Just like many of you reading this post, I have a iMac 27" that wont update past Big Sur 11.7.10. It wont work reliably as an extended screen, it's slowly becoming slower and slower as apps ramp up in their required processing and ram... so, a question to all.
What are some creative uses you've found for it?
For me, unfortunately, it's sitting in my basement, in its original box, waiting for a cool idea.
Any performance issues are likely caused by a worn out or failing Hard Drive, or an issue with third party software (anti-virus, cleaning/optimizer apps, third party security software). You can run DriveDx (free trial period) and post the complete text report here so I can review it. If you have a Fusion Drive setup, then post the text report for both drives. Post the DriveDx text report here using the "Additional Text" icon which looks like a piece of paper on the forum editing toolbar.
To look for other issues, run the third party app EtreCheck and post the complete report here so we can examine it for possible clues.
How to use the Add Text Feature When Posting an EtreCheck Report - Apple Community
Assuming the internal Hard Drive is healthy, you can install Linux Mint on it which provides you with an up to date non-Apple OS which can run many of the popular web browsers. This requires you to learn a new OS, so this option is not for everyone, but it is a great way to extend the useful life of older computers. Linux Mint has access to lots of free open source software within its software repository. You can test drive Linux Mint by booting from the Linux Mint USB installer & selecting the "Live" option.....of course performance will be terrible when booted from the USB stick, but it can give you a glimpse of what you can expect without touching your current macOS installation.
If you decide to install Linux Mint, then first make sure to create a bootable macOS Big Sur USB installer now while you still can since many people do encounter issues when trying to use Internet Recovery Mode to reinstall macOS after the drive has been wiped. Make sure the macOS USB installer boots the Mac before erasing the internal drive & installing Linux Mint.
Any performance issues are likely caused by a worn out or failing Hard Drive, or an issue with third party software (anti-virus, cleaning/optimizer apps, third party security software). You can run DriveDx (free trial period) and post the complete text report here so I can review it. If you have a Fusion Drive setup, then post the text report for both drives. Post the DriveDx text report here using the "Additional Text" icon which looks like a piece of paper on the forum editing toolbar.
To look for other issues, run the third party app EtreCheck and post the complete report here so we can examine it for possible clues.
How to use the Add Text Feature When Posting an EtreCheck Report - Apple Community
Assuming the internal Hard Drive is healthy, you can install Linux Mint on it which provides you with an up to date non-Apple OS which can run many of the popular web browsers. This requires you to learn a new OS, so this option is not for everyone, but it is a great way to extend the useful life of older computers. Linux Mint has access to lots of free open source software within its software repository. You can test drive Linux Mint by booting from the Linux Mint USB installer & selecting the "Live" option.....of course performance will be terrible when booted from the USB stick, but it can give you a glimpse of what you can expect without touching your current macOS installation.
If you decide to install Linux Mint, then first make sure to create a bootable macOS Big Sur USB installer now while you still can since many people do encounter issues when trying to use Internet Recovery Mode to reinstall macOS after the drive has been wiped. Make sure the macOS USB installer boots the Mac before erasing the internal drive & installing Linux Mint.
Combined with an Apple TV device, you could use it for streaming music, looking at your Photos collection, or watching content from the Internet or Apple.
FYI, Big Sur is still enough to run current versions of the Firefox Web browser and the LibreOffice office suite.
The current version of Brave remains supported under Big Sur 11.7.10, although future releases won't be.
Any creative uses for old iMac 27" that don't update past Big Sur 11.7.10?
