We all know by now that macOS Big Sur is the latest and greatest version of Apple’s Mac operating system. It was released in November 2020 and offered some serious advancements, especially on the visual side. If you have an older machine, though, you may be wondering whether your Mac is compatible. Let’s shed some light on macOS Big Sur system requirements and help you check whether your Mac supports the new OS.
This is the MAC OS X version. Click here for the Windows version! Version 1.7.1 for MAC OS X 10.3 or higher - UNIVERSAL BINARY VERSION By Robert Bennett. Please note: NEVER link directly to the files listed below, always link to this page. These files will move due to bandwidth restrictions, but this page will always have the latest. 20 years of Mac OS X ※ 20 years of macOS as we know it today. It was the reason I returned to the Mac after a post-NeXT stint of Windows (mostly NT), and is still the reason I use Apple hardware at home. 1.4)Mac mini (Late 2012 or newer) 1.5)iMac (Late 2012 or newer) 1.6)iMac Pro (2017) 1.7)Mac Pro (Late 2013, plus mid-2010 and mid-2012 models with recommended Metal-capable GPU) Step 2: Take Mac Data Backup. Before downloading any major update to your Mac operating system, it is very important to backup your data.
There are a couple of things you should do before you upgrade to Big Sur.
It doesn’t matter whether you use Time Machine or a third-party backup tool, just make sure you backup your Mac immediately before you upgrade.
To get macOS Big Sur running on your Mac, you need at least 20GB of free space. So, if you aren’t sure you have enough, here’s how to check it. Click the Apple menu and select About This Mac. Go to the Storage tab to let your Mac calculate the amount of free space. If you don’t have enough, you can try removing some old junk with CleanMyMac X. This app detects ancient cache, user log files, and other clutter and helps you delete it from your Mac.
That’s all there is to it. I managed to clear 10GB in just a couple of minutes, which saved me hours I would have spent if I were to do it manually.

Here’s the list of macOS Big Sur supported Macs:
As you can see, some Macs released as long ago as 2013 can officially run Big Sur. That’s pretty good considering the number of macOS updates there have been since then and the new features they have introduced.
Sadly, a few machines that were supported to upgrade to Catalina have fallen off the list for Big Sur, notably the 2012 MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and iMac.
Immediately after Big Sur's release on November 13, 2020, Mac users started reporting system failures that appeared to affect MacBooks from 2013-2014. The attempted installation resulted in 'bricking some older MacBook Pro models,' according to MacRumors. Notably, those MacBooks are the oldest still supported Macs that can run Big Sur. So if your MacBook belongs to that generation, we advice you to do little research on this before you rush to install Big Sur.
If your Mac’s model is on the list of “officially supported” Macs to run Big Sur, you will definitely be able to upgrade it to the latest OS. You can be sure the installer will run on your Mac and that if you run into trouble, you can expect help from Apple, either in the form of support documentation or an update to the OS.
But, if your Mac is slightly older and isn’t on the list, there is a possibility you can still update it to Big Sur. Several Mac users have had some success installing the Big Sur beta on Macs that aren’t on Apple’s list. It requires a workaround, and there’s no guarantee that it will continue to work when the final version of Big Sur is released or when updates are issued. But, if you’re determined to install Big Sur on an older Mac, or you want to try it as a fun project, it’s an option.
Installing macOS Big Sur on a Mac that’s not on Apple’s official list of unsupported Macs isn’t as straightforward as just downloading the installer and running it. How you install it will depend on the Mac you’re trying to install it on, and we’ll come to that later in the article. But there are other things you need to consider.
If you get the installation process wrong or something just doesn’t work as it should, you could be left with a Mac that doesn’t boot. For that reason, you should make a bootable clone of your startup drive before you start.
Among those users who successfully installed the beta version of Big Sur on unsupported Macs, most reported that either the graphics system (GPU) didn’t work or that Wi-Fi didn’t work. You can get around the wifi issue by replacing the internal Wi-Fi card or using a USB Wi-Fi adaptor, but you can’t replace the GPU.
Just as you can’t use the regular installer to install Big Sur on an unsupported Mac, you won’t be able to install updates using Software Update. That could leave you vulnerable to security flaws.
As we said earlier, the specifics of how you install Big Sur on an older Mac vary according to the Mac, but there are lots of success stories in this thread.
One example is the user who installed the Big Sur beta on a 2012 15in MacBook Pro, and it ran well apart from Wi-Fi not working. That user got around the problem by using an iPhone as a hotspot (you can use Personal Hotspot by connecting to an iPhone via Bluetooth or USB). Another user reported installing Big Sur on a 2012 Mac mini, but with sound and Wi-Fi not working.
The question of whether or not your Mac is compatible with macOS Big Sur can’t be answered just by looking at Apple’s list of supported Macs. Those are the machines on which Apple has decided to support installation, but there are others on which Big Sur will run, albeit with a bit of extra work. You should decide for yourself whether you want to take risks associated with installing Big Sur on an unsupported Mac. And, if you decide to go ahead, be sure to back up your Mac and clean it up using Mac maintenance software like CleanMyMac X.
This is the WINDOWS version.Please note: NEVER link directly to the files listed below, always link to this page. These files will move due to bandwidth restrictions, but this page will always have the latest links.
Click here to download! (DirectX Version v1.1DX)
Click here to download! (UC3D / OpenGL Version v1.1)
Register now to get rid of all the annoying nag messages that pop up!
The full version also lets you install new fish into your desktop aquarium, and it lets you have more than 3 fish swimming around your screen at a time!
