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  • 18-09-2015 8:44am
    #1
    ratsam
    Registered Users Posts: 248 ✭✭


    Hi all

    I've an ageing 2009 MacBook Pro 15inch thats being giving me a lot of random freezes and crashes in the last 6 months. Its beginning to drive me mad as the crashes are coming at times when I dont want them to happen. The battery is approaching 1000 cycles and needs replacing and theres a possibility that the crashes are coming from the hard drive as it consistently needs repairing in Disk Utilities.

    Question is..... Would you buy a new battery and replace the HD with a new faster SSD costing me around €200 total (but risk it not fixing the issues) OR save my cash until I can afford a new machine? Ive been using Macs for 20 years and doing admin on them for 15 so I know my way around. I'm just not 100% convinced that the HD is the cause of the problem so It would be a €200 risk...!

    Thanks in advance

    Rats


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    #2
    Senecio
    Closed Accounts Posts: 971 ✭✭✭Senecio


    Unless you travel a lot and need to work away from the home or office I wouldn't waste money on a new battery for a 6+ year old machine. If you replaced the HDD and it didn't fix the issue could you use that HDD in another machine when you eventually replace your MacBook Pro? If so you're not really out of pocket.


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    #3
    ratsam
    Registered Users Posts: 248 ✭✭ratsam


    I agree its a risk but the battery is the cheap bit at the moment and easier to swallow in terms of cost. Yes I could use the HD elsewhere but my current other Mac (a MacPro) is currently maxed out with HD's. The MBP has a lot of info on it that I'd need to keep on it meaning I'd probably need a 500GB SSD (maybe a 256 but it'd be VERY tight). Arrrrggghhhhh I dont know what to do ... hahaha


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    #4
    Zcott
    Registered Users Posts: 3,206 ✭✭✭Zcott


    I'd definitely go for the SSD and a clean install.


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    #5
    ratsam
    Registered Users Posts: 248 ✭✭ratsam


    Just as an update..... Got a battery for cheap enough and installed it 2 days ago but crashing was persisting big time. SSD was definitely on the cards (but still not sure its worth it) until last night when I decided to pull one of the ram modules out. So far no crashes after about 4 hours of continuous use. Yesterday before I removed the ram I literally couldn't use the machine as it was crashing every 10 mins. So fingers crossed the ram is the issue as its a very cheap fix comparatively...! Funny thing is that the ram tests fine in the Apple Hardware Test? odddddddd

    Rat


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    #6
    Sad Professor
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 22,671 CMod ✭✭✭✭Sad Professor


    Apple Hardware Test is useless. I’d recommend Memtest/Rember for checking RAM. But it’s usually just as easy to pull the RAM.


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    #7
    ratsam
    Registered Users Posts: 248 ✭✭ratsam


    Yeah did Rember and it came back with nothing! Still going strong here without a crash today. Happy days!


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    #8
    doctorchopper
    Registered Users Posts: 873 ✭✭✭doctorchopper


    I recently upgraded my macbook pro ram to 8gb, I have the old 4gb chips ( 2 gb x2) here, if you want them you can have them. I can post them to you if you pm me a address


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    #9
    ratsam
    Registered Users Posts: 248 ✭✭ratsam


    The crashing is back with a bang!!! Feck it anyway. Weeks with nothing then off it goes again. Not sure it's even worth replacing the ram. Have you still got it???


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    #10
    Riesen_Meal
    Registered Users Posts: 10,575 ✭✭✭✭Riesen_Meal


    ratsam wrote: »
    The crashing is back with a bang!!! Feck it anyway. Weeks with nothing then off it goes again. Not sure it's even worth replacing the ram. Have you still got it???

    Did you install the SSD that time?

    I have a 07 MBP and the SSD upgrade made a huge difference - I did upgrade the RAM from stock also and its going great still...


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    #11
    ratsam
    Registered Users Posts: 248 ✭✭ratsam


    No I didnt do the SSD as removing the ram had sorted the problem. The new battery has the machine lasting longer than i ever remember but this crashing is driving me crazy. They are so random that I doubt its the HD to be honest. Last week I got about 5 kernel panics in a row and then on startup I got the Apple screen with white text scrolling down the left side of the screen. Eventually it came back on but has been dodgy since.


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    #12
    AlmightyCushion
    Moderators, Education Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 35,056 Mod ✭✭✭✭AlmightyCushion


    To save a few quid you could get a small SSD and install your OS and applications on it then get an optical drive caddy and put your hard drive in where the optical drive is. You won't have an optical drive then but who really uses them any more.


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    #13
    Riesen_Meal
    Registered Users Posts: 10,575 ✭✭✭✭Riesen_Meal


    ratsam wrote: »
    No I didnt do the SSD as removing the ram had sorted the problem. The new battery has the machine lasting longer than i ever remember but this crashing is driving me crazy. They are so random that I doubt its the HD to be honest. Last week I got about 5 kernel panics in a row and then on startup I got the Apple screen with white text scrolling down the left side of the screen. Eventually it came back on but has been dodgy since.


    Macs only generally get kernal panics if the wrong/too much RAM is installed, example, my 07 MBP sh1ts itself if I put 8GB in but I'm able to do 6 oddly enough...


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