RICHARD46 Loc: New Jersey

What operating system are you running Windows 7 or 8 and what processes I core 5 or 7?
Do you have a model number?

Thanks
Rich

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

What confuses me is that the Apple official information indicates that my current 8 ram is maximum for my version 2011 macbook pro, but some non-Apple mac tech websites including those linked elsewhere in this thread say 16 is the maximum for the very same model. Can anyone shed some light on that?

I would like to know the risks/benefits of going to 16 in a machine that Apple says is maxed out at 8? I can upgrade it myself from a hands on viewpoint, I put the 8 in there. But I am uncertain about the advisability of it.

Ranjan Loc: Currently Cyber-Nation!

I was looking in the apple store the other day. Recent models (Pro, Air) do have ports. Maybe you meant the pads and pods etc.

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

No, I mean the new Macbook. Not the Air, not the Pro, the Macbook. It is the newest model, very attractive, streamlined and easy to carry. But no ports.

eshotwell Loc: Eaton Rapids, Michigan

ANY Mac will benefit greatly from adding an SSD drive. We are running a macbook Pro 2013, 4 older MacPro desktops, and a MacAir; all with SSD drives. Very, very fast! For a new Mac be sure to check out apple.com and go way to the bottom to find the refurbished models. Deep discounts and an Apple warranty. All of our computers are refurbs! Macsales.com is a great place to buy additional memory and SSD drives. Good luck! -ED

eshotwell Loc: Eaton Rapids, Michigan

I even have an original MacPro 1,1 from 2006 that runs very fast with 16gb and an SSD drive. Top-of-the-Line Macs, laptops or desktops, are always upgradeable. We always buy slightly used (refurbished) and save a ton.

Dik

If OWC says 16 GB works in your Mac, it works perfectly.
Do both RAM & SSD.

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

Thank you for a straightforward answer :-D

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

YES on both counts. An SSD will definitely speed up the time it takes to read and write files to/from storage.

I once watched Adobe Master Trainer, Julieanne Kost, do a Lightroom demo on a 2011 MacBook Pro that had maximum RAM and a 512MB SSD. She was opening full-size 21MP files and rifling through them as if they were tiny thumbnails.

However, it sounds like your MBP was made between 2008 and 2010, if it only accepts 8GB RAM. The 2011 models take 16GB.

Check out Other World Computing's options for RAM and SSDs.

http://eshop.macsales.com/

Find the model number (Apple Menu —> About This Mac... —> More Info (button) —> Hardware Overview —> Model Identifier: X,Y), and then use the information on OWC's web site to determine RAM availability for sure.

If you can add more RAM *and* an SSD, I'd do that.

Something that I do every three years is to back up everything, using Carbon Copy Cloner. Then I do a low-level format of my drive, using Disk Utility on the installation disc that came with the Mac (or an image on an external drive). Then I reinstall the OS, re-update the OS, reinstall my applications, and copy my data back to where I wanted.

If you put a new startup drive (SSD) in your computer, you should consider this process! It can blow an entire weekend, but I've found it to be worth it.

Just be sure you have ALL your software installation codes, serial numbers, etc., because if you change the startup drive, you have to reinstall the software. You may have to UNINSTALL certain software from your old drive, first.

Why do this? Well, over time, systems become polluted with thousands of files you don't need... Getting rid of the crud and keeping on your internal drive *only what you need right now* reduces the Finder overhead, frees up LOTS of space on the drive, and gives the OS breathing room for virtual memory. It also forces you to get organized and store backups of important files...

johnst1001a Loc: West Chester, Ohio

Definitely 16gb, and the I7 processor. solid state is a great add.
But one mentioned the memorykeeper app. I use freememory. Either way, what you will find is your RAM contantly fills up with junk, occasionally gets purged by itself, but these apps will give you an indication about when your RAM fills up. With photo software I have experienced a number of issues. First, shut down your browser software. It can use a lot of RAM, particularly if you have a lot of tabs active. Second, if you have a lot of thumbnail pictures open at a time, you will consume ram. Break down your folders into smaller pieces so every time you open a folder of pictures you are not opening up hundreds of thumbnails. What you will find too is even though you close a picture after processing, it somehow remains partially open in RAM. Those free memory apps dump these from memory completely.

If I am starting a session to process photos, I usually restart my computer too. It helps to start from a clean place RAM wise.

Also, if you are using Adobe Bridge, dump the cache frequently. It too fills up, and may drain RAM resources.

Thoughts anyway.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Yeah, really! With two USB 3 ports, you can connect two hubs and any number of PEE CEE compatible devices, including an Apple SuperDrive (CD/DVD burner).

With two Thunderbolt ports, you can connect two chains of monitors, super-fast SSD and conventional hard drives, Gigabit Ethernet, and other super-fast devices, including an external bus full of card slots. Adapters are available to connect just about anything else, from VGA monitors to FireWire cameras and drives...

HDMI feeds a monitor, and SD is obvious...

The only thing lacking is an analog audio input, although the headphone jack does accept the Apple earbuds' mic input. Third party audio input adapters do a better job, anyhow.

It amazes me how lots of consumers don't understand what Apple has done. They see fewer ports, and all they see are limits. You have to make a small effort to understand what the ports do, folks!

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

GREAT points about cache and thumbnails. When I edit photos or video, I shut down Mail and Safari and anything else that might hit the Internet on a regular basis.

Impressionist

I have a 2011 Mac Book Pro also with maxed Ram. I would miss the Super Drive. SSD will make it faster and maintain features that are rapidly disappearing. The solution to bloat is a clean install. Put back the program's you actually use and even without a new drive your Mac will be like new. With a new drive it will be faster then new. Over time it is amazing how much we accumulate. If you have all backuped up you will see how little you need to put back on.

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

Did you max it out with 8 or try the 16 some are suggesting will work? I cleaned it off last year and it helped a little but with my photo applications on it, it is dragging.

wolfd Loc: Vancouver, Canada

OP indicates her Mac is maxed out at 8gb.