Upgrade MacBook Pro 15 Inch Mid 2010

CivRules · Dec 31, 2013

HI 2 ALL

Ok, I currently have the following MacBook Pro,

15 Inch Mid 2010
I Core 7 2.66 GHz
4 GB Ram
GeForce GT330M 512MB

Q1, Can I confirm the graphics card/chip is soldered on and therefore immovable/not upgradable? I'm 99.99% that's the case.

Q2, I plan on upgrading the RAM ASAP to 8GB, however I was hoping to increase it to 16GB (2 x 8GB), is it possible, does it work, is it worthwhile and are there any adverse issues if I were to go this far?

Q3, Can I replace the HDD? If so can you please recommend a good replacement. Looking for speed and efficiency.

Thanks and PARTY like it's the last day of 2013! NYE!!!

maflynn · Dec 31, 2013

Q1 - yes the GPU is soldered.
Q2 - Officially it can only handle 8gb but I believe you can buy 2x8 ram and it should work
Q3 - yes the hard drive is replaceable, I'd look for a SSD perhaps from samsung

saturnotaku · Dec 31, 2013

CivRules said:
Q1, Can I confirm the graphics card/chip is soldered on and therefore immovable/not upgradable? I'm 99.99% that's the case.

You are correct. The GPU is not upgradable, though to be fair, this is only the case for a very small handful of notebooks (select Alienware, MSI, and Sager/Clevo), and the cost is often rather steep.

Q2, I plan on upgrading the RAM ASAP to 8GB, however I was hoping to increase it to 16GB (2 x 8GB), is it possible, does it work, is it worthwhile and are there any adverse issues if I were to go this far?

The 13-inch 2010 MacBook Pro can handle 16 GB. Unfortunately, the 15-inch cannot. You are stuck at 8 GB.

Q3, Can I replace the HDD? If so can you please recommend a good replacement. Looking for speed and efficiency.

Absolutely. If you don't need a ton of space, buy a solid-state disk (SSD). They will make your system feel as new. Samsung and Crucial are your best choices in terms of brand.

If you need more room and don't fancy replacing your optical drive, a Seagate Momentus XT is a good compromise for space, price, and performance.

R.Youden · Dec 31, 2013

I have the same machine as you (I think) and I am going to sell it for spares / repair as there is an issue with the CPU.

I have 8gb or RAM you can buy from me for a good price if you like (crucial RAM).

Also I have the high res display (1680 x 1050). Upgrading the display is a great mod for these machines if you are a bit tech savvy.

I live north of London so mailing these out is easy.

CivRules · Dec 31, 2013

Firstly, Thanks.

It's nice to see people helping others out without the criticism.

So my hunch was right about the graphics card, not an issue really as I very rarely play or use the system for gaming.

As for the RAM, I had read the 13 INCH Model was upgradable so thought I might have an outside chance. Looks like 8GB will just have to do.

HDD - Been thinking about installing a SSD as I don't use the optical drive EVER. Everything is digitally installed one way or another. I'll have a look around, should only require between 125 - 250GB MAX SSD as I backup everything. Apart from Samsung, any other recommendations?

ENJOY THE FESTIVITIES

Orlandoech · Dec 31, 2013

Samsung 840, 840 Pro, Evo
Intel 520
Crucial M500

Freyqq · Dec 31, 2013

CivRules said:
Firstly, Thanks.

It's nice to see people helping others out without the criticism.

So my hunch was right about the graphics card, not an issue really as I very rarely play or use the system for gaming.

As for the RAM, I had read the 13 INCH Model was upgradable so thought I might have an outside chance. Looks like 8GB will just have to do.

HDD - Been thinking about installing a SSD as I don't use the optical drive EVER. Everything is digitally installed one way or another. I'll have a look around, should only require between 125 - 250GB MAX SSD as I backup everything. Apart from Samsung, any other recommendations?

ENJOY THE FESTIVITIES

Intel 330
Samsung 840 EVO
Samsung 840 Pro

Note that you have SATAII, so you are capped at 250 mb/s. Still plenty lol, but keep that in mind. Also, SATA III is backwards compatible with SATA II, so you can get a newer SSD and not have to worry about it.

Orlandoech · Dec 31, 2013

Freyqq said:
Intel 330
Samsung 840 EVO
Samsung 840 Pro

Note that you have SATAII, so you are capped at 250 mb/s. Still plenty lol, but keep that in mind. Also, SATA III is backwards compatible with SATA II, so you can get a newer SSD and not have to worry about it.

Since he is capped at SATAII Speeds, I wouldnt recommend him to buy a higher end SSD since its virtually a waste of extra money.

Any Non SanForce based SSD would be sufficient.

Samsung 840
Crucial M500
Intel 330
etc

Freyqq · Dec 31, 2013

Orlandoech.com said:
Since he is capped at SATAII Speeds, I wouldnt recommend him to buy a higher end SSD since its virtually a waste of extra money.

Any Non SanForce based SSD would be sufficient.

