Late 2011 macbook

[Djharts]

Hello, my current main computer is a late 2011 macbook, I've had for a couple years now and it's held up all right but recently it's started to become extremely sluggish, to the point of where I've given up pretty much using it and just switched to my note 4 as a computer. It has an i5 2.4ghz processor, 4 gigs of ram and a very basic hd3000. I know it's very underpowered but it seems like I should be getting more out of it, I can get 30-60 fps in stuff like csgo but Webs surfing is extremely sluggish just with 1 tab open. And God forbid I try to watch a video on youtube. Anything I can do to remedy the situation or is the machine just that slow?

[DarkEnergy]

Do a virus scan? I don't know much about macs.

[Djharts]

Would either of those make a noticeable difference or is it just a longshot?

[Guest]

How much of that RAM is being used? Also, what are temps like?

[Djharts]

Reinstall OS X, and clean the heatsink and replace the thermal paste are about the only things you can do for those laptops. You can follow an ifixit guide on how to take it apart to get to the fan.

[Djharts]

The text isn't showing up for me in your reply.

I asked if either of those would make a noticeable difference or if not was just a longshot

[Djharts]

How much of that RAM is being used? Also, what are temps like?

I'm not sure how to monitor either of those, all I know is the computer is hot to the touch on even the most basic tasks

[Guest]

I'm not sure how to monitor either of those, all I know is the computer is hot to the touch on even the most basic tasks

 

That's MacBook's for you. 

 

For temps: http://smcfancontrol.en.softonic.com/mac

For RAM: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/memory-clean-monitor-free/id451444120?mt=12

 

I used both, report back with what you find. 

[Goose Legs]

I second the suggestion of reapplying the thermal paste and cleaning out your heatsink/fan blades. Installing an SSD and performing a clean installation of OS X will literally breathe new life into these machines, if you're still using rotational media. 

[Djharts]

That's MacBook's for you. 

 

For temps: http://smcfancontrol.en.softonic.com/mac

For RAM: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/memory-clean-monitor-free/id451444120?mt=12

 

I used both, report back with what you find. 

With a youtube video open, this website, battle.net launcher and the app store running, i'm getting anywhere from 80-90C at 6200RPM.

 

After using the clean memory feature on that ram app I have just over 1GB of ram free.

 

 

iStat menues will work (until the trial expires) the OS X reinstall will help with general responisiveness and over time ( 4 years now) your heatsink gets cloged with dust (just like my late 2011 17" macbook pro that im writing this from did) and as a result, the processor gets too hot becasuse it can't keep cool because the fan can't move air through the heatsink, and then throttles down to prevent overheating. So both of those will help it run almost like new.

I think i'll try reinstalling. Thank you, I don't have any thermal paste and I'm not gonna bother buying some when I'm just getting a new computer by the end of summer.

 

 

I second the suggestion of reapplying the thermal paste and cleaning out your heatsink/fan blades. Installing an SSD and performing a clean installation of OS X will literally breathe new life into these machines, if you're still using rotational media. 

I don't think I can really do an SSD since it's a laptop and as I said to the thermal paste suggestion,i'm not gonna bother buying anything to increase performance.