I do NOT recommend your using a beta version of the OS. You are too likely to exchange one problem for another and with beta versions of the OS you are on your own without Apple Support. It is written in the agreement you have to "sign" before you get it.

Don't worry, I wasn't planning on using a Beta version. I know they have more bugs than the standard versions.



The "Fix" that is described has been recommended elsewhere, it is not too difficult and is probably worth trying in this circumstance, BUT I would skip to the bottom of the article and carry out the "Further Steps" first. Then go to the "Fix" if that does not work.


I still have the ISP DNS set up without the open DNS's on the newer Mac. It's working now but for how long, I don't know. Both macs were giving me a problem a little while ago, and I changed the network from the usual one to the one labeled for the TV. That didn't work, but when I changed it back to the normal setting everything started working. The older Mac is using open DNS's. I'm just afraid it won't last. I will try the "further steps" if this doesn't stay working.

I forgot to say that the Smart TV is having no problems connecting to the internet whatsoever. Same router, same modem, same ISP.

b]FOLLOW UP:[/b] In the process of getting ready to work on my wife's connectivity issue, I rebooted the Time Capsule that creates the network -- problem solved without touching her computer! 😜

If only for the heck of it, have you ever put your two MBPs side by side and compared every item in their Network pref panes?

It doesn't seem likely, but maybe there's something to be learned.

If only for the heck of it, have you ever put your two MBPs side by side and compared every item in their Network pref panes?

It doesn't seem likely, but maybe there's something to be learned.

I looked at my Macs side-by-side as you suggested, and there were no major differences.

I sure wish I knew why my old one is so slow though I've mentioned it before here and tried all suggestions. At least it works. It has 500 gigs and only a teensy weensy amount used. I don't get it.

I'm confused. I thought it was your new MBP that's the slow one, or is the new one limited to only Internet problems?

Yes, just internet problems that seems to have gone away when I put the ISP DNS number back on top. Go figure.

As I recall, your old MBP is up to specs for Catalina, so the only thing I can think of at this point is to rerun the Catalina installer and subsequent updates if any...maybe on both MBPs?

And maybe even d/l the Catalina installer again before you do that.

None of this has any bearing on your network connectivity issue, but since you brougth it up....

[quote=plantsower]I looked at my Macs side-by-side as you suggested, and there were no major differences.

I have colored the operative words red. Differences that seem minor can sometimes be highly significant. Where speed is concerned, the AGE of a machine is by definition a major factor. In all likelihood your old Mac is only slow when compared to your new Mac. Maybe, but I got the new one because the older one was so very slow without a comparison to a new one. Your new Mac almost certainly has a processor running at a high clock rate, probably has more "cores", and maybe has a different internal architecture (i5 vs. i7) that is inherently more efficient. Add to that, software developers and website designers build for the latest and greatest and throw ever increasing processing loads at your computer which serves to magnify the processors performance differences.

To put this in perspectice, I have a late 2012 Mac mini that was the top of the line when new (I remember thinking how fast it was at the time) and a 2018 Mac mini that was top of the line when I bought it. The single-core GeekBench score of the 2012 machine is 3/4 that of the 2018 machine and the multi-core score is only 1/2. So theoretically the newer machine is anywhere from 1 1/2 to 2 times as fast than its elder sibling. That makes the 2012 Mac mini "feel" almost glacial when I use it.

SIDEBAR: Processor clock rate (speed) is not the only indicator of overall processor performance. I could have opted for a 3.6 GHz i3 processor but instead went with the 3.2GHz i7 because the i7 processes data 20% faster in spite of its 20% slower clock rate.

BTW: I tried to list the stats side by side but that didn't work. Is there way to use tabs here to indent?

There is one obvious reason your older machine could be slower and that is it only has 4GB of memory. Open Activity Monitor on that machine, click on the Memory tab and look at the bottom of the screen. The key information is Memory Pressure (a graph) and Swap Used. If memory pressure is high and especially if it is any color but green you are pow or out of memory and are using your hard drive as a substitute for more memory. That could really slow the machine down.

