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Have Older Z68 System - Upgrade?

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Aug 29, 2012
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11
Motherboard
gigabyte z490m gaming x
CPU
10700k
Graphics
sapphire rx 5700 xt
Mac
  1. iMac
Mobile Phone
  1. Android
i have not used my customac in a few years as i have not had the space in my small apartment. i got it running the other day and and was wondering if it is worth just building another customac or is it fine to update os with what i have below build was done in 2012. current os on it is lion.
mobo: gigabyte ga-z68x-ud3h-b3 CPUi7 2600k Graphics xfx radeon 6870
 
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i have not used my customac in a few years as i have not had the space in my small apartment. i got it running the other day and and was wondering if it is worth just building another customac or is it fine to update os with what i have below build was done in 2012. current os on it is lion.
mobo: gigabyte ga-z68x-ud3h-b3 CPUi7 2600k Graphics xfx radeon 6870
Hi! Except maybe for your graphics card (you should check in the forums, as I've seen issues with some radeons), the Sandy bridge runs perfectly with Mojave (I don't think I'll update to a more recent OS version on that build) especially if you already have an i7.
I've used 10.9 for 2 years and was globally satisfied except for Finder graphical issues that I could never solve. Now it's been 2 and a half years on 10.11, the only boring small issue is kext versions not showing immediately in the Finder — and a few important apps that were incompatible, so I've kept a 10.9 partition for them.
I'm still testing 10.13 and 10.14 and it's very likely that I jump directly to 10.14 sometime in 2021. After install, it's been a lot harder to tame 10.13 and its infinite number of background processes that were nearly paralyzing the computer, while 10.14 was a breeze despite the need of a workaround for my NVidia GT210, and I've been surprised of the number of old apps that keep running on it! Nearly everything imported from 10.11 works including Office 2011, QXP8 and even Pages 4.3!
If like me you're still using Logic Express 8, iTunes 8, ProTools 10, Mailplane 3, for example: nope. Until now, I've been also unable to get cDock customizing the Dock, probably because of the workaround for my GC — but I'd say it's a minor loss, compared to the Dark Mode that's a great visual upgrade for me.
Instead, 10.13 has little less software incompatibilities, no issue with graphics cards AFAICT and the Root user still works (Apple broke it in 10.14! — you can still use it in Terminal but any Finder action will freeze it in a Root session...)
You'll also have to decide whether you opt for APFS or not... It doesn't bring many advantages in my opinion, but you have to tinker a bit if you want to stick to HFS.
So, your choice will depend on many factors, depending on the software you use, etc. Also note that jumping directly from 10.8 to 10.13 or 10.14 might be a huge step, so you'd better do it on a cloned drive, of course, and see how it goes.
Unfortunately, every OS version has its bugs and issues (10.11 Mail had enormous issues with imported accounts!) and it's always a trade-off compared to what you have.
My final advice is: install the new OS on a blank drive (or at least partition) — it's probably a good idea to buy an SSD as you probably still runs on HD! — then import your stuff with Migration Assistant, it usually works better than updating an existing OS. Migration Assistant sorts out what to leave behind and what not, there might be some remaining issues that you'll have to fix afterwards (for exemple: 10.14 imported FinderPop, that surprisingly keeps working but the PrefPane doesn't).
As for 10.15 and 11.0, I think there are too many changes to jump directly to one of them (APFS, end of 32 bits apps, etc.) except if you don't want to keep anything from your former build and start completely afresh — but don't forget that the more recent OS, the slower it gets on an old machine. ;)
Have fun!
 
