Very Slow MacBook Pro (13in, Mid 2012)

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Level 1

4 points

Very Slow MacBook Pro (13in, Mid 2012)

This laptop has been collecting dust for a couple years and I decided that I want to try to make it semi-functional again for personal use.

I backed up all the old files and performed a factory reset thinking it would solve the issues. I do not wish to restore it the way it was via Time Machine. I am treating this as though it's a new computer to me.

It appears that if I were to install SSD cards and maybe a new battery that it may help performance, but I have no clue how to approach fixing a Runaway Process.

I was hoping someone could explain this report to me in Layman's terms and maybe help me with what steps I should take to return its usefullness. I know this computer is a dinosaur, but I feel like it shouldn't be unusable for basic web browsing and cloud based file management.

Thanks to anyone who helps!

EtreCheck Report 20201122

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Nov 22, 2020 4:39 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Rafael Scheid

Level 5

5,356 points

Nov 22, 2020 5:37 PM in response to jensen311

Well, about hardware:

SSD is nowadays a must have in order to run modern systems like Catalina. Even with 4GB of RAM it'll improve performance a lot.

4GB of RAM is also way too low for modern systems. macOS alone would use more than that just to run well.

Battery can affect performance, but your report shows Normal condition even with very high cycle counting, so you might not need to attack it first. Go for an SSD and more RAM (8GB at least, 16GB would be great).

About software:

As you just installed macOS, running processes might be Finder indexing files, Photos downloading and indexing images etc. Let it be for some hours and it'll finish and free up some CPU and RAM.

A mechanical hard drive also makes all theses processes slower.

SSD and RAM are your first priority in order to make you Mac run properly. Once you change them, you'll see a great performance improvement.

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Answer 2

Allan Jones

Level 10

81,294 points

Nov 29, 2020 11:46 AM in response to jensen311

I see no software interferences. Your issue, as other have suggested, is the hard drive, Your performance:

Performance:

System Load: 1.93 (1 min ago) 2.94 (5 min ago) 2.06 (15 min ago)

Nominal I/O speed: 4.36 MB/s

File system: 120.75 seconds (timed out)

Write speed: 28 MB/s

Read speed: 41 MB/s

Nominal for that drive is a slow 55-80MB/sec; yours is glacial by comparison.

Anytime you change the hard drive in this model, change the drive cable at the same time. They wear from the vibration of normal use and transport over 3-6 years. The fact that the disk test rimes out could indicate the cable is bad.

I also upgraded my 2012 non-Retina 13-inch to an SSD. These are the actual drive numbers from mine using the same utility:

System Load: 1.61 (1 min ago) 1.60 (5 min ago) 2.94 (15 min ago)

Nominal I/O speed: 0.15 MB/s

File system: 28.20 seconds

Write speed: 487 MB/s

Read speed: 482 MB/s

Like pablo, I feel like it is a new computer.

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Answer 3

Nov 29, 2020 11:09 AM in response to jensen311

Hi, I installed a SSD in my MacBook Pro mid 2012 few months ago and It change everything. It’s another Mac, very fast. Now I can open five or six apps at same time without problems.

Best,

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Answer 4

jensen311 Author

Level 1

4 points

Nov 30, 2020 2:36 PM in response to jensen311

Thanks everyone for all the insight. I ordered a Crucial 1TB SSD and a 16GB RAM kit and of course my the 00 Phillips head was missing from my precision screwdriver kit.

I have a 2-week business trip coming up so it’ll have to wait...

Thanks again to all who chimed in!

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Answer 5

Nov 29, 2020 1:15 PM in response to Allan Jones

And is not expensive.. :)

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Very Slow MacBook Pro (13in, Mid 2012)

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