[JoshuaZ]

I have a 2.4 ghz Macbook Pro that I bought 2.5 years ago. Its starting to show age due to its hard drive being nearly full and it probably needing more than 2 gigs of RAM.

Help a guy who is very low on cash pimp his Macbook Pro so it lasts another two years!

[EndlessMac]

I don't think it's your specs that's the problem. My desktop is a 2GHz and 2GB of RAM and it's pretty fast still. What exactly are you trying to do with your computer is the more important information. If you are editing photos and movies then yes your computer might be showing it's age. Using Photoshop is the only time that my desktop feels slow. It keeps up when using other applications. It's not as fast as when I first got it and it's definitely not as fast as my new MBP but then again I'm now using applications that require more from my computer so it's understandable.

I don't know how full your hard drive is but you should definitely try to keep it from being close to full. I haven't tried this but I've heard about people having success when they reinstalled OS X. If you can afford it then also try adding more RAM.

[Simon]

If your disk is full you should get a new disk. A nearly full disk can severely degrade overall perceived performance. You can have an AASP install a new disk for you for a fee if you don't feel comfortable doing so yourself.

This 500GB drive offers a lot of space and best performance. At $108 shipped it's a great deal right now.

Re: RAM I'd consider 4GB a healthy minimum nowadays. Your type of MBP has actually been reported to support 6GB (4+2). You'll lose dual-channel memory access (no big deal) but if you're paging out at 4GB that's the way to go. The proper type of SO-DIMM for your MBP starts at $140 for a 4GB stick.

Otherwise that MBP will do just fine with today's software. I have a 2.4 GHz model myself actually (Late 2007) that I use sometimes. Compared to even the very latest MBPs the performance isn't radically different. It's their design that's the actual benefit.

[JoshuaZ]

Simon,

Thats exactly what I was thinking. Why upgrade to a new computer when this one works perfectly fine for all my needs. I'm sure a bigger hard driver and more ram will do me some good. Thanks for the links!

Now if only I can find a AASP in my small Japanese town....

(I'm totally not comfortable taking it apart)

[Simon]

Maybe this link is of some help. I thought Shizuoka might be close, but then I realized it's still a two and a half hour drive.

[EndlessMac]

If you are getting a new hard drive then make sure to get a 7200 RPM one. If your current hard drive is 5400 RPM then you should notice a speed difference. Maxing out your current computer with worthy upgrades is the way to go if you are trying to save money. Your computer is only as fast as its slowest parts which can be more important than chasing the fastest CPU. If you can't find a professional to install a new hard drive for you then maybe you know a friend who's good with computers?

[Simon]

The link I gave him is for the Seagate Momentus 7200.4. It runs at 7200 rpm and with 500 GB it's actually the highest-capacity 7200 rpm notebook drive. At $108 shipped it's really an excellent deal.

This is the fastest notebook HDD you can buy right now. If you need anything faster you'd have to get an SSD (much more pricy).

[EndlessMac]

Originally Posted by Simon 

The link I gave him is for the Seagate Momentus 7200.4. It runs at 7200 rpm and with 500 GB it's actually the highest-capacity 7200 rpm notebook drive. At $108 shipped it's really an excellent deal.

Yes I know but I was making sure that he and everyone else who might need help knows there are different speed hard drives. Not everyone knows this.

[JoshuaZ]

Ha ha ha. Thanks guys. Yeah, Shizuoka is a bit far for me. Especially when I don't have a car. It would be a three hour trip full of buses and trains. Each way. Not something I'm really up for these days.

I do know about different speed hard drives and had really hoped to install a 7200 rpm drive. I may just wait until March when I'm back in the US to do these upgrades. Plus I can save money on shipping things over here. I'd do it in Japan but I'd have to send my laptop off to get it installed, and oddly enough, computer related things here are expensive.

I'll most certainly put in a 500 Gig 7200 RPM drive as well as a single stick of 4 GIG RAM. If I even happen to find a big bag of money I'll stick in another 2 Gigs as well.

Thanks a bunch!

[EndlessMac]

Originally Posted by JoshuaZ 

If I even happen to find a big bag of money...

If you ever do then let me know also. I could use a bag of money myself.

[JoshuaZ]

Only if you were really nice to me and brought me drinks with a little umbrella in it.

Or walk my dogs.

If I had dogs.

Which I would if I were rich.

[EndlessMac]

Originally Posted by JoshuaZ 

Or walk my dogs.

If I had dogs.

Walk your imaginary dogs...sure...done. So you owe me a bag of money.

[JoshuaZ]

I owe you nothing! One of them ran away.

Sigh... my wife needs new 'feet' on her Macbook Pro...

You think apple would send us some for free, even if she doesn't have Apple Care?

[Koralatov]

Originally Posted by JoshuaZ 

I owe you nothing! One of them ran away.

So it’s your dog that’s been peeing on my doorstep. You now owe me a bag of money for cleaning bills. I can fake up supply you with copies of the invoices for the cleaning.

Sigh... my wife needs new 'feet' on her Macbook Pro...

You think apple would send us some for free, even if she doesn't have Apple Care?

Possible… But unlikely. I didn’t even know they could come off. I thought they’d fixed that particular design problem when they moved over to Intel.

[JoshuaZ]

Tell that to the three missing feet on her Macbook Pro. (We have the same model, but I've never had a problem.)

I'll just call up Apple and see if they can send "me" feet for my computer.