The color in the graph is light yellow orange.

You can quit or force quit items in Activity monitor, but you cannot delete them.


BINGO! That is exactly what I thought you would find. Your old computer would have a noticeable, possibly substantial, improvement in performance with an injection of MORE MEMORY!. I suggest adding 8GB, which would bring you up to 12GB. Memory is relatively cheap (($42.99 for 8GB and $82.99 for 16GB) and easy to install (10 minutes), but they will not do that for you at the Apple Store. You will have to take it to a third party repair facility to get that done or, if you are feeling adventurous take a look at the installation videos at OWC. You would need a couple of small tools, which OWC is more than willing to sell you. 🤔 A third alternative is sending you old MBP to OWC and they will installl the memory for you.

More:If you really want to do a side by side, do it in TextEdit, and post an image. Oh good idea! Hopefully, it won't be rearranged for me. Can you tell me how to do columns in text edit so I can make them side-by-side?

It's awfully disingenuous of Apple to specify 4 GB RAM as adequate for Catalina without mentioning that with only 4 GB your performance is going to be degraded...possibly substantially. Yeah, the old gray mare aint what she used to be. I miss the old Apple.

Apple is so foaming at the mouth greedy that they'll con you into installing the OS to demonstrate to you that you "need" a new machine.

If you install the RAM, do yourself a favor and don't close up the machine before turning it over and making sure that it starts up so you know that the DIMMs are seated properly and won't have to deal with the screws a second time if they're not. (That's from sad experience. )

In all probability, any attempt to free up memory by quitting apps in Activity Monitor will result in a crash. It would be better to stringently limit yourself to never having more than one application open at a time, and even that may not be enough. Apple no longer builds a Mac with only 4GB of memory with good reason. IPhones and iPad can get by with only 4GB because they do not have a lot of the background tasks and functions of Mac OS such as Finder, Spotlight, and true multitasking. That is part of the price we pay for all the cool features we like about our Macs. The only genuine solution is investing in more memory!

As I pointed out the Apple Store WILL NOT UPGRADE YOUR MEMORY. That is a do-it-yourself or third party job.

If you can navigate a sewing machine, with all the needle changing, threading, dust removal that goes along with it, and even if you can't or don't, you should have no problem installing the additional memory yourself. There are ten Phillips (cross) head screws and one internal connector to remove and then replace after the new memory is installed. The only trick is the screws are size 0 or 00 (the common Phillips screwdriver is a number 2), which are really small, so you have to have a micro size driver and a plastic "spudger" would also be very helpful. As I said previously, OWC will gladly sell you both for a buck or two when you order the memory from them.

Green is good, but the bouncing is because memory is being paged out to swap files on the disk and vice-versa. Changing out the drive for an SSD would make paging faster, and could be done for only five or ten dollars more, but would not give as big a performance boost as increasing the memory. For around $100 you could have both 8GB more memory and a 256GB SSD. However, unless you are willing to do-it-yourself, count on spending another $135 for labor to install either or both.

You can see the memory options at this OWC page. Finding a link to the DIY instructions is a little convoluted, but go here and click the one that specifies memory.

Not that I would, but do people change out processors? Would that make difference?

I don't understand how an SSD with only 120 GB would make it faster than a HD with over 400 GB free. Maybe just because of the way they work?

Anyway, I don't want to take up anymore of your time on this since I will probably not do anything unless it gets much worse. Thank you for all you've done.

It would be significantly less expensive and far easier to buy a new computer. LOL! Got it!


Hard drives are mechanical and move at mechanical speeds, especially the ones used in laptops to conserve battery power. Solid State Drives are electronic and have no moving parts so they are orders of magnitude faster. There is always something coming from the drive, so the faster access times of an SSD can make a noticeable difference in perceived speed. I see.

You are welcome and none of us would be here if we didn't enjoy it.😘