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Upgrading my MacBooks Pro mid 2012

H

haliway

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 4, 2019
10
0
Hi guys,

I would like one of my MacBooks Pro mid 2012 (13" i7 8GB and 15" i7 2.9GHZ 8GB NVIDIA GT650M with 1GB of GDDR5) to be upgraded.
I would like to install :
- 16GB RAM
- Bluetooth 4.2 + Wifi 802.11ac
- SSD 512GB
- Blue ray burner
- EGPU (working ? and worth it ?)

I have several questions :
- The bluetooth 4.2 + Wifi 802.11ac module discovered in this forum is unfortunately sold out. Any way to get one of these ? any existing alternative ?
- is it possible to have a SSD and another HDD (SSD or classic HDD) ?
- Regarding the blue ray burner, what would be the best model to replace the standard superdrive ?
- I honestly never really used my NVIDIA GT650M with 1GB of GDDR5 for anything intensive. Is it a quite fragile piece of hardware ? I don´t want to have the same issue as some of the Radeon users in the later MacBook Pro versions if i start using it for some games.
- Both of these MacBooks have Thunderbolt 1. Is TB 1 good enough for a egpu setup ? And if yes, what would i need and what egpu (best box and best graphics card) should i use ? I also want to use Windows under Boot Camp with this egpu.
- Which one of my MacBooks would you upgrade (mostly for vm lab and from now on some gaming if possible) if you were me ?
- Last question, is it possible to install a better trackpad like newer MacBooks Pro ?

Thanks for your help.
 
Last edited:
I have the same 13" 2012 MBP and upgraded to fit my needs.

16GB RAM is perfect = runs multiple windows and tabs perfectly.
BT / AC module - try eBay ? I don't use wireless as mine is hardwired onto router.
SSD is 1 TB - very cheap and I also have an external Firewire 2TB drive for storage.
Replacing the optical drive with another SSD/HDD is common and easy to get 2 drives, but you will lose the optical.
Blu Ray - try using an external drive - have not heard of an internal replacement.
TB 1 is used 100% of the time with my 27" TB Apple display which is on my home desk.
I used Boot Camp awhile ago and worked fine with dual displays.
For gaming, I'd use the 15" MBP.
Use an external USB current version "Magic trackpad" using BT from Apple - it's amazingly better than the built in trackpad....
 
4sallypat said:
I have the same 13" 2012 MBP and upgraded to fit my needs.

16GB RAM is perfect = runs multiple windows and tabs perfectly.
BT / AC module - try eBay ? I don't use wireless as mine is hardwired onto router.
SSD is 1 TB - very cheap and I also have an external Firewire 2TB drive for storage.
Replacing the optical drive with another SSD/HDD is common and easy to get 2 drives, but you will lose the optical.
Blu Ray - try using an external drive - have not heard of an internal replacement.
TB 1 is used 100% of the time with my 27" TB Apple display which is on my home desk.
I used Boot Camp awhile ago and worked fine with dual displays.
For gaming, I'd use the 15" MBP.
Use an external USB current version "Magic trackpad" using BT from Apple - it's amazingly better than the built in trackpad....
Click to expand...
The problem is that i would like to use my laptop as a laptop with a lot of traveling so external components are a no go for me so i want a better trackpad on the laptop, a blue ray burner on my mac, WIFI ac on my mac. the only external components will be my egpu and a screen at home waiting for the laptop to be plugged when home.
[automerge]1575500886[/automerge]
caileach said:
Here's one.....
https://eshop.macsales.com/item/Panasonic/UJ267/

Some discussion....
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ally-a-9-5mm-slot-load-blu-ray-drive.1393583/

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...d-internal-bluray-replacement-player.2173092/
Click to expand...
Thanks a lot. The second link is really useful. If you could help me for the rest of my questions that would be awesome.
 
Last edited:
I like upgrading older computers just to see what I can get them to do, so I can appreciate trying to make the computer the best it can be, but you might want to consider if spending a lot of money upgrading a 2012 computer is the best idea. I feel like you could probably get one of the MBPs from the following generation for a similar amount of money and it would likely perform better. Obviously the internal blu-ray drive would not be an option in that case, but it would take care of a lot of the other items on your list.
 
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mightyjabba said:
I like upgrading older computers just to see what I can get them to do, so I can appreciate trying to make the computer the best it can be, but you might want to consider if spending a lot of money upgrading a 2012 computer is the best idea. I feel like you could probably get one of the MBPs from the following generation for a similar amount of money and it would likely perform better. Obviously the internal blu-ray drive would not be an option in that case, but it would take care of a lot of the other items on your list.
Click to expand...
I do not think that i would actually find something comparable if I only need to pay around 250 - 300$ to upgrade them.
 
I was estimating it would be a lot more expensive than that, if you include something like an eGPU and the other various upgrades
 
mightyjabba said:
I was estimating it would be a lot more expensive than that, if you include something like an eGPU and the other various upgrades
Click to expand...
Ya i didnt include an eGPU in this amount because i dont see the goal to have a powerful laptop but being unable to keep an acceptable battery when traveling. I would rather try to play when im home and that case an egpu is better.
 
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