Mid 2010 too old to upgrade?

[JaimeL2017]

I have a mid-2010 Macbook Pro. I was planning on replacing the battery, upgrading ram from 4gb to 16gb, and install a 500gb SSD.

I wanted to know if the age of the processor would hinder the potential benefits of these upgrades. Thanks for your time!

 

[keysofanxiety]

Nah it'll be like a new machine. Go for it.

Be careful with 16GB RAM. Some of the 13"s support it but IIRC the 15" 2010s don't.

 

[New_Mac_Smell]

You'd likely not notice a difference between 8/16gb, so if the cost difference is significant I'd opt for 8gb. An SSD is always a welcome bonus for any system, but don't expect lightning speeds due to the bus limitations.

You'd see an improvement and the CPU isn't going to limit that, but you'll have to determine if the cost is worthwhile. Personally anything over $100 and I wouldn't bother if it helps.

 

[smelly cat]

It really depends on what you're doing with the machine, but as someone who has a 2010 MBP kickin' around -- I personally would not sink money into it. The Core 2 Duo processor and chipset are pretty pokey by today's standard. In particular, the Core 2 Duo architecture was first released in 2006/2007, so we're talking about quite old technology (albeit the 2010 MBP has the die shrunk version with more cache). Just my 2 cents.

 

[Audit13]

I upgraded a mid-2010 13" MBP from 4 gb to 10 of ram with a 120 gb ssd. The increase in speed was tremendous. It boots Sierra in about 10 seconds and programs open very quickly. Surfing is also noticeably faster.

At least the ssd and ram can be reused.

 

[New_Mac_Smell]

I upgraded a mid-2010 13" MBP from 4 gb to 10 of ram with a 120 gb ssd. The increase in speed was tremendous. It boots Sierra in about 10 seconds and programs open very quickly. Surfing is also noticeably faster.

At least the ssd and ram can be reused.

True, but when you have boxes full of various DDR standards lying around it gets increasingly difficult to find a use! I tend to occasionally find a friend using an older computer and they get a free upgrade for a pint. I think I've got an 8MB Voodoo card somewhere if anyone can make use of that, I can't throw it away

I upgraded my 2011 to 16GB/512GB SSD and whilst there was a difference it was still and old slow machine. Kept it going for another year however.

 

[Audit13]

I guess it really depends on how the upgraded Macbook will be used.

The people for whom I upgraded with ram and ssd are happily using their machines to perform the same tasks they did before the upgrade which is basically office, safari, and mail.

 

[loby]

I have a 13" MacBook Pro 2010 that is able to accept 16 GB of Ram and put a SSD into it and it flys! Still use it today due to the DVD player and ports.

If you have the funds and want to upgrade it, then go for it. But if funds are tight, then reconsider.

 

[robvas]

I upgraded my 2011 to 16GB/512GB SSD and whilst there was a difference it was still and old slow machine. Kept it going for another year however.

The 2011 is a heck of a lot faster than the 2010! The 2010's are usable but they aren't very fast.

But the RAM from a 2010 won't work in a 2012, so keep that in mind. The SSD will, though.

The other thing to think about is the battery. Let's say you had a 2010 MacBook pro in nice shape. You might be able to get $250 for it, used

8GB RAM = $50
256GB SSD = $100

That's already $150. If you are using the original, add another $100 for a new battery. That's $250, and that's if you or a friend can do all the upgrades for free (no labor charge).

You could take the $250 and the $250 you were going to spend on upgrades and get a newer machine. But, you aren't going to get a 16GB/512GB machines for anywhere near that price. You'd have to go to at the very least $800 to find a 2012 or 2013 15" for those specs.

 

[Audit13]

Depending on the ram inside a 2010, it may be useable inside a 2012. If it is the original 1067 ddr3, it may be too slow for a 2012.

 

[Fancuku]

Not worth dropping $250 on that old machine in my opinion. Core 2 Duo processors are weak for today's requirements.
Yosemite, El Capitan and Sierra are heavy pigs.

 

[puma1552]

Not worth dropping $250 on that old machine in my opinion. Core 2 Duo processors are weak for today's requirements.
Yosemite, El Capitan and Sierra are heavy pigs.

Mid-2010s are beyond Core2 days, my mid-2010 15" is an Arrandale i7.

Also be careful with the RAM OP, mine supports a max of 8 GB. I put in an el cheapo 128 GB SSD a few years back and 8 GB of RAM and (fortunately or unfortunately) it runs just fine. Cleaned out the fans last week. Could use a battery now with 1000 cycles on the clock, but not really worth it at this point. Currently running El Capitan (10.11.2) and no lag or signs that it couldn't handle Sierra. Mine is a 2.66 GHz FWIW.

