2012 Macbook Pro 13in 2.9GHz vs 2011 October 15in quad core refurb

This fall I will be a freshman at my college and I have decided that I am going to invest in a macbook pro. Right now I could buy 2012 13in with 8gb of ram for $1399 or I could purchase the refurb for $1359. My question is which one will benefit me more in the long run? Is 15in to bulky and heavy to take to college? If i chose the refurb would I be able to count on it for years to come? Will it last longer than the 2012 13in. If I got the 15in I would probably upgrade to 8gb of ram. I would be missing out on USB 3.0 if I chose the refurb though. Is this a deal breaker? I'm planning on getting into Economics and my college pretty much endorses Macs so that won't be a problem. Otherwise, I will probably just be doing normal things on my computer like watching videos, surfing the web, typing papers, downloading music and the occasional playing of flash games on the internet. I just want to make sure that I can get a computer that will last me at least 4 years and hopefully more. Any suggestions and thoughts would be very helpful!

I would go a different route.....
I would buy the the 15' Quad Core.
Regardless of which one you decide to purchase, they would last for years if proper care is used.
The 2.9GHz is a fast machine. No doubt about that one. It is however, in the end, only a dual core.
Let say you decide to do some number crunching, the dual core will run out of steam before the quad core does.
Or you decide to use photoshop, the dual core will do the job but the quad will do it efficiently because of it's quad core design, the processing is done by all four cores thus finishing faster.
And when it comes with your occasional games, the 15' has it's own discreet graphics to process the videos while the 13' has to rely on the processor to drive the built in intel video. So the processor will be working harder on the 13' which will make your MB run a little on the hot side.

Similar Messages

For the 2012 Macbook Pro 13" should I get the 2.5GHz Dual-core Intel Core i5 or the 2.9GHz Dual Core Intel Core i7?

I am a high school student and I am getting my first Macbook Pro. I am not really sure which 13 inch Macbook Pro model I should get. My budget is kind of tight, but I think that I can afford any one of the models but I dont want to spend any money that I dont have to spend. Usually on a day to day basis, I use the web brower, watch movies that I have downloaded, and write a lot of papers. I also sometimes use Photoshop, and while I do not play a lot of games, I do want to have the option if I decide to later when I go to college. The larger hard drive size on the Core i7 model does not really matter to me because I dont plan using more than 500GB. I will be upgrading the ram to 8GB if I get the Core i5 model and it comes standard on the i7. Also, I need this computer to last me for 3-4 years so I want something that will still seem relatively fast a few years down the road. Lastly, while I would prefer getting the Macbook Pro due to its cheaper price and ability to upgrade the hard drive later, I also am considering the Macbook Air Core i7 model, mainly because of the faster ssd and the higher resolution screen. I dont really use the optical drive, so loosing it would not be a big deal. The same goes with the Firewire port or the Ethernet port. What would you guys suggest I get. A Macbook Pro or a Air and if the Pro, should I get the Core i5 or the i7?
Thanks

If you're planning on keeping it for long term.
Go with the i7 2.9GHz.
It's a $300 difference but with that you get; the RAM, Hard Drive and Processor upgrade.
Since you want it to last before you decide to either upgrade or buy a new one. The i7 2.9GHz is a good choice.
Do remember that Mountain Lion is around the corner and other software get's updated to and wants more CPU power and more memory.
Nothing is wrong with the i5 2.5GHz either. You'll just have to upgrade the RAM sooner in case 4GB isn't enough for you.
Put it this way:
i5 2.5GHz has 3MB L3 Cache Memory
i7 2.9GHz has 4MB L3 Cache Memory
Now, you're also thinking about the MB Air, a very nice notebook which is light, portable and has a better resolution than the MB Pro 13 inch. You have to however, keep in mnd that the RAM and Hard Drive in the MB Air is not user upgradeable and has no optical drive.

