Need Computer Suggestions : NEW LAPTOP?

[Meister]

Considering you can do this for free, why not. The lag you describe is not normal. Hardware doesn't slow down over time; software does.

Actually, before a reinstall the first thing I would try is deleting your Safari cache. You probably have years of cookies, history, and temp files. Go to your desktop, hold down the option key, go up to the "Go" menu and open Library. (note Library only appears when you hold the option key.) In there go to Caches -> com.apple.Safari. Delete Cache.db, fsCachedData folder and Webpage Previews folder. On one of my older machine the Website Previews folder had thousands of files; just deleting that fixed Safari from being nearly unusable. Beyond that you can also try resetting Safari.

An SSD will certainly improve your machine, but there is no reason it can't perform as new as it sits now with a clean install (unless the hard drive is actually dying.)

If the OP wants to use Mavericks or Yosemite, he will have to get an ssd.

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Says the guy with 16gb ram and a tb of storage .
However you pose a good point.

I'm just debating since I have the option to get something right now; I mean I'm sure it will be worth it in the long run no? Other than the memory, there is nothing wrong with this baby and I hope to use her for many years to come! (I have taken well care of her )
^Or should I just keep my 70gb of music, get rid of all other junk (maybe put it onto an external) and just reinstall OS?

Otherwise I was thinking about spending this money on my car maybe, upgrade speakers or deck or something? Hmm this is hard!

No complicated decisions needed here.
I would not spend large sums on upgrading your macbook. A RAM upgrade is unnecessary.
Simply get an ssd that is large enough and manage your storage better.
Then reinstall the OS and your macbook will work like a charm.

 

[simonsi]

If the OP wants to use Mavericks or Yosemite, he will have to get an ssd.

Sorry but that IS rubbish. This "optimised for SSD" is rapidly becoming an urban myth of "won't work except on an SSD", and now it is being extended back to Mavericks as well as Yosemite???

...best tell my iMac running the stock HDD then...oh but wait its running fine...

 

[Meister]

Sorry but that IS rubbish. This "optimised for SSD" is rapidly becoming an urban myth of "won't work except on an SSD", and now it is being extended back to Mavericks as well as Yosemite???

...best tell my iMac running the stock HDD then...oh but wait its running fine...

I see your point. "Optimized for ssd" is somewhat vague mumbo jumbo.
But what exactly is causing the slowdown of older machines then?
Why did this start with Mavericks/Yosemite and why does it seem to be immediately fixed with an ssd?

There are also new macs that seem to run terrible with the old hdds.
Is your imac really running completely fine?
Isn't there a slowdown everytime you access something from the hdd?

 

[simonsi]

Each OS release adds functions, many require external services such as cloud (I've lost count of how many different cloud services I use in day-to-day operation, way more than just iCloud.

Each time we add more function the same machine spec will run slower, we are asking it to do more.

Now imagine taking a car and put a Ferrari engine in it, whether you have just the driver or a car full of 4 people - its going to go faster than it did.

Combine the two and you have what is happening, machines with simple config problems on here ALL get advised to install an SSD, then comes the "Yosemite is optimised for SSD", now its "you have to have an SSD". Put simply, we are just lifting the bar on what we deem acceptable. Once booted and the app loaded, its speed is more dependant on CPU and RAM availability than whether it loaded off an SSD or HDD. If RAM is short than of course swapping is faster with an SSD - but none of that is "optimised to run from an SSD" any more than if you shoehorn a Ferrari engine into a small Ford that makes the Ford "optimised" for the Ferrari engine...

In terms of ongoing performance SSDs help RAM-constrained systems by hugely speeding up swapping but Apple have gone to great effort with RAM compression, why bother if SSDs are to be assumed...

 

[Meister]

Each OS release adds functions, many require external services such as cloud (I've lost count of how many different cloud services I use in day-to-day operation, way more than just iCloud.

Each time we add more function the same machine spec will run slower, we are asking it to do more.

Now imagine taking a car and put a Ferrari engine in it, whether you have just the driver or a car full of 4 people - its going to go faster than it did.

Combine the two and you have what is happening, machines with simple config problems on here ALL get advised to install an SSD, then comes the "Yosemite is optimised for SSD", now its "you have to have an SSD". Put simply, we are just lifting the bar on what we deem acceptable. Once booted and the app loaded, its speed is more dependant on CPU and RAM availability than whether it loaded off an SSD or HDD. If RAM is short than of course swapping is faster with an SSD - but none of that is "optimised to run from an SSD" any more than if you shoehorn a Ferrari engine into a small Ford that makes the Ford "optimised" for the Ferrari engine...

In terms of ongoing performance SSDs help RAM-constrained systems by hugely speeding up swapping but Apple have gone to great effort with RAM compression, why bother if SSDs are to be assumed...

A good explanation.
I myself notice that I access a lot of from hdd/ssd in daily business and an ssd makes all the difference.
In case of the OP it does not seem like he has cpu or ram problems.
So what I wrote still stands. Fix up possible software problems and get an ssd.