buying MBP 13" 2010 model worth the upgrade?

[lokster]

So i've never really needed a macbook before but my friend needed some money. She sold her macbook pro 13" 2010 model to me for 400$, same 4gb ram and 250gb hdd. The speakers are broken and she told me it would cost around 70$ to repair at the speakers at the local authorized retailer.

i'll pick it up later, but doing some research, it looks like i can upgrade to a 1TB hdd and 8gb ram, i know the max height is 9.5mm for the hard drive but im not sure which hard drive to get. I'd like 1TB to consolidate all my files into 😎

As for the 8GB ram, im having trouble finding 4gb sticks that are 1066mhz speed. i was thinking of buying two 4gb sticks of 1333mhz speed, i heard kingston brand is good, whichever may be compatible with the laptop


The battery i plan on changing if its close to 1000 cycles, what are the battery apps to check the condition of the battery and if it needs changing? and how much would a new battery cost? im hoping nothing more than 50$

All in all im expecting to spend
400$ + 70$ speaker repair + 70$ 8GB Ram + 70$ 1 TB HDD + 50$ battery+ 40$ case/screen protector/keyboard and palm rest cover

around 700$

is this a good buy? any thoughts or opinions?

 

[kfmfe04]

Hmm... ...why are you wondering if you bought it already?

I have a 2009 13" 2.53GHz, 256GB SSD, 8GB RAM, 200 cycle mbp in good condition that I would part with for around $600, so I think you got a decent price.

----------

btw, imho, an SSD upgrade is strongly preferable to a HHD upgrade on these older machines...

 

[youngplaya0228]

Screw the HDD, get a SSD. It'll make a huge difference on the computer. Get a decent 128GB SSD for like $140, and turn the old HDD into an external (or put it in the secondary spot) if you want. Boot up times goes from a minute to 15 seconds, and the laptop in general will fly Also, if possible, try to get the price dropped a bit due to the speakers. $470 for a 13" 2010 MBP is a bit much


Edit: As for the RAM, it must be a specific type (i know 1066 mhz speed is definitely one of them), otherwise it won't work. You'll need to google it to see which type, but you should be able to find it online or somewhere like Frys if you do some research. And as for the battery, good luck getting one for $50. I just bought one on Amazon for $80, and that was dirt cheap. Better get used to paying more, now that you have an Apple product

RAM online, and find out exactly what type of RAM you need here. Type you'll need will likely be a PC3-8500 DDR3 1066 MHz type RAM

 

[lokster]

Screw the HDD, get a SSD. It'll make a huge difference on the computer. Get a decent 128GB SSD for like $140, and turn the old HDD into an external (or put it in the secondary spot) if you want. Boot up times goes from a minute to 15 seconds, and the laptop in general will fly Also, if possible, try to get the price dropped a bit due to the speakers. $470 for a 13" 2010 MBP is a bit much


Edit: As for the RAM, it must be a specific type (i know 1066 mhz speed is definitely one of them), otherwise it won't work. You'll need to google it to see which type, but you should be able to find it online or somewhere like Frys if you do some research

ive been doing some research, i do want the SSD but i have several computers with my data spread across them, id like to consolidate all my files into one drive and have another external for back up purposes.

maybe in time il remove the optical drive and install an SSD. i heard there are SSD/HD combos

i figure il go to a store, and install the ram on the spot to see if it works.

----------

Hmm... ...why are you wondering if you bought it already?

I have a 2009 13" 2.53GHz, 256GB SSD, 8GB RAM, 200 cycle mbp in good condition that I would part with for around $600, so I think you got a decent price.

----------

btw, imho, an SSD upgrade is strongly preferable to a HHD upgrade on these older machines...

wondering because we've only talked about it, will meet up with her later to test the laptop myself and see if there are any other problems

now that you mention it, im having a speed vs storage battle with myself right now. i do like speed, but i also like space 😡 going with the 1TB will help me consolidate all my data on several computers into one.

 

[youngplaya0228]

ive been doing some research, i do want the SSD but i have several computers with my data spread across them, id like to consolidate all my files into one drive and have another external for back up purposes.

maybe in time il remove the optical drive and install an SSD. i heard there are SSD/HD combos

i figure il go to a store, and install the ram on the spot to see if it works.

