please help, regarding ram/HD for a new 13" i5 2011 I'm going to buy

[imeth]

Hello all, new here to this forum. I was wondering if this is a compatible harddrive http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digit...J5OG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1300929505&sr=8-1

and if this is compatible 8gb ram
http://www.amazon.com/Memory-MacBoo...?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1300929734&sr=1-11

I am making a switch from PC to MAC, I am also going to install these myself when I order my i5 13' next week.. the cheapest base model is all I can afford or do you guys suggest I save and get the $1499 i7?? I like the size and portability of the 13'. I will not buy solid state drives because it's too expensive right now..

Do you guys recommend something else brands as far as HD and Ram goes.. also what site are good to buy from besides amazon? Thanks so much for your time and reply.

 

[hec204]

Those should work fine, but that RAM is a rip-off for the price, I find Newegg.com to have the best deals.

Crucial is one of the best RAM brands imo, for $90 here
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148345

Seagate 750gb 7200rpm for $90ish with a promo that ends today
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148599


I would stick with the base model unless you actually need all the performance you can get, in which case I would go ahead and jump to the 15" model for a quad-core.
Also if you need to save money, and can deal with the smaller hard-drive I would keep the stock till you can afford an SSD the 7200rpm performance difference is barely noticeable, and it'll shave about 1 hour of battery in heavy(ish) use.

 

[imeth]

thanks for the reply HEC. so no need to get Samsung brand? I can trust Crucial? do you have these? I want 7200 because 750GB would give me more than 350GB, is it hard to install ram and HD yourself? I was hoping youtube can guide me to install it.. I'm a newbie and worried lol Thanks

 

[Mac-key]

thanks for the reply HEC. so no need to get Samsung brand? I can trust Crucial? do you have these? I want 7200 because 750GB would give me more than 350GB, is it hard to install ram and HD yourself? I was hoping youtube can guide me to install it.. I'm a newbie and worried lol Thanks

This link of install videos has been money for me

http://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/

 

[hec204]

thanks for the reply HEC. so no need to get Samsung brand? I can trust Crucial? do you have these? I want 7200 because 750GB would give me more than 350GB, is it hard to install ram and HD yourself? I was hoping youtube can guide me to install it.. I'm a newbie and worried lol Thanks

Yea, RAM is pretty standard, brand shouldn't matter, I haven't personally installed that particular RAM but I know a friend who did, and it works wonders for him, also the reviews on newegg.com say it's compatible, and just the fact that it's the right type. It's pretty easy, but you need a torx(forgot size) screwdriver or bit, for the new 2011 I believe. On the inside it's pretty much the same as the 2009 and 2010

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repair/Installing-MacBook-Pro-13-Inch-Unibody-Mid-2010-RAM/4319/1

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repair/...nibody-Mid-2010-Hard-Drive-Replacement/4305/1

Ask at your Apple store though if you think you're not up for it, sometimes the genius bar is chill and they'll do it for you. It's pretty easy though, just be careful, and patient.

 

[squeakr]

What do you plan on using this for?? Based on that answer I would hold off on the RAM upgrade, as 4 GB comes standard and is more than most will need. I bought my wife the base 13 and 4Gb is all she'll ever need, but upgraded my 2011 15 to the 8GB as I run heavy vmware images for my consulting job and can use every little bit of help (my old 2008 with 4GB was just barely cutting the mustard) . I would recommend you hold off on the RAM and use the machine until you decide you need it. Also this is 1333mhz RAM so it is super fast and that makes a load of difference.

 

[josh1231]

Hello all, new here to this forum. I was wondering if this is a compatible harddrive http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digit...J5OG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1300929505&sr=8-1

and if this is compatible 8gb ram
http://www.amazon.com/Memory-MacBoo...?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1300929734&sr=1-11

I am making a switch from PC to MAC, I am also going to install these myself when I order my i5 13' next week.. the cheapest base model is all I can afford or do you guys suggest I save and get the $1499 i7?? I like the size and portability of the 13'. I will not buy solid state drives because it's too expensive right now..

Do you guys recommend something else brands as far as HD and Ram goes.. also what site are good to buy from besides amazon? Thanks so much for your time and reply.

I bought Crucial ram at MicroCenter for $80, works famously. The Apple people will tell you to buy this or that, but more expensive doesn't mean better.

 

[imeth]

thanks for the replies guys, Squeak.. I am just that type of person that want the best in what I own.. like iPad I have to get the high end 64gb, iphone 32gb.. I figure putting more ram will be great for me and 750gb of memory also, I want to keep this macbook for at least 2-3 years.. so I want to do it now than having to wait.. I am about to buy the crucial 8gb from newegg.com.. should I? LOL

my other question is when they shipped my macbook.. should I turn it on and go through the setups with the installed 350gb and 4gb ram or should I just go ahead and install the 8gb and the 750gb 7200rpm ??

 

[squeakr]

Yea, RAM is pretty standard, brand shouldn't matter, I haven't personally installed that particular RAM but I know a friend who did, and it works wonders for him, also the reviews on newegg.com say it's compatible, and just the fact that it's the right type. It's pretty easy, but you need a torx(forgot size) screwdriver or bit

It is in the manual how to do it, and it is a small phillips bit (0 or 1?) for the back cover and nothing needed to get to the ram once the cover is off, and a T6 torx to change the harddrive. It is super simple, but I would use it for a while and see if you really need it. Unless you are doing some heavy swapping, you probably won't notice much. OS X is efficient at sleep, so I never turn my machine off, just go into sleep mode, and recovery from that is super quick. I never really even close programs so lauching them is moot point as well.

 

[imeth]

I'm not planning on booting up the macbook with the stock harddrive and ram.. I will install the 8gb and 750gb 7200 right away.. is this ok? and when I boot it up with the upgrades will anything change? Do I need to do anything different when booting?

 

[hec204]

I'm not planning on booting up the macbook with the stock harddrive and ram.. I will install the 8gb and 750gb 7200 right away.. is this ok? and when I boot it up with the upgrades will anything change? Do I need to do anything different when booting?

Just boot up once to make sure everything works fine, then install the parts and start it up. Then you put in the DVD it comes with to install OS X on your new HD, then hold "c" on the keyboard I believe to boot it up, go to utilities disk utility and format the new HDD as mac extended(journaled), and install OS X.

 

[imeth]

Just boot up once to make sure everything works fine, then install the parts and start it up. Then you put in the DVD it comes with to install OS X on your new HD, then hold "c" on the keyboard I believe to boot it up, go to utilities disk utility and format the new HDD as mac extended(journaled), and install OS X.

Thanks a lot hec.