I Upgrade my Macbook Pro with SSD, 16 GB Memory from OWC

Last Updated on March 10, 2024 4:32 pm by Jeffrey Powers

I have a 2011 Macbook Pro which has been on many travels across the country. I use it for streaming, creating video, storing images from the cameras, and more. Since Mavericks was installed, the computer has been a little sluggish. My friends at OWC have noticed my pain, so they sent me a package including SSD drive, memory upgrade, along with the Data Doubler drive and external enclosures to put my old hard drive and DVD player.

This is a multi-part video showing you how I upgraded the machine. If you have an older Macbook, you can do the same thing.

Get OWC 480GB Mercury Extreme Pro 6G SSD 2.5″ Serial-ATA 9.5mm Solid State Drive

Get the 16.0GB OWC Memory Upgrade Kit

Speed Increase

I ran a reboot test before and after the SSD and memory was installed. It was shocking how much faster the system brought up the OS. At the same time, I found applications opening faster on first load.

Lowered Heat from Macbook

Its amazing how much the fans DON’T turn on while I’m working. With the old drive in, I would have to place the Macbook on a table, or else my legs would start to get burned – even with jeans on. The machine still gets warm, but not to the levels it used to. The side where the SSD drive resides stays cool to the touch, even after an hour of vigorous work.

Best part is the lowered heat also keeps the rest of the machine cooler which helps from burning out your laptop if you use it to create video like I do.

Better Battery Life

Of course, battery life always depends on what you have running on the machine at the time. If I just have email and a browser window open, I have found the machine has a better battery life than the old drive.

Of course, that is because a hard drive consumes 6W of power as opposed to the 2W SSD drive. Don’t expect your battery to live forever, but you could go to the coffee shop for a couple hours and still have charge on the computer.

Durability and Shock Resistance

An SSD has no moving parts so it can be bumped around and not fail. An SSD is shock resistant up to 1500g/0.5ms. Opposed to the hard drive where spinning plates and needles that can scratch could cause the drive to go horribly wrong if you dropped your computer.

Overall Results with OWC SSD, 16 GB memory upgrade

I found the machine to be quieter and more functional than ever before. I easily can have my Macbook around for another year or two – which in my case is perfect.

Installing the SSD, memory

The following video shows you how to go forward with the install. Depending on your machine, your install might be different. Review the manuals before proceeding forward.