----------



wondering because we've only talked about it, will meet up with her later to test the laptop myself and see if there are any other problems

now that you mention it, im having a speed vs storage battle with myself right now. i do like speed, but i also like space 😡 going with the 1TB will help me consolidate all my data on several computers into one.

I've edited my previous post with some links that should help. And any reason why you couldn't just get an external HDD? That way you can consolidate your data on several computers into one hard drive?

 

[kfmfe04]

I agree 100% with youngplaya0228 - SSD is much, much better than an HDD: much faster boot/load-times, drop-resistant, etc - the 2 upgrades I made to my 2009 mbp were to 8GB of memory and to 256GB SSD: the latter actually contributed much, much more to performance.

In fact, it allowed me to put off buying a new mbp for 2-3 years (I will prolly buy a mid-2014 this year).

Put your data on the HDD - in fact, buy an SSD instead of an HDD and if you don't have enough money, start saving for an HDD instead. Install one (external is fine) for your data later when you have enough money, and keep your old data configuration for now (or back it up on the cloud/web).

Don't go the other way around as you want your boot-disk/applications to be on SSD.

 

[lokster]

prices are pretty high for an SSD! $100+ for a decent amount of space. i think il take the 1tb option for now, then upgrade to an SSD when i have saved enough money. 😕

Speed may be important but at a high cost makes me doubt it

 

[youngplaya0228]

prices are pretty high for an SSD! $100+ for a decent amount of space. i think il take the 1tb option for now, then upgrade to an SSD when i have saved enough money. 😕

Speed may be important but at a high cost makes me doubt it

If you're only using your new MBP for non-intense tasks, I'd suggest using the $70 you'd use for either the speakers or the RAM to cover the extra $70 for a SSD. It's the single biggest upgrade you can do to an aging MBP. You won't notice much of a bump from the RAM unless you do some intense work on it, and if you just plug in some headphones you won't even notice the speakers. The SSD upgrade will affect every aspect of your time on the MBP, which is why we're pushing it so hard.

If you still don't wanna upgrade, then I'll drop it. Please feel free to ask anymore questions regarding an upgrade. Also, if you could, post the model number once you figure it out so we can link the specific RAM and battery that'll work for your laptop 🙂

 

[kfmfe04]

Other things to consider are heat/vibration/durability: SSD does not necessarily consume less power than HHD, but your machine will definitely run cooler with zero vibration.

You may think vibration doesn't matter, but if you use the built-in keyboard (as opposed to something like a mechanical USB keyboard), your palms will definitely feel the heat and vibration.

Anyhow, it doesn't make any difference to me, personally, if you go for SSD or not. Good luck with your build/fixes.

 

[brdeveloper]

So i've never really needed a macbook before but my friend needed some money. She sold her macbook pro 13" 2010 model to me for 400$, same 4gb ram and 250gb hdd. The speakers are broken and she told me it would cost around 70$ to repair at the speakers at the local authorized retailer.

Repair the speakers first to see if it's worth doing the other upgrades.

i'll pick it up later, but doing some research, it looks like i can upgrade to a 1TB hdd and 8gb ram, i know the max height is 9.5mm for the hard drive but im not sure which hard drive to get. I'd like 1TB to consolidate all my files into 😎

Samsung 840 EVO, Crucial MX100/M500/M550 are assured to work from forum users. The only issue with SATA III SSDs is if they'll work at SATA II speeds. Some models just downgrade to SATA I, which is not the expected result. The above models work at SATA II as expected.

