Can I save my MacBook Pro RAM on an external hard drive?

Musickeys wrote:

The issue I'm having is that my 2011 Macbook pro is running painfully slow and my 4gig ram is completely maxed out. I want to free up the ram space but not lose all of the data. What do I need to do?

Reboot frees up RAM...

You can install larger amount of RAM this is not an issue— and you lose nothing.

Your 2011 will recognize 16 GB RAM (actual)

Upgrade memory on your Mac - Apple Support

Best to buy RAM from reliable source with the exact specs.

Usually a lifetime guarantee on RAM from third party source like:

https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/Apple_MacBook_MacBook_Pro/Upgrade

OWC/Macsales excellent customer support if in doubt call them.

Musickeys wrote:

The issue I'm having is that my 2011 Macbook pro is running painfully slow and my 4gig ram is completely maxed out. I want to free up the ram space but not lose all of the data. What do I need to do?

Answer these questions in your head:

• Is the computer slow to boot?
• Are many apps and even System Preferences very slow to launch?
• Once those same apps launch, do they seem to perform OK?

If you get three "Yes" answers, you do not have a RAM problem—you have a hard drive problem. That is based on innumerable posts of "slow Macs" here over the years. Probably 95 percent of those posts turned out to be a drive problem.

This is common with entry-level Macs of that vintage because they usually have a slow 5400rpm mechanical hard drive rated at only 3GB/sec but is connected to a 6GB/sec drive bus that will handle a much faster mech hard drive or a solid state drive.

No amount of RAM will fix the problem if this is due to your hard drive.

To see hard data on whether RAM and/or the drive are having issues, you can post an EtreCheck report. It only reports what may be wrong and cannot reveal any personal or security info. It is the single best tool we contributors here have for diagnosing computers we can neither see nor touch in a text-only based venue. It also save you getting to play a protracted game of "20 Questions" with us that will only delay finding the real problem.

Get EtreCheck Pro here: https://etrecheck.com

Run the app to get a report, To post it here you must use the forums; "Addition Text" function. See this user tip for how to do that:

How to use the Add Text Feature When Post… - Apple Community

Musickeys wrote:

Can I save my ram and hard drive memory on an external hard drive and then wipe my computer clean to start fresh

?

No. What is the issue you are having...(?)

RAM = memory

SSD = storage

Any new Mac both are soldered to the logic board..

You can also erase/format/initilize the hard drive and start fresh, if you value your user data you need a backup to restore that user data.

How to reinstall macOS from macOS Recovery - https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204904

Erase and reinstall macOS - Apple Support - https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/erase-and-reinstall-macos-mh27903/mac

How to erase your Intel-based Mac - https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208496

Restore your Mac from a backup

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT203981

Musickeys wrote:

I've read that for this MacBook model, the most ram that it will take is 8gigs (4+4). But 16gig memory slots (8+8) are being sold by this 3rd party vendor for my exact Mac model. Did the compatibility change? Is this correct?

Apple specs do not change after the initial release.

I tried to make the point your Mac will recognize 16GB successfully without issue—yes.

8 x 8

If in doubt contact the supplier— if it did not work they would not be selling kits for your 2011 MBP.

You cannot go wrong with OWC/Macsales well ahed of the curve all things Mac.