Upgrade non retina MBP or buy new one?

[rebeccaa]

I'd like some advice on what I should do. I have a non-retina MBP, the mid 2012 13" model that was purchased in 2012. When I brought it for its final covered Apple Care visit I mentioned that I wanted to get another one and I was advised that it would be better to update the one I already have than buy a new one.

Do you agree with this? I actually use the optical drive fairly often, so if I got a new one, I'd need to get an external. I have used retina MBPs but I don't particularly care about that. There is also the new trackpad, which I hear cannot be swapped into an old one because of size differences, and which I'd be interested in but would have to give up if I stuck with this machine. We also don't know what's coming as far as the rumored redesign.

I was planning on putting in 16gb ram and a 512 SSD from my current 4gb ram and 500gb HDD. Also possibly a new battery but as of July mine was at 92%, so I might hold off on that.

The heaviest usage is multiple Adobe CS programs running at the same time. Increased speed overall and functionality when using say Photoshop and After Effects at the same time is why I'm doing this.

 

[greywolfe]

I have done exactly that with my mid 2012 13" Mbp and it suits me just fine.
New ones are cool but, mine is in pristine condition, so l'm going to continue to use it.

 

[SkimMilk168]

How deep is your pocket? Going for a retina 16GB, 512SSD, would set you back pretty much. But along with that comes retina and warranty. For CS, not the full suite is retina ready so some programs may appear less pretty.

If your current system is still going strong, upgrading the ram and SSD will bring you much performance difference.

 

[T5BRICK]

Upgrade the RAM and install a SSD and call it a day.

 

[iPad Retina]

Upgrade the RAM and install a SSD and call it a day.

Totally agree with T5BRICK, upgrading it will improve it significantly, I used to own a Mid-2010 and loved it, first ever Mac, I've upgraded to the new retina because of the screen size and graphics card. But have been have numerous issues with the display recently.

 

[maflynn]

Do you agree with this? I actually use the optical drive fairly often

By yourself more time by upgrading, especially since you use the optical drive.

I was planning on putting in 16gb ram and a 512 SSD from my current 4gb ram and 500gb HDD. Also possibly a new battery but as of July mine was at 92%, so I might hold off on that.

I'd hold off on the battery for the time being, that doesn't sound too bad imo

 

[Samuelsan2001]

I'd like some advice on what I should do. I have a non-retina MBP, the mid 2012 13" model that was purchased in 2012. When I brought it for its final covered Apple Care visit I mentioned that I wanted to get another one and I was advised that it would be better to update the one I already have than buy a new one.

Do you agree with this? I actually use the optical drive fairly often, so if I got a new one, I'd need to get an external. I have used retina MBPs but I don't particularly care about that. There is also the new trackpad, which I hear cannot be swapped into an old one because of size differences, and which I'd be interested in but would have to give up if I stuck with this machine. We also don't know what's coming as far as the rumored redesign.

I was planning on putting in 16gb ram and a 512 SSD from my current 4gb ram and 500gb HDD. Also possibly a new battery but as of July mine was at 92%, so I might hold off on that.

The heaviest usage is multiple Adobe CS programs running at the same time. Increased speed overall and functionality when using say Photoshop and After Effects at the same time is why I'm doing this.

If you want significant performance increases in your photoshop and after effects then an upgrade to the 15 inch quad core machine is your best bet.

 

[Jenko]

hi guys,
Don't mean to hijack the original thread/post but I have a similar question.
I have an MBP 15" mid 2010 with i7 processor and maxed 8gb ram.
I could buy a new MBP at a push but would prefer not to buy a new one just yet>
My other option is to upgrade the HDD to SSD. I would be looking at either the Smsung eve 850 pro or Crucial M200 both 1TB in size. I am pretty sure my MBP is SATA 3 so I won't get the full advantages of write speed, but I would be able to use the SDD in another machine if I had to upgrade in the near future. My current 500gb HDD is almost full.
I have just started a Webdesign/development computer science one year degree and although I have Adobe CS5 installed I will have to start using the Adobe CC version for course work. So I am not sure to download now and delete CS5 (I purchased the CS5 on Hard Disk, which I still have) or wait until I install new SSD. Any advice on all me queries would be really appreciated.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

Well you could try cleaning out any duplicate files etc and getting that space you need down to a level where a 512 GB SSD is enough this would save you a massive amount of money on the SSD.

Yes you are at SATA 3 but so are those drives so you'll max out their sequential read/write speeds you can't get better without a different connection interface.

Adobe CC will be easily transferable when you clone your drive to the SSD.

 

[Jenko]

I think my MBP is SATA 2?
I thought the MBP 15" mid 2010 was SATA 2. My USB ports are USB 2.0. According to Apple I can only max out to 8gb ram which I already have. It has two memory slots, each with 1067 MHz DDR3 memory modules.
I have read online that MBP owners have menaced to max out to 16gb with the same model even though Apple say its impossible?

 

[Samuelsan2001]

Yes you are right I was still on the OP's specs sorry.

You'll max out at 275MB/s read/write so get the crucial BX100 series as they are cheaper and you'll notice no difference with something more expensive.

The 13 inch 2010 can take 16GB but I think the 15 inch maxes out at 8GB.

 

[Jenko]

Would it be better buying the MX200?
The other thing is if I bought the SATA 3 SSD, would it be worth having to use in the near future on a newer MBP when I do upgrade in a couple of years.

 

[snaky69]

I'd like some advice on what I should do. I have a non-retina MBP, the mid 2012 13" model that was purchased in 2012. When I brought it for its final covered Apple Care visit I mentioned that I wanted to get another one and I was advised that it would be better to update the one I already have than buy a new one.

Do you agree with this? I actually use the optical drive fairly often, so if I got a new one, I'd need to get an external. I have used retina MBPs but I don't particularly care about that. There is also the new trackpad, which I hear cannot be swapped into an old one because of size differences, and which I'd be interested in but would have to give up if I stuck with this machine. We also don't know what's coming as far as the rumored redesign.

I was planning on putting in 16gb ram and a 512 SSD from my current 4gb ram and 500gb HDD. Also possibly a new battery but as of July mine was at 92%, so I might hold off on that.

The heaviest usage is multiple Adobe CS programs running at the same time. Increased speed overall and functionality when using say Photoshop and After Effects at the same time is why I'm doing this.

The SSD would help app loading and file loading. RAM would help speed if you work on large projects.

But any rendering or effects are handled by the CPU. If you want any kind of speed increase in that aspect then the only way would be to upgrade to a 15"'s quad-core processor.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

Would it be better buying the MX200?
The other thing is if I bought the SATA 3 SSD, would it be worth having to use in the near future on a newer MBP when I do upgrade in a couple of years.

Well thats a better drive but on that computer you'll never know the difference that's why I reccomended the BX100 (All current SATA SSD's are SATA 3 and backwards compatable with SATA 2).

The new rMBP's SSD connects with a PCIe interface with a proprietry apple connector so there is essentially no way to upgrade them you have to order what you need at time of purchase, RAM is also soldered on for the new macbooks.