Upgrade RAM or SSD - 2011 Macbook Pro

It's difficult to say. How long were you running before you took that screen shot?

If you like to run with a lot of tabs/windows/apps open, and you're frequently having to use Swap, then RAM would probably help. But if you're experiencing slow running without having much open, say just Safari and one site open, then RAM probably isn't going to help. So give that a try for awhile and see if it's just as slow.

Regarding your HDD: run Verify Disk on it to see if the Directory looks OK. A HDD going bad can also cause slow running.

Reset the SMC: ("The computer is performing unusually slowly, though it isn't experiencing abnormally high CPU utilization.") https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201295

Run from another user account; set one up if you don't have one; it can easily be removed later.

Run Apple Hardware Test: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201257

These things can help determine if there's something else going on making your MBP slower, or if it's the RAM.

Please read this Apple article on RAM:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201464

You will note that the image you posted of Activity Monitor shows memory PRESSURE as yellow and red. The way that you are using your MBP indicates that more RAM is essential. Unless you are using very resource intensive applications, 8GB RAM would be sufficient. With the newer OSX's, the amount of RAM used is not the criteria for assessing if one had enough RAM, PRESSURE is (which ideally should be green).

Adding more RAM does not make the MBP faster but more efficient allowing the Mac to reach its operating potential. That gives the appearance of increasing speed. Installing an SSD will speed up the Mac and be very noticeable in startup, shutdown times and when running resource intensive applications.

For both RAM and SSD's, I recommend OWC and Crucial as the best sources for Mac compatible components.

Ciao.

One should avoid using RAM that does not meet the RAM specifications for a given MBP. Sometimes it will work (I have done so myself) and sometimes it will not. Your test apparently worked and I note that the memory pressure is green, as it should be.

When purchasing RAM for your MBP, I urge you to stay with the specifications that are prescribed for it: 204-pin PC-10600 (1333 MHz) DDR3 SO-DIMM. This way you will have installed what the Apple engineers had in mind and will avoid any possible unexpected results. Again, OWC and Crucial are the best sources for Mac compatible RAM.

Ciao.

Yeah 8GB will give you a nice boost in performance. I would definitely put in an SSD whenever you can afford one even if it's just 128 or 256GB. It will make a huge difference in read/write speeds as well as decrease your boot up time dramatically. I recommend using fast 1TB 7200rpm external drives to store photos, videos and files that you're either not working on or that aren't necessary to keep on the SSD. Storage has gotten much cheaper. I like the G Drives for their reliability but WD is cheaper and you just have to format them to MacOS Extended with disk utility. That will definitely add a couple of years of life to your machine. I agree with everyone that RAM should be the priority and then the SSD.

I have the same 2011 MBP. I upgrade both the ram and the SSD. The ram made some difference. The SSD made an AMAZING difference (Samsung 850 pro). With both upgraded, the 2011 MBP is just as fast as my souped up 15-inch 2016 MBP at common day to day activities. Obviously, for processor intensive tasks like using Handbrake or rendering video, the 2016 MBP will destroy the 2011 MBP. Otherwise, I'd be hard press to tell the difference when looking at email, surfing, using Word, doing spreadsheets, etc.

Hi,

If you know your RAM isn't being maxed out (using Swap), then I'd go for an SSD.

You are using a little Swap, meaning your MBP is sometimes running out of memory and having to use the HDD for storing things instead of the much faster RAM.

It isn't as clear cut as I'd like it, but I believe I'd get the RAM first. I recommend Crucial or Macsales/OWC for tested and 100% guaranteed for Mac compatibility, and lifetime warranty.