Improve my 2010 MBP

[Jonastp]

Hi guys!

I decided i want to keep my 2010 refurbished 15'' macbook pro. There are a few things i would like to improve and i ask for help!

- The fans are always making noise and the computer is always warm. I guess after 5 years the fan-holes got filled up with dust? How can i clean this? Or could it be anything else? Should I install a program to monitor this?

- It has a spinning hard-disk. I heard a SSD is faster. Can i install this myself, and which SSD should i get?
( I have replaced my ram myself but i don't know anything about computers )

Kind regards,
Jonas

 

[Freyqq]

1. Unscrew bottom panel, and you have access to the fans. You can clean them out that way. Also, Macsfancontrol is a utility you can install that lets you control the fans, if you want to make them run faster.
2. Replacing the SSD is pretty simple; just follow a guide online. For a 2010 MBP, I recommend a Samsung 850 EVO.

 

[maflynn]

I'd clean out the fans, and look to get an SSD, that will definitely give new life to an older laptop

 

[MagicBoy]

Clean out the fans with an air duster.

SSDs are the best way of making an older Mac more responsive. I'd recommend Crucial or Samsung drives. Don't worry about buying the ultimate fastest - your Mac is limited to 3GB/sec so even the basic drives are more than fast enough.

 

[Jonastp]

Hi!
Thank you for the replies. I will clean the fans!
I think i'd like to buy a SSD, the Samsung 850 EVO has good reviews. Is it possible to get a SSD at larger then 500GB? Like 1TB?
The ram in my macbook is maxed out. Is there anything else you can recommend to improve it?

Thanks!
Jonas

 

[MagicBoy]

1TB SSDs are available, but expensive. They're unsuprisingly double the cost of a 500GB.

 

[DanielDD]

Hi, I would recommend you to buy a Transcend JetDrive ssd. I am using one of this in my MacBook Pro 2010 13' and it really gave it a new life.
The good thing about this brand is that they sell the ssd as a kit with the tools needed to open the macbook, instructions manual (in form of book and video in their website), hard drive cloning software (although I recommend a clean install), and an external box so that you can convert your old hard drive into an external disk.

I am very pleased with the speed of the SSD. When I changed the hard drive I also cleaned all the dust. This two factors together really reduced the heat generated by my mac as well

 

[c8rlo]

ssd reviews/comparisons: http://ssd.userbenchmark.com/
cleaning the fans...