2012 Macbook Pro Memory Upgrade - Suggestions?

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Hey everyone - first time posting on Mac Forums.

I have a mid 2012 Macbook Pro that I was almost sure was a lost cause... Started looking into buying a new Macbook or iMac but phew... Gonna be a while before I can drop a couple grand on a new one.

My Macbook runs great other than the fact that it's soooo slow. I'm a graphic designer and need to be able to run Adobe apps as quickly/smoothly as possible. Keeping that in mind... I have no experience with upgrading memory so I'm looking for suggestions.

I currently only have 4GB RAM... Looking at my Activity Monitor, I'm almost always running at 3.5GB+ (sometimes almost 4GB). Ran an EtreCheck and resolved most of the issues it found, but still am almost maxed out on RAM.

Now question is... Where/what do I need to buy? Lol, so inexperienced with this. I'm looking on MacSales.com at the 16GB memory. Does that seem worth it or overkill? And is MacSales a reputable company? Open to any suggestions anyone might have - thanks in advance!
 

chscag

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Welcome to our forums.

We really need to know which 2012 MacBook Pro you have. As there were two different models that year (standard and retina), it matters because the retina models have soldered memory modules and can not be upgraded at all. If you have the standard model (non retina) then the memory can be upgraded and yes, Mac Sales is recommended to purchase memory.

Keep in mind that if you're a graphic designer, the most important component in your MacBook Pro is the GPU (graphics processor). An integrated GPU is always going to be slower than one which is dedicated. Adding memory to your MacBook Pro will certainly help somewhat, but maybe not as much as you would want.

Another thing which can speed up your MacBook Pro (if you have the non retina model) is to remove the spinning hard drive and replace it with a fast SSD.
 
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Sorry - standard mid 2012 Macbook Pro (non retina).

And good to know about the GPU! Thank you - Researching the best options for getting a dedicated GPU now.

And I had looking into getting an SSD. I guess I don't know much about hard drives/storage... But I recently wiped my computer and now have 442/500GB available. I wonder if it would be worth upgrading the RAM first and seeing what happens before I resort to upgrading the hard drive... I am unaware about whether or not it would make a huge difference.
 
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Thank you! Will look into those links. I watched OWC's video on upgrading RAM and it seemed pretty straightforward - thinking I'm gonna dive in and try it.
 
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You will see a better speed increase with the SSD compared to ram.
 
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Thank you! Will look into those links. I watched OWC's video on upgrading RAM and it seemed pretty straightforward - thinking I'm gonna dive in and try it.
I just changed from a 4GB 2013-similar issues to yours, nearly RAM'd out-to a 2015 with 8GB. Smoother! Faster processor too though. How tasked is your processor when the machine feels slow? How about the hard drive? SSD will help with boot and other stuff, but if your applications aren't using the disc so much you may not notice a big difference.
For vendors, I like Crucial's System Scanner tool a lot!
But in the end since yes a new machine is $$$$ I got a 2015 with more RAM, bigger SSD (so I can stuff a set of files I had offloaded) and i7 instead of i5. So far so good. I decided NOT to muck about with upgrading the older machine...but then I actually have 2 so selling them will more than offset the price of the 2015.
 

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@linrou

I'm assuming, given your occupation, that a portable Mac is essential??

I totally understand your fiscal pressures.

But it occurred to me that if portability wasn't an absolute must, you could get a 21.5 inch Retina iMac (Desktop) with good specs for less than the top of the range MacBook Pro.

Broadly speaking (sorry it's in Pounds Sterling):

12 inch MacBook - not great specs = £1550
13 inch MacBook Pro = £1550 to £1750
15 inch MacBook Pro = £2350 to £2700

21.5 inch iMac starting at £1050 (not great specs) up to £1550 with Retina display & good specs.

Ian
 

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