Upgrade memory or hard drive

kudragrace · Feb 14, 2012

Hi all,
I'm a computer idiot for the most part and am new to macs, my friends have macs and I have gotten familiar with using them but don't know much else. They have convinced me to get a mac so I think that I am but want to make sure that I get one that will last a long time because I am hopefully going to start grad school in the fall and anticipate being broke for at least the next 3 years. I think I have narrowed it down to the macbook pro 13" and have enough for either a hard drive or memory upgrade and am wondering which would be better. I mainly would use it for school and basic internetting (surfing, stumbling, research, streaming shows/netflix, music, maybe some basic video editing) nothing that seems to crazy.
My options are either
A) 4GB to 8GB- from what I've found from other forums it looks like this can be done after the purchase so I could do that if down the line 4GB doesn't seem enough...true???

B)5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive to 750GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm or 128GB Solid State Drive- I have no idea what any of this means

I'm looking to get a machine that will get me through several years without feeling like I've reached it's limit.

Any tips? Is now a good time to buy?

chas_m · Feb 14, 2012

On point A, more RAM is always better, but I don't think its an emergency that you get it right away. Going with third-party RAM and installing it yourself later will save some serious bucks over Apple's price on that.

On point B, I propose a middle option: a 7200 rpm 500GB drive. Solid State drives are wicked fast, but small in capacity and expensive. For video, you really want a 7200 rpm drive, even if it has less capacity than a 750GB 5400rpm drive.

If you're going for a MacBook Pro, now may NOT be the best time to buy, there are rumors (but that's all they are) of an upgrade (probably a fairly minor one, but still) in the spring that I find credible.

Lifeisabeach · Feb 14, 2012

You can get high quality 3rd party RAM that is FAR cheaper than what Apple charges. 4GB is the bare realistic minimum needed going forward, though I feel Lion runs more comfortably off 8GB. As for your hard drive… you may find the 128 GB SSD to be too small for your needs. That's REALLY small. A 7200 RPM drive might be a better choice, though that isn't an option from Apple on the 13" model and probably wouldn't be all that advantageous for your core needs. Really, just the video editing may show a perceivable boost. Otherwise, going with 8GB in RAM will mean your apps will be hitting the hard drive much less often. The SSD would be a great benefit across the board, but again, the small size you are looking at is going to be an issue.

EDIT: In other words… what chas said. LOL!

dmccloud · Feb 15, 2012

kudragrace said:
Hi all,
I'm a computer idiot for the most part and am new to macs, my friends have macs and I have gotten familiar with using them but don't know much else. They have convinced me to get a mac so I think that I am but want to make sure that I get one that will last a long time because I am hopefully going to start grad school in the fall and anticipate being broke for at least the next 3 years. I think I have narrowed it down to the macbook pro 13" and have enough for either a hard drive or memory upgrade and am wondering which would be better. I mainly would use it for school and basic internetting (surfing, stumbling, research, streaming shows/netflix, music, maybe some basic video editing) nothing that seems to crazy.
My options are either
A) 4GB to 8GB- from what I've found from other forums it looks like this can be done after the purchase so I could do that if down the line 4GB doesn't seem enough...true???

B)5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive to 750GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm or 128GB Solid State Drive- I have no idea what any of this means

I'm looking to get a machine that will get me through several years without feeling like I've reached it's limit.

Any tips? Is now a good time to buy?

Since both RAM and the HDD are considered "user replaceable" parts by Apple, you'd be better served buying the base model and upgrading yourself. I picked up an 8GB (2 x 4GB) kit for $42 from Crucial and a 750GB Seagate Momentus XT (hybrid drive) for $170 from Amazon. If I had done those upgrades direct from Apple, it would have been at least twice the price, if not more.

kudragrace · Feb 15, 2012

Chas:
Thank you, very helpful info. What kind of upgrade do you think might happen and would there be any serious price differences? Like if they revamp it a bit would the revamped be around the same price as the current model, or would current model stay around the same. I'm pretty impatient and have already been waiting months to get my tax return back and I don't know much about the technical stuff so it really comes down to price.

dmccloud (or anyone): how easy would it be to upgrade the hard drive later? RAM seems fairly fool proof, but I would still probably ask someone a little more skilled to help me out.

chscag · Feb 15, 2012

Upgrading the hard drive in an Apple notebook computer is a rather easy user do it yourself project. However, some folks are hesitant about opening up their machine to do the swap out. If that's you, then by all means have someone assist you or have it done by a service technician.

Upgrade memory or hard drive

kudragrace

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Lifeisabeach

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