problems + SSD/RAM upgrade

[BlueInGreene]

Hi,

I'm from Belgium, I have a late 2010 macbook pro (http://puu.sh/12x94) and am starting to have some issues, I wondered if instead of buying a new computer doing some upgrades would prolong my notebooks life.

Firstly my mac seems to have slowed down since I upgraded to OSX Lion, also my battery life dropped significantly (7 hours to max 3), my fans make more noise and my screen freezes sometimes.

I'm curious if I perform this upgrade, if my mac will run as new, and how long my mac will stay usable:

-2x4 gig of corsair mac-certified RAM
-Corsair Force 360 GB SSD
-Maybe a new battery, if needed
-Upgrade to OSX Mountain Lion (complete fresh reinstall, of course)

Questions:
-Do I have to buy a new battery too or will upgrading to Mountain Lion fix it? (this is a iStatpro screenshot: http://puu.sh/12x7s)
-Will my computer run faster or will my processor limit what I can do?
-Will cleaning my fans a bit help with the noise/heat of my computer?
-Are there better alternative SSD/RAM's I could buy, will the upgrade 'work'?
-How long will I be able to keep this computer after the upgrade, and can I recuperate the SSD/RAM when I decide to buy a new computer?

And do you think this upgrade is worth it or should I just buy a new mac? It'll only cost me 350 euro's versus 1700 or something


I would really really appreciate if someone could help me!

If you need anymore stats, screenshots,... just ask!

 

[T5BRICK]

-Do I have to buy a new battery too or will upgrading to Mountain Lion fix it? (this is a iStatpro screenshot: http://puu.sh/12x7s)

You're basically at 1000 cycles, I'm not surprised you're noticing reduced capacity. ML may help, but a new battery may be required soon.

-Will my computer run faster or will my processor limit what I can do?

A SSD will definitely make your computer feel faster. But without knowing what you USE your computer for, it is possible your processor may limit you.

-Will cleaning my fans a bit help with the noise/heat of my computer?

If they're really dirty, then yes.

-Are there better alternative SSD/RAM's I could buy, will the upgrade 'work'?

Corsair makes good stuff. I also suggest Crucial for RAM and SSD, and Samsung for the SSD.

-How long will I be able to keep this computer after the upgrade, and can I recuperate the SSD/RAM when I decide to buy a new computer?

This all depends on what you use it for. I just recently upgraded my mid-2009 MBP with 8GB of RAM and a SSD and I expect I'll be good for at least another year.

 

[Hammie]

I have a 17" mid-2010 MBP which has upgraded RAM to 8GB and a new 512GB Crucial M4 SSD. I also purchased a second 512GB Crucial SDD this morning to store my photography files local in my machine instead of an external USB drive (my system files will be backed up to my Time Machine and my photography files will be backed up to my NAS).

IMO, I no longer am looking at a replacement laptop. Hopefully, your battery and processor are still in good working condition and these two upgrades will rejuvenate your laptop to a snappier life.

 

[BlueInGreene]

Thanks a lot for the answers already!

I think I'll buy the new battery too then... Are there other brands that deliver good macbook pro 15 batteries for a lower price (because apple often is overpriced for such things, I think) or better just be safe and buy from apple?

 

[T5BRICK]

Thanks a lot for the answers already!

I think I'll buy the new battery too then... Are there other brands that deliver good macbook pro 15 batteries for a lower price (because apple often is overpriced for such things, I think) or better just be safe and buy from apple?

There are brands that will sell cheaper batteries, but it's best to just buy from Apple in this case.

 

[Dark Void]

If these problems started occurring when you upgraded to Lion, why not revert back to Snow Leopard? Is there a specific reason why your upgraded to Lion, or was it just for the sake of upgrading? In other words, if you don't need anything from Lion - reverting back to Snow Leopard and having that possibly fix your issues seems like a better idea than going out and basically buying all new parts. With the 2010 model, you should have SL on a disc that corresponds with your specific computer. It's worth a shot if in fact these problems started occurring with Lion and you had no problems beforehand. If you need Lion/ML however, to answer some of your questions:

1. Purchasing a new battery is what you will have to do if your current battery's health/capacity is getting low.

2. Your processor will only limit you in situations where it is the "bottleneck." In other words, unless you are using applications that specifically task the processor, you will see speed increases in things like boot time, application launching, etc with upgrading your RAM or Hard Drive.

3. Cleaning out your internals is good practice, try opening up your laptop and going at it with some canned air appropriately to see if that affects your temperatures or fans kicking in - it's likely to be minimal if it does anything at all though.

4. There is a lot of talk as to which RAM/SSD is better than the other and what not - just go for the cheapest that you can from a reputable manufacturer in my opinion.

5. How long you will be able to use the computer post upgrades is subjective considering factors like how well it is taken care of and the like, but to answer the second part of your question - yes, the parts will be reusable in another computer.

The upgrades are worth it if they are necessary, however I would strongly consider reverting back to Snow Leopard first to see if that helps your performance instead of throwing down all of this cash.

Good luck.