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My MacBook Pro questions

Namji

Namji

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Aug 13, 2010
627
20
So I have a macbook pro that I purchased in 2010 new and this laptop has been phenomenal until recently when I installed the latest OS Mavericks back in oct. 2013. I started to experience slower speeds when I open apps such as iPhoto, iMovie, and Safari. I have not made any changes except installing the new OS version. The specs of my laptop is on my signature. Can anyone suggest what I can do to bring back the speeds I used to have prior to installing the new OS?

And would anyone know what and why it causes my laptop to slow down? I mean my laptop was perfectly fine a few years ago and today it is to the point that it is frustrating to operate... Thanks, in advance.
 
G

Greg1fraser

macrumors member
Aug 14, 2014
32
0
inverness scotland
Namji said:
So I have a macbook pro that I purchased in 2010 new and this laptop has been phenomenal until recently when I installed the latest OS Mavericks back in oct. 2013. I started to experience slower speeds when I open apps such as iPhoto, iMovie, and Safari. I have not made any changes except installing the new OS version. The specs of my laptop is on my signature. Can anyone suggest what I can do to bring back the speeds I used to have prior to installing the new OS?

And would anyone know what and why it causes my laptop to slow down? I mean my laptop was perfectly fine a few years ago and today it is to the point that it is frustrating to operate... Thanks, in advance.
Click to expand...

The operating systems become more demanding on the Hardware as the OS brings more features etc over time it will slow down 4 years i would personally say is about normal for it to start to lag, best thing to do would be to reinstall the original OS and see if that improves your laptop experience
 
sjinsjca

sjinsjca

macrumors 68020
Oct 30, 2008
2,238
555
Sounds possible your HDD is getting old. These slowdowns can be very vexing yet not come up as a failure on diagnostics. Drives are cheap; the Seagate Momentus XT works really well with Mavericks. I'd just replace the drive.
 
Namji

Namji

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Aug 13, 2010
627
20
Thanks for the feedback guys. I guess I will just tough it out until its time for me to get a new macbook pro or until this notebook dies... :(
 
SirCarrington

SirCarrington

macrumors newbie
May 16, 2012
28
3
Newfoundland
The best way to get your speed back would be to upgrade to an SSD. Even a 2008 MBP seems fast on Mavericks when you don't have to wait for the hard drive.

Getting an SSD feels like getting a whole new computer.
 
Namji

Namji

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Aug 13, 2010
627
20
Can you please tell me which one to purchase? and how to install?
 
Namji

Namji

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Aug 13, 2010
627
20
Does anyone know if the new update will speed up or slow down my laptop?
 
S

sri001

macrumors newbie
Sep 18, 2014
5
0
People have mixed reviews on that topic.. I did not have any trouble with the new upgrade .. I do have a similar MBP as yours and I upgraded it to a ssd samsung 840 evo 250 gb just for my os and applications. And I have attached a portable drive for the big files such as music and videos etc .. With the new upgrade it takes less time to boot ex for 10-15 sec compared to over 1 min ...

So I would defintely advise an SSD and a fresh install of OSX to keep you going for another 3 years with out a prob..
 
Namji

Namji

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Aug 13, 2010
627
20
ABC5S said:
How full is your hard drive ? Near full and this to will slow things down.


iFixit guide link below may have some helpful tips on how to upgrade some models. Look for yours


https://www.ifixit.com/Guide
Click to expand...

Thanks I will look into it. My hard drive is not that full. I do have all my pictures and music on it. Perhaps I should move them to my external hard drive? If I move all my music from my laptop to my External hard drive, will the music still be available on iTunes?
 
Namji

Namji

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Aug 13, 2010
627
20
Version: 10.9.4
Format: Mac OS Extended ( Journaled )
Capacity: 319.21 GB
Available: 112.77 GB
So I am using 206.45 GB. Should I clean some up?? What would be the threshold limit to where the laptop will run more smoothly??

thanks.
 
S

Samuelsan2001

macrumors 604
Oct 24, 2013
7,729
2,153
That is fine

Your HD looks to be fine for space, of course a 4 year old hard drive could be starting to fail and that will slow everything down.

Back everything up and throw in another hard drive if you can to test, of course an SSD is a fantastic upgarde well worth the effort.
 
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