TopTen.plist #4: Speed Up a Sluggish Mac

As you may be aware, Macs are largely immune to the nasty viruses that plague PCs with unexpected errors, corruption, and system slowdown. While the user experience on a Mac is arguably much more smooth and enjoyable, it is far from perfect. Just like their PC relatives, Macs can also suffer from unexpected slowdown. Though the causes are typically more benign, they can amount to some serious frustration if they are allowed to build up. Here are a few handy tips to speed up a Mac that is plodding along.

10. Pump up the RAM:

RAM is an integral part of your system’s performance. It allows you to multi-task, and enables individual applications to run faster. As operating systems and software steadily advance, they begin to crave more and more RAM to run efficiently. A consequence of attempting to push an older machine too hard, or running demanding software beyond the scope of its capabilities is serious slowdown. To compensate, you can easily upgrade the RAM on most Mac desktops and notebooks. Though Snow Leopard mandates at least 1 GB of RAM, we recommend at least 2 GB. Many new Macs ship with 4 GB which essentially future proofs them a bit for all but the most demanding users.

9. Genie of the Mac:

This tip is especially useful for those with older Macs with weaker graphics cards. By cutting back on some of the slick built in system animations you can subtly improve your Mac’s performance. For starters, turn off the Genie minimize effect and replace it with Scale. This can be performed by visiting System Preferences > Dock. Turning off Dock magnification here can also be helpful. If you’re using Leopard or Snow Leopard you can also have Stacks display as a list by right clicking any you have in your dock.

8. Give Your OS Room to Play:

OS X can use anywhere from 10-20% of your startup disk to perform background operations and keep everything running smoothly. If your disk is too crowded your machine will slow as the OS fights for air. We recommend leaving a minimum of 10% of your drive free at all times, though the more you can leave available up to 20% the better. For instance if you have a 250GB drive in your MacBook, it is recommended that you leave at least 25GB free at all times.

7. Bring a New Cat to Your Intel Mac:

Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard was a revolutionary upgrade when it was first debuted in late 2007. Though it included a plethora of new features, it also bloated Intel Macs with irrelevant Power PC code. Apple released its first Intel only OS last fall to address this issue. Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, though more of a refinement than a whole new OS, was re-written from the ground up to optimize performance on Intel machines. If you have an Intel machine and haven’t yet upgraded, doing so can significantly improve system performance. As an added bonus, installing 10.6 strips away old PPC code leaving you with anywhere from 5-15 GB of extra disk space. At only $30, it’s one of the cheapest upgrades you can get for your compatible Intel Mac.

To buy Snow Leopard click here

6. I Can’t Drive 5400 RPM!:

Though all desktop Macs include 7200 RPM 3.5” SATA II drives, Apple’s notebooks all ship with 5400 RPM drives by default. If you’re experiencing slow performance on your notebook Mac, especially when starting up, don’t overlook the difference a faster drive can make. Upgrading to a 7200 RPM drive will make a noticeable difference in overall system responsiveness. Start up times as well as application launch times should be subtly improved, and resource demanding software will gain a performance boost. For the ultimate in drive performance, consider upgrading to a SSD (Solid State Drive). Albeit pricey, these drives radically improve performance as they have no moving parts.

5. Cleanliness is Next to Steve Jobliness:

Believe it or not, all of that junk on your desktop is bogging your Mac down. Your computer works behind the scenes keeping all of the items on your desktop prepped and ready to go should you suddenly need them. If your desktop is the digital equivalent to TLC’s “Hoarding” then you’re likely experiencing slowdown. A quick fix is to dump all of your desktop files into a single folder to sort later on. This isn’t the best habit to get into, but it essentially tricks the OS into thinking a multiplicity of files are suddenly just one. If you’re just too busy to sift through your collection of files there are apps to do it for you. Noodlesoft’s Hazel can keep things neat and tidy while you go about your work.

4. Staying Up to Date Makes your Mac Run Great:

One of the more common reasons for system slowdown is running out of date software. Apple periodically releases OS updates as well as important software and security revisions. Though the latter keep your Mac locked down from any outside threats, the combined effort of OS revisions and other updates can keep your machine running at its peak. Software Update should prompt you automatically when new software is available. You can run it manually by selecting it from the Apple Menu.

3. Completely Uninstall Applications:

Uninstalling an application on a Mac is as simple as dragging its icon to the trash and emptying it. Unfortunately while this method removes the app itself, stray preference and application support files can linger behind and cause unnecessary clutter. Utilities such as AppZapper and the free AppCleaner automatically hunt down extraneous system files and zap them to the trash.

2. Quit It!:

While those blue orbs floating beneath your dock icons may look pretty, they indicate that applications are running in the background. A classic example of less is more, the fewer applications running at a given time, the faster overall system performance will be. If your dock looks like a light show for the Blue Man Group, it’s probably time to quit some stuff!

1. Restart:

Though it may seem obvious, never underestimate the effect that a restart can have on a sluggish system. Many Mac users fall into the habit of letting their machines sleep during periods of non-use for months at a time. While sleeping is a convenient and normal practice, overtime it can result in memory leaks and slow performance. Simply restarting your computer every now and then can greatly aid in boosting performance.