The Money Mustache Community
General Discussion => Share Your Badassity => Topic started by: Chris @ Saturday Financial on July 22, 2019, 12:37:04 PM
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My Macbook Pro (15") was 9 years old. It was beginning to run slowly. Sounds like it was time to "upgrade" to a new computer, right? Wrong.
For less than 1/10th the cost of a new 15" Macbook Pro, I upgraded two key components. Now my computer feels quite zippy.
First, I upgraded from 4 GB of RAM to 8 GB of RAM. (Easy.)
Instructions: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook+Pro+15-Inch+Unibody+Mid+2010+RAM+Replacement/3032
Next, I upgraded from a 500 GB mechanical hard drive to a 525 GB solid state drive. (Moderately easy.)
Step 1, Install the new SSD drive: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook+Pro+Hard+Drive+Removal/85373
Step 2, Use Internet Recovery to install OS X: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/How+to+use+Internet+Recovery+to+install+macOS+to+a+new+SSD/119499
Step 3, Use Migration Assistant to migrate data from the old drive: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/How+to+migrate+data+to+a+new+drive+in+macOS/119803
I couldn't be more pleased. When in doubt: Fix it, don't replace it!
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I believe you're still outside the range of supported OS upgrades, though. Are you using Dosguy's patch to run 10.14 on it?
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Do you still have the original battery? It sounds like it might be in range for pros that would burn up and destroy fun things like the keyboard and blow up like a balloon. My son had that happen and the only way to not pay 100% of the repair was to say the words "and it burned me" while on the phone with their customer support. They had him pay the cost of a new battery ($148) and the rest was fixed at a local apple store. Upon return, they told him that regular maintenance was to replace the battery annually. Yah...mkay.
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I believe you're still outside the range of supported OS upgrades, though. Are you using Dosguy's patch to run 10.14 on it?
I hadn’t realized that - thanks for the tip! I’ll check out the patch.
Do you still have the original battery? It sounds like it might be in range for pros that would burn up and destroy fun things like the keyboard and blow up like a balloon. My son had that happen and the only way to not pay 100% of the repair was to say the words "and it burned me" while on the phone with their customer support. They had him pay the cost of a new battery ($148) and the rest was fixed at a local apple store. Upon return, they told him that regular maintenance was to replace the battery annually. Yah...mkay.
My mid-2010 model is so old that it predates those issues. The original battery is still humming along and still holds a charge for 5+ hours.