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General Hardware Upgrade Questions

  • 23-06-2014 6:16pm
    #1
    Adamocovic
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,292 ✭✭✭


    So my MacBook pro has been running well for the last 4 years or so, but I have been considering doing some hardware upgrades to improve performance. I currently have it partitioned for Windows and Apple use and because of this it has hampered the memory a bit.(I have to regularly free up space) I was wondering what recommendations people would have for hard drives? I have a 13inch Macbook Pro and I am pretty sure it is a mid 2010s model but would have to double check. I was considering upgrading the hard drive to either a 500GB or a TB hard drive as I have to use a lot of applications that take up a good bit of space. What brand would people recommend? Are Samsung reliable or should I go with Hitachi?
    Also I was considering upgrading the RAM to 16gb, any suggestions again on what brand to buy?

    Thanks in advance.


Comments

  • #2
    Colonel Panic
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,040 ✭✭✭Colonel Panic


    What's your budget? I ask because getting a large SSD, while pricier than a new HDD is a massive upgrade. That plus maxing the RAM will make a big difference.

    For SSDs, Samsung. For HDDs, Western Digital.

    For RAM, Crucial


  • #3
    Adamocovic
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,292 ✭✭✭Adamocovic


    Colonel Panic wrote: »
    What's your budget? I ask because getting a large SSD, while pricier than a new HDD is a massive upgrade. That plus maxing the RAM will make a big difference.

    For SSDs, Samsung. For HDDs, Western Digital.

    For RAM, Crucial

    Budget wise atm I could probably go as far as €200-250, what websites or shops would people say are the best for buying parts?


  • #4
    Losty Dublin
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 13,258 ✭✭✭✭Losty Dublin


    Adamocovic wrote: »
    Budget wise atm I could probably go as far as €200-250, what websites or shops would people say are the best for buying parts?

    That much money will not get you a lot of SSD and RAM though it will see you good for a conventional hard drive. If you need loads of applications then RAM is a better option over extra HD space.

    In relation to a retailer, Crucial and Komplett are very reliable retailers who sell Mac happy components.


  • #5
    shanec1928
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,203 ✭✭✭shanec1928


    Colonel Panic wrote: »
    What's your budget? I ask because getting a large SSD, while pricier than a new HDD is a massive upgrade. That plus maxing the RAM will make a big difference.

    For SSDs, Samsung. For HDDs, Western Digital.

    For RAM, Crucial
    id avoid the WD hdd. Any of the pcs that land in with work with faulty hdd have been WD


  • #6
    Colonel Panic
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,040 ✭✭✭Colonel Panic


    Anecdotal evidence.


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  • #7
    kevteljeur
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,287 ✭✭✭kevteljeur


    For a noticeable performance jump, get an SSD. You can get one from Amazon, but you need to do your homework for Mac compatibility and brand performance (it changes quickly). Also, SSDs can fail catastrophically after a while: http://blog.codinghorror.com/the-hot-crazy-solid-state-drive-scale/ - so have a good ongoing backup plan.

    But, some aspects of your Mac's performance will go through the roof. Anything that reads from the drive is much faster, such as booting up (from minutes to seconds). It's like getting a new, much faster Mac, actually, even though the processor is as slow as it was before.

    Consider replacing your optical drive with a high-capacity HDD, and what was your HDD with an SSD (the HDD in the optical slot will be slower and a bit of a pain, from experience, and you might need to have a separate back-up plan for that. It probably doesn't have motion-detecting auto-spindown that HDDs in the main bay have, so it's a matter of time before it dies).

    (I did all this for a late 2008 MBP. The RAM upgrade makes a difference, up to a point. It's not like it used to be. That is a bit processor-bound, and the newer Mac OS versions are very RAM-efficient. But the SSD upgrade... Wow. That's something to be seen to be believed.)


  • #8
    Adamocovic
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,292 ✭✭✭Adamocovic


    thanks for the replies guys, also I thought the max RAM that a mid 2010 Macbook Pro could take was 8GB but I have seen people put 16GB RAM in and have heard it is possible. Anyone know much about it? And is it only certain brands of 16GB RAM that work with the mid 2010 models?


  • #9
    kevteljeur
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,287 ✭✭✭kevteljeur


    This might help:
    http://blog.macsales.com/16302-some-2010-mac-owners-can-get-more-ram-than-they-thought#more-16302

    It's a firmware issue. Don't skimp on quality for RAM or SSD, get good brands (for example, Kingston were always good for RAM). Always buy in sets, with exact specs.


  • #10
    Maestro84
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 222 ✭✭Maestro84


    kevteljeur wrote: »
    For a noticeable performance jump, get an SSD. You can get one from Amazon, but you need to do your homework for Mac compatibility and brand performance (it changes quickly). Also, SSDs can fail catastrophically after a while: http://blog.codinghorror.com/the-hot-crazy-solid-state-drive-scale/ - so have a good ongoing backup plan.

    But, some aspects of your Mac's performance will go through the roof. Anything that reads from the drive is much faster, such as booting up (from minutes to seconds). It's like getting a new, much faster Mac, actually, even though the processor is as slow as it was before.

    Consider replacing your optical drive with a high-capacity HDD, and what was your HDD with an SSD (the HDD in the optical slot will be slower and a bit of a pain, from experience, and you might need to have a separate back-up plan for that. It probably doesn't have motion-detecting auto-spindown that HDDs in the main bay have, so it's a matter of time before it dies).

    (I did all this for a late 2008 MBP. The RAM upgrade makes a difference, up to a point. It's not like it used to be. That is a bit processor-bound, and the newer Mac OS versions are very RAM-efficient. But the SSD upgrade... Wow. That's something to be seen to be believed.)

    That article is from May 2011. Are SSD more reliable now?


  • #11
    kevteljeur
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,287 ✭✭✭kevteljeur


    Maestro84 wrote: »
    That article is from May 2011. Are SSD more reliable now?

    Very good question. I don't know, and I don't hear a lot of talk about it, but it's still a relatively new technology so it could take a while to shake out. Let's say, that I would still buy a good brand, and I would still back up as often as possible with Time Machine or Carbon Copy Cloner, and if the drive lasts 10 years then it's bonus.

    In that regard, no different to any laptop HDD (and I've been through a few up to now). It was posited as being a downside of the technology itself. It could be eliminated with changes in the technology, I just wouldn't bank on it.


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