Can iPhoto with 20k photos cause macPro to be slower than before?

Hi guys,

I have Macbook Pro 2011 and very happy with it.
However I started to notice it is slower than before , mainly when browsing on Chrome. My Hard drive is only half full and I don't have many apps installed. I have however about 20k photos in my iPhoto folder and was wondering if this can be cause for slower performance.

lso, additional question - I am on Snow Leopard using Chrome which is no longer supported and updated. Is it safe for me to use Chrome or shall I switch to other browsers?

Thank you

Only if you have iPhoto open while you are browsing, and probably not even then. But what does cause slowdown is a failing hard drive. If your drive is original that makes it now 6 years old or older and that's past when drives start to fail. Make frequent backups to be prepared for when it fails. You might consider getting a new drive for it, but at that age, I would think hard about how much to spend on it. I would also recommend moving on to newer versions of the OS unless there is some reason for hanging back to SL.

Thanks

I am planning to upgrade SSD and RAM to 8GB so it might be a good time to do so. After that I might upgrade to the newest OS but I really like Snow Leopard

You're doing well still using a 2011 MBP. If you're upgrading the RAM suggest you go full out for 16gb, worth the extra. Speeded up mine of the same vintage.

Thanks

I ll think about that.

Kennard said:

Thanks
I ll think about that.

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Don't forget that that MBPro uses a 5400RPM HDD and if replacing it and a SSD is too expensive, you can install a 7200RPM HDD that works well.

Also Snow Leopard is fine IMHO, but the browsers it can run will probably start getting denied at various sites and you'll need to update to a later OS X.

If and when you do, you could just make another partition for it and keep your SN separately in case you ever want to run any existing software that the upgrade may kill off.

For full specs on your Mac, select your actual model here:
https://everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook_pro/index-macbookpro.html




- patrick
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MacInWin said:

but at that age, I would think hard about how much to spend on it.

Click to expand...

Thanks a lot for your comment.

Does it mean there is no point upgrading?

I was thinking to buy new SSD and RAM (either 8GB or 16GB) and was hoping to keep enjoying my MacBook for another couple of years if possible.

A 15" MBP of that vintage is worth about $400US. A 17" maybe a couple of hundred more, tops. They are pretty old in technology, although if they are doing what you need, that's fine. Just consider how much money you want to put into a machine worth $400. There is never "no point" in upgrading, and if you don't have the funds to replace, sometimes upgrading is all you can do. Presently, the machine may be able to be upgraded all the way to HS, but probably that's as far as it is going to go. So the question for you is how much are you going to sink into this older machine and when will you finally have to retire it because it's just too old to continue? An SSD and more memory will make it better, and it could be good for a couple of years with those upgrades, during which time you can save your pennies for a new-to-you system upgrade.

That said, I have a 2008 iMac running my home automation center and a 2011 MBP as my entertainment server, so that older technology can be used in single-purpose applications for a long time, so even if it gets beyond use on the Internet, there is still a use somewhere. It's really up to you.

Yes, that is a question I am asking myself as well.

I am in Australia and new MacBook Pro cost $1850

16GB RAM is A$268 and 500GB SSD is $210 . Total of $478.

Not sure if I should replace battery as well.

If after changing RAM and SSD I could have 3 or more years I would be fine with cost.

Are there any parts I should be aware of that would need replacement in following years?

Some of the 2011 MBPs had faulty GPUs in them that failed in various ways. Apple even extended the warranty for those systems to about 13 months ago, replacing the logic boards with faulty GPUs with logic boards they had tested. Not all failed, I have no idea the percentage of bad GPUs overall, or if your MBP might have one. But you asked.

Frankly, if it's working well for you I would go ahead and replace the drive and RAM and give it a go. The battery might be important if you do a lot of disconnected work, but if the thing sits on mains power most of the time, the battery is less critical. You can always get coconutbattery to see how healthy the battery is. If the GPU (or anything else) does fail, then you can always remove the RAM and SSD from the dead machine, sell the ram (probably for not much) and put the SSD into an external enclosure and use as an external drive. So basically, you would sustain the life of the MBP for a while and maybe be out a couple of hundred dollars if it fails. That's probably not a bad investment. But start saving those pennies, a new(er) machine is in your future.

Thanks a lot for your comment.

Does it mean there is no point upgrading?

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Personally, I'd go with your update plan and if money is really short, consider a 2.5" 7200RPM HDD in lieu of a SSD. Or a smaller internal SSD with some fast external drives.

And also, I've found Apple's replacement battery prices to be almost absurd and there are lots of as good or better at a cheaper price, even for Aussie users.




- Patrick
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Thanks guys, I will most probably do replacements of RAM and SSD.
As I will be doing it myself shall I be aware of anything? This will be my first time of opening it and replacing any parts.

Also, with new specs is it safe to upgrade to the newest operating system?
(when I wanted to download coconut battery as MacInWin suggested I wasn't able to do it as Snow Leopard is not supported)

Yes, but check to make sure your applications are able to run on High Sierra. Your system is pretty far back from the current version, and your purchased applications may need updating. The ones that come with macOS will be fine, but if you have applications you've purchased, they may need updating.

(when I wanted to download coconut battery as MacInWin suggested I wasn't able to do it as Snow Leopard is not supported)

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The older pre OS X 10.11 - macOS 10.13 versions of coconut battery can be found and downloaded from here:
Mac OS X 10.5/10.6 v2.8
http://www.coconut-flavour.com/coconutbattery/

And PS:

Yes, but check to make sure your applications are able to run on High Sierra.

Click to expand...

I'd advise keeping an intact bootable clone of your SL 10.6.8 volume somewhere in case you need it after doing any update.




- Patrick
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Thanks

After doing some research I decided to buy

RAM
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008LTBJFW/?tag=macforums0e4-20

SSD
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0784SLQM6/?tag=macforums0e4-20

Do you guys think it will be ok for my 2011 MacBook?

pm-r said:

The older pre OS X 10.11 - macOS 10.13 versions of coconut battery can be found and downloaded from here:

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Click to expand...

Thanks for the link

It is showing following stats but I am not sure how to read it- in what condition my battery is?

I'd say that from what it says your battery is amazingly well above what a normal battery would be for tat age and the number of charging cycles!!!

And just as it says:

Its original power or capacity was 5770mAh when new
Its current total capacity is 3413 mAh after 85 months use
and has been fully charged 2384 times

The normal recharge times is about 1,000 I believe before a noticeable lack of power, or how long the battery lasts.

If it's still working for you and you don't keep running out of battery power, I'd say it's still pretty darn good. Surprisingly so I'd say but I don't use such a portable very much.




- Patrick
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Wow, that is really good to hear
I look after my Mac and always connect it to charger when I am notified that battery is running out.

A question regarding SSD
https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-MX500...0784SLQM6?th=1?tag=macforums0e4-20

Does it matter if I install Crucial or Samsung?

Kennard said:

A question regarding SSD
https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-MX500...0784SLQM6?th=1?tag=macforums0e4-20

Does it matter if I install Crucial or Samsung?

Click to expand...

I don't know, try checking here:
Crucial vs Samsung SSD
https://www.google.ca/search?client...F-8&gfe_rd=cr&dcr=0&ei=1OF5WrSoGM3F8geX567QBg

I do use a Crucial BX200 in my old 2007 MBPro, but it is not a fast SSD but more than enough on that MBPro's only SATA revision I 1.5mbps bus speed and I bought it at a really good price. Mainly to gain some battery life.




- Patrick
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