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