Want better speed+processing. Help?

[NewGuyHere]

Hey guys, I am a new guy here. So here is the thing, I have a late 2011 Macbook pro 13" i5, 2.3ghz. It's really nice, my second laptop after my pc. Now the thing is, it isn't really as fast as I would like it to be. Otherwise I am happy with it. The real issues is that it takes microsoft word and excel and a bunch of other programs for school a while to startup. I don't realy need more than 100gb. I was researching and found that ssd are really great for speed. So I come here to ask what ssd is good and what can I do to get optimum performance. Thanks guys.

 

[simsaladimbamba]

You could add more RAM and not quit applications that often, unless you don't need them for a while.
I can run my 2007 iMac with 10 to 25 applications open at the same time (on a measly 4 GB RAM) quite good. The same goes for my 2009 MBP with 8 GB RAM.

Performance Tips For Mac OS X

As for SSD:

SSD Buying Guide by Hellhammer​

I have the Vertex 2 and 3 in my Macs and they have been good. Others swear on Crucial M4 or Intel 320 or Samsung 830 SSDs.

And if you don't use Windows via Boot Camp you can also just use the SLEEP feature of your Mac instead of shutting it down, if that is what prompts you to repetitively start applications.

 

[thekev]

SSDs do load applications faster. You hard drive is pretty small. If it's on the full side, it can slow things down. You always need some free space on your drive. This is even true with ssds, although they don't really slow down when full.

 

[NewGuyHere]

alright guys....so I just want startup time to be a lot better, and application openeing better. So what ssd's would you reccomend for a mediocre budget.

 

[simsaladimbamba]

alright guys....so I just want startup time to be a lot better, and application openeing better. So what ssd's would you reccomend for a mediocre budget.

Why do you need to startup your Mac that often?

As for mediocre budget, what do you mean? I got my Vertex 3 120 GB SSD for 150 € or so.

 

[NewGuyHere]

I just have a thing for speed. And I always run my macbook till its almost dead, shut it down and restart. I always restart for some apps too. Just a thing I like...as well as program startups.

 

[simsaladimbamba]

I just have a thing for speed. And I always run my macbook till its almost dead, shut it down and restart. I always restart for some apps too. Just a thing I like...as well as program startups.

Okay, that is not needed, I run my mobile Macs for weeks/months without restarts and I use some RAM hungry applications (Avid Media Composer, After Effects, ..., Safari) and don't need to do that to have fresh RAM.
But it is your Mac and if it works for you, then an SSD will help you with the boot/start times tremendously.

 

[NewGuyHere]

Ok I see where you're getting at. I am thinking of getting this because it is relatively cheap after rebate. http://www.frys.com/product/6728115?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG is this a good investment?

 

[simsaladimbamba]

Ok I see where you're getting at. I am thinking of getting this because it is relatively cheap after rebate. http://www.frys.com/product/6728115?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG is this a good investment?

I can't comment on that SSD, as my knowledge of all the models is limited. Maybe have a look at the SSD Guide I linked you to and ask there, since there is more traffic. You could also search that thread via the "Search this Thread" option on top of every thread page.