2012 Macbook pro 13" 2.9Ghz i7 ssd options

Hey everyone,
This is my first discussion!
So I owned 2010 mbp 13 inch base model but after failing few times
Apple has finally decided to replace my machine to a brand new 2012 machine
and I am so excited! Becauase of my budget I chose 2.9Ghz i7 750gb hd
and I only paid $300 out of my pocket for an upgrade!
So now I want to upgrade my HD to SSD and what are my options?
And what exact SSD model do I need (Like SATA ii/iii) I am so confused
I am thinking of getting between 128gb or 256(?)gb
1. Intel
2. Samsung
3. OWC
4. crucial
What are my best option on price range (below $280), speed, realibility, easy to install?
and I am thinking of getting HD enclosure for my 750HD, what are good enclosures out there?
Maybe thunderbolt or usb3.0 ?
Thanks a lot !

I'd still go ahead and recommend the Crucial M4, this SSD is cheaper and offers good performance.
Have a look at the link I've included and you'll see the performance of the Crucial is pretty good compared to the other SSDs out there.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4224584?start=0&tstart=0
You'll see that we did a speed test between the Crucial M4 and Kingston HyperX, although the KIngston HyperX is faster - the Crucial was faster in some areas. For the price difference however, the Crucial M4 wins.
Good luck and hopefully this gives you an idea on which SSD to purchase.

External monitor/display for a 2012 MacBook Pro?

I want to know if I can connect an Acer S201HL to a 2012 MacBook Pro i7 2.9GHz 8GB memory OSX10.8.1 - I will be using a magic mouse and apple wireless keyboard as well - if this setup will work what specific cables and adapters do I need to get? If at all possible I would consider running 2 displays. also running Parralells with Windows 7 Home Premium.

With athundebolt diplay there might be some info here that might help.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5219
If you have a mini DVI port you would need a moni DVI to VGA adapter, and a VGA cable

Mid 2012 macbook pro glitching, freezing, overheating

Starting a few weeks ago, I noticed a change in my mid 2012 macbook pro. My laptop was losing charge EXTREMELY quickly, I would charge the laptop to 100%, and just an hour later (after not using it, but the lid closed and it was sleeping) it would be up to 60% charge, then when not in sleep and on, it would lose energy extremely quickly. I always make sure that unecessary background apps are not running--so that was not the problem. This problem went away after a week, but it was the first signal that something was wrong with my laptop.
Next, the laptop was having problems with waking up from sleep, I did an SMC reset and this problem was fixed.
After that, the laptop started glitching (static and banded lines on the bottom of the screen) and making this clicking noise when I was streaming video fullscreen on Netflix. I thought at first, that this was a problem with Silverlight, and reinstalled the silverlight plugin (several times). Then I noticed that the computer would glitch when I was streaming full screen on Netflix and picked up the laptop (moved it from a flat surface). This signaled to me that the problem was perhaps not software, but a hardware issue. I verified the disk and did a permissions report and neither were curative.
Further support that the problems are with hardware rather than hardware came to me when my computer presented itself with a fourth issue: the laptop, when being lifted or moved from a static surface, would sometimes freeze entirely and make the same clicking noise. This problem was not during fullscreen streaming, but had spread to when I was simply using more than one app at the same time (e.g. having Chrome and Word open together). When this happenend, the only solution would be to power down the computer and restart.
Finally, while sleeping with the lid closed in my backpack, I hear a whirring noise--I pick up the laptop and it was hot to the touch, overheating with the fans running on high speed.
I have no clue what is going on. I have taken the computer to my university's mac shop and they have suggested it is a logic board issue and I should give the computer in. I have scoured the forum for an answer of what is happening and am determined to find one. So I pose the problem to you--any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

