Questions about upgrading my Macbook Pro Early 2011

[murkerrr]

Hey guys, so basically I currently have the Macbook Pro Early 2011 13inch model, 2.3 Ghz i5, 4GB DDR3 RAM (standard).

I have been toying with the idea of upgrading the RAM to 8gb and getting an SSD to replace my slow and sluggish harddrive. Both of these from my research seem to be worth the upgrade, I was wondering if you guys had any input on this.

I was also looking into upgrading the CPU, which I discovered I would only be able to do by swapping out the whole logic board. Now my question is, would a 2.7Ghz i7 logic board be compatible with my macbook? (this one: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/APPLE-MACBOOK-PRO-13-2011-A1278-i7-2640M-2-7GHz-LOGIC-BOARD-820-2936-B-AP1-/292106290694?epid=1207996678&hash=item4402e44606:g:0HoAAOSw~y9ZC0z9

I know its for the same macbook pro, early 2011, 13 inch etc but it would it work for replaceing my current i5 2.3Ghz Logic board?

And if so, would it actually be worth the cost/hassle of the upgrade? A used i7 logic board like one I would buy is about £270 on ebay. Along with RAM and SSD upgrades I would probably end up spending around £500 total on all these upgrades, so maybe would it be a better option to just buy a newer macbook? 2011 is quite old now to be fair..

Hope some experts can provide insight for me

Thanks!

 

[harryb2448]

G'day and welcome to the forums.

Kust go with the SSD, first priority, and then increase memory. On release Apple said 8GB was the maximum, with the availability of larger capacity modules, you could increase this to 16GB which would require 2 x 8GB modules. Suggest either OWC or Crucial. I think you will get such a boost from the MBP, don't even consider the CPU exchange.