Upgrading RAM and drive in mid-2012 15-in MacBook Pro (non-retina)

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Level 1

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Upgrading RAM and drive in mid-2012 15-in MacBook Pro (non-retina)

My mid-2012 15-inch MacBook Pro (non-Retina) has become dead slow. I'm wondering if upgrading RAM and/or drive will help. Current configuration is 2.6 GHz Intel Core i7, 8 GB RAM, 750 GB Apple HDD, roughly 2/3 full. I'm seeing memory upgrade kits for 16 GB RAM, but Apple states this machine can only go up to 8GB. The drive is big enough, but I'm wondering if an SSD will help with speed, as well. Any suggestions on either score?

MacBook Pro

Posted on Sep 30, 2019 9:19 AM

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Answer 1

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BobTheFisherman

Level 10

85,153 points

Sep 30, 2019 11:34 AM in response to Joe_A_E

A SSD will increase speed dramatically and if there is RAM pressure RAM will also improve performance. You can have up to 16GB RAM. Check OWC or Crucial for upgrade kits.

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Answer 2

babowa

Level 9

78,568 points

Sep 30, 2019 2:56 PM in response to Joe_A_E

Here are the specs for your device:

https://everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook_pro/specs/macbook-pro-core-i7-2.6-15-mid-2012-unibody-usb3-specs.html

If you have the default hard drive, it is an abysmally slow 5400 rpm drive which is about 33% slower than a desktop 7200 rpm drive. So, a 7200 rpm would be some improvement; and an SSD will blow it away. Check OWC as already suggested. RAM will also help, but even with more RAM, a 5400 rpm drive will do everything - read/write - in slow motion.

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Answer 3

Joe_A_E Author

Level 1

8 points

Sep 30, 2019 2:36 PM in response to BobTheFisherman

Thanks very much. I didn't want to invest in the RAM upgrade kit if it wasn't in fact supported by the machine. Since it is, and appears to be a DIY thing, I'll go for it.

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Upgrading RAM and drive in mid-2012 15-in MacBook Pro (non-retina)

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