Hi! Except maybe for your graphics card (you should check in the forums, as I've seen issues with some radeons), the Sandy bridge runs perfectly with Mojave (I don't think I'll update to a more recent OS version on that build) especially if you already have an i7.
I've used 10.9 for 2 years and was globally satisfied except for Finder graphical issues that I could never solve. Now it's been 2 and a half years on 10.11, the only boring small issue is kext versions not showing immediately in the Finder — and a few important apps that were incompatible, so I've kept a 10.9 partition for them.
I'm still testing 10.13 and 10.14 and it's very likely that I jump directly to 10.14 sometime in 2021. After install, it's been a lot harder to tame 10.13 and its infinite number of background processes that were nearly paralyzing the computer, while 10.14 was a breeze despite the need of a workaround for my NVidia GT210, and I've been surprised of the number of old apps that keep running on it! Nearly everything imported from 10.11 works including Office 2011, QXP8 and even Pages 4.3!
If like me you're still using Logic Express 8, iTunes 8, ProTools 10, Mailplane 3, for example: nope. Until now, I've been also unable to get cDock customizing the Dock, probably because of the workaround for my GC — but I'd say it's a minor loss, compared to the Dark Mode that's a great visual upgrade for me.
Instead, 10.13 has little less software incompatibilities, no issue with graphics cards AFAICT and the Root user still works (Apple broke it in 10.14! — you can still use it in Terminal but any Finder action will freeze it in a Root session...)
You'll also have to decide whether you opt for APFS or not... It doesn't bring many advantages in my opinion, but you have to tinker a bit if you want to stick to HFS.
So, your choice will depend on many factors, depending on the software you use, etc. Also note that jumping directly from 10.8 to 10.13 or 10.14 might be a huge step, so you'd better do it on a cloned drive, of course, and see how it goes.
Unfortunately, every OS version has its bugs and issues (10.11 Mail had enormous issues with imported accounts!) and it's always a trade-off compared to what you have.
My final advice is: install the new OS on a blank drive (or at least partition) — it's probably a good idea to buy an SSD as you probably still runs on HD! — then import your stuff with Migration Assistant, it usually works better than updating an existing OS. Migration Assistant sorts out what to leave behind and what not, there might be some remaining issues that you'll have to fix afterwards (for exemple: 10.14 imported FinderPop, that surprisingly keeps working but the PrefPane doesn't).
As for 10.15 and 11.0, I think there are too many changes to jump directly to one of them (APFS, end of 32 bits apps, etc.) except if you don't want to keep anything from your former build and start completely afresh — but don't forget that the more recent OS, the slower it gets on an old machine. ;)
Have fun!

Darkthing#1 GA-Z68XP-UD3 | i7 3770 | GeForce GT 210
okay thanks on the advice i may just do a new build doing a little bit of research on catalina and big sur. first i really need some new thermal compound i think it has degraded from 9 years ago (bios says 87c) while heat sync is cool to the touch.
I have a 125gb ssd as the boot drive. my 3tb hdd took a crap on me lost alot of stuff my fault for not backing stuff up...( have tried 3 different sata ports). so the big jump may happen as i do not have alot of data any more i may have to check a external hdd cant seem to find it at the moment.) so im at a cross roads the hardware works but i dont want to waste time and another component go on me.

thanks again
 
i have not used my customac in a few years as i have not had the space in my small apartment. i got it running the other day and and was wondering if it is worth just building another customac or is it fine to update os with what i have below build was done in 2012. current os on it is lion.
mobo: gigabyte ga-z68x-ud3h-b3 CPUi7 2600k Graphics xfx radeon 6870
I think You should upgrade , if you can.
 
If space was an issue and I was thinking of upgrading a 2nd gen Intel machine, I'd research either a Dell 9020 USFF or the new M1 Mac Mini before investing in a z68. You can get a 9020 Hack going for a couple hundred bucks or the new Mini from Amazon for $669 USD. I'd consider those alternatives before automatically upgrading your current useable system. That's what I did when I was thinking of resurrecting an old i7 3rd gen Hackintosh. The 9020s are very useful running Catalina and the M1 Mini runs Big Sur right out of the box. ;)

trs96 excellent & easy to follow guide in Golden Build forum:
The 4K Dell OptiMac - 9020 MT - Core i7-4790 - Radeon RX 570 - LG 4K IPS Monitor | tonymacx86.com
 
i have not used my customac in a few years as i have not had the space in my small apartment. i got it running the other day and and was wondering if it is worth just building another customac or is it fine to update os with what i have below build was done in 2012. current os on it is lion.
mobo: gigabyte ga-z68x-ud3h-b3 CPUi7 2600k Graphics xfx radeon 6870
To run a recent version of MacOS (Mojave or later) you will need to upgrade your graphics card to a supported AMD card like the RX 570 / RX 580 (if you want it new).