Hardware Information:
          MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2012)
          MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro9,2
          1 2.5 GHz Intel Core i5 CPU: 2 cores
          4 GB RAM
Video Information:
          Intel HD Graphics 4000 - VRAM: 1024 MB
System Software:
          OS X 10.9.2 (13C64) - Uptime: 0 days 1:2:24
Disk Information:
          APPLE HDD HTS547550A9E384 disk0 : (500.11 GB)
                    EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB
                    Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / [Startup]: 499.25 GB (278.23 GB free)
                    Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted>: 650 MB
          MATSHITADVD-R   UJ-8A8
USB Information:
          Dell USB Portable HDD 1 TB
                    Dell USB Portable HDD (disk1s1) /Volumes/Dell USB Portable HDD: 1 TB (947.04 GB free)
          Apple Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in)
          Apple Inc. BRCM20702 Hub
                    Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
          Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad
          Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver
FireWire Information:
Thunderbolt Information:
          Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus
Launch Daemons:
          [System] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.cloudpath.maccmd.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.tunabellysoftware.TGFanHelper.plist 3rd-Party support link
Launch Agents:
          [System] com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist 3rd-Party support link
User Launch Agents:
          [not loaded] com.apple.CSConfigDotMacCert-[...]@me.com-SharedServices.Agent.plist
          [not loaded] com.facebook.videochat.[redacted].plist 3rd-Party support link
          [not loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [not loaded] com.spotify.webhelper.plist 3rd-Party support link
User Login Items:
          None
Internet Plug-ins:
          FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 12.0.0.77 - SDK 10.6 3rd-Party support link
          QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3
          Flash Player: Version: 12.0.0.77 - SDK 10.6 3rd-Party support link
          Default Browser: Version: 537 - SDK 10.9
          SharePointBrowserPlugin: Version: 14.1.0 3rd-Party support link
          Silverlight: Version: 5.1.20913.0 - SDK 10.6 3rd-Party support link
          JavaAppletPlugin: Version: Java 7 Update 40 Outdated! Update
Audio Plug-ins:
          BluetoothAudioPlugIn: Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.9
          AirPlay: Version: 2.0 - SDK 10.9
          AppleAVBAudio: Version: 203.2 - SDK 10.9
          iSightAudio: Version: 7.7.3 - SDK 10.9
iTunes Plug-ins:
          Quartz Composer Visualizer: Version: 1.4 - SDK 10.9
User Internet Plug-ins:
          RealPlayer Plugin: Version: (null) 3rd-Party support link
3rd Party Preference Panes:
          Flash Player 3rd-Party support link
          Java 3rd-Party support link
Old Applications:
          /Library/Application Support/Microsoft/MERP2.0
                    Microsoft Error Reporting:          Version: 2.2.9 - SDK 10.4 3rd-Party support link
                    Microsoft Ship Asserts:          Version: 1.1.4 - SDK 10.4 3rd-Party support link
          Microsoft AutoUpdate:          Version: 2.3.6 - SDK 10.4 3rd-Party support link
                    /Library/Application Support/Microsoft/MAU2.0/Microsoft AutoUpdate.app
          /Users/[redacted]/Downloads
                    Install Spotify:          Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
                    Install Spotify 2:          Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
          SLLauncher:          Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
                    /Library/Application Support/Microsoft/Silverlight/OutOfBrowser/SLLauncher.app
Time Machine:
          Time Machine not configured!
Top Processes by CPU:
               3%          WindowServer
               2%          hidd
               2%          EtreCheck
               0%          Google Chrome
               0%          notifyd
Top Processes by Memory:
          152 MB          Google Chrome
          123 MB          com.apple.IconServicesAgent
          106 MB          mds_stores
          86 MB          loginwindow
          61 MB          Finder
Virtual Memory Information:
          908 MB          Free RAM
          1.64 GB          Active RAM
          881 MB          Inactive RAM
          626 MB          Wired RAM
          900 MB          Page-ins
          0 B          Page-outs

