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Have a mid-2009 MacBook Pro, 13" screen and am about to upgrade to 8GB RAM to combat slow-running Aperture on Lion.. My video card is a NVIDIA GeForce 9400M 256 MB...is there a faster upgrade that is compatible with this model?
Nope, none, nada, zilch.
Only the RAM and the HDD are upgradeable. Rest is soldered in place and model/release specific. Can't even switch parts between releases, if you could get them.
On your next MBP, consider getting a 15" if you want faster video. The 13" have shared video memory, which competes with the main CPU and ruins video performance in grand fashion. 15" and 17" have dedicated VRAM up to 1GB and more powerful GPUs.
Nope, none, nada, zilch.
Only the RAM and the HDD are upgradeable. Rest is soldered in place and model/release specific. Can't even switch parts between releases, if you could get them.
On your next MBP, consider getting a 15" if you want faster video. The 13" have shared video memory, which competes with the main CPU and ruins video performance in grand fashion. 15" and 17" have dedicated VRAM up to 1GB and more powerful GPUs.
The video upgrade path for the MBP is simple. Sell the old one and buy a new one.
Allan
Not what I hope to hear, but pretty much waht I expected....Thanks for your responses, Courcoul, Allan...
EXPC-TG wrote:
Have a mid-2009 MacBook Pro, 13" screen and am about to upgrade to 8GB RAM to combat slow-running Aperture on Lion..
That would assist, along with a Firewire 800 external 2 drive RAiD 0 "scratch disk" autocloned/updated up nightly to a single spindle drive.
Keep your aperture library on the RAID 0, if it fails (twice as likely than a single spindle) then that's what the nightly autoclone update is for.
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/hard-drives/RAID/Desktop/
My video card is a NVIDIA GeForce 9400M 256 MB...is there a faster upgrade that is compatible with this model?
No way, but you can but a new machine, that comes with a new operating system that will require newer versions of software and likely newer third party hardware because the makers won't write drivers for 10.7
http://roaringapps.com/apps:table
https://discussions.apple.com/community/notebooks/macbook_pro?view=documents
Video card speed shouldn't be making too much of a difference it's more like your large files taking a long time to load, your boot drive is filling up.
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3045
the 13" incheres are never that powerful as the 15" and up, but the more RAM will assist.
ds store wrote:
EXPC-TG wrote:
Have a mid-2009 MacBook Pro, 13" screen and am about to upgrade to 8GB RAM to combat slow-running Aperture on Lion..
That would assist, along with a Firewire 800 external 2 drive RAiD 0 "scratch disk" autocloned/updated up nightly to a single spindle drive.
Keep your aperture library on the RAID 0, if it fails (twice as likely than a single spindle) then that's what the nightly autoclone update is for.
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/hard-drives/RAID/Desktop/
My video card is a NVIDIA GeForce 9400M 256 MB...is there a faster upgrade that is compatible with this model?
No way, but you can but a new machine, that comes with a new operating system that will require newer versions of software and likely newer third party hardware because the makers won't write drivers for 10.7
http://roaringapps.com/apps:table
https://discussions.apple.com/community/notebooks/macbook_pro?view=documents
Video card speed shouldn't be making too much of a difference it's more like your large files taking a long time to load, your boot drive is filling up.
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3045
the 13" incheres are never that powerful as the 15" and up, but the more RAM will assist.
If it is (as you say) "more like your large files taking a long time to load' how will using a drive that is somewhere between one half to one eighth as fast as an internal (bus speed don'cha know) going to help?
Csound1 wrote:
If it is (as you say) "more like your large files taking a long time to load' how will using a drive that is somewhere between one half to one eighth as fast as an internal (bus speed don'cha know) going to help?
SATA is faster than Firewire 800, only if it's used fully, the read/write speed of the drive is the bottleneck, not the interface.
Firewire 800 would be used more bandwidth with a external RAID 0 with 2 drives because the data path is split to go to each drive. Basically turning a 5,400 RPM drive into a 10,800 RPM drive or a 7,200 drive into a 14,400 RPM drive.
If they add more drives then even faster, but then hit the bandwidth limit of the interface used.
eSATA external drives would be ideal, but the Mac lack a port for that, Firewire or Thunderbolt would be next, but the 2009 Mac lacks a Thunderbolt.
Firewire 800 is next and with a RAID 0 of two 5,400 RPM drives, should be fine as a "scratch disk" for working on files. Lots of photographers and Photoshop types use this, it's all the OP needs really, any faster is a likely a waste.
The only problem is the failure rate for RAID 0's are higher the more drives are in the set, 2x, 3x, etc because the data path is split, one byte to this drive one byte to that drive..
One drive dies and the whole set is gone, all data disappears, so the data on the RAID 0 must be backed up nightly with auto-backup/cloning software when the RAID 0 isn't used.
