Rocked-out MBP15

W

will6680

macrumors newbie
So, this Christmas, I've decided to order allot of new awesome things to upgrade my macbook pro 15 (latest version)

1. Go from 4gb ram to 8gb ram
2. Get a 2 TB external HD (WD)
3. ... heres where I'm stuck.

I really dont know what else I can add to make it better.

I was thinking about a new Graphics card, but then I realized that this thing already has two and there frickin' awesome...

Can some one help me with what I can do to for more things on my macbook?

:apple:
 
A SSD would be the best thing you can do. If you can't afford the memory and SSD, then just get the SSD. You'll be amazed at how much faster everything loads. And having a boot time under 20 seconds ftw.
 
ram and harddrive are the only interchangable parts.

if you got the cash, getting an ssd and an external FW800 drive would be a different path to take.
 
No offence, but from the sound of your post I'm unsure if you need 8GB of RAM. More RAM is not necessarily better.
 
will6680 said:
Why isn't RAM necessarily better than an SSD or a Graphics card?

Is this really Bill Gates...
Click to expand...
Actually it's Steve Ballmer. ;)

The way RAM works is that it only benefits you if you're using it. If you have 4GB of RAM already and use 4GB or less RAM to run your applications there's no need to upgrade. If you need more than 4GB of RAM and therefore are paging memory excessively to your hard drive you would benefit from an upgrade. 4GB is the sweet-spot for most users.
 
Hmm, well I do run a dedicated server for a game called Minecraft most of the time, and I might also simultaniously run photoshop or Final Cut.

Apps I need to run at one time:

In dock:
Quicksilver
Firefox

In menubar to right:
Last.fm
Caffeine
Adobe Updater
Growl
smpFanControl
Cinch (Windows side-by-side for Mac)
Camoflauge
Facebook app

Then with these apps I might run:

Itunes
Photoshop
Final Cut
Minecraft
Terminal
Java
ETC
 
SSD and RAM and it will feel like a brand new machine. I just got my SSD yesterday and love it. I also got the MACally FW800/FW400/USB external enclosure and its a tank. It looks great and with FW800 things transfer SOOOO fars its crazy! You won't regret it!
 
will6680 said:
Hmm, well I do run a dedicated server for a game called Minecraft most of the time, and I might also simultaniously run photoshop or Final Cut.
Click to expand...

The only upgrade worth doing is switching to a SSD. I don't see anything on your list that would really need 8 gigs of ram... unless you're really pushing Final Cut.

Make sure you have an authorized repair shop do the SSD swap for you, or you'll void your warranty.
 
will6680 said:
So, this Christmas, I've decided to order allot of new awesome things to upgrade my macbook pro 15 (latest version)

1. Go from 4gb ram to 8gb ram
2. Get a 2 TB external HD (WD)
3. ... heres where I'm stuck.

I really dont know what else I can add to make it better.

I was thinking about a new Graphics card, but then I realized that this thing already has two and there frickin' awesome...

Can some one help me with what I can do to for more things on my macbook?

:apple:
Click to expand...
1. If you're not paging out, don't bother
2. Always useful for backups or a scratch disk for large projects.
3. Well, a SSD is always an option, much faster than a traditional platter hard drive, except right now the prices are through the roof, new technology and all.


Oh and BTW, you can't upgrade the graphics card in the MBP, nor can you do it on about 99% of laptops on the planet, they are soldered right onto the logicboard and cannot be physically removed or replaced.
 
I saw "rocked-out" and though, hey, someone is going to be doing serious modifications to their MBP. Nice!

But now I have my 'lolwut?' face on. :D

Your upgrades are a good start, but for max effect I recommend dual OWC SSD in Raid 1, reapplication of thermal paste for enhanced cooling (W/ AS5), calibrated internal display, full iKlear treatment, Firewire 800 external, battery calibration etc.

I can't think of anything else.
 
NorCalLights said:
Make sure you have an authorized repair shop do the SSD swap for you, or you'll void your warranty.
Click to expand...

Not true, and anyone who tells you otherwise is full of crap. Read the Magnuson-Moss(SP?) warranty act, and read the paperwork that came with your laptop. The hard drive and RAM are both user replaceable items and will not void your warranty if swapped out.

That is, unless you drop it off the table you're using to swap it out, spill liquid, vomit/other bodily fluid onto it while swapping, or run it over with a car or something, then, and only then, is your warranty voided by swapping out the RAM or HD.
 
snaky69 said:
Not true, and anyone who tells you otherwise is full of crap. Read the Magnuson-Moss(SP?) warranty act, and read the paperwork that came with your laptop. The hard drive and RAM are both user replaceable items and will not void your warranty if swapped out.

That is, unless you drop it off the table you're using to swap it out, spill liquid, vomit/other bodily fluid onto it while swapping, or run it over with a car or something, then, and only then, is your warranty voided by swapping out the RAM or HD.
Click to expand...

This is the correct statement.
 
will6680 said:
What?! But I dont want to replace my 320SSD. With a 120GB one!
Click to expand...

A SSD is not the same as a traditional HD.

You currently have a hard drive with spinning platters, read by a magnetic head.

A SSD is a solid state drive, it basically uses the same type of memory as a USB thumb drive(AKA flash memory), they have no moving parts, and are roughly twice as fast as a traditional hard drive.

You asked for a 1TB SSD, they don't exist yet in a form factor that fits into a macbook pro. If they did, they would retail at about $5000.

If what you want is a 1TB traditional hard drive, then there are many that fit the bill.

What is it exactly you want?
 
Ok I really need some help...

I have a 320 HDD in my mac, with 130 taken up...

Why should I get a 128 SSD if its less space?
 
will6680 said:
Ok I really need some help...

I have a 320 HDD in my mac, with 130 taken up...

Why should I get a 128 SSD if its less space?
Click to expand...

Because it's about 3 times as fast in day to day tasks. Your computer would be snappier, go to sleep faster, boot up faster, load applications faster, etc. They also consume less power, therefore they would net you marginally better battery life.

SSD's come anywhere from 30Gb to 512Gb(those are the biggest out there that still fit in the MBP).
 
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