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Upgrading my 2012 MacBook Pro

snoopdog

snoopdog

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 24, 2014
8
2
UK
Hi
I'm thinking of up grading my 2012 mac book pro, can anyone give me some advice re RAM upgrades and changing to SSD. I have
4 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
Who's best to do this for me or is it possible to do this myself... (watched a couple of video's seems straight forward...ish) where to purchase the RAM & SSD if I decide to attempt this myself.

Many thanks

S'dog
 
Last edited:
Hi snoopdog,

Im using a late 2011, 13' i5 MacBook Pro. I upgraded the RAM( from 4Gb to 16Gb) and put in a 512 Gb SSD.

RAM replacement is easy, as you mentioned, there are many youtube vids showing how to do it.

SSD might be a bit more tricky. I suggest getting some experienced help.

List your current system configuration, it will help members give you more detailed replies.

Good Luck.
 
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OP:

Go to ifixit.com to see what's involved in the upgrades.

Just about any SSD will do.
I prefer Sandisk and Crucial.

Be sure to buy and use THE RIGHT TOOLS for the job.
I believe you'll need a Phillips #00 driver and a TORX T-6 driver.

I suggest that you also buy an external 2.5" USB3 enclosure.
You can use this for the old HDD after you take it out.

ALSO -- you can use the enclosure to "prep and test" the SSD BEFORE you install it. In the event you have any trouble, resolving problems is FAR EASIER if you do it this way.

Be careful handling the internal drive ribbon cable. They are very fragile and are a problem area on the 2012 MBPro's...
 
You can start by upgrading to 16GB RAM if you have not done so already....

Here's a link to some memory: http://www.ebay.com/itm/16GB-Kit-2X...648000?hash=item33bc7d1c80:g:6qEAAOSwPRlXnlSa

then you can add some solid state drives inside: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Samsung-SSD...050221?hash=item2a7aee16ed:g:ZDwAAOSw241Yk7O4


Adding both of these will really speed up your mac. I have this in my mid2012 13inch MacBook Pro and I have been pleased with it's improved performance.

As for doing the install yourself? Absolutely! You need to make sure you have a "0" phillips screw driver so you can unscrew the necessary screws identified from the iFixit site. Just follow their directions and you should not have any issues doing this upgrade yourself. I have done this to two different MacBook Pros already.
 
Which MacBook Pro do you have? - 13-inch Unibody, 13-inch Retina, 15-inch Unibody, or 15-inch Retina

If you have a Unibody, this may be of help
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201165

I generally get my memory from Crucial. There are numerous good names, but it's the brand I've personally used the most. With your computer, you can upgrade to 8GB or 16GB - depending how you use your computer, both may work equally well for your needs, or 16 GB may work much better. Have you checked your memory usage via the Activity Monitor?
http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/advisor


Do you know what size SSD you want?
Also, would you prefer a SSD that is more budget-oriented, a balance, or more performance/longevity oriented? For example, the Samsung 850 PRO is an example of a flagship SSD - it's all about speed, reliability, and longevity, plus the best warranty, but it commends a considerable premium over most other options. The Crucial MX-300 (and the Samsung EVO) is a balanced SSD, with very good performance, reliability, and longevity, and for a much lower price than the Samsung 850 PRO.
 
I had the 2012 Retina MBP and just upgraded to the new 15" Pro ... while I've only had it for 24 hours, I will say that I cam very happy with the upgrade. The laptop is much faster and the upgraded video graphics card is noticeable. I will say the keyboard is taking some getting used to, but I really like how it feels. All in all, from the 12 to the new in my book is well worth it.
 
bluespider said:
I had the 2012 Retina MBP and just upgraded to the new 15" Pro ... while I've only had it for 24 hours, I will say that I cam very happy with the upgrade. The laptop is much faster and the upgraded video graphics card is noticeable. I will say the keyboard is taking some getting used to, but I really like how it feels. All in all, from the 12 to the new in my book is well worth it.
Click to expand...
But we are talking here about non-retina mid 2012 MacBook. ) Last true Macbook that was made for people, where you could upgrade almost everything you needed. I bought it last summer and installed 8gb of ram and 850 Evo SSD disk, and it become faster than light. ) I don't need a Retina display, because it eats too much of battery power and it's screen problems with that glue on it... No thanks, not gonna pay 2000 USD to get that kind of problems. And the new MacBook is just a joke.
 
I purchased a used 2012 MacBook Pro non-retina from the local high school. I upgraded the memory and swapped the HDD to an SSD. Boot times went from around 50 seconds to 15. Straight forward upgrade and install. I did the command R, recovery install with no issues.

I recommend this memory;
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008LTBJFW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

and I used this SSD;
https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-2-5-...id=1486920118&sr=1-1&keywords=samsung+evo+850

Good luck with the upgrade!
Cy
 
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While you're at it, consider replacing the aging fans. Good price on Amazon and easy install.
Last year, I removed the DVD writer and replaced with a second SSD drive (1TB). I never use DVD's so it was a beneficial upgrade. MacSales has helpful tutorials about drive replacements etc.
 
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I did mushkin 16GB of memory with an intel 240GB SSD drive. Then changed out the superdrive with 512GB SSD. It was probably the best performing MBP I had until the video card died.
 
Fishrrman said:
OP:

Go to ifixit.com to see what's involved in the upgrades.

Just about any SSD will do.
I prefer Sandisk and Crucial.

Be sure to buy and use THE RIGHT TOOLS for the job.
I believe you'll need a Phillips #00 driver and a TORX T-6 driver.

I suggest that you also buy an external 2.5" USB3 enclosure.
You can use this for the old HDD after you take it out.

ALSO -- you can use the enclosure to "prep and test" the SSD BEFORE you install it. In the event you have any trouble, resolving problems is FAR EASIER if you do it this way.

Be careful handling the internal drive ribbon cable. They are very fragile and are a problem area on the 2012 MBPro's...
Click to expand...

I finally got around to doing this a couple of weeks ago! (I've used a Samsung 850 Evo) I had a problem cloning the original hard drive, I contacted Apple chat, they were great & solved the problem.
Followed your advice & got the right tools for the job, I'm completely self taught on this sort of thing... If I can do this anyone can. My mid 2012 mac book pro is super quick... almost better than new.

Thanks for the advice
 
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