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Best/Worst Upgrades?

mac-collector

mac-collector

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 8, 2012
117
0
Europe
Many MacRumors MBP owners keep good care of their investments. Always striving and trying new concepts to keep their computers running as fast and reliably as they possibly can.

So my question to you: What have you done to upgrade your MBPs? Which upgrades have worked out best for you? which ones haven't, and why?
Would you recommend them for anyone?
 
The best changes I have made were the 256 gb SSD and the 16 gb RAM upgrades. Boot times are faster, programs open faster and run more smoothly, and no heat issues. The addition of the Rain mStand also puts my MBP at a much more ergonomically pleasing height thereby relieving eye and neck strain.
 
You're too close-minded. I'm not just talking about internal hardware. I mean everything from cases, stickers and screen protectors to new fans and batteries. And new RAM and disks.
 
Best upgrade will be more RAM if you need it. An SSD is also a good idea.

Worst upgrade: more RAM if you don't need it. If you have almost no "page outs" with your current RAM setup then adding extra RAM will give you zero benefit.

Also, stickers, cases and screen protectors are not upgrades, they are accessories. Unnecessaryand often useless accessories in my opinion.
 
mac-collector said:
You're too close-minded.
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Of course we are. What do you think about my clogs?
I'm not just talking about internal hardware. I mean everything from cases, stickers and screen protectors to new fans and batteries. And new RAM and disks.
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Fans, battery, RAM and disks are internal hardware.
And I got an external SPECK case for my 17" MBP, used it for some months and got rid of it again.

Next upgrade, inspired by you, will be a Alpenföhn K2 CPU cooler.

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mikeo007 said:
Best upgrade will be more RAM if you need it. An SSD is also a good idea.

Worst upgrade: more RAM if you don't need it. If you have almost no "page outs" with your current RAM setup then adding extra RAM will give you zero benefit.

Also, stickers, cases and screen protectors are not upgrades, they are accessories. Unnecessaryand often useless accessories in my opinion.
Click to expand...

Don't tell that to the person wishing for a 4 TB SSD in 2.5" form factor to backup some loops 13 times within a 17" 2006 iMac.
 
mikeo007 said:
....
Also, stickers, cases and screen protectors are not upgrades, they are accessories. Unnecessaryand often useless accessories in my opinion.
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So making your MBP stronger, rigid, more aesthetically-appealing and robust is not an upgrade? Tell that to the person dropped his MBP from 150 ft - it survived without a scratch. Just a useless accessory......

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mikeo007 said:
It's bad because it's $ that could be spent on something more useful, like a new pair of sunglasses or some cereal.
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With the current RAM prices, most people in the developed world can afford to lose $10, but nevertheless it's a loss.
 
mac-collector said:
So making your MBP stronger, rigid, more aesthetically-appealing and robust is not an upgrade? Tell that to the person dropped his MBP from 150 ft - it survived without a scratch. Just a useless accessory......

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With the current RAM prices, most people in the developed world can afford to lose $10, but nevertheless it's a loss.
Click to expand...

In my opinion, those accessories make a computer uglier looking. I also don't intend to drop my MacBook from the top of a 12 story building.

I also never said that all accessories are useless.
 
You said, and I quote:
mikeo007 said:
.... cases and screen protectors are not upgrades, they are accessories. Unnecessary [...] accessories in my opinion.
Click to expand...

You didn't say all of them were useless, but you implied that all of them are "unnecessary" and unnecessary is a synonym for useless - I checked in a thesaurus.

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mikeo007 said:
...I also don't intend to drop my MacBook from the top of a 12 story building.
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Oh, I must have forgot to mention: The guy dropped it by accident, yeah that came as a surprise to me too.
 
I have a late 2008 unibody MBP 2.8ghz with the following upgrades/additions:

8GB RAM
128GB SSD in the optibay + 1TB HDD in the stock location (Self-contained Time Machine FTW!)
Speck clear case
Green Onion ant-glare screen protector
iSkin keyboard cover

And I have a Goku decal on the way for the lid. :)

Planned upgrades:

Larger SSD
Larger HDD (once they exist in 12.5mm or thinner ;) )
 
Worst upgrade I made was a 120gb SSD. I wasn't 60 days before I knew I needed a bigger one. managing space is a PITA
 
Wirelessly posted

Best: OWC Data Doubler with 750GB Western Digital Scorpio Black 7200RPM hard drive. Since its the most recent upgrade.

Worse: 480GB OWC Mercury Extreme Pro 6G and 16GB RAM right when I got my early 2011 15" MacBook Pro.

I'm only disappointed because of the huge price drops. LOL However, I do not regret being an early adopter. I've gotten good use and continue to enjoy.

Most Proud Upgrade: Installing a 240GB OWC Mercury Extreme Pro 3G in my 2010 27" iMac. I used all the proper Apple cables and brackets to add the SSD requiring a full tear down.
 
Best upgrades I have done have been adding 8GB of RAM and a 240GB Intel 520 SSD. My MBP is so fast now its ridiculous start times are almost non existent which is great. As far as accessories go I use the Belkin Zerostand, Magic Mouse, wireless keyboard, 27" Thunderbolt display, and I have a nice Thule case for transporting the MBP around.
 
Macman756 said:
You said "upgrades", which "stickers" are not.
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Many people consider better looking MBPs an upgrade. What is better looking? That depends on personality, style, preference and a lot more. Not everyone has to agree on what is good/bad looking. I want this thread to suit anyone, hence I included it.

Is going from 3 GB to 16 GB an upgrade on my grandmothers computer? By your definition?
 
simsaladimbamba said:
Depends on your grandmother's computational needs. Just because a woman is a grandmother, which one can get while in one's thirties, does not mean one uses a computer for less intensive stuff.
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Only I (of all the people participating in this thread) know how she uses her computer. And she still has dial-up and doesn't know what Google or Facebook are, and has never installed anything on her computer. In short: She doesn't use her computer for intensive stuff.

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NutsNGum said:
The troll is strong in this one.
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Can you please let me know who the troll is, so I can try to kick them from this thread. Thank-you.
 
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