Two identical Macs

[jcarter]

We have 2 almost identical iMacs about a year apart in age.
And one has 4 GB and the other one has 16.
The low one has spinning beachball all the time and chugs like an old diesel engine.
The other one is total speed and no noise.
Low one is on wi-fi strong signal in kitchen.
High one is connected to router by ethernet cable.
They both have the same programs installed and pretty much the same running constantly.

I think the problem is the swapping of memory, my words arent too good, so here is a picture.
Activity monitor pix.

[gunug]

You don't say what OS version you're running on the one with 4 Gigs; I'll suggest it run better with OS 10.10 instead of 10.11.  That's
what I'm seeing.

[jchuzi]

I think that the key to this is the amount of swap used. The low one has quite a bit but the high one has none. That indicates that the low one has run out of RAM and needs to use swap files.

My take: Insufficient RAM is the culprit.

[jcarter]

Both running 10.10.5  Both have PS, and a couple of browsers, and mail running. The other stuff I quit if not using. But the 16 one, sometimes I have way too many programs running which I forget to quit, but it still outruns the 4 one by miles.I dont think its a wi fi problem, think its the difference in memory?Oh, I caught up to all the answers, thank you!!!Should I buy a couple more RAM thingies and put them in?Oh, I caught up to all the answers, thank you!!!Should I buy a couple more RAM thingies and put them in?Oh, I caught up to all the answers, thank you!!!Should I buy a couple more RAM thingies and put them in?

[jchuzi]

I would definitely buy more RAM. It's a cinch to install (maybe 5 minutes). I have had good luck buying from Other World Computing.

[jcarter]

That would be good!
Thanks

[Xairbusdriver]

Just be sure to use the exact model numbers of the Mac. Do the "About This Mac". Then get a System Report. The important info is in the "Hardware Overview" especially the 'Model Identifier' info. I'd suggest watching the videos they have concerning swapping/adding RAM modules, also. It is simple, but it is important to know what it feels like when the modules are inserted correctly.

[jcarter]

Or another option, my husband needs a new Mac. But he doesnt use any version of photoshop, or any of the memory hog stuff I use.
He mostly studies and uses the Mac for research.
Nothing about photography or stuff like that does he need.

So I could give him this one, and get a newer one for the kitchen.
That probably would be the best, as his computer is old enough that its getting frustrating and very slow.

[jchuzi]

QUOTE(jcarter @ Oct 24 2016, 01:29 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Or another option, my husband needs a new Mac. But he doesnt use any version of photoshop, or any of the memory hog stuff I use.
He mostly studies and uses the Mac for research.
Nothing about photography or stuff like that does he need.

So I could give him this one, and get a newer one for the kitchen.
That probably would be the best, as his computer is old enough that its getting frustrating and very slow.

RAM is cheap and the OS likes lots of it. My advice is to spend a few dollars and be nice to hubby. In return, he'll buy you that pearl necklace for Xmas.  

[jcarter]

Yes, I probably will do that.
Both!

[tacit]

Your suspicion is exactly right. You're seeing beachballs and slowness on the one with less memory because it's running out of memory and using swap space on disk.

[jcarter]

I will leave this one in the kitchen for the family to use for communication. and other stuff which isn't really that important for speed.
And get my husband a nice new iMac. Maybe put some more RAM into this one, its not expensive.
The family watches the weather, orders stuff, and uses it as the utility computer. Being in the kitchen is easy.

My fast one with the more RAM, I will use for my classes and photoshop stuff.
Its in my office. The older kids use it when they are all here. But I dont let the grandkids use it much.

So its all sorted out, and THANK YOU for the help and info!

We are going thru the same situation with cars, as have grandkids on the cusp of drivers licenses.
And we have a couple extra cars/trucks.

[jcarter]

I took your advice and will buy this from OWC.
I plugged in my serial # and have all the correct info for this one. Got this info from the Apple site. Mine is the  Mid 2010 27 inch one.

So now I need to decide to get this kit of two 2 GM cards, to bring my Mac up to a total of 8 GB or go for a bit more to add a bit more horsepower. Screenshots here.

 Use Small Outline Dual Inline Memory Modules (SO-DIMM) that meet all of these criteria: Its the Middle one.
iMac (Mid 2011)   iMac (Mid 2010)   iMac (Late 2009)
PC3-10600   PC3-10600   PC3-8500
Unbuffered   Unbuffered   Unbuffered
Nonparity   Nonparity   Nonparity
204-pin   204-pin   204-pin
1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM   1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM   1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM

I think for $60 I should go with the 8 GB, and add those 2 modules to bring the total up to 12 GB.
Let me know what you think, and I am sure I can do this OK, just watched the installation videos.

thanks again,,,,,,

[jchuzi]

I would go with the $60 and get 8 GB. That should give you more than enough memory, and only for a few dollars more. You can't be too thin, too rich, or have too much RAM.

[jcarter]

Thank you!
I will go right ahead and order it.