Samsung 840
Crucial M500
Intel 330
etc

True. I have the same computer and upgraded to 8gb of ram and a Samsung 830 (the precursor to the 840 Pro). It runs great.

glenthompson · Dec 31, 2013

SSD drives like the Samsung Evo are about the same price or cheaper than SataII drives if you can find them. It also has larger sizes available. As long as you have sufficient memory a SSD is the absolute best performance upgrade going.

I have found 8gb to be plenty except when running Parallels. My wife needs more because she tends to have multiple browser windows with a dozen tabs each in addition to a bunch of other programs.

CivRules · Jan 1, 2014

Hey all,

Firstly Happy New Year to you all & again a BIG THANKS for all the info. You've all chipped in and subsequently i've learnt a lot more about my laptop and its capabilities.

So i'm going to upgrade to 8GB RAM Immediately and going to purchase the Samsung EVO 840 250GB.

Last but not least (I will be researching this ASAP), as i'm limited to SATA II capabilities, is it not possible to upgrade to SATA III? Or is this just a pipe dream?

Again thanks for your help.

Now it's about getting what I want for the best price. WWW here I come!

Happy New Year

CivRules · Jan 1, 2014

Ok, seems like every question I ask myself I keep delving deeper and deeper into an abyss of information.

So i'm thinking I will replace my HDD with a Samsung EVO SSD 256GB. That's easy an all, but the next part is replacing my OPTICAL DRIVE with either another SSD or an HDD.

The Samsung is going to be my primary drive from which I boot from. The OPTICAL DRIVE, which will be replaced, will simply become a storage device.

Q1, Samsung as the primary drive, good or bad?

Q2, OPTICAL DRIVE - Suggestions and recommendations please, SDD or HDD? Can I use the HDD currently installed as an internal storage device?

Q3, To make life simpler, is it possible/easier to just replace the OPTICAL DRIVE with the Samsung EVO and switch that over to become the primary boot drive?

Sorry for asking more questions, just trying to work out the most efficient way to upgrade the laptop with the least amount of hassle.

Thanks.

raptor402 · Jan 1, 2014

CivRules said:
Ok, seems like every question I ask myself I keep delving deeper and deeper into an abyss of information.

So i'm thinking I will replace my HDD with a Samsung EVO SSD 256GB. That's easy an all, but the next part is replacing my OPTICAL DRIVE with either another SSD or an HDD.

The Samsung is going to be my primary drive from which I boot from. The OPTICAL DRIVE, which will be replaced, will simply become a storage device.

Q1, Samsung as the primary drive, good or bad?

Q2, OPTICAL DRIVE - Suggestions and recommendations please, SDD or HDD? Can I use the HDD currently installed as an internal storage device?

Q3, To make life simpler, is it possible/easier to just replace the OPTICAL DRIVE with the Samsung EVO and switch that over to become the primary boot drive?

Sorry for asking more questions, just trying to work out the most efficient way to upgrade the laptop with the least amount of hassle.

Thanks.

1. Definitely the SSD as the primary drive.
2. You can go either way. I have an SSD in the main bay and an HDD in the optical bay. The SSD is boot and general use while the HDD is storage and Boot Camp. In the 2010 model, it shouldn't matter where the SSD is.
3. You can do that. I suppose that you will be cloning your HDD over to SSD. In that case, format the HDD after you're done so you don't have a duplicate boot device.

Regards
Raptor

CivRules · Jan 1, 2014

raptor402 said:
1. Definitely the SSD as the primary drive.
2. You can go either way. I have an SSD in the main bay and an HDD in the optical bay. The SSD is boot and general use while the HDD is storage and Boot Camp. In the 2010 model, it shouldn't matter where the SSD is.
3. You can do that. I suppose that you will be cloning your HDD over to SSD. In that case, format the HDD after you're done so you don't have a duplicate boot device.

Regards
Raptor

Raptor,

Thanks for the info, much appreciated. Plan on completing this task this weekend. Going to make video of it and place it on YT. So if anyone here's some dimwitted Kiwi who lives in London and totally buggered up his MacBook Pro, that'll be me! Ha!

CivRules · Jan 4, 2014

Upgrade Complete!

Hey All,

Again thanks for all the info, with a little help from you and a little research my laptop is now upgraded!

Swapped the HDD with the Samsung Evo SSD 250GB. (Cloned before swapping over of course.)
Replaced the Optical Drive with the old HDD. (Used a Caddy and wiped the HDD clean to use as storage)
And upgraded the RAM from 4GB to 8GB from Crucial.

It really does feel like a new laptop, I can't stress out sweet it really feels. Hopefully this should last me another 2-3 years.

Thanks again everyone

UBS28 · Jan 4, 2014

CivRules said:
HI 2 ALL

Ok, I currently have the following MacBook Pro,

15 Inch Mid 2010
I Core 7 2.66 GHz
4 GB Ram
GeForce GT330M 512MB

Q1, Can I confirm the graphics card/chip is soldered on and therefore immovable/not upgradable? I'm 99.99% that's the case.

Q2, I plan on upgrading the RAM ASAP to 8GB, however I was hoping to increase it to 16GB (2 x 8GB), is it possible, does it work, is it worthwhile and are there any adverse issues if I were to go this far?

