Mid 2010 Macbook Pro.. upgrade or buy new?

[geniusmods]

I run an ecommerce business so I mostly use my computers for that. I have the following, both of which need an upgrade:

Mid 2010 Macbook Pro
Intel 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo
Upgraded to 4mb RAM
Upgraded HD to Crucial BX-100 500GB SSD

And an iMac

Late 2012 21.5 iMac
2.7 GHz i%
8gb RAM
1TB SSD


Both are slow, mostly the MBP though. I have back problems so I would much rather use a laptop in a more cozy setting to get work done.

My dilema.... Do I upgrade or buy new?

I bought 2x 4GB RAM (DDR3 1066) from a local shop.. Did not work. I can install it with 1x 4GB stick and 1x 2GB stick. Otherwise it boots with the Apple logo getting halfway through the progress bar and stalls. I know the RAM is not defective as I've had both sticks working... now when I look at my MBP with 6GM RAM it says 6GB 1067 DDR3... why is this??

Since my SSD is old, I went ahead and bought a 128GB Samsung 850 PRO. I plan on running a fresh install as most of the files that filled my 500GB are not needed, (movies and such). My battery is also just about shot, and my glass is broken (not the actual screen) so I was going to replace that as well.

I am looking at the 12" Macbooks as they are sleek and seem to do what is needed. Now onto my questions..

Do I return the RAM and SSD (cost about $150) and just buy a new one? I will want to replace the glass.. and need a new battery soon as well.

I only plan on using it for website, photo editing, ect. Basic tasks mostly, but both of my computers are sluggish at doing just that.

I am worried 8GB RAM is not enough. I also run VMWare sometimes and that kills my RAM. Or if I have a few programs running 8GB goes quickly.

I've heard conflicting reports of my MBP working with 16GB RAM..any experience with this? It is the 7,1 version which seems to be the one that works.

Sort of confused here as to what to do. I need a strong machine that I can do web design, ecommerce, and all my stuff.

 

[TMRJIJ]

If you are going to be using virtual machines, you'll might want to get 16 GB of RAM since it appears Apple updated the firmware to support it now. I have the same model MBP you have but with 8 GB DDR3 RAM (Crucial) and a Seagate 1 TB Solid State Hybrid Drive. Normally it runs pretty quick login the same kind of stuff you do but that performance level drops as soon as I open VMware or Parallels Desktop.

What exact RAM sticks did you get from Crucial? Also what OS are you using?

 

[geniusmods]

If you are going to be using virtual machines, you'll might want to get 16 GB of RAM since it appears Apple updated the firmware to support it now. I have the same model MBP you have but with 8 GB DDR3 RAM (Crucial) and a Seagate 1 TB Solid State Hybrid Drive. Normally it runs pretty quick login the same kind of stuff you do but that performance level drops as soon as I open VMware or Parallels Desktop.

What exact RAM sticks did you get from Crucial? Also what OS are you using?

I am using El Captain. The RAM sticks I got were from a brand called Centon. I am guessing they may just not be good. The store will accept returns.

Any thoughts on which type of 16GB RAM to go from in terms of brand? I hear that is of importance, and I am guessing just keep it at 1066 DDR3?
[doublepost=1459221973][/doublepost]Found a seller on eBay who guarantees the RAM will work with my model so I went ahead and ordered the 16GB.

In terms of the SSD, will I notice a difference with the Samsung 850 PRO over the old crucial drive?

I also only got 128gb, will there be a difference in speed from a 128gb drive compared to a 512gb drive?

 

[TMRJIJ]

I am using El Captain. The RAM sticks I got were from a brand called Centon. I am guessing they may just not be good. The store will accept returns.

Any thoughts on which type of 16GB RAM to go from in terms of brand? I hear that is of importance, and I am guessing just keep it at 1066 DDR3?

Probably something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BKVQFCU?psc=1

It's hard to find cheap 8 GB sticks of the same clock speed though. This was all I could really find.

EDIT: nevermind. You got it....
[doublepost=1459222314][/doublepost]

Found a seller on eBay who guarantees the RAM will work with my model so I went ahead and ordered the 16GB.

In terms of the SSD, will I notice a difference with the Samsung 850 PRO over the old crucial drive?

I also only got 128gb, will there be a difference in speed from a 128gb drive compared to a 512gb drive?

I don't think there will be much of a difference in speed, just space. SSDs are very good at determining which files you use most often and keeping them in the forefront of loading. Honestly I can't tell you much about storage since I have yet to make the complete leap to Flash storage for many of my devices.

 

[duervo]

I would get a new one if it were me.

- BT 4.0 (i.e.: handoff is really handy if you have an iPhone or iPad)
- USB 3.0
- Incredibly faster storage (mid-2010 is only SATA II).
- CPU. Core 2 Duo in that is a Penryn CPU. There were significant improvements with the i series of processors after that one. (i.e.: Nehalem.)
- Retina display.

I would put Thunderbolt too in that list, but honestly I've only used it less than 3 times in the almost 5 years I've had the ability to do so, including on the PC I built. So, I'll just mention it here in passing. Some would argue that USB 3.0 should be down here too, but I use it a few times a week.

Granted, it would be a lot more expensive to do so, but if you had the budget I would do it.

Also, being that you only have SATA II, you won't notice any speed diff going to any other SSD drive, wether it's the Crucial or the Samsung 850 Pro. Pretty much any SSD, regardless of available size at this time (128GB and up) will be bottled necked by SATA II.