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Mid 2012 model, A1278 / 2.5 GHz i5 or 2.9 GHz i7 processor.

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it's better to change my RAM and disk (to SSD) or to buy a new mac 13'

Hi there guys! Since I'm the worst in this, in order to update my RAM and HD to an SSD disk, - all details here: Can I change for 16Gb (8Gb + 8Gb)?

In my case, in Portugal that would cost me 560€ in an official Apple store. My question is whether is better to fix my old pc or buy new macbook 13, like this:

http://www.fnac.pt/Apple-MacBook-Pro-13-... for around 1600 €.

I understand that 16GB of RAM and SSD drive of 500GB is way different against 8GB of RAM and SSD of 128GB, but my point if is keeping an old machine with new stuff is more worth it than buying a new machine with lesser speed/capacity.

IMPORTANT: this is manly for photography editing: photoshop, capture one, premiere, adobe programs, etc.

Thank you so much for your help!

Best wishes,

Ana Marta

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The price at the Apple store is a RIP OFF!!!!

RAM Type: PC3-12800 DDR3L Min. RAM Speed: 1600 MHz

Details: Supports 1600 MHz PC3-12800 DDR3L SDRAM SO-DIMMs (204-pin).

Standard RAM: 4 GB Maximum RAM: 16 GB*

PC3L-12800 8 GB RAM Chip

Crucial MX500 250 GB SSD

MacBook Pro 13" Unibody (Mid 2012) Hard Drive Cable

You can see what parts the EU store may have: https://eustore.ifixit.com/en/Parts/MacB...

Crucial MX500 250 GB SSD Image

Product

Crucial MX500 250 GB SSD

$30.99

PC3L-12800 8 GB RAM Chip Image

Product

PC3L-12800 8 GB RAM Chip

$44.99

MacBook Pro 13" Unibody (Mid 2012) Hard Drive Cable Image

Product

MacBook Pro 13" Unibody (Mid 2012) Hard Drive Cable

$34.99

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4 Comments:

Thank you Mayer!

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The most common problem on this model is the hard drive cable!

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Mayer, I've been using TGPro for 3 days and the temperatures have been nice! 99% of the times they're green or maximum 70Cº. Is there another way I can be sure that that would be the problem?

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Ana, this has nothing to do with temperature. This has to do with data transfer and that cable becoming damaged and failing. There are a plethora of posts on this issue on the site.

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I would stick with your older system Vs buying a newer model. Keep in mind the newer system has soldered memory so what you buy is all you'll have! In the most newest MacBook Pro models the SSD is even soldered down so you can't replace it either!

Give this vid a view: LinusTechTips: RAM - How Much Do You Need? Testing with 128GB of ECC. If you review the performance graphs he has you can see there is a performance plateau. While this vid is a bit old (Nov '14) things haven't changed that much. Also don't worry about this test using ECC RAM that won't sway the results.

As you didn't tell us what was happening with your system more than this:

"I'm currently using (4Gb + 4Gb) and overtime I run photoshop and capture one the pc dies."

I'm not sure if upgrading is the answer. I'm suspecting you have a simpler problem that once addressed will improve things quite a lot!

Lets see if getting some better diagnosis can isolate out whats happening. Install this app: TG Pro and run it for a few days. You'll want to see if the systems thermals go to the roof if they do then I think you'll need to replace the HD SATA cable and reformat the HD (make sure you have a good backup before you do).

While Adding RAM will help when working on larger images a SSD will also offer more improvement. The only issue with a SSD is how big can you afford. I would try to get at least a 512 GB unit.

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Hey Dan!

That was pretty helpful! I'll run the TG Pro, but I haven't noticed that my pc warms up easily.

Thing is, due to professional reasons, in the late weeks I've started to used much more programs.

Thank you so much!

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I would still replace the HD SATA cable as @mayer stated as this is a known issue. The reason to run TG Pro was to see if the system was struggling moving the data between the CPU & HD. Often a system running hot is do to the failure of the data making it across the cable causing the system or drive to resend if it gets bad it builds up excessive heat due to the failures of the data transfer. Which is why diagnostically it would be useful to know.

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Hi Ana! I'm not sure if you're in Portugal, but if i'm right you can head to Tecmagnet.com and buy one of these RAM Sticks.

The price you presented is totally absurd!

Here's the link for the RAM sticks. You can buy them directly from Portuguese suppliers ;)

https://www.tecmagnet.com/produtos/peca-...

Best Luck!

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Ana Marta will be eternally grateful.
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