2012 Macbook Pro running slowly since mavericks update

Since updating to Mavericks when it was first released my macbok pro has been running very slowly. Starting up apps takes longer, hangs occur when switching between apps or even browser tabs, when i close the lid the laptop won't go to sleep but instead heats up and i can't listen to a song on itunes the whole way through without several 20 or so second pauses. I have tried repair permissions (this oddly improves performance when its running), resetting NVRAM/PRAM. resetting SMC and a Hardware test but nothing worked/ no problems identified. The problems still occur in safe mode and when i added a new user. I also removed any apps or software that could be causing it such as chrome but this didn't help.
Similar problems occured the last time i update the mac, though they were much more severe and lead to the hard drive being replaced at the apple store. It had been running smoothly until the mavericks update.
After looking at similar posts i took the liberty of providing the following information:
Console messages received when trying to launch itunes with safari running:
23/01/2014 17:19:15.885 com.apple.WebKit.Networking[257]: tcp_connection_destination_prepare_complete 904 connectx to 2a02:26f0:27::5c7a:7eda#443 failed: 65 - No route to host
(904 through to 957 failures within 5 minutes)
23/01/2014 17:19:15.888 com.apple.WebKit.Networking[257]: tcp_connection_handle_destination_prepare_complete 904 failed to connect
(904 through to 957 failed within 5 minutes)
23/01/2014 17:19:18.193 iTunes[539]: ApplePushService: APSConnection being used without a delegate queue
23/01/2014 17:19:40.955 spindump[530]: Saved hang report for iTunes version 11.1.4 (11.1.4) to /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/iTunes_2014-01-23-171940_MacBook-Pro.hang
23/01/2014 17:21:58.116 sandboxd[125]: ([543]) com.apple.WebKit(543) deny file-read-data /Library/Preferences/com.apple.security-common.plist
23/01/2014 17:22:42.911 Safari[172]: Couldn't contact spell checker for Multilingual
23/01/2014 17:22:42.911 Safari[172]: Suppressing further spell checker launch failure warnings
23/01/2014 17:23:00.663 AppleSpell[290]: *** -[NSMachPort handlePortMessage:]: dropping incoming DO message because the connection is invalid
23/01/2014 17:23:50.928 com.apple.WebKit.Networking[257]: CFNetwork SSLHandshake failed (-9806)
23/01/2014 17:24:08.465 com.apple.launchd[1]: (com.apple.WebKit.WebContent.A034A3C3-CBDE-4D0C-8FD0-FE73630DC2A5[543]) Exited with code: 1
Etrecheck report:
Hardware Information:
          MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2012)
          MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro9,2
          1 2.5 GHz Intel Core i5 CPU: 2 cores
          4 GB RAM
Video Information:
          Intel HD Graphics 4000 - VRAM: 1024 MB
Audio Plug-ins:
          BluetoothAudioPlugIn: Version: 1.0
          AirPlay: Version: 1.9
          AppleAVBAudio: Version: 2.0.0
          iSightAudio: Version: 7.7.3
Startup Items:
          TuxeraNTFSUnmountHelper - Path: /Library/StartupItems/TuxeraNTFSUnmountHelper
System Software:
          OS X 10.9.1 (13B42) - Uptime: 0 days 1:45:14
Disk Information:
          TOSHIBA MK5065GSXF disk0 : (500.11 GB)
                    EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB
                    Macintosh HD (disk0s2) /: 499.25 GB (408.87 GB free)
                    Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted>: 650 MB
          MATSHITADVD-R   UJ-8A8
USB Information:
          Apple Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in)
          Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad
          Apple Inc. BRCM20702 Hub
                    Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
          Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver
FireWire Information:
Thunderbolt Information:
          Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus
Kernel Extensions:
          com.seagate.driver.PowSecDriverCore          (5.2.4)
          com.seagate.driver.PowSecLeafDriver_10_5          (5.2.4)
Problem System Launch Daemons:
          [loaded] com.seagate.TBDecorator.plist
Problem System Launch Agents:
Launch Daemons:
          [loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist
          [loaded] com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist
Launch Agents:
User Launch Agents:
          [loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist
          [loaded] com.spotify.webhelper.plist
          [loaded] com.valvesoftware.steamclean.plist
User Login Items:
          iTunesHelper
3rd Party Preference Panes:
