Q: Worth it to upgrade hardware in 2011 MacBook Pro?
I have a late 2011 15" Macbook Pro (MacBookPro8,2):
CPU: Intel Core i7 (2.5 GHz, 4 cores, 256KB L2 cache, 8MB L3 cache)
Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 6770M 1024 MB
Memory: 16 GB 1333 MHz DDR3 (my upgrade using OWC RAM)
Storage: Hitachi 750GB HD, 7200RPM
The battery ***** - it won't hold much of a charge and I am always keeping it plugged in when possible since the battery just doesn't last too long.
But, knock on wood ... other than the battery, I am happy with this old thing: the performance is quite decent (running latest OS X 10.11.3).
Is it worth investing in some hardware upgrades that would rejuvenate it in a major way?
I am thinking of the following (with current OWC prices):
-new battery $99
-SSD, 480GB OWC Mercury Electra 6G $195 (this is $63 cheaper than the Extreme Pro equivalent)
-1TB HGST HD, 7200 RPM $98 (with data doubler, to install into CD area)
TOTAL: $392 (I could cut this to $287 if I cut both SSD and HD capacities in half)
Opinions? My only worry is this new h/w would be going into a near 5 year old laptop, how much life does it have left? Will a h/w upgrade investment be wasted due to other failures within 2 years?
Posted on Mar 1, 2016 8:58 PM
