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I run Ableton Live software and need the portability of a laptop. What are the best upgrades I can do for this MacBook Pro? I already upgraded RAM to 16 GB and now I’m wondering if a SSD upgrade is a good ideal with a 1TB Crucial mx300 2.5" SATA 6 Gb/s SSD Should I also replace the optical drive with a Seagate 2 TB Barracuda SATA 6 Gb/s 128MB Cache 2.5" HD? I also use a 1TB external dive to store my iTunes and samples. I’m looking to maximize system performance what is the best route? Is it best to do both or just 1 or is it better to get a caddy and move the stock SSD to that and take out the optical drive? Thank you Collin P.S. I’m just looking to maximize performance. So SSD upgrade and I was thinking Of getting a case for the OEM SSD and use it as an extra external. Good ideal?
@col117 - You talk about having an OEM SSD in your system. Apple never offered a SSD drive in this series. Are you sure you have a non-retina model? If you have a retina series system which does have a SSD you won’t be able to upgrade it with a 2.5" drive as it uses a custom blade type of SSD. You would need this drive instead: OWC - SSD upgrades for retina series systems
First take it to Apple and get a free replacement of the hard drive cable.
Upgrading your internal hard drive to an SSD (preferably a Samsung PRO series) will increase performance noticeably, and may squeeze out a little extra battery life as well as lighten your laptop a few ounces. Replacing your optical drive with another drive will give you extra internal space. I am not sure whether or not this is moot, as you stated you have an external drive already.
I’m not a Mac guy, but I believe I can still offer some good input. Since you have a non-retina version, there is no SSD. My advice is to swap the SATA HDD for this, and put your old HHD (or a new one) in a caddy for the DVD drive. You must do some research before purchasing SSDs, because many brands tend to overprice them. I have seen 250GB Samsung 850 pro’s for as much $129, when I could get a 500GB SSD with the same performance for the same price! The sandisk SSD in the link above is available in 240, 480, or 960GB and offers the superior MLC flash, and a few tricks up it’s sleeve. Hope this helps!