          Flash Player
          Tuxera NTFS
Internet Plug-ins:
          Default Browser.plugin
          Flash Player.plugin
          FlashPlayer-10.6.plugin
          QuickTime Plugin.plugin
User Internet Plug-ins:
Bad Fonts:
          None
Time Machine:
          Time Machine not configured!
Top Processes by CPU:
              13%          WindowServer
               6%          com.apple.WebKit.Networking
               5%          Safari
               2%          hidd
               2%          cookied
               1%          EtreCheck
               1%          fontd
               0%          ocspd
               0%          UserNotificationCenter
               0%          aosnotifyd
Top Processes by Memory:
          176 MB             Safari
          139 MB             com.apple.IconServicesAgent
          133 MB             com.apple.WebKit.WebContent
          82 MB              Finder
          78 MB              mds_stores
          57 MB              com.apple.WebKit.Networking
          53 MB              mds
          41 MB              WindowServer
          25 MB              Dock
          20 MB              SystemUIServer
Virtual Memory Statistics:
          1.13 GB            Free RAM
          1.97 GB            Active RAM
          204 MB             Inactive RAM
          715 MB             Wired RAM
          352 MB             Page-ins
          0 B                Page-outs
Diagnostic test (By Linc Davis):
Boot Mode: Normal
System diagnostics:
   Bluetooth File Exchange 2014-01-19-182117 hang
   fm 2014-01-20-161020 crash
   iTunes 2014-01-23-171940 hang
User diagnostics:
   AdobeReader 2014-01-14-171412 crash
   EtreCheck 2014-01-23-171542 crash
   EtreCheck 2014-01-23-175849 crash
   EtreCheck 2014-01-23-180120 crash
   Safari 2014-01-19-162204 crash
   Spotify Helper 2014-01-08-210246 crash
   com.apple.WebKit.Networking 2014-01-14-102219 crash
   com.apple.WebKit.WebContent 2014-01-21-181912 crash
Kernel messages:
   Jan 17 21:08:45   PM notification timeout (pid 28, powerd)
   Jan 18 20:19:21   PM notification timeout (pid 38, loginwindow)
   Jan 18 20:19:21   PM notification timeout (pid 994, netbiosd)
   Jan 19 17:26:20   AFP_VFS afpfs_DoReconnect: Max reconnect time: 60 secs, Connect timeout: 30 secs for /Volumes/Public Folder
   Jan 19 22:16:53   AFP_VFS afpfs_DoReconnect: Max reconnect time: 30 secs, Connect timeout: 15 secs for /Volumes/Public Folder
   Jan 22 13:51:28   PM notification timeout (pid 15, securityd)
   Jan 22 13:51:28   PM notification timeout (pid 43, loginwindow)
   Jan 22 13:51:28   PM notification timeout (pid 155, UserEventAgent)
   Jan 22 13:51:28   PM notification timeout (pid 43, loginwindow)
   Jan 22 13:51:28   PM notification timeout (pid 163, SystemUIServer)
   Jan 22 13:51:28   PM notification timeout (pid 363, Disk Utility)
   Jan 22 13:51:58   PM notification timeout (pid 16, powerd)
   Jan 22 17:23:46   PM notification timeout (pid 906, netbiosd)
   Jan 22 17:47:06   PM notification timeout (pid 943, netbiosd)
Extrinsic system jobs:
   com.seagate.TBDecorator.plist
   com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper
   com.adobe.fpsaud
Extrinsic agents:
   com.valvesoftware.steamclean
   com.spotify.webhelper
   com.adobe.ARM.202f4087f2bbde52e3ac2df389f53a4f123223c9cc56a8fd83a6f7ae
/Library/LaunchDaemons:
   /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.adobe.fpsaud.plist
   /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist
/Library/PrivilegedHelperTools:
   /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper
/Library/StartupItems:
   /Library/StartupItems/TuxeraNTFSUnmountHelper/TuxeraNTFSUnmountHelper
Library/LaunchAgents:
   Library/LaunchAgents/com.adobe.ARM.202f4087f2bbde52e3ac2df389f53a4f123223c9cc56 a8fd83a6f7ae.plist
   Library/LaunchAgents/com.spotify.webhelper.plist
   Library/LaunchAgents/com.valvesoftware.steamclean.plist
Extrinsic loadable bundles:
   /System/Library/Extensions/Seagate Storage Driver.kext
             (com.seagate.driver.PowSecDriverCore)
   /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/Flash Player.plugin
             (com.macromedia.Flash Player.plugin)
   /Library/PreferencePanes/Flash Player.prefPane
             (com.adobe.flashplayerpreferences)
   /Library/PreferencePanes/Tuxera NTFS.prefPane
             (com.tuxera.ntfs.mac.prefpane)
   Library/Address Book Plug-Ins/SkypeABDialer.bundle
             (com.skype.skypeabdialer)
   Library/Address Book Plug-Ins/SkypeABSMS.bundle
             (com.skype.skypeabsms)
User login items:
   iTunesHelper
Safari extensions:
   AdBlock
Restricted user files:       94
Font problems:       37
Elapsed time (s): 303

