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How to upgrade my 17in Mac Book Pro (Mid 2009)

H

happytown

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 26, 2014
5
0
London
Hi there,

I have a 5 year old Mac Book Pro- 17inch with 4gb memory currently and I've never had a single issue with it.

I am updating my Adobe products and I am worried that it has finally reached the edge of what it can handle.

I know I can add another 4gb of memory easily enough, but I would like advice on what the best memory cards are (if it matters).

Current memory: 2 x 2GB 1067 MHz DDR3


I also want to update the graphics card I think. On the Adobe website they have various recommendations of optimal graphics cards but I have no idea what my Mac could handle or be compatible with.

Current graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce 9400M 256 MB
(In 'About this Mac', it lists another graphics card 'NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT 512 MB - I'm not sure what this means and how these work together)

Apple store won't help without me paying for a consultation, which I'll do if necessary. But can anyone give me any advice about this?
 
Last edited:
happytown said:
I also want to update the graphics card.
Current graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce 9400M 256 MB
(In 'About this Mac', it lists another graphics card 'NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT 512 MB - I'm not sure what this means and how these work together)
Click to expand...

The graphics card can't be replaced.
You have the 9400M which is the chipset and you have the discrete 9600M GT 512MB.

The OS switches the card depending on what you do.
For example, when you are browsing the web you use the 9400M. When you fire up a game or a graphic intense app, the OS will switch to the discrete card
 

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hamiltonDSi said:
You can't upgrade your graphics card but you actually have 2 video cards in your computer.

You have the 9400M which is the chipset and you have the discrete 9600M GT 512MB.
Click to expand...

Thanks so much- I just spotted this and added it to my original post as you were typing it I guess.

Ok so can I check: Am I limited to 512Mb or do they work in tandem? I am a bit confused as to whether I have enough power to run Adobe Premiere Pro Creative Cloud. They are recommending 1GB as optimal (but not essential)
 
happytown said:
Thanks so much- I just spotted this and added it to my original post as you were typing it I guess.
Click to expand...

No problem. I also edited my first reply with more details and requoted your post.

happytown said:
Ok so can I check: Am I limited to 512Mb or do they work in tandem? I am a bit confused as to whether I have enough power to run Adobe Premiere Pro Creative Cloud. They are recommending 1GB as optimal (but not essential)
Click to expand...

They are not working in tandem.
Unfortunately, you are limited to 256MB on the 9400M and 512MB on the 9600M GT.
The 9600M GT is a good chip, but it's so..2009 :D.
When you run Adobe Premiere the OS will switch to the discrete graphics.

My advice : 8GB of Ram, 2 SSDs in Raid. You should be good for another couple of years.
 
hamiltonDSi said:
The 9600M GT is a good chip, but it's so..2009 :D.
When you run Adobe Premiere the OS will switch to the discrete graphics.

My advice : 8GB of Ram, 2 SSDs in Raid. You should be good for another couple of years.
Click to expand...


Ok that's really great to hear thanks so much -and thanks for the Raid tip I didn't know about that at all. :)
 
happytown said:
Ok that's really great to hear thanks so much -and thanks for the Raid tip I didn't know about that at all. :)
Click to expand...

You are welcome.
If you decide to go with RAID please talk to some more members because I'm not sure how RAID is working on your 2009 machine.
It can be done, but you will need some hardware (remove the SuperDrive to make room for the second SSD) & software tweaks.
 
Last edited:
happytown said:
Can I ask you another question?

I'm able to get a 1TB SSD for my Raid. You recommended getting 2 but would my Macbook be able to handle that?
Click to expand...

Please re-read my post above.
Your machine can handle RAID but I'm not sure what setup so I advised you to talk to other members who know exactly.

:)
 
hamiltonDSi said:
Please re-read my post above.
Your machine can handle RAID but I'm not sure what setup so I advised you to talk to other members who know exactly.

:)
Click to expand...

Ok great thanks very much- I didn't see your original post.

I'll follow it up and find out.

Thanks again
 
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