Upgrading macbook pro mid 2010 model

[NickyJames84]

Hi,

This is my first time using ANY forum. Apologies in advance!
I currently have a mid 2010 MBP - 13", 2.4 GHz intel C2D + 4GB 1067 MHz DDR3.
I use my MBP mostly for internet, iPhoto, some iMovie but mostly I use my MBP for making music.
I use Logic exp 9, I have a few independant plug-ins etc and I have also recently installed BFD2 which I've heard is not very CPU friendly.

So my problem is - Ive recently updated my osx to mavericks and everything is running too slow. My tascam Audio interface no longer works, which I've accepted and buying new model.
After reading a bunch of other forum threads I've realised i probably shouldn't have updated to mavericks but I have and can't go back so working out how to go forward.

My CPU usage seems to be the problem and keep getting warnings "couldn't process audio..." etc...

I need some advice on how to help my MBP run smoother/faster.
Would upgrading RAM help?
Any feedback would be much appreciated!

 

[Freyqq]

Ram will help only if ram is the bottleneck for that software. Can you determine if you are paging out to the hard drive during those warnings?

Luckily ram is the cheapest upgrade you can do, so it may not be a bad idea to just upgrade it anyways. However, if you CPU is the only reason why you can't run your software properly, the only option is to get another computer with a better CPU.

 

[NickyJames84]

Thanks for getting back to me.
Sorry to sound stupid, but...

How can I determine whether Im paging out to the HD?

And, my CPU usage seems to be clogged up by "Kernel Task".
Is there something I can do to fix this?

 

[jmdMac]

Likely you need some more RAM, newer versions of OSX use more.

About a year ago I updated my 2010 by putting 8GB RAM and then later an SSD in it. Before I put the SSD in there was still a major difference from the upgraded RAM alone.

I use my mac for similar applications as you, so I would try that. It is a cheap way to make your mac hold out longer. If you really want to make it feel fast put an SSD in it also, mine feels faster than the day I got it with more RAM and an SSD.

Good luck

 

[NickyJames84]

Likely you need some more RAM, newer versions of OSX use more.

About a year ago I updated my 2010 by putting 8GB RAM and then later an SSD in it. Before I put the SSD in there was still a major difference from the upgraded RAM alone.

I use my mac for similar applications as you, so I would try that. It is a cheap way to make your mac hold out longer. If you really want to make it feel fast put an SSD in it also, mine feels faster than the day I got it with more RAM and an SSD.

Good luck

Thanks for that. I will look into both options.
I have a "Mac expert" guy from my city having a look at it today to determine if I have anything else going on in the background and hogging memory etc.
I'll post back with his findings...

 

[Gav Mack]

Thanks for that. I will look into both options.
I have a "Mac expert" guy from my city having a look at it today to determine if I have anything else going on in the background and hogging memory etc.
I'll post back with his findings...

Do both the ram and SSD options, the former will improve responsiveness a hell of a lot with the apps you are using but the SSD will transform it totally. I have a lot of very happy MBP clients who have saved a lot of money buying a new one by extending the life of their 'old' one.

Try and get a big enough SSD so you don't have to have it 75% full, better still 50%. Samsung 840 Evo SSD highly recommended.

 

[NickyJames84]

So my MBP was serviced by apple certified engineer. After seeing the performance his two suggestions of what is wrong...
- either the internal HD was on its last legs and should be replaced
- or some kind of file in wrong place within a program on the HD.

Turns out there was a missing audio file within BFD2 which may have been the issue.

So he Transferred everything off my hard drive, wiped it and the restored the HD with everything back on it (hopefully in the right place).

So I've taken my MBP home to test.
It does seem to be a bit better. Logic runs a bit smoother, not getting beach ball so much.
But I can't say its a huge improvement.
When I open finder it takes a few seconds before it shows any files on my internal HD, whereas my ext HD shows up files with no delay.
Is this normal? Defo felt quicker in the past.

So I need to determine whether the current performance is due to the HD failing or whether I just have bad copy of certain programs with missing files etc.

Samsung 840 Evo SSD sounds great although very expensive. What are the perks of using SSD?

My other option is to get normal 1ter HD installed, cost - £110. If I went with that option I may have enough money left over to upgrade RAM to 8GB.

With Xmas round the corner the cheaper option seems more attractive!

 

[yjchua95]

So my MBP was serviced by apple certified engineer. After seeing the performance his two suggestions of what is wrong...
- either the internal HD was on its last legs and should be replaced
- or some kind of file in wrong place within a program on the HD.

Turns out there was a missing audio file within BFD2 which may have been the issue.

So he Transferred everything off my hard drive, wiped it and the restored the HD with everything back on it (hopefully in the right place).

So I've taken my MBP home to test.
It does seem to be a bit better. Logic runs a bit smoother, not getting beach ball so much.
But I can't say its a huge improvement.
When I open finder it takes a few seconds before it shows any files on my internal HD, whereas my ext HD shows up files with no delay.
Is this normal? Defo felt quicker in the past.

So I need to determine whether the current performance is due to the HD failing or whether I just have bad copy of certain programs with missing files etc.

Samsung 840 Evo SSD sounds great although very expensive. What are the perks of using SSD?

My other option is to get normal 1ter HD installed, cost - £110. If I went with that option I may have enough money left over to upgrade RAM to 8GB.

With Xmas round the corner the cheaper option seems more attractive!

An SSD is very less likely to break down because it's got no moving parts.

You get boot times of around 11-15 seconds (7-10 seconds on PCIe SSDs on Haswell iMacs, rMBPs and MBAs).

The 840 Evo is cheaper but won't last as long as the Pro because it's TLC. The Pro uses MLC, which lasts much longer and is capable of higher IOPS.

 

[tblrsa]

I´d also go for the Samsung 840 EVO. I´ve recently equipped my Baby with this SSD along with 8 Gigabyte of Ram, and everything feels really fast and smooth now on Mavericks.