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Upgrade RAM or SSD - 2011 Macbook Pro

Hi,


My late 2011 MacBook Pro has become very slow. I plan to use my laptop for another 1-2 years and I was told to upgrade my RAM or move to SSD to increase its performance / speed.


Here is my current specs:


  • Late 2011 Macbook Pro 13"
  • OS: Sierra
  • Processor: 2.8 GHz Intel Core i7
  • RAM: 4 GB (2x 2 GB) 1333 MHz DDR3
  • Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 3000 384 MB
  • Storage: 750 GB SATA drive (350 GB used)


Note 1: I use my laptop for everyday things like a) Checking mail b) Working on MS office tools c) Browsing the net (opening multiple tabs). Most of the time I do all these simultaneously.


Note 2: My RAM mostly run at 80%-90% capacity all the time and it goes to 90%+ when I use multiple tabs for browsing in Safari/Chrome.


Due to financial constraints I can't upgrade my RAM and move to SSD at the same time and I need to choose one option.


Option 1: Upgrade to Crucial 16 GB (2x8 GB) RAM ~ $85 USD

Note 3: Apple recommends 8 GB max for my late 2011 MacBook Pro but unofficially it can support up to 16 GB.


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008LTBJK2/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&col id=39ZVGXQRF3CZY&coliid=I3QILLSMY8PB0J&p…


Option 2: Move to Samsung 500 GB SSD ~ $130 USD


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OBRE5UE/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&col id=39ZVGXQRF3CZY&coliid=I3TS6MX0EZ9XCW&t…


I need to know which option I should do first. I can't afford to do both together.


Thanks


J

iPhone 5s, iOS 7.0.4

Posted on Nov 29, 2016 4:54 PM

Reply
20 replies

Nov 29, 2016 7:33 PM in response to rejo_mj

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.

Nov 29, 2016 7:20 PM in response to rejo_mj

Update:


I did a test by closing all the app and just opened Safari. I used the following tabs in Safari.


1) Youtube with a video being played in the background

2) Facebook home page (after scrolling downing the website pages)

3) Yahoo homepage

4) 6 other pages from yahoo


After all pages are loaded, my RAM goes to 92% (3.69 GB). See screenshot below.


Right after I close all the tabs except for Youtube my RAM utilization goes down to 67% and after 10 mins comes up to 87%.


User uploaded file

Nov 29, 2016 7:49 PM in response to tjk

1) I opend Safari and watched a video for 10 mins. Then I opened Facebook, Yahoo and other tabs for the test and within 2-3 mins the RAM went up to 92%.


2) Regarding resetting of SMC - I did this sometime back (a month back)


3) I had given my laptop to the Apple store and they ran all the background checks and did not find any problem. They even deleted all the unnecessary apps in the "Launch" folder that ran in the background


Note: My MBP has been slow from last 1+ yr. I even reinstalled the OS (Sierra) as a fresh copy.


My RAM is still at 88% after just keeping the Youtube video on. Now only if I fully close and reopen Safari will my RAM stabilize to 60%-70%.

Nov 30, 2016 8:13 AM in response to rejo_mj

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.

Nov 30, 2016 10:04 AM in response to OGELTHORPE

Thanks a lot!


So I borrowed 8 GB (2 x 4GB) RAM from a friends 2012 MBP (which runs at a higher speed of 1600 MHz) and installed it in my MBP for a quick test before I purchase the 8 GB RAM for my MBP.


As you can see from the screenshot below, I played 4-5 video on Youtube simulatenouly and opened another 20+ pages from Yahoo. At peak my RAM was running at ~80%. So, my MBP performed really well and 8 GB RAM is good enough for now.


I then opened MS Excel and Word and that took some time to open up. I guess that's because of my SATA drive and moving to SSD should solve this problem and make MS Excel and Word load up faster?


User uploaded file

Nov 30, 2016 11:37 AM in response to rejo_mj

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.

Nov 30, 2016 12:36 PM in response to rejo_mj

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.

Upgrade RAM or SSD - 2011 Macbook Pro

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