Upgrade verus new

[greenlogo1976]

I have a Mid-2010 MBP with a Core 2 processor, 4gb ram and a 250gb hard drive, which is now full.

Fundamentally, the machine is still in great condition and does pretty much what I want it to do (home, family use - browsing, Facetime, photos etc).

I've got three options that I'm considering and I'd appreciate any advice:

1) Buy a new MBP (with retina display) and try to sell the old one to cover some of the cost.

2) Upgrade the existing MBP to a 256gb SSD and 8gb RAM - Faster drive but no more space.

3) Upgrade the existing MBP to a 1tb HDD and 8gb RAM - More space, same speed.

My dilemma is this: The new MBPs come with just a 128gb of storage (or I could perhaps stretch to the 256gb model. My current model has 250gb and it's almost full (precious photos, not just junk). It seems like a lot of money to keep the same amount of space.

However, upgrading the existing mac will either give me a faster, not bigger hard drive, or it will give me a bigger hard drive at the same speed. But am I throwing good money at a machine that it 4 years old now - am I just going to have to replace it in a year anyway?

Is there much more in the latest version MBPs that should convince me to buy a new one rather than upgrade the existing one?

 

[ElectronGuru]

Short answer: I was facing the identical, 2010 machine with 200gb of data. Got 8tb + a 480 m500, super happy with the result. Go for it

Long answer: 1) your machine is in good shape, 2) it mostly does what you need, 3) it's up to you when to replace it. Even hundreds in upgrades makes sense if this buys you 2-4 more years. Are there other things you are dying to have like retina, ac, and tons more CPU?

 

[MCAsan]

Upgrade memory to 8GB, and put in a Samsung EV0 840 SSD 500GB and is cheaper that a 1TB SSD). That will double your disk space. Keep the current HD and put it in an external USB 3 enclosure. When it it time to get a new Mac, you can put the HD back into the Macbook and put the SSD into the external enclosure as a very fast external drive for the new Mac that will have SSD storage inside.

That should give the Macbook another year or two of practical use. Time to same for the replacement machine.

 

[Wuiffi]

Upgrade memory to 8GB, and put in a Samsung EV0 840 SSD 500GB and is cheaper that a 1TB SSD). That will double your disk space. Keep the current HD and put it in an external USB 3 enclosure. When it it time to get a new Mac, you can put the HD back into the Macbook and put the SSD into the external enclosure as a very fast external drive for the new Mac that will have SSD storage inside.

That should give the Macbook another year or two of practical use. Time to same for the replacement machine.

+1!

OP: For your usage getting a new rMPB is probably a waste of money. upgrade your 2010 model and if (in a few years) the time for a new device comes, you can still benefit from the SSD.

 

[nathanmiller99]

Actually it is up to you and if i have to do this, then i will prefer 1tb HDD abd 8 gb ram.

 

[Count Blah]

Actually it is up to you and if i have to do this, then i will prefer 1tb HDD abd 8 gb ram.

I have been in the OP's situation with myself and family members. The 8gihs of RAM and a 480G m500 or a 500gig samsung 840 EVO would do the OP well for years and years - given the CPU/GPU is up to his needs.

The OP can also put the original HDD into the cd drive space. If the OP wants to go that route, he can go with the 256 SSD, and point his iTunes, downloads, documents, etc... At his HDD to save space on the SSD.

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Actually it is up to you and if i have to do this, then i will prefer 1tb HDD abd 8 gb ram.

I have been in the OP's situation with myself and family members. The 8gihs of RAM and a 480G m500 or a 500gig samsung 840 EVO would do the OP well for years and years - given the CPU/GPU is up to his needs.

The OP can also put the original HDD into the cd drive space. If the OP wants to go that route, he can go with the 256 SSD, and point his iTunes, downloads, documents, etc... At his HDD to save space on the SSD.

 

[RMXO]

You have a few options as others have stated. If I were in your shoes, I would upgrade to 8GB RAM and decide if I would want to go with 1 storage or 2 storage route.

1 storage is getting a larger SSD (512gb min since you said your 250 is already full) or larger hybrid HDD (750gb) or 1-1.5TB HDD.

2 storage would be getting a SSD for OS only and taking out the optical drive and getting a HDD/SSD optibay from Amazon and re-using your old HDD for storage only or getting another HDD at 500GB-1.5TB.

Pricing will depending on which route you go. Of course one route is cheaper than the other but I'm just providing options for you to consider.

I was once in your shoes for my old mid 2011 and I went with 8GB RAM upgrade and upgraded to a SSD (OS) & moved my 750gb (storage) to the optical bay.

 

[greenlogo1976]

Thanks everyone.

I went to go and look at a rMBP at lunchtime and the sales assistant said she thought I was *mad* to be considering buying one - she said that a MBP should have a useful life of mimimum 6 years, maximum 12 years.

She asked: Are you happy with the current speed?
Me: Well, yes.
Her: So, why do you need an SSD? You just need MORE space, not FASTER space.

She said that if she was in my shoes she would put a 1tb standard HDD and consider maybe boosting the memory if I wanted to, and that would add another 3 years before I had to think about what to do next.

I hadn't really looked at it that way. Considering she could have had a juicy sale, she was remarkably honest.

 

[Wuiffi]

trust me, you want an ssd, you just don't know it yet
it makes your macbook feel like a new computer

 

[glenthompson]

Thanks everyone.

I went to go and look at a rMBP at lunchtime and the sales assistant said she thought I was *mad* to be considering buying one - she said that a MBP should have a useful life of mimimum 6 years, maximum 12 years.

She asked: Are you happy with the current speed?
Me: Well, yes.
Her: So, why do you need an SSD? You just need MORE space, not FASTER space.

She said that if she was in my shoes she would put a 1tb standard HDD and consider maybe boosting the memory if I wanted to, and that would add another 3 years before I had to think about what to do next.

I hadn't really looked at it that way. Considering she could have had a juicy sale, she was remarkably honest.

There's no question that you need more space. Putting in a 250gb SSD would be a mistake. You need 500 at a minimum. I would go for a SSD because it makes a huge difference. After putting one in my 2011 MBP I had to put one in my wife's iMac because she really liked how much it improved mine.

Depending on your workflow, a hybrid drive might be a cost effective solution. Nowhere near the speed of a SSD but probably faster than your current drive.