A couple years ago I would've said sure, spend the money, but today at 7 years old? It's hard to justify. Then again, mine doesn't have any sign of dying or becoming a slug, so depending on your usage you might still get X more years out of it.

Up to you really.

 

[Fancuku]

Mid-2010s are beyond Core2 days, my mid-2010 15" is an Arrandale i7.

The 13" didn't get core i processors in 2010. OP didn't say if he has a 13" or 15".

 

[Audit13]

The 2010 13" core 2 can take 16 gb of ram while the 2010 15" is limited to 8 gb.

 

[muratura]

The 2010 13" core 2 can take 16 gb of ram while the 2010 15" is limited to 8 gb.

Mac OS is the limit for 16 GB on the 2010 MBP 15". I do not remember now but loading the OS in safe mode will make 16 GB visible, which means one of the normal .kexts is restricting the ram.
Using linux or windows will show the whole 16 GB with no problem. I recommend Ubuntu.

 

[Audit13]

Didn't know it was a macOS limit on the 15" 2010. Thanks for the information.

 

[LarryJoe33]

Nah it'll be like a new machine. Go for it.

Be careful with 16GB RAM. Some of the 13"s support it but IIRC the 15" 2010s don't.

+1, I did all these upgrades (see signature) and it indeed feels like a new machine. Hard to tell a speed difference between mine and the new ones. The SSD upgrade will be the most dramatic.

 

[Celeron]

+1, I did all these upgrades (see signature) and it indeed feels like a new machine. Hard to tell a speed difference between mine and the new ones. The SSD upgrade will be the most dramatic.

+1 here as well. I've been running 8gigs of ram for as long as I can remember in my 15'' mid-2010 MBP. I did an SSD upgrade several years back, that's the only thing that keeps this machine running, otherwise I would have upgraded long ago. I say push forward, do the upgrades and enjoy for several more years.

 

[LarryJoe33]

It's too bad the prices have creeped up on memory and SSD's. A little less than a year ago I did a new battery ($45), 16GB Crucial 1333mhz DDR3 ($75) and a Crucial MX300 525GB SSD ($120). The RAM is now $120 and the SSD is $160.

 

[shipshape]

I have an early 2011 MacBook pro and was wondering if upgrading the ram from 4gb to 8gb or 16gb and replacing the battery as the computer says i need to service the battery anyways plus I would also like to upgrade the hard drive to a ssd if it would make a difference. it has a 320 gb hard drive in it right now. I actually got it on eBay a few months ago.

 

[LarryJoe33]

I have an early 2011 MacBook pro and was wondering if upgrading the ram from 4gb to 8gb or 16gb and replacing the battery as the computer says i need to service the battery anyways plus I would also like to upgrade the hard drive to a ssd if it would make a difference. it has a 320 gb hard drive in it right now. I actually got it on eBay a few months ago.

You will definitely notice the change from 4 to 8 (8 vs 16 less so). I had 4GB and when I upgraded to Sierra the system was choking. The memory solved that.

 

[shipshape]

You will definitely notice the change from 4 to 8 (8 vs 16 less so). I had 4GB and when I upgraded to Sierra the system was choking. The memory solved that.

How hard is it to upgrade the ram in a MacBook pro with built-in battery? I have done it in an older MacBook pro and an older MacBook with removable batteries in them.

 

[enigmaS5]

I upgraded my mid 2010 13" MBP last year, I think it was, with 16GB ram, 1TB SSD, new battery and fan...aside from the battery that still seems pretty crappy overall the machine is holding up pretty well.

 

[LarryJoe33]

How hard is it to upgrade the ram in a MacBook pro with built-in battery? I have done it in an older MacBook pro and an older MacBook with removable batteries in them.

Very easy. Maybe 10 minutes. Take the back off be removing the screws and swap the RAM out. If you go to About This Mac, click the memory tab and click the Memory Upgrade link in the bottom right it will show you how.

 

[robo456]

I have a late 2009 "Whitebook" that I dropped an SSD and 4gb ram in years ago.

It does Office365 (word/excel) pretty well, Garageband (altho loop selection takes a while because I have a lot on there), and it can surf/email. Honestly, I never really got (maybe I'm doing it wrong?) the people that have 40 tabs open in their browsers... I have one for Pandora, then one for the site I'm surfing...

I also have WindowsXP running in Bootcamp to control my DSLR and Celestron telescope. I've pushed mine to the limits, and while not a total rocketship, it still does what I need it to do. (gets about 2 hours max on a new battery)

I'd say if you can get the upgrades relatively cheap, might be worth doing... if it's more than a few hundred, like others have said, probably best at looking for a 2011+ model.

--rob