Upgrading ram: apple, or myself?

zeb


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I have a 2011 15" macbook pro. It has the 4gb of ram but I want to upgrade that to 8gb. Is it something that would be significantly cheaper (and easy) to do myself, or should I go to the apple store to have it done? Also, what is a reasonable price? The "geniuses" there didnt know how much it cost but said it was probably around $200. I appreciate any help, thanks.
 
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2011 13' Macbook Pro i5
I did this with my 2011 13 inch, the job is a 5 min job, however note this: Get a good screwdriver, a REALLY good one that fits perfectly, you don't want to be striping screws or scratching them up,it's worth it your your everyday as well.

Be careful to just touch the board of the ram, not the contacts or the Macbook's motherboard, don't want to zap anything.

Some screws are diffrent and all are locktighted, beprepaired to use just enogh force and such, I found the lock tight that remains on the screws tends to make them want to only work in the hole they came out of.

Make sure the mac is fully powered off.
If you follow this, your total costs would be under $75. Heck with the money you save, you can go Optibay at the same time with an SSD.
 
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take your time and you will be fine! lots of walk thro's on you tube if you want to see some one do it before you crack yours open .. Good Luck!
 
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I have a 2011 15" macbook pro. It has the 4gb of ram but I want to upgrade that to 8gb. Is it something that would be significantly cheaper (and easy) to do myself, or should I go to the apple store to have it done? Also, what is a reasonable price? The "geniuses" there didnt know how much it cost but said it was probably around $200. I appreciate any help, thanks.

I guess it really depends how mechanically inclined you are. To buy the RAM itself from OWC, I spent about about $149.00. Then I installed the RAM myself. I have the same MBP you have. I upgraded both the RAM to 8 GB and put in a 7200 RPM/750 GB hard drive. This is the second MBP I ungraded the RAM in. If you have the money to spare, you can have the Apple Store put it in for you. For me it really wasn't an option (Apple Store close by).

Take Care and May God bless.

Ed
 
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27" iMac, 3.4Ghz Core i7, 256GB ssd + 1TB hdd, 16GB memory, Radeon 6970m w/2GB
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ifixit.com

awesome walkthroughs easy to do have done it for many macs myself literally only like 8 screws and like 2 buttons to push just be gentle!
 
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zeb


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I really want to save the $100...just scared! haha
Does it void all my applecare if I do it myself?
 
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I really want to save the $100...just scared! haha
Does it void all my applecare if I do it myself?

no, your applecare still intact, I have done with my own and my sister's. it is a piece of cake. Make sure you get the contact tight.
 
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zeb


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Is crucial the best place to get the ram?
Also, where did you guys get the right screwdriver?
I want to make sure I do this right.
Thanks!
 
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craftsman from sears make sure it is a #0 philips screwdriver
 
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zeb


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On ifixit they suggest disconnecting the battery connector...is that necessary? The less things I need to disconnect and connect the better I will feel.

Also, they recommended a #00 instead of a #0. Is there a difference? Which one is best? thanks again for all the help, and sorry for being so stupid!

Installing MacBook Pro 15" Unibody Early 2011 RAM - iFixit
 
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On ifixit they suggest disconnecting the battery connector...is that necessary? The less things I need to disconnect and connect the better I will feel.

Also, they recommended a #00 instead of a #0. Is there a difference? Which one is best? thanks again for all the help, and sorry for being so stupid!

Installing MacBook Pro 15" Unibody Early 2011 RAM - iFixit

no difference between #0 and #00, you do not disconnect anything.
 
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zeb


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Thanks. Just bought the ram from crucial.
Appreciate all the help!
 
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i dont think it is completly nessicary to unplug the battery. actully the one time i did unplug the battery is when mine stopped working.

BUT do make sure its not plugged in ( to wall) and is powered off and that you make sure you ground yourself you dont want any static electricity! dont were those big fuzzy socks!
i think you will be ok! i got my sset of screw drivers from walmart its a red box with 2 phillips and 3 flat i think works great! was only a few dollars
 

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