.82 GB used)
disk1s1s1 - Macintosh HD (APFS) [APFS Snapshot] (9.82 GB used)
disk1s2 - Preboot (APFS) [APFS Preboot] (2.03 GB used)
disk1s3 - Recovery (APFS) [Recovery] (1.22 GB used)
disk1s4 - VM (APFS) [APFS VM] (1.07 GB used)
disk1s5 - M*****************a (APFS) [APFS Virtual drive] (70.27 GB used)
disk1s6 - Update (APFS) (11 MB used)

Mounted Volumes:
disk1s1s1 - Macintosh HD [APFS Snapshot]
Filesystem: APFS
Mount point: /
Read-only: Yes
Used: 9.82 GB
Shared values
Size: 1000.00 GB
Free: 915.30 GB
Available: 925.77 GB
disk1s2 - Preboot [APFS Preboot]
Filesystem: APFS
Mount point: /System/Volumes/Preboot
Used: 2.03 GB
Shared values
Size: 1000.00 GB
Free: 915.30 GB
Available: 925.77 GB
disk1s4 - VM [APFS VM]
Filesystem: APFS
Mount point: /System/Volumes/VM
Used: 1.07 GB
Shared values
Size: 1000.00 GB
Free: 915.30 GB
Available: 925.77 GB
disk1s5 - M*****************a [APFS Virtual drive]
Filesystem: APFS
Mount point: /System/Volumes/Data
Used: 70.27 GB
Shared values
Size: 1000.00 GB
Free: 915.30 GB
Available: 925.77 GB
disk1s6 - Update
Filesystem: APFS
Mount point: /System/Volumes/Update
Used: 11 MB
Shared values
Size: 1000.00 GB
Free: 915.30 GB
Available: 925.77 GB

Network:
Interface en0: Ethernet
Interface bridge0: Thunderbolt Bridge
Interface en1: Wi-Fi
802.11 a/b/g/n/ac

System Software:
macOS Sonoma 14.0 (23A344)
Time since boot: About 17 days

Security:
Gatekeeper: App Store and identified developers

System Integrity Protection: Enabled


Antivirus software: Apple


Applications:
503 apps
12 x86-only apps
One unsigned app

System Launch Daemons:
[Not Loaded] 43 Apple tasks

[Loaded] 178 Apple tasks

[Running] 174 Apple tasks

[Other] 4 Apple tasks


System Launch Agents:
[Not Loaded] 23 Apple tasks

[Loaded] 202 Apple tasks

[Running] 194 Apple tasks

[Other] One Apple task


Launch Daemons:
[Not Loaded] com.adobe.ARMDC.Communicator.plist (Adobe Inc. - installed 2023-08-15)

Executable: /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/com.adobe.ARMDC.Communicator


[Not Loaded] com.adobe.ARMDC.SMJobBlessHelper.plist (Adobe Inc. - installed 2023-08-15)

Executable: /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/com.adobe.ARMDC.SMJobBlessHelper


[Not Loaded] com.adobe.acc.installer.v2.plist (Adobe Inc. - installed 2023-08-15)

Executable: /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/com.adobe.acc.installer.v2


[Not Loaded] com.adobe.agsservice.plist (Adobe Inc. - installed 2023-08-15)

Executable: /Library/Application Support/Adobe/AdobeGCClient/AGSService


[Not Loaded] com.expressvpn.expressvpnd.plist (Not signed - installed 2023-07-10)

Executable: /Applications/ExpressVPN.app/Contents/MacOS/expressvpnd


[Not Loaded] com.microsoft.teams.TeamsUpdaterDaemon.plist (Not signed - installed 2023-01-30)


[Not Loaded] us.zoom.ZoomDaemon.plist (Zoom Video Communications, Inc. - installed 2023-08-15)

Executable: /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/us.zoom.ZoomDaemon


Launch Agents:
[Not Loaded] com.adobe.ARMDCHelper.cc24aef4a1b90ed56a725c38014c95072f92651fb65e1bf9c8e43c37a23d420d.plist (Adobe Inc. - installed 2023-07-12)

Executable: /Library/Application Support/Adobe/ARMDC/Application/Acrobat Update Helper.app/Contents/MacOS/Acrobat Update Helper


[Not Loaded] com.adobe.AdobeCreativeCloud.plist (Adobe Inc. - installed 2023-06-30)

Command: /Applications/Utilities/Adobe Creative Cloud/ACC/Creative Cloud.app/Contents/MacOS/Creative Cloud --showwindow=false --onOSstartup=true


[Not Loaded] com.adobe.GC.AGM.plist (Adobe Inc. - installed 2023-08-15)

Command: /Library/Application Support/Adobe/AdobeGCClient/Adobe Genuine Software Monitor Service -mode=logon


[Not Loaded] com.adobe.GC.Invoker-1.0.plist (Adobe Inc. - installed 2023-08-15)

