How should I upgrade my MacBook?

[dvvdv]

I have a MacBook Pro as pictured here:

I'm already planning to upgrade the RAM with 2x 8GB making 16GBs.
I was just wondering what I should do with this?

As you can see, I'm running out of space fast! I want to upgrade the Macintosh HD to as much capacity as possible! So what are my options?

Could anyone let me know what the maximum specs are for this laptop? I wanna go all the way! Any input is appreciated, thanks!

 

[Naimfan]

16 GB RAM.

Probably a 2 TB HD, or you could get a 500 GB SSD and put the Os and apps on it while using your existing 750 GB drive in the optical bay.

 

[dvvdv]

Thanks, I didn't realise that Apple products supported other HardDrives! Looks like 2TB should be plenty!

 

[ZapNZs]

If the budget will support it and you prefer to have all of your files on one drive (as opposed to putting some files on an external), you could purchase a 1 TB, 2 TB, or 4 TB Samsung EVO SSD - once you get it installed, it will be like an entirely new computer and you will be delighted with how fast it runs.

 

[prisstratton]

If you want to make the most out of your MBP, I would suggest that you seriously think about moving to a SSD. Many people have described it as the single most important upgrade that you can ever do for your computer; and if you intend to move to High Sierra it is highly recommended. If you have never experienced using a SSD before, you will be amazed at the difference.

As was suggested by @Naimfan you could install a smaller capacity SSD in your main drive bay (and save some $$$) and put a larger spinning HDD in your optical bay.

 

[darksithpro]

I have a MacBook Pro as pictured here:

I'm already planning to upgrade the RAM with 2x 8GB making 16GBs.
I was just wondering what I should do with this?

As you can see, I'm running out of space fast! I want to upgrade the Macintosh HD to as much capacity as possible! So what are my options?

Could anyone let me know what the maximum specs are for this laptop? I wanna go all the way! Any input is appreciated, thanks!

I agree with the others here. The RAM and SSD is all you need. It will be like a new computer, since you already have a core i7 you really won't notice unless you're running very demanding productivity applications. The SSD will see the biggest improvement and your OS and apps will literally load in seconds instead of minutes.

 

[dvvdv]

So are you guys saying that my current laptop has another drive bay? So I could just add another drive directly into the laptop? Or am I completely wrong haha.

 

[darksithpro]

So are you guys saying that my current laptop has another drive bay? So I could just add another drive directly into the laptop? Or am I completely wrong haha.

Just type this: "2011 13 inch macbook pro SSD upgrade" into google, or Bing search and it will tell you all you need to know. Pretty simple and straight forward.

 

[eddjedi]

So are you guys saying that my current laptop has another drive bay? So I could just add another drive directly into the laptop? Or am I completely wrong haha.

You can put a second HD or SSD where your current optical (DVD) drive is. This obviously means you lose the optical drive, but the benefits outweigh the cons. Just buy an external USB DVD drive for the occasional times you need it.

 

[Fishrrman]

First, put an SSD into it. 500gb should do.
NOTHING ELSE can match this for a performance increase.

Then, take the old hard drive and put it into a USB3 enclosure.
Keep the "less-often-used" stuff on the external drive.

Try to keep the internal drive with about 20gb of "free space" for the best performance.

For an "economy RAM upgrade", buy ONE 8gb DIMM, and replace the topmost RAM DIMM while the back cover is off and you're changing drives.
This will give you 10gb of installed RAM, probably more than enough.