Otherwise you can also consider the new Apple Silicon Macs as suggested above.
 
thanks every one for the help/advice i was able to get up to 10.11 with no problems but i keep getting an error with ssd issues for 10.13. not able to erase and set to apfs. id like to to get to 10.13 on this set up. but i got it pretty stable and hdmi audio to work it never has before.
 
thanks every one for the help/advice i was able to get up to 10.11 with no problems but i keep getting an error with ssd issues for 10.13. not able to erase and set to apfs. id like to to get to 10.13 on this set up. but i got it pretty stable and hdmi audio to work it never has before.
My experience is that 10.11 is the most stable and reliable OS I've used since 10.6. Also, the fact that there's no more security updates is not as frightening as some might think (except for big corporates, maybe...) I'm also using a 10.4 PPC Mac Mini and never had the shadow of a security threat. ;)
So my advice is: use your build as much as you need, then in a few months when all is running stable, etc. you'll be in a situation where you can decide where to go. The jump to a more recent OS is only rightful in 2 situations: if you NEED to have all the latest bells and whistles and security updates (in which case take the most recent OS) or if many crucial (for you) applications stop being updated for your OS.
At first, you might feel frustrated not having the latest thing, but soon you'll discover that using computers is not only about installing OSes. :mrgreen: Enjoy! :D
 
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was wondering if it is worth just building another customac or is it fine to update os with what i have below build was done in 2012. current os on it is lion.
These Z68 (like the X58) Gigabyte boards are extremely well built and reliable. If it's lasted this long with no issues I would keep using it. It's certainly worth upgrading it to something newer than Lion. El Cap, Sierra or High Sierra are all great choices. It should be relatively easy to upgrade, especially if using Clover with any of these. Lion was released to the public in 2011, nearly ten years ago now. Good time to upgrade and enjoy some of the newer features.
 
My experience is that 10.11 is the most stable and reliable OS I've used since 10.6. Also, the fact that there's no more security updates is not as frightened as some might think (except for big corporates, maybe...) I'm also using a 10.4 PPC Mac Mini and never had the shadow of a security threat. ;)
So my advice is: use your build as much as you need, then in a few months when all is running stable, etc. you'll be in a situation where you can decide where to go. The jump to a more recent OS is only rightful in 2 situations: if you NEED to have all the latest bells and whistles and security updates (in which case take the most recent OS) or if many crucial (for you) applications stop being updated for you OS.
At first, you might feel frustrated not having the latest thing, but soon you'll discover that using computers is not only about installing OSes. :mrgreen: Enjoy! :D
i like 10.11 alot of my apps were not supported in 10.8. so i had no choice but to update. and i got a new 1tb ssd was able to jump right up to 10.13 no problems so far stable i cant tell much of a difference between the 2 besides i have access to more apps and things i have started another build i was playing some games and fps was atrocious even on low settings

These Z68 (like the X58) Gigabyte boards are extremely well built and reliable. If it's lasted this long with no issues I would keep using it. It's certainly worth upgrading it to something newer than Lion. El Cap, Sierra or High Sierra are all great choices. It should be relatively easy to upgrade, especially if using Clover with any of these. Lion was released to the public in 2011, nearly ten years ago now. Good time to upgrade and enjoy some of the newer features.
i agree this ol rig has lasted a longtime but 4 years i had no way of using it due to no space or not having internet. like i stated above a new one is in the works gonna try my hand at a OC build.
 
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