Hi Somajoe,
Thanks for visiting Apple Support Communities.
It sounds like you have tried a lot of good troubleshooting steps. Since the behavior persists in safe mode and a new user, and you have effectively ruled out third party software conflicts, I recommend reinstalling Mavericks next:
OS X Mavericks: Reinstall OS X
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH13871
Best Regards,
Jeremy

My 2012 macbook pro is running really slow, how can I make it run faster?

I ran the etrecheck, and this is what resulted:
Hardware Information:
          MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2012)
          MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro9,2
          1 2.5 GHz Intel Core i5 CPU: 2 cores
          4 GB RAM
Video Information:
          Intel HD Graphics 4000 - VRAM: 1024 MB
System Software:
          OS X 10.9.2 (13C64) - Uptime: 0 days 8:0:27
Disk Information:
          APPLE HDD TOSHIBA MK5065GSXF disk0 : (500.11 GB)
                    EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB
                    Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / [Startup]: 499.25 GB (455.86 GB free)
                    Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted>: 650 MB
          MATSHITADVD-R   UJ-8A8
USB Information:
          Apple Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in)
          Apple Inc. BRCM20702 Hub
                    Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
          Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver
          Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad
FireWire Information:
Thunderbolt Information:
          Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus
Kernel Extensions:
          com.avast.PacketForwarder          (1.4 - SDK 10.9)
          com.avast.AvastFileShield          (2.1.0 - SDK 10.9)
Launch Daemons:
          [System] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.avast.init.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.avast.uninstall.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.barebones.authd.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.google.keystone.daemon.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist 3rd-Party support link
Launch Agents:
          [System] com.avast.userinit.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.google.keystone.agent.plist 3rd-Party support link
User Launch Agents:
          [not loaded] com.avast.home.userinit.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [not loaded] com.spotify.webhelper.plist 3rd-Party support link
User Login Items:
          None
Internet Plug-ins:
          FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 13.0.0.201 - SDK 10.6 3rd-Party support link
          Default Browser: Version: 537 - SDK 10.9
          AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: Version: 11.0.04 - SDK 10.6 3rd-Party support link
          AdobePDFViewer: Version: 11.0.04 - SDK 10.6 3rd-Party support link
          Flash Player: Version: 13.0.0.201 - SDK 10.6 3rd-Party support link
          o1dbrowserplugin: Version: 5.2.4.18058 3rd-Party support link
          QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3
          SharePointBrowserPlugin: Version: 14.1.0 3rd-Party support link
          googletalkbrowserplugin: Version: 5.2.4.18058 3rd-Party support link
          Silverlight: Version: 5.1.20125.0 - SDK 10.6 3rd-Party support link
Safari Extensions:
          avast! Online Security: Version: 8
Audio Plug-ins:
          BluetoothAudioPlugIn: Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.9
          AirPlay: Version: 2.0 - SDK 10.9
          AppleAVBAudio: Version: 203.2 - SDK 10.9
          iSightAudio: Version: 7.7.3 - SDK 10.9
iTunes Plug-ins:
          Quartz Composer Visualizer: Version: 1.4 - SDK 10.9
3rd Party Preference Panes:
          avast! Preferences 3rd-Party support link
          Flash Player 3rd-Party support link
Old Applications:
          SLLauncher:          Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
                    /Library/Application Support/Microsoft/Silverlight/OutOfBrowser/SLLauncher.app
          /Users/[redacted]/Downloads
                    Install Spotify 3:          Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
                    Install Spotify:          Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
                    Install Spotify 2:          Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
Time Machine:
          Time Machine not configured!
Top Processes by CPU:
               3%          WindowServer
               2%          EtreCheck
               0%          locationd
               0%          aosnotifyd
Top Processes by Memory:
          94 MB          Google Chrome
          82 MB          avast!
          82 MB          mds_stores
          60 MB          Google Chrome Helper
          53 MB          Finder
Virtual Memory Information:
          33 MB          Free RAM
          1.38 GB          Active RAM
          1.47 GB          Inactive RAM
          590 MB          Wired RAM
          37.94 GB          Page-ins
          9 MB          Page-outs

Look for possible solutions here:
http://www.thesafemac.com/mpg/
Ciao.