As for the 8GB ram, im having trouble finding 4gb sticks that are 1066mhz speed. i was thinking of buying two 4gb sticks of 1333mhz speed, i heard kingston brand is good, whichever may be compatible with the laptop

You can find 4+4GB 1066Mhz modules "made for Mac" pretty easy on Ebay, Amazon, etc. The problem is if you want 16GB, so the only ready-to-install option is buying from OWC. The other options are:

1. Keep the 2GB module and buy a 8GB 1333MHz module, totaling 10GB. 1333MHz work it there is a 1066 module installed.

2. Buy a couple of 1333MHz Corsair "Value" modules (Kingston ones should work, but I the Corsair ones I tested personally). Buy Thaiphoon Burner, a $10 Window app which set the descriptors of the stick to inform 1066MHz to the logic board. Install only one of the modules on a Windows machine (or via Bootcamp on the Macbook) and run the application, following the site instructions. After reconfiguring the stick, turn off the computer, install the two modules on the Mac and your Mac will recognize both the modules. Just emphasizing, only one module needs to be reconfigured, since the 2010 Macbook just wants to find one 1066Mhz stick.

The battery i plan on changing if its close to 1000 cycles, what are the battery apps to check the condition of the battery and if it needs changing? and how much would a new battery cost? im hoping nothing more than 50$

Firstly, when you take your Mac for repairing the speakers, ask the technicians to check the battery. If it's not stuffed and it's giving around 3h when unplugged, it's perfectly operational and doesn't need replace. You're at risk of getting the same 3h of battery life with a brand new one.

All in all im expecting to spend
400$ + 70$ speaker repair + 70$ 8GB Ram + 70$ 1 TB HDD + 50$ battery+ 40$ case/screen protector/keyboard and palm rest cover
around 700$

is this a good buy? any thoughts or opinions?

I think I saved you some bucks 😎

 

[lokster]

Repair the speakers first to see if it's worth doing the other upgrades.

Samsung 840 EVO, Crucial MX100/M500/M550 are assured to work from forum users. The only issue with SATA III SSDs is if they'll work at SATA II speeds. Some models just downgrade to SATA I, which is not the expected result. The above models work at SATA II as expected.

You can find 4+4GB 1066Mhz modules "made for Mac" pretty easy on Ebay, Amazon, etc. The problem is if you want 16GB, so the only ready-to-install option is buying from OWC. The other options are:

1. Keep the 2GB module and buy a 8GB 1333MHz module, totaling 10GB. 1333MHz work it there is a 1066 module installed.

2. Buy a couple of 1333MHz Corsair "Value" modules (Kingston ones should work, but I the Corsair ones I tested personally). Buy Thaiphoon Burner, a $10 Window app which set the descriptors of the stick to inform 1066MHz to the logic board. Install only one of the modules on a Windows machine (or via Bootcamp on the Macbook) and run the application, following the site instructions. After reconfiguring the stick, turn off the computer, install the two modules on the Mac and your Mac will recognize both the modules. Just emphasizing, only one module needs to be reconfigured, since the 2010 Macbook just wants to find one 1066Mhz stick.

Firstly, when you take your Mac for repairing the speakers, as the technicians to check the battery. If it's not stuffed and it's giving around 3h when unplugged, it's perfectly operational and doesn't need replace. You're at risk of getting the same 3h of battery life with a brand new one.

I think I saved you some bucks 😎

I went to the store yesterday, and i checked
Speakers cost around $80 to repair and to replace the battery is $150.

i checked coconut battery and it worries me that the capacity is less than 50%. Battery life for me is more important than the speakers. i found a second hand battery for around $70 that has around 100 cycles. i will replace it with that, based on reviews a brand new Battery should last 6 hours+ with normal usage but we will see. i havent tested the battery yet but im thinking with less than 50% it should last two hours?

As for the SSD i simply cannot afford it, and i understand that i need space more than the speed. 1TB should be enough to consolidate my media/work files across two laptops and 1 desktop. Maybe in the future i will upgrade to an SSD/HD combo but for now space comes first.

For the RAM i was very lucky, it came with just 1 stick of 4GB, right now i stuck in a 2GB stick with the same speed, doesnt seem like a big difference, but i definitely will go with your option and possibly just buy 1 8GB stick and leave the 4Gb stick in giving me 12GB

With regards to the speakers, i thought id let it go, i used headphones most of the time and i have a beatspill bluetooth speaker which sounds pretty great. Maybe in time id fix the speakers with the SSD upgrade.

Many many thanks for the insight, it helps me make decisions alot 😀