Would updating to Mavericks help speed up my MBP 13, 2011? It shipped with OS X Lion and I've stuck with it. It was lightning fast compared to W/Vista, but since so many people have been saying that Lion is awful etc, would it be worth upgrading? Would it cause any further slowdowns/beachballs? I only have 4GB RAM right now.
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OS X Lion vs Mavericks
- Thread starter exizeo
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Nothing really hogging RAM, and this is mostly for schoolwork use. usually, just Chrome (about 6-7 tabs, maybe a single youtube, 2-3 MR, some cloud sharing service, and maybe reddit), msWord, Powerpoint, other msOffice apps, iTunes, and occasionally some light gaming. I've been trying to use school computers (iMac) for anything really requiring more power.
Usually, I have about 50-200 mb of RAM free, up to about 400MB if I'm not really doing anything.
A 128 SSD + 8 RAM is something I've been trying to put into my MacBook, just trying to weigh the costs of continuing to deal with the crappy HD3000 and continuing to live with this, vs. getting a new rMBP.
I'm telling ya, the 2013 rMBP is just amazing. The iris destroys the HD3000 as well.
imo its well worth upgrading to the rMBP if you are gonna upgrade your computer anyway.
imo its well worth upgrading to the rMBP if you are gonna upgrade your computer anyway.
Run activity monitor and check your page outs after running for a few hours at your normal tasks. That will give you a good idea of how much memory you need.
A SSD is hands down the best upgrade I've ever made to a computer. It took my MBP from one I was thinking about upgrading to one I have no plans to change anytime soon. You should consider a 240gb drive, not the 120. Price isn't that much more and there are benefits to the larger size beyond more space.
Mavericks' new memory management system will definitely help your performance with just 4 GB. That being said, dropping in new parts like an SSD and more RAM will definitely help. 2011 MacBook Pros can go to 16 GB.
I would tone down the hyperbole. Your 2013 is an excellent machine but the performance gains over a 2011 are not worth the upgrade. Both computers have dual core processors and, while the Iris is better, you are not going to play graphically demanding games on high settings or do 3D intensive work on one machine and not the other.
The biggest draw and reason for upgrading from the '11 to '13 is the Retina display. For me, the only truly compelling reason to upgrade.
I'm running a late 2011 13 inch MPB.
The upgrade from Lion -> Mountain Lion -> Mavericks has been good for me.
The memory compression in Mavericks seems to help defer the point where paging has a noticeable impact on performance. I'm not missing Lion and Mountain Lion.
However I'm also running an SSD and that is probably the biggest difference you can make to the older cMPB.
If were you I'd try Mavericks as it's costs you nothing.
Then I'd look at getting an SSD.
For heavy usage, photo editing, video editing, virtual machines... upgrade RAM, but first try Mavericks, then SSD.
The upgrade from Lion -> Mountain Lion -> Mavericks has been good for me.
The memory compression in Mavericks seems to help defer the point where paging has a noticeable impact on performance. I'm not missing Lion and Mountain Lion.
However I'm also running an SSD and that is probably the biggest difference you can make to the older cMPB.
If were you I'd try Mavericks as it's costs you nothing.
Then I'd look at getting an SSD.
For heavy usage, photo editing, video editing, virtual machines... upgrade RAM, but first try Mavericks, then SSD.
Well for me I play mine craft, DOTA 2 and a few other games.
Minecraft ran at 30fps on my 2011 13" MBP with max settings for everything, my new laptop gets it around 70fps-100 and 90fps average on max settings with MineCraft. That is significant. That SSD is amazing for booting up and launching apps, the portability has increased so much and the retina display, while yes is a marketing moniker, has helped with way less eyestrain.
I did exaggerate a bit but my point still stands.
Well maybe I'm wrong. I just see it as two dual-core i5s, both with integrated graphics. Maybe the Iris is significantly faster than the HD3000 for some applications.
Ummmm dual core i5's mean nothing. There can be significant performance jumps between the two a d trust me, iris destroys the HD 3000.
Alright, it's settled...I'm getting Mavericks first. Then waiting for Broadwell/2014 MacBooks. I've tried iris at Apple stores...knocks my MBP out of the water, so I might get one with ed discount soon.
SSD is a must. Crucial vs. Samsung 840?
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With MC, you might want to try using Optifine. It serves as essentially a fps booster. On max graphics (12 render distance) I'm getting about 60fps vanilla and maybe 40 on bukkit.
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Not really...the battery life is worse than the rMBP and the resolution isn't retina. If I were upgrade, it would be to the rMBP.
SSD is a must. Crucial vs. Samsung 840?
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With MC, you might want to try using Optifine. It serves as essentially a fps booster. On max graphics (12 render distance) I'm getting about 60fps vanilla and maybe 40 on bukkit.
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Get a 2013 MacBook Air 13" you will be happy.
Not really...the battery life is worse than the rMBP and the resolution isn't retina. If I were upgrade, it would be to the rMBP.
I already use Optifine for zooming in and stuff
But when I use shaders mod I have to lower some settings and I still get a respectable 60FPS.
I already use Optifine for zooming in and stuff
But when I use shaders mod I have to lower some settings and I still get a respectable 60FPS.
What shaders run with Mac? Other than Sildur's iirc, aren't there any actual shaders (SEUS, etc)
The mid-2013/early-2014 13" MacBook Airs have significantly battery life than the rMBP. The Air has a battery life of 11 hours.
Backup your drive, then install Mavericks and decide for yourself. If you don't like it restore back to Lion.