MacBook Pro Memory Update worth it?

I have a mid 2010 macbook pro 13 inch, 2.4 GHz core 2 duo currently with 4gb ram and running loin.

I often have several applications open in fullscreen mode; iTunes, mail, safari + lots of tabs, with no problem at all. More recently i have started to use iMovie, aperture also and i have noticed that everything slows down.. i know this is obviously because cpu and memory are being used up, but what i want to know is will i notice a considerable difference in performance when running these applications along with everything else if i update to 8gb? or is it the processor which is limiting me?

I have roughly 40-50gb space remaining on my 500gb hdd thanks in advance
Gaz

Yes, you should notice a difference for two reasons:

1. 8 GB of system memory means your integrated graphics chipset (Intel HD 3000) will be able to borrow up to 512MB rather than the normal 256MB.

2. More system memory = better performance for games and other CPU intensive applications.

ok thanks its only about £30 these days so il get onto it..

gaz1man said:

I have roughly 40-50gb space remaining on my 500gb hdd thanks in advance
Gaz

Click to expand...

You might want to keep an eye on this. Your HD is 90%+ full...let the HD get too full...and things will begin to slow down. Let the HD get completely full...and you won't be able to use the computer.

- Nick

yeh i have done this in the past... not keeping an eye on my downloads etc. especially since the remaining disk space is no longer at the bottom of the finder windows. iv started to use isat pro widget now to keep an eye on things, i would recommend it.

Memory is like money... If you have no problem getting it (LEGALLY ) then you can never have "to much of it."

gaz1man said:

. . . especially since the remaining disk space is no longer at the bottom of the finder windows. iv started to use isat pro widget now to keep an eye on things, i would recommend it.

Click to expand...

That is a great widget but if you prefer to have drive space at the bottom of the Finder window you can still do that easily. Open a Finder window, go to the View menu and choose Show Status Bar (Command+/).

chscag said:

Yes, you should notice a difference for two reasons:

1. 8 GB of system memory means your integrated graphics chipset (Intel HD 3000) will be able to borrow up to 512MB rather than the normal 256MB.

2. More system memory = better performance for games and other CPU intensive applications.

Click to expand...

Thanks for that!

I bumped up my 13" MBP from 4GB to 8GB and it made a big difference in speed. It's definitely worth the $$ for the upgrade.

Yea, more ram is so cheap these days and the ease of installing the new sticks is so simple. It's a great way of getting more out of your machine. I bought my first notebook ever in Nov (mbp) and went the owc route for 50usd (a bit more $), best $50 upgrade.

Not only will you gain extra multi-tasking performance, but your hd3000 graphics memory increases to 512mb from 384mb when going from 4gb->8gb of system ram.

sweet il definitely get onto it then.. is there anything else i can do to improve performance? might be a stupid question but its worth a shot..

Im pretty new to the osx and macs since I got mine in November but you can turn off animations when opening and minimizing windows and apps.

Repairing disk permissions using disk utility, set the dock to 2d w/o bouncing animation (I like this a lot since they add a little dot under open apps, good for lots of dock items and seeing whats open at a glance).

Also there is an app called Onyx, I use it occasionally for clearing out logs and caches. Though Im not sure I need this app since osx takes pretty good care of itself. I used this to change the dock, it also can purge memory to free up inactive ram for you to use.

Hardware wise the only other upgrade you can do is get a faster spinning HDD or a SSD.

Also looking at upgrading my ram from 4 to 8gb in my 2011 Macbook Pro.

Any makes to consider over other or any to avoid.?

Cheers,

Tyler

Corsair, Crucial, Samsung, G.Skill, OWC, Kingston are all great memory makers. I chose OWC and it's been great.

Komputerbay has ram kits for 16gb, the cheapest kit afaik but I have not heard of them before.

i have a friend who works in a mac store and he said all the guys there use crucial memory, i found some for £33 which was the best price i could find so thats what iv ordered. But i would imagine any of those above would be fine.