2012 Macbook Pro crawling with Mavericks

Hi,
Installed today. Having major trouble with everything barely moving. Takes almost a MINUTE to boot up computer. Read some of the other threads, below is my Etra Check. Also was prompted to let Google "control my computer" today- should I deny or accept this??
Please help!
Hardware Information:
          MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2012)
          MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro9,2
          1 2.9 GHz Intel Core i7 CPU: 2 cores
          8 GB RAM
Video Information:
          Intel HD Graphics 4000 - VRAM: 1024 MB
System Software:
          OS X 10.9.1 (13B42) - Uptime: 0 days 3:36:20
Disk Information:
          TOSHIBA MK7559GSXF disk0 : (750.16 GB)
                    EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB
                    Macintosh HD (disk0s2) /: 749.3 GB (587 GB free)
                    Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted>: 650 MB
          HL-DT-ST DVDRW GS31N
USB Information:
          Apple Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in)
          Apple Inc. BRCM20702 Hub
                    Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
          Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad
          Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver
FireWire Information:
Thunderbolt Information:
          Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus
Kernel Extensions:
Startup Items:
          HP IO: Path: /Library/StartupItems/HP IO
          HWNetMgr: Path: /Library/StartupItems/HWNetMgr
          HWPortDetect: Path: /Library/StartupItems/HWPortDetect
Problem System Launch Daemons:
Problem System Launch Agents:
Launch Daemons:
          [loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [loaded] com.adobe.SwitchBoard.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [loaded] com.ciscosystems.ciscoconnect.daemon.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [loaded] com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [loaded] PPPMonitord.plist 3rd-Party support link
Launch Agents:
          [not loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [loaded] com.brother.LOGINserver.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [loaded] com.hp.help.tocgenerator.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [loaded] com.hp.messagecenter.launcher.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [loaded] jp.co.canon.ScanGearMF.appl.Canon-MF-Scan-Agent.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [failed] SwapperUFi.plist 3rd-Party support link
User Launch Agents:
          [loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist 3rd-Party support link
          [failed] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist 3rd-Party support link
          [loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist 3rd-Party support link
          [loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [loaded] com.spotify.webhelper.plist 3rd-Party support link
User Login Items:
          GrowlHelperApp
          iTunesHelper
          TrapsMonitor
Internet Plug-ins:
          Google Earth Web Plug-in: Version: 6.1 3rd-Party support link
          Default Browser: Version: 537 - SDK 10.9
          Flip4Mac WMV Plugin: Version: 2.3.8.1 3rd-Party support link
          AdobeAAMDetect: Version: AdobeAAMDetect 1.0.0.0 - SDK 10.6 3rd-Party support link
          FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 11.9.900.170 - SDK 10.6 3rd-Party support link
          AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: Version: 10.1.8 3rd-Party support link
          Silverlight: Version: 4.0.51204.0 3rd-Party support link
          Flash Player: Version: 11.9.900.170 - SDK 10.6 3rd-Party support link
          QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3
          iPhotoPhotocast: Version: 7.0 - SDK 10.7
          SharePointBrowserPlugin: Version: 14.0.1 3rd-Party support link
          AdobePDFViewer: Version: 10.1.8 3rd-Party support link
Audio Plug-ins:
          BluetoothAudioPlugIn: Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.9
          AirPlay: Version: 1.9 - SDK 10.9
          AppleAVBAudio: Version: 2.0.0 - SDK 10.9
          iSightAudio: Version: 7.7.3 - SDK 10.9
3rd Party Preference Panes:
          Flash Player 3rd-Party support link
          Flip4Mac WMV 3rd-Party support link
          Growl 3rd-Party support link
Bad Fonts:
          None
Old Applications:
          /Library/Printers/Brother/Utilities/Server
                    NETserver:          Version: 1.1.6 - SDK 10.4 3rd-Party support link
                    USBserver:          Version: 1.1.0 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
          Epson Printer Utility 4:          Version: 9.14 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
                    /Library/Printers/EPSON/InkjetPrinter2/Utility/UT4/Epson Printer Utility 4.app
          Device Selector:          Version: 1.5.5 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
                    /Library/Printers/Brother/Utilities/DeviceSelector/DeviceSelector.app
          dynamiclinkmanager:          Version: 6.0.0 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
                    /Library/Application Support/Adobe/Common/dynamiclink/CS6/dynamiclinkmanager.app
          dynamiclinkmediaserver:          Version: 6.0.0 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
                    /Library/Application Support/Adobe/Common/dynamiclinkmediaserver/1.0/dynamiclinkmediaserver.app
Time Machine:
          Skip System Files: NO
          Auto backup: YES
          Volumes being backed up:
                    Macintosh HD: Disk size: 697.84 GB Disk used: 151.15 GB
          Destinations:
                    Seagate Backup Plus Drive [Local] (Last used)
                    Total size: 931.19 GB
                    Total number of backups: 14
                    Oldest backup: 2013-06-15 20:10:52 +0000
                    Last backup: 2014-01-02 21:39:49 +0000
                    Size of backup disk: Adequate
                              Backup size 931.19 GB > (Disk used 151.15 GB X 3)
          Time Machine details may not be accurate.
          All volumes being backed up may not be listed.
Top Processes by CPU:
               7%          Google Chrome
               6%          WindowServer
               2%          hidd
               1%          EtreCheck
               1%          Paprika
Top Processes by Memory:
          156 MB          softwareupdated
          156 MB          Google Chrome
          131 MB          mds_stores
          123 MB          com.apple.IconServicesAgent
          90 MB          Google Chrome Helper
Virtual Memory Information:
          4.24 GB          Free RAM
          2.39 GB          Active RAM
          430 MB          Inactive RAM
          968 MB          Wired RAM
          1.21 GB          Page-ins
          0 B          Page-outs

