How can i make my Mac faster?

[antsalz]

I have a 15 inch late 2011 macbook pro, i mean not to get me wrong it is fast, but what are some ways that i can make my laptop even faster without going out and buying hardware..

 

[grizfan]

I have a 15 inch late 2011 macbook pro, i mean not to get me wrong it is fast, but what are some ways that i can make my laptop even faster without going out and buying hardware..

I have the same MBP (2.0GHz Core i7). I bumped the memory up to 16GB, which helps in certain applications. When I replaced the original hard drive with an SSD, though, that made a massive difference. It felt like a new computer. Startup, shutdown and application loading was nearly instant.

For reference, I took out the DVD drive, moved that to an external USB enclosure, and then used a special bracket to re-use the original hard drive in the DVD drive bay, and set the 256GB SSD as my new primary drive. I keep my iPhoto library and iTunes library on the hard drive, and most everything else on the SSD. This was the best money I ever spent on a computer upgrade...

 

[antsalz]

I have the same MBP (2.0GHz Core i7). I bumped the memory up to 16GB, which helps in certain applications. When I replaced the original hard drive with an SSD, though, that made a massive difference. It felt like a new computer. Startup, shutdown and application loading was nearly instant.

For reference, I took out the DVD drive, moved that to an external USB enclosure, and then used a special bracket to re-use the original hard drive in the DVD drive bay, and set the 256GB SSD as my new primary drive. I keep my iPhoto library and iTunes library on the hard drive, and most everything else on the SSD. This was the best money I ever spent on a computer upgrade...

what do one of those 256gb ssd go for?

 

[Weaselboy]

what do one of those 256gb ssd go for?

You can get the Samsung EVO 256GB on Amazon for $175. They have a smaller version for less if you don't need that much space. An SSD will really speed things up for you.

 

[grizfan]

what do one of those 256gb ssd go for?

definitely shop around, there are various size and pricing options. I'm partial to Crucial SSD drives. Crucial is part of Micron, one of only three companies in the world who manufacturer the actual flash memory (with Samsung and Toshiba/Sandisk). But, there are several good options. I paid quite a bit more for mine, as an early adopter