Command: /Library/Application Support/Adobe/AdobeGCClient/agcinvokerutility -mode=logon


[Not Loaded] com.adobe.ccxprocess.plist (Adobe Inc. - installed 2023-08-14)

Command: /Applications/Utilities/Adobe Creative Cloud Experience/CCXProcess/CCXProcess.app/Contents/MacOS/CCXProcess --openAtBoot


User Launch Agents:
[Not Loaded] com.adobe.GC.Invoker-1.0.plist (Adobe Inc. - installed 2023-08-15)

Command: /Library/Application Support/Adobe/AdobeGCClient/agcinvokerutility -mode=scheduled


[Loaded] com.google.GoogleUpdater.wake.plist (Google LLC - installed 2023-10-27)

Command: ~/Library/Application Support/Google/GoogleUpdater/Current/GoogleUpdater.app/Contents/MacOS/GoogleUpdater --wake-all --enable-logging --vmodule=*/components/update_client/*=2,*/chrome/updater/*=2


[Not Loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist (Not signed - installed 2023-10-03)


[Not Loaded] com.google.keystone.xpcservice.plist (Not signed - installed 2023-10-03)


User Login Items:
[Loaded] AdobeResourceSynchronizer (Adobe Inc. - installed 2023-08-18)
Application
/Applications/Adobe Acrobat DC/Adobe Acrobat.app/Contents/Helpers/AdobeResourceSynchronizer.app
[Not Loaded] MemoHelper (App Store - installed 2021-10-12)
Modern Login Item
/Applications/Memo.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/MemoHelper.app
[Not Loaded] MessengerHelper (App Store - installed 2023-10-09)
Modern Login Item
/Applications/Messenger.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/MessengerHelper.app
[Not Loaded] MessengerLoginHelper (App Store - installed 2023-10-09)
Modern Login Item
/Applications/Messenger.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/MessengerLoginHelper.app
[Not Loaded] Launcher Disabler (App Store - installed 2023-10-19)
Modern Login Item
/Applications/OneDrive.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/Launcher Disabler.app
[Not Loaded] OneDrive Launcher (App Store - installed 2023-10-19)
Modern Login Item
/Applications/OneDrive.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/OneDrive Launcher.app
[Not Loaded] StartUpHelper (Spotify - installed 2023-08-31)
Modern Login Item
/Applications/Spotify.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/StartUpHelper.app

App Extensions:
Finder sync extensions:
OneDrive Finder Integration - /Applications/OneDrive.app
Adobe Content Synchronizer Finder Extension - /Applications/Utilities/Adobe Sync/CoreSync/Core Sync.app
Widgets:
Memo Mac widget - /Applications/Memo.app
Share services:
Memo - /Applications/Memo.app
OneNote - /Applications/Microsoft OneNote.app
File providers:
OneDrive File Provider - /Applications/OneDrive.app
QuickLook Previews:
EtreCheckQuickLook - ~/Desktop/EtreCheckPro.app
com.etresoft.etrecheck4 *.etrecheck

Audio Plug-ins:
MSTeamsAudioDevice: 2022.31.01.1 (Microsoft Corporation - installed 2022-08-02)

Backup:
Time Machine Not Configured!

Performance:
System Load: 1.86 (1 min ago) 1.81 (5 min ago) 1.74 (15 min ago)
Nominal I/O usage: 3.11 MB/s
File system: 65.41 seconds
Write speed: 43 MB/s
Read speed: 53 MB/s

CPU Usage Snapshot:
Type Overall

System: 3 %

User: 7 %

Idle: 90 %


Top Processes Snapshot by CPU:
Process (count) CPU (Source - Location)

EtreCheckPro 15.72 % (Etresoft, Inc.)

WindowServer 5.98 % (Apple)

photolibraryd 3.60 % (Apple)

kernel_task 1.67 % (Apple)

routined 1.08 % (Apple)


Top Processes Snapshot by Memory:
Process (count) RAM usage (Source - Location)

EtreCheckPro 677 MB (Etresoft, Inc.)

Google Chrome 325 MB (Google LLC)

AppleSpell 238 MB (Apple)

mds_stores 149 MB (Apple)

Google Chrome Helper (2) 91 MB (Google LLC)


Top Processes Snapshot by Network Use:
Process Input / Output (Source - Location)

mDNSResponder 16 MB / 2 MB (Apple)

apsd 719 KB / 312 KB (Apple)

netbiosd 115 KB / 40 KB (Apple)

chronod 13 KB / 0 B (Apple)

localizationswitcherd 0 B / 0 B (Apple)


Top Processes Snapshot by Energy Use:
Process (count) Energy (0-100) (Source - Location)

WindowServer 5 (Apple)

deleted 2 (Apple)

mobileassetd 2 (Apple)

logd 0 (Apple)

nsurlsessiond (2) 0 (Apple)


