2007 15" Pro

[tsgwin]

I've got a 2007 model 15.4" pro with the 2.2ghz processor and a 250gb hard drive (2gb RAM). As of recent, it's gotten insanely slow and I'm debating on whether to up the RAM to the maximum of 4gb and get a new hard drive (probably a 750gb 7200rpm), or just bite the bullet and get a new one. On top of the internal upgrades, I also need a new battery and a new AC charger. I should add that the computer didn't really get slow till it reached near-maximum capacity on the hard drive. I've been operating off of ~3gb free for the last few months. (Yes, it's getting old clearing off downloads and other temporary files daily). I'm just afraid that as soon as I put $300-$400 into the machine, it'll fry the processor or something—after all, it's put in 4 years of daily use.

What would you guys do? Replace parts and keep going till it dies, or replace it now? Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[AUZambo]

Have you installed OnyX and cleaned it up? I have a 2006 model and never ran any clean up utilities for the first 3.5 years. The computer was dreadfully slow so I installed another stick of RAM hoping to fix it, but to no avail.

Finally, someone suggested Onyx. I installed it an ran all its utilities and my start-up time went from about 2 minutes to 30 seconds.

 

[pigoo3]

I should add that the computer didn't really get slow till it reached near-maximum capacity on the hard drive. I've been operating off of ~3gb free for the last few months.

This is the main issue...the hard drive is too full. If the computer really didn't feel like it was slowing down until the HD got full...then that's definitely the problem.

OS X needs a fair amount of "swap space" on the HD to run efficiently. Too little space...and things will definitely slow down. Free up a BUNCH of HD space...and I bet things will speed up.

You didn't say what size HD you have...so it may be time for an upgrade. But in most folks cases...there's a "lot of junk" or infrequently used files & apps. on users HD's. Move a lot of that stuff to an external HD or back it up onto DVD's.

HTH,

- Nick

 

[AUZambo]

This is the main issue...the hard drive is too full. If the computer really didn't feel like it was slowing down until the HD got full...then that's definitely the problem.

OS X needs a fair amount of "swap space" on the HD to run efficiently. Too little space...and things will definitely slow down. Free up a BUNCH of HD space...and I bet things will speed up.

You didn't say what size HD you have...so it may be time for an upgrade. But in most folks cases...there's a "lot of junk" or infrequently used files & apps. on users HD's. Move a lot of that stuff to an external HD or back it up onto DVD's.

HTH,

- Nick

Ha ha...I didn't even catch that. That's definitely the culprit. That'd be like filling your closet so full of clothes that you can barely walk in it, then wondering why you can't find what you want.

I would go ahead and upgrade the hard drive. You can get them fairly cheap on Newegg and installation is pretty simple. I got a 640 GB/7200 RPM drive for around $70 and installed it myself.

 

[tsgwin]

Have you installed OnyX and cleaned it up? I have a 2006 model and never ran any clean up utilities for the first 3.5 years. The computer was dreadfully slow so I installed another stick of RAM hoping to fix it, but to no avail.

Finally, someone suggested Onyx. I installed it an ran all its utilities and my start-up time went from about 2 minutes to 30 seconds.

I haven't, but I'm going to now. I'm downloading it as I type. Will post results.

This is the main issue...the hard drive is too full. If the computer really didn't feel like it was slowing down until the HD got full...then that's definitely the problem.

OS X needs a fair amount of "swap space" on the HD to run efficiently. Too little space...and things will definitely slow down. Free up a BUNCH of HD space...and I bet things will speed up.

You didn't say what size HD you have...so it may be time for an upgrade. But in most folks cases...there's a "lot of junk" or infrequently used files & apps. on users HD's. Move a lot of that stuff to an external HD or back it up onto DVD's.

HTH,

- Nick

I wish I could say there was anything else to delete. I've slimmed down most everything and removed all my photos to an external drive. I'm going to filter through all documents again tomorrow and see what else I can do. Thanks for the suggestion though.

 

[pigoo3]

Ha ha...I didn't even catch that. That's definitely the culprit. That'd be like filling your closet so full of clothes that you can barely walk in it, then wondering why you can't find what you want.

Your idea to run Onyx is a great one as well...certainly can't hurt. I would do a two-part procedure...free up some HD space...then run Onyx.

- Nick

 

[pigoo3]

I wish I could say there was anything else to delete. I've slimmed down most everything and removed all my photos to an external drive. I'm going to filter through all documents again tomorrow and see what else I can do. Thanks for the suggestion though.

You sure you don't have any unnecessary items on your HD like:

- photos
- music
- videos
- old files

And if you have a lot of apps. installed...do you really use all of them frequently enough to keep them on the HD.

You still haven't said what size HD you have. If you're working with something like an 80 gig drive...I can see the problem. But if you have like a 500gig drive...I'm not going to be very sympathetic.

- Nick

 

[AUZambo]

I haven't, but I'm going to now. I'm downloading it as I type. Will post results.

When I run it I just keep everything checked on the default settings. The very first thing it'll ask you to do is check the S.M.A.R.T. status and startup volume of your hard drive. After that it will pop up a small, gray toolbar. I just go to the "Cleaning" option and execute all 6 of the options, leaving all the check boxes however OnyX checks them as a default.

That may help, but I still think the lack of space on the hard drive is the issue. How big is your current hard drive?

 

[tsgwin]

How big is your current hard drive?

A whopping 120gb. I'd forgotten how tiny that was until looking at it last night. I ran Onyx and it's definitely sped up, but now I'm about to get a new HD and RAM. I plan on ordering that from newegg, but does anyone have a suggestion on a place to buy things like batteries, chargers, and the like? I just refuse to pay Apple's ridiculous prices for these.