It's "time shifting" basically, one gets a faster machine in the day and at night the lengthily backup occurs to the more reliable single spindle drive.
ds store wrote:
Csound1 wrote:
If it is (as you say) "more like your large files taking a long time to load' how will using a drive that is somewhere between one half to one eighth as fast as an internal (bus speed don'cha know) going to help?
SATA is faster than Firewire 800, only if it's used fully.
Firewire 800 would be used more with a external RAID 0 with 2 drives because the data path is split to go to each drive. Basically turning a 5,400 RPM drive into a 10,800 RPM drive.
If they add more drives then even faster, but then hit the bandwidth limit of the interface used.
eSATA external drives would be ideal, but Mac's lack a port for that, Firewire or Thunderbolt would be next, but the 2009 Mac lacks a Thunderbolt.
Firewire 800 is next and with a RAID 0 of two 5,400 RPM drives, should be fine as a "scratch disk" for working on files. Lots of photographers and Photoshop types use this.
The only problem is the failure rate for RAID 0's are higher the more drives are in the set, 2x, 3x, etc because the data path is split, one byte to this drive one byte to that drive..
One drive dies and the whole set is gone, so the data on the RAID 0 must be backed up nightly with auto-backup/cloning software when the RAID 0 isn't used.
It's "time shifting" basically, one gets a faster machine in the day and at night the lengthily backup occurs to the more reliable single spindle drive.
"Basically turning a 5,400 RPM drive into a 10,800 RPM drive"
So what when it is on a very slow bus
FW800 = 0.8gigabits
Sata1 = 1.5gigabits
Sata2 = 3.0gigabits
Sata3 = 6.0gigabits
Your advice is ridiculous.
The Mid 2009 MBP has a 3.0 Gbps Serial ATA internal
The OP's drive is likely the stock 5,400 RPM, likely nearly full or data is on the second 50% where it's slower and thus not giving it's optimal I/O.
They obviously wouldn't be here complaining if they did.
So not only do they need to free up room on their boot drive, but they need speed as well and there is no faster external interface on the 2009 MBP but Firewire 800.
And to maximize the Firewire 800 one needs a 2- RAID 0
Turn in your geek badge, your fired! 😁
Oh, and since 2009 machine is 3 years old, it's in it's final life stages, especially for a laptop so the OP having two backup copies of their precious photo's before their drive dies is a added bonus.
See you later gator! 😁
And to add further insult injury...
The boot drive is also doing all sorts of other things in the background like caching all that spare memory the OP is using to load those files, it can only do one thing at a time.
Having the data on the RAID 0 will free up not only space on the boot drive, but let the computer work faster as the data comes in via Firewire it's written first to memory and then cache on the boot drive if needed with no other "jobs" in the way.
🙂
Get one of the Mercury enclosures and 4 7,200 RPM drives, (one is a spare for the RAID 0)
Disk Utility erase with Zero all four, format GUID OS X extended journaled
2 - RAID 0 in Disk Uitlity.
Download Carbon Copy Cloner, shedaule the RAID 0 to clone to one drive.
Copy your main Aperture Library to the RAID 0 and thus it should clone to the extra drive.
Once you have a backup, reduce the content of your boot drive below 50% (ideal) but not more than 75% using a external storage drive, this will free up room on the internal.
Use another external drive (blank) use CCC to clone the OS X partiton to it and hold the option key to boot from it, test it out, then erase the interal drive and reverse clone.
When you boot your laptop will be snappy again as you freed up drive space (below 50% hopefully) and you defragmented and optimized OS X with the reverse cloning process.
When you get your new computer, your ready to go. You can later opt to get a Thunderbolt external enclosue and move those drives right in. 😉
ds store wrote:
And to add further insult injury...
The boot drive is also doing all sorts of other things in the background like caching all that spare memory the OP is using to load those files, it can only do one thing at a time.
Having the data on the RAID 0 will free up not only space on the boot drive, but let the computer work faster as the data comes in via Firewire it's written first to memory and then cache on the boot drive if needed with no other "jobs" in the way.
🙂
None of which will compensate for using a bus that is 300% slower.
Csound1 wrote:
None of which will compensate for using a bus that is 300% slower.
Bus speed isn't everything, all parts of the computer must be fast. 🙂
AAHHGGGHHH, quit yer biotchin!
RAID 5. Add 4 3.5" drives of your favorite brand, flavor, size. e-SATA or FW800.
ds store wrote:
Csound1 wrote:
None of which will compensate for using a bus that is 300% slower.
Bus speed isn't everything, all parts of the computer must be fast. 🙂
Come on, it's not hard, in any chain the slowest link is the maximum speed available from the chain. you have a hosepipe, it flows 1 gallon per minute, it matters not that the pump can supply 10 gallons per minute, only 1 gallon will emerge from the hose, per minute.
Video card Upgrade options?