Virtual Memory Information:
Physical RAM: 8 GB


Free RAM: 16 MB

Used RAM: 4.40 GB

Cached files: 3.58 GB


Available RAM: 3.60 GB

Swap Used: 1 MB


Software Installs (past 60 days):
Install Date Name (Version)

2023-09-18 macOS 13.5.2 (13.5.2)

2023-09-25 Keynote (13.2)

2023-09-25 Pages (13.2)

2023-09-25 Numbers (13.2)

2023-10-09 Messenger (196.0)

2023-10-09 iMovie (10.3.10)

2023-10-18 macOS 14.0 (14.0)

2023-10-19 MRTConfigData (1.93)

2023-10-19 OneDrive (23.199.0924)

2023-10-27 XProtectPlistConfigData (2174)

2023-10-27 XProtectPayloads (118)


Clean up:
/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.expressvpn.expressvpnd.plist
/Applications/ExpressVPN.app/Contents/MacOS/expressvpnd
Executable not found

Diagnostics Information (past 7-30 days):
2023-11-15 22:17:48 bluetoothd - Crash (2 times)
Executable: /usr/sbin/bluetoothd
2023-11-15 22:15:20 /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/.OtherUsersStorageExtension_2023-11-15-221520_O**********c.cpu_resource.diag - High CPU Use
2023-11-15 21:50:52 launchservicesd - Crash (2 times)
Executable: /System/Library/CoreServices/launchservicesd
2023-11-15 21:48:09 WallpaperAgent - Crash
Executable: /System/Library/CoreServices/WallpaperAgent.app

End of report

 

[Fishrrman]

The computer is slow because it has a 5400rpm platter-based hard drive inside.
There is NO WAY you can make this drive faster. Cannot be done. The "slowness" might even be an indication of impending drive failure.

You have to "seek another way".

The best way would be to buy a faster Mac, but you probably don't want to do that right now.

The alternative is:
Get an external USB3.1 gen2 SSD (with USBc ports).
Get one of these:

SAMSUNG T7 Shield 1TB, Portable SSD, up to 1050MB/s, USB 3.2 Gen2, Rugged, IP65 Rated, for Photographers, Content Creators and Gaming, External Solid State Drive (MU-PE1T0R/AM, 2022), Blue

Samsung T7 Shield Portable SSD delivers high performance on-the-go, not matter the terrain. It has an IP65 rating for water1 and dust2 resistance, with Dynamic Thermal Guard to manage heat control. Transfer huge files instantly. USB 3.2 Gen 2 and PCIe® NVMe achieve soaring sequential read/write ...

www.amazon.com

(that's a great price right now)

This is a USB3.1 gen2 drive that is TWICE AS FAST as a "regular" USB3 drive.
MAKE SURE that you use a high-speed (charging) USBc cable (try the one that comes in the box).
Plug it into a USBc port on the back. DO NOT use a USB3 ("a") port!
You can download the free "BlackMagic Speed Test" to see what speeds the drive is producing.
You should see reads around the 840-890 range.

Then, you have a couple of choices:
FIRST CHOICE:
You could use a cloning app like SuperDuper (which is free to use to do a "full clone") to "clone" the contents of the internal drive to the external USB3 SSD.
That might be "the best way to go" at first.
Do the clone, then see if that [alone] takes care of the speed problems.
Get SuperDuper by clicking this link:
download

If it doesn't...
SECOND CHOICE:
Wipe the SSD clean, then install a completely "fresh" copy of the OS of your choice onto it.
Then, use setup assistant (runs the first time after the install) to migrate your data and apps over, leaving the "old OS" behind.

I'd try the "first choice" first.

Good luck.

 

[zgagato]

Find A repair shop and get a sata ssd installed. it will be fast. Also you have only 8GB of ram. Get it upgraded to 32 GB DDr4 so-dimm (you need 2x 16 sticks). I have done it in 2017 21" iMacs and its running like a dream under Monterey and Photoshop. with the last upgradable Imac like yours its worth to upgrade storage and ram and keep using it. Example of SSDs are Crucial Mx500 SATA, ram can be from Micron or Kingston DDR4 sodium with the speed od 2666, it works in those iMacs no problem.

 

[DeltaMac]

Adding an external SSD, such as that suggested by Fishrrman, is a simple fix, and will take care of your present slow performance.
Another choice is to replace that slow hard drive with an SSD. At the same time, add more RAM. Doubling to 16GB will add to the good results. You can also spend more money, and upgrade up to 64GB of RAM.
Both are big jobs, but you will be pleased with the results.

 

[zgagato]

Another thing: If the 5400 rpm drive is that slow it means that it is dying. You may have problems with backing it up. Soon it might not start at all. Copy it asap.

Those things happen in all of the iMacs with platter hdds. it is typical.