There are 2 ways to get the full registered version of this screen saver:
You can register just this screen saver for just US$12.95 and just get rid of the nag-screens from this screen saver, OR you can register UC3D and get full access to all past, present and future UC3D v1 screen savers for the one low price!! Click here for all the UC3D info.
The following fish are currently available for this screensaver. Click the links to download new fish to add to your desktop aquarium. New fish will be added as often as possible, so check back regularly!
Please note: These add-ons only work with the full registered version, or if you are a full UC3D member! Info on registering is just above on this page.
RELEASE NOTES (v1.1)Ok, so this thing quickley became possibly the most popular screen saver I've ever made. I now understand why there are so many fish screen savers, it's because everyone loves them. And the feedback I've had has been amazing! I've had literally 100s of emails from people saying this is now their favourite aquarium screen saver. With so much competition, that's pretty high praise!
So I've set to work adding and fixing things that people asked for and complained about, and a few things I didn't get around to originally. The main thing was that people wanted some sort of sound in the background. Personally, I find noisey screensavers annoying, but I can understand that if you're sitting watching the fish you'd like a bit of noise like a real aquarium. Some people wanted just a hum, and some wanted a bubbling noise, so I searched around and found a sound which is kind of a mix of the two. There's a definate hum, and some nice quiet splashing/bubbling. But don't panic if you don't like noise, you can turn it off!
I've also made the fishies eyes move. This is something I decided to leave out, and I wish I hadn't because it looks really cool when they look around as they're drifting past. The problem is it means I have to re-make the fish files. So until you download v1.1 of each fish, their eyes wont move. Only fish that say they are v1.1 will have moving eyes, but the old versions will still work as normal so there's no reason to panic and update all your fish thinking that it'll be broken without an update. Because I have to remake them, it may take me a while to release 1.1 versions of each fish on the website. Please be patient! I have to re-animate some of them to allow their eyes to move so just hang in there. Since no one reads these readme file, I anticipate being flooded with emails asking why this or that fish's eyes don't move. It's a shame no one reads these things...
What else did I do? I spent so much time changing stuff I'm losing track. You can now select not only salt and fresh water fish, but also cold and warm water fish for both salt and fresh water. Someone emailed me saying they didn't want the Turquoise Discus and the Wakin swimming together because of the different water temperature, well your wish is my command, so you can now having different sets of fish swimming and switch between them easily. However, as I said with the eye movement, I need to release v1.1 of each fish for the screen saver to know if they are a cold/warm water fish. So you'll need to update each fish as it becomes available for this option to work, if you've been using v1.0.
On the bugfix front, some people had problems with the background 'splintering' after a certain time. This is something I just could no replicate, but I'm told it's now fixed in this version. Also, the problem with people who were lucky enough to have widescreen monitors and the lighting no going to the edges should also be fixed. I can't remember all the little fixes I made, but I tried to fix almost everything that I could find.
There's also some changes behind the scenes with the collisions between the fish, and I noticed on my machine that the fish all seemed to want to swim together in the middle when you had a lot of fish, so I've tried to make them swim to the side of the screen a little more, but it's all random so it's hard to control the little critters.

Once again, I'm glad so many people love this screensaver as much as I do. Continue to show your support, and I'll continue to add fish and do updates and make more great stuff like this. There are already over a dozen fish available on the website, and it's only a month old! Which I think is pretty damn cool!
Enjoy!
RELEASE NOTES (v1.0)I'm gunna say this right off the bat: I love this screensaver. It's taken twice as long as it should have to finish it because I spent half the time sitting watching it.
I know there are plenty of aquarium type screensavers, but I'd never seen one I actually liked. So way back when I started work on my own, but I couldn't make the fish look the way I wanted so it didn't get very far. Then recently I came across a far more talented artist than I who had some cool 3D fish available, and the rest is history. So I didn't make the fish, I just did the animation and everything else. I think this is the first time I've used someone else's 3D models in my stuff, but I think you'll agree that the quality is so high I'd have been stupid to pass up the opportunity.
So what happens is, the screen fills with water and the fish start swimming around. Sounds simple, but it wasn't simple to make. The effect tho, is well worth the effort. It's far more '3D' than any other aquarium screensaver I've seen because the fish swim in all directions, getting closer or further away and all over the place. Watch it and see!
I added an option to let you choose between tropical salt water fishies and fresh water fish. I thought some fish lovers might find it strange that they're all swimming together. But you can still have them all swim together of course, because virtual fish can all survive in the same virtual water!
I'm going to have additional fish add-ons available for download from the website but they'll only work with the full version. The full version lets you have more than 3 fish at a time aswell, so if you like it, register! I've tried to make it real value for money, and it's a hell of a lot cheaper than any of the other underwater aquarium type screensavers I've seen aswell!
As always, if you spot any bugs, let me know!
Enjoy!
VERSION HISTORYv1.1 - 1st October, 2005 - Major Update/Bug fix
Added new options to let you select your own background images, or let it grab the screen as before.
Made the fishies eyes move so they can creep you out as they swim around.
Added background bubbling/humming noise.
Changed the way you select the water level so you can have random, or set it to whatever you want.
Fixed the background 'splintering' bug.
Fixed problem with widescreen monitors not having lighting all the way to the edges.
Added option to let you select between warm and cold water fish, aswell as salt and fresh water.
So many other little tweaks and fixes I've forgotten what they are.
Now over a dozen fish species available for the full version!
v1.0 - 1st September, 2005 - Original Release
Real time 3D fish swim around your desktop.
Select between salt water and fresh water fish, or mix them all together.
Additional fish available for download to add to the full version.