Q3, Can I replace the HDD? If so can you please recommend a good replacement. Looking for speed and efficiency.

Thanks and PARTY like it's the last day of 2013! NYE!!!

Upgrade to:
- 8 GB RAM (make sure it's compatible)
- upgrade to 1 TB Samsung 840 EVO ( or 500 gb if it's too expensive for you )

Then your machine will be super fast. (I got a 2010 15" MBP upgraded like this and it's flying )

----------

CivRules said:
Hey All,

Again thanks for all the info, with a little help from you and a little research my laptop is now upgraded!

Swapped the HDD with the Samsung Evo SSD 250GB. (Cloned before swapping over of course.)
Replaced the Optical Drive with the old HDD. (Used a Caddy and wiped the HDD clean to use as storage)
And upgraded the RAM from 4GB to 8GB from Crucial.

It really does feel like a new laptop, I can't stress out sweet it really feels. Hopefully this should last me another 2-3 years.

Thanks again everyone

Get the 500 gb at minimum for extra reliability if you can still return it

eldaddy · Apr 22, 2014

Hi there , id like to upgrade my ram, hard disk space and battery to give a new life to my otherwise perfect mid 2010 macbook pro..

do you guys know anyone who does it for a reasonable price in london ?

i do not really want to install these parts myself..

cheers,
Dave

CivRules said:
Hey All,

Again thanks for all the info, with a little help from you and a little research my laptop is now upgraded!

Swapped the HDD with the Samsung Evo SSD 250GB. (Cloned before swapping over of course.)
Replaced the Optical Drive with the old HDD. (Used a Caddy and wiped the HDD clean to use as storage)
And upgraded the RAM from 4GB to 8GB from Crucial.

It really does feel like a new laptop, I can't stress out sweet it really feels. Hopefully this should last me another 2-3 years.

Thanks again everyone

namethisfile · Apr 22, 2014

eldaddy said:
Hi there , id like to upgrade my ram, hard disk space and battery to give a new life to my otherwise perfect mid 2010 macbook pro..

do you guys know anyone who does it for a reasonable price in london ?

i do not really want to install these parts myself..

cheers,
Dave

no kernel panics on your mbp? you must have the unaffected ones. i have the same mbp as you and mine is a panic machine. lol!

sorry to hi jack the thread. just congratulating you, i guess, for a perfect machine since mine likes to self-restart a lot. lol.

ps--otherwise, without the KP, i guess that one could say mine is also perfect?

eldaddy · Apr 22, 2014

ah ah .. as long as u dont panick. u dont seem troubled, thats a start..

mine does crash from time to time and the battery time indicator is no longer so reliable and thus it dies on me more frequently which really doesnt seem to suit it

night/mornin to u.

namethisfile · Apr 22, 2014

eldaddy said:
ah ah .. as long as u dont panick. u dont seem troubled, thats a start..

mine does crash from time to time and the battery time indicator is no longer so reliable and thus it dies on me more frequently which really doesnt seem to suit it

night/mornin to u.

are your crashes gpu-related? if so, you might be having the same issue as me with my mid-2010 mbp.

there is nothing i can do. i don't have the money to replace logic board. and not sure how effective replacing the logic board would be if the problem, according to what i've read is related to this particular nvidia gt330m gpu.

even though i've rolled back to snow leopard out of desperation and the machine seems stable with it, snow leopard is not my answer since most of my apps aren't even compatible with it.

Barney63 · Apr 24, 2014

eldaddy said:
Hi there , id like to upgrade my ram, hard disk space and battery to give a new life to my otherwise perfect mid 2010 macbook pro..

do you guys know anyone who does it for a reasonable price in london ?

i do not really want to install these parts myself..

cheers,
Dave

It really is easy to do the upgrade yourself.
There are excellent videos of tear downs on iFixIt

Barney

AppleFanatic10 · Apr 24, 2014

saturnotaku said:
You are correct. The GPU is not upgradable, though to be fair, this is only the case for a very small handful of notebooks (select Alienware, MSI, and Sager/Clevo), and the cost is often rather steep.

The 13-inch 2010 MacBook Pro can handle 16 GB. Unfortunately, the 15-inch cannot. You are stuck at 8 GB.

Absolutely. If you don't need a ton of space, buy a solid-state disk (SSD). They will make your system feel as new. Samsung and Crucial are your best choices in terms of brand.

If you need more room and don't fancy replacing your optical drive, a Seagate Momentus XT is a good compromise for space, price, and performance.

I know this thread is old, but I wonder why the 13-inch MBP (2010) can handle more ram than the 15 inch??? I thought this was kind of odd.

yjchua95 · Apr 24, 2014

AppleFanatic10 said:
I know this thread is old, but I wonder why the 13-inch MBP (2010) can handle more ram than the 15 inch??? I thought this was kind of odd.

Yeah, I'm also stymied by it, but apparently it's true. The 13" 2010 ones can handle 16GB, while the 15"/17" 2010 ones can only handle 8GB.

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