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Why is My MacBook so slow? Specs included.

H

Herms2011

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 20, 2012
3
0
I have a 15 inch MacBook from Mid-Late 2010. I was wondering why my MacBook runs as slow as it does for the specs that it has, I do a lot of video editing (I have 3 different video editing programs, 3 different versions of Final Cut) I bought the upper level one so that it would run faster but it seems really slow. I understand this isn't very helpful but I was wondering if anybody knew of any RELIABLE ways to make your Mac faster, many thanks!


Model Name: MacBook Pro
Model Identifier: MacBookPro6,2
Processor Name: Intel Core i7
Processor Speed: 2.66 GHz
Number of Processors: 1
Total Number of Cores: 2
L2 Cache (per Core): 256 KB
L3 Cache: 4 MB
Memory: 4 GB
Processor Interconnect Speed: 4.8 GT/s
 
T5BRICK

T5BRICK

macrumors G3
Aug 3, 2006
8,313
2,387
Oregon
What are you usually doing when you feel that it's slow?

Of the top of my head, I'd say you could upgrade your RAM and install a SSD. That sure helped speed up my mid 2009 MBP.
 
H

Herms2011

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 20, 2012
3
0
It's just normal day to day things. Opening finder, switching applications, etc. How do I update my RAM, is it fairly simple?
 
Irock619

Irock619

macrumors 68000
Sep 16, 2011
1,788
293
San Francisco, CA
Herms2011 said:
I understand this isn't very helpful but I was wondering if anybody knew of any RELIABLE ways to make your Mac faster, many thanks
Click to expand...

T5BRICK said:
What are you usually doing when you feel that it's slow?

Of the top of my head, I'd say you could upgrade your RAM and install a SSD. That sure helped speed up my mid 2009 MBP.
Click to expand...

This ^ .....The best upgrade you can do.
 
1

12dylan34

macrumors 6502a
Sep 3, 2009
884
15
Herms2011 said:
I have a 15 inch MacBook from Mid-Late 2010. I was wondering why my MacBook runs as slow as it does for the specs that it has, I do a lot of video editing (I have 3 different video editing programs, 3 different versions of Final Cut) I bought the upper level one so that it would run faster but it seems really slow. I understand this isn't very helpful but I was wondering if anybody knew of any RELIABLE ways to make your Mac faster, many thanks!


Model Name: MacBook Pro
Model Identifier: MacBookPro6,2
Processor Name: Intel Core i7
Processor Speed: 2.66 GHz
Number of Processors: 1
Total Number of Cores: 2
L2 Cache (per Core): 256 KB
L3 Cache: 4 MB
Memory: 4 GB
Processor Interconnect Speed: 4.8 GT/s
Click to expand...
I would put the full 8GB that your machine will take in. 4GB is nothing for video editing. At least from my research it looks like it'll only take 8. 16+ is ideal, though. Just google how to install RAM. All you need is a screwdriver.
 
T5BRICK

T5BRICK

macrumors G3
Aug 3, 2006
8,313
2,387
Oregon
Herms2011 said:
How do I update my RAM, is it fairly simple?
Click to expand...

How to upgrade your RAM:

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Installing+MacBook+Pro+15-Inch+Unibody+Mid+2010+RAM/3032/1

You'll need a small 00 sized screwdriver to take the bottom case off. I bought a 8 in 1 set from Home depot for $5 several years back. It's $6 now.

How to upgrade your HDD:

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook+Pro+15-Inch+Unibody+Mid+2010+Hard+Drive+Replacement/3030/1

In addition to the screwdriver above, you'll also need a torx driver. I also bought an 8 in 1 set from Home Depot for this, it was $5 when I bought it, it's $6 now.

When shopping around for RAM, I'd suggest looking at Corsair, Crucial and g.skill. You don't have to buy "Mac" RAM, it's all basically the same stuff. Just match the specs of what you're buying with what you've already got(except for the capacity, of course), and read the reviews. Other Mac users will have posted their experiences. Here is what I put in my 13" mid 2009 MBP, haven't had a single problem.
 
H

Herms2011

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 20, 2012
3
0
Thank You all SO much! Stupid question, do you purchase more RAM, I just don't know how that works. Reputable place to buy it?
 
T5BRICK

T5BRICK

macrumors G3
Aug 3, 2006
8,313
2,387
Oregon
Herms2011 said:
Thank You all SO much! Stupid question, do you purchase more RAM, I just don't know how that works. Reputable place to buy it?
Click to expand...

I've bought RAM at newegg, Amazon and Fry's and probably a handful of other places I'm not remembering right now. Just read through the reviews of the RAM you're looking at before you buy to make sure it's going to work in your computer.
 
C

CocoSS

macrumors member
Aug 30, 2011
76
0
Check if there are jobs that are running in background.
Maybe your MB is indexing files.

Check activity monitor to see what is using RAM/CPU.
 
throAU

throAU

macrumors G3
Feb 13, 2012
8,822
6,987
Perth, Western Australia
How much hard drive space do you have, and how full is it?

If you have very little free space, the OS will not be able to store files contiguously and they will get fragmented. Also, the second "half" of the disk is slower than the first half - the disk gets slower as you move from the fast outside tracks at the start to the slower tracks toward the middle.
 
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