MacBook Pro (early 2011) Memory + Storage upgrade

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iPhone 4S iPod Nano 6th Gen MacBook Pro (2011) -OS: OS X v.10.6.8 -Processor: 2.3 GHz Intel Core i5
My MacBook Pro is early 2011 model w/ following specs:
4GB RAM 1333MHz DDR3
2.3 GHz Intel Core i5
320GB storage

I bought it as a refurb a month and a half ago and love it (first Mac) but would like to do some upgrades.

I'm looking to upgrade to 16GB RAM and 1TB hard drive storage.

I did some research and found these on Other World Computing:

16GB RAM (8GBx2 + 1333MHz): OWC 1333DDR3S16P 16.0GB (8GBx2) PC3-10600 DDR3... in stock at OWC

1TB Storage:
Toshiba OWCDIYTOSH1.0F3 DIY KIT:1.0TB HD for... in stock at OWC

I'm brand new to this and wanted to get veterans' opinions as to whether or not I'm on the right track. I feel pretty good about the RAM, but the storage is a little fuzzy to me - namely the interface. The interface they show doesn't look like the one on my MacBook Pro and wondering if this will cause any compatibility issues?

Also, while I'm upgrading, are there any other upgrades you would recommend? This is my personal computer and I also plan to use it for short (amateur) film production and some amateur graphic design.

Any thoughts or advice appreciated. Cheers!
 

cwa107


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Your Mac's Specs
14" MacBook Pro M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD
I wouldn't put any data I cared about on a Toshiba hard drive.

Your MacBook Pro supports just about any 2.5" SATA2/3 hard disk. SATA3 (6GB/s) is only important if you're shopping for an SSD (which it doesn't appear that you are, given that you're going for a 1TB drive). Personally, I'd be looking at a 7200rpm drive, even if you have to take a slight loss in terms of capacity (you can always use your old drive as an external).

Stick with Hitachi, Western Digital or Seagate (in that order) if you want a reliable drive.

Hope that helps.
 
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Thanks for the quick reply.

Wasn't familiar with brand quality, so thank you for clearing that up. I've read on this site that many people use OWC for purchasing hardware so I've limited my search to OWC as I'm unfamiliar with anything in this realm. Are there any other sites you'd recommend?

I will look into 7200RPM drive. I'd really like to get an SSD, but unfortunately can't afford one of a decent size right now.
 

pigoo3

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2017 15" MBP, 16gig ram, 1TB SSD, OS 10.15
Are there any other sites you'd recommend?

- Crucial.com is another good site for ram.
- Newegg.com is a decent site for hard drives & SSD's.

- Nick
 

cwa107


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OWC has a great reputation, particularly for Apple-specific merchandise. I would not hesitate to order from them, though you can often do better price-wise by looking at NewEgg.com, Amazon.com, Buy.com, etc.

To tell you the truth, I really like the hard drive upgrade kit you picked out (the external kit, in particular, is a great choice). I'm just not a fan of the Toshiba hard drive. I'd look to see if they've got another option.
 
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Hello,

FYI I did a RAM upgrade about a month ago OWC RAM is great. ( 4gb to 8gb) You can also check Ebay, some times people replace HDD's "unsed" with SSD's and sell the old drive to recoup some cash. You may have to go with a 750gb, but sometimes a full 1TB comes up for sale. Plus side is it will be OEM.
 

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