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Late 2011 model, A1278 / 2.4 GHz i5 or 2.8 GHz i7 processor.

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Should I upgrade my MacBook Pro 2011?

Hello!

I would be really happy if you could give me an advise! I'm not sure if I should upgrade my MacBook Pro now or if I could use my MacBook Pro for a bit longer..

I have a MacBook Pro Late 2011 with a 2,4 GHz Intel Core i5, a 500Gb HDD and 4Gb RAM. Either I could get 8Gb/16Gb RAM and a 500Gb SSD or I could get a new MacBook Pro/iPad Pro. Especially I want to know, how long do you think I will get the newest version of macOS.

Thank you very much for answers! I really appreciate it :)

Cheers, Tim

P.S.: I'm not a heavy user and I'm a student, so maybe I could get a discount..

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That 2011 is a good little machine, is repairable (unlike the newer machines), and with some upgrades should last you for several more years. The new operating system High Sierra OS X 10.13, slated for release this autumn will be compatible for your machine.

An SSD or SSHD really kicks this baby up. But you need to replace the hard drive/IR cable with one from a 2012 machine. Apple part number 604-07597. Next when you do it, place tape on the bottom of the case that the hard drive sits on (I'll try to give you a link to that issue). Next the cable gets damaged as it comes over the top ledge, so some padding on either side of the cable will prevent the bottom from contacting and damaging it.

Here's a video on taking care of the bottom: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Amg5w0rl...

Standard RAM: 4 GB Maximum RAM: 16 GB*

RAM Type: PC3-10600 DDR3 Min. RAM Speed: 1333 MHz

To save a little money, pull one of the RAM modules and install an 8GB to take it to 10GB.

You'll want to pull the fans, blow them out and clean the vents.

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Thank you for your helpful answer! Some more questions: Why do I need to replace the cable?

Are there any good hard drive cable suppliers you know? (I'm based in Germany and would like to use ebay.de or amazon.de.)

And are you sure about mixing RAM from different vendors?

And what about a new fan? My MacBook Pro gets quite hot sometimes..

Best wishes, Tim

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Why replace the cable? It's a known issue. It has a wider data path. Apple did it, maybe they know more about it than we do.

Mixing RAM is just not the problem it once was. You do loose a little speed in not having them interleaved. It's been years since we needed to install in pairs but. of course, your welcome to do so.

Fan, run TGPro to see if your current one is working correctly. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".

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