What is it that causes my MacBook Pro (A1286) Early 2011 to run slower with some (read cheaper) batteries?
What if I replaced just the battery cells and kept all other parts of the original battery pack?
Here is the coconutbattery screenshot.
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I doubt your system is running slower due to a cheap battery. I could see the wrong battery being an issue or one that was bad (this is were a few cells are not working).
So lets dig a bit deeper into your problem to see if we can isolate the cause. First I would download this gem of an app: CoconutBattery paste a screenshot of the main window into your question here so we can see what it's telling us. Here's how: Adding images to an existing question
In the mean time did you calibrate your battery? This is a very important step when replacing a battery. Here's the steps: NewerTech - How to Calibrate a Mac Laptop's Power System
A common issue with this series is the HD cable can get worn and this can make the system appear to be running slower! Here's the IFIXIT guide to replace it: MacBook Pro 15" Unibody Early 2011 Hard Drive/IR Sensor Cable Replacement and you want to use the newer version of the cable: MacBook Pro 15" Unibody (Mid 2012) Hard Drive Cable. The area which wears the cable is on the rough surface of the uppercase. I place some electrical tape on the case where the cable rests.
Lastly, Hard Drives do need a bit of TLC! Over time the files get fragmented! Which slows their access as well as the systems ability to use virtual RAM space within the drive. I do recommend you yearly defragment your HDD. SSD are very different devices and don't need this. In any case I would first make a good backup of your drive with TimeMachine to an external drive before doing this.
The 2011 MacBook Pro HD SATA cable can be bought with or without the drive bracket
2011 cable with the drive bracket
2011 cable without the drive bracket
2012 cable without the drive bracket The only one I recommend for either 2011 or 2012 system.
Product
$19.99
Guide
Difficulty:
Moderate
Guide
Difficulty:
Very easy
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2 - 5 minutes
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Is there a way to test the cable without replacing it?
Sorry not really. I replace them every time I replace a drive or take it out.
Hi Dan, I see the cable replacement is a very important thing for 2011 mbps. So, I got a cable ordered from Amazon, however without the bracket as it was coming cheap. Do you think the existing original hdd bracket (the one connecting the cable) will take in the 2012 cable?
@Vijay Kanta - I'm not sure what you bought so I can't answer it as cleanly as you are expecting!
Instead I've posted three images in my answer to help clarify things. Note the differences! Make sure the cable you get looks like the third one without the HD bracket.
I don't recommend buying from Amazon or eBay as there are too many fakes out there.
Yes I got the third one. Clearly says 821-1480 (2012) on it on Amazon. Hope it works with stock bracket. Here's the link https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B00KR5Q...
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