If you don't already have a current backup, back up all data before doing anything else. This procedure is a diagnostic test. It changes nothing, for better or worse, and therefore will not, in itself, solve your problem. The backup is necessary on principle, not because of anything suggested in this comment. There are ways to back up a computer that isn't fully functional. Ask if you need guidance.
Third-party system modifications are a common cause of usability problems. By a “system modification,” I mean software that affects the operation of other software — potentially for the worse. The procedure will help identify which such modifications you've installed, as well as some other aspects of the configuration that may be related to the problem.
Don’t be alarmed by the seeming complexity of these instructions — they’re easy to carry out. Here's a brief summary: You copy a line of text from this web page into a window in another application. You wait about a minute. Then you paste some other text, which will have been copied automatically, back into a reply on this page. The sequence is copy; paste; paste again. That's all there is to it. Details follow.
You may have started the computer in "safe" mode. Preferably, these steps should be taken while booted in “normal” mode. If the system is now running in safe mode and is bootable in normal mode, reboot as usual. If it only boots in safe mode, use that.
Below are instructions to enter a UNIX shell command. It does nothing but produce human-readable output. However, you need to think carefully before running any program at the behest of a stranger on a public message board. If you question the safety of the procedure suggested here — which you should — search this site for other discussions in which it’s been followed without any report of ill effects. If you can't satisfy yourself that these instructions are safe, don't follow them.
The command will line-wrap or scroll in your browser, but it's really a single long line, all of which must be selected. You can accomplish this easily by triple-clicking anywhere in the line. The whole line will highlight, and you can then copy it.
If you have more than one user, and the one with the problem is not an administrator, please run the command both as that user and as an administrator. The results may be different. The administrator is the user that was created automatically when you booted the system for the first time. If you can't log in as an administrator, just run the command as the user who has the problem. Most personal Macs have only one user, and in that case this paragraph doesn’t apply.
Launch the Terminal application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Terminal in the icon grid.
When you launch Terminal, a text window will open with a line already in it, ending either in a dollar sign (“$”) or a percent sign (“%”). If you get the percent sign, enter “sh” and press return. You should then get a new line ending in a dollar sign.
Triple-click anywhere in the line of text below on this page to select it:
PB=/usr/libexec/PlistBuddy; PR () { [[ "$o" ]] && o=$(sed 's/^/   /' <<< "$o") && printf '\n%s:\n\n%s\n' "$1" "$o"; }; PC () { o=$(grep [^[:blank:]] "$2"); PR "$1"; }; PF () { o=$($PB -c Print "$2" | awk -F'= ' \/$3'/{print $2}'); PR "$1"; }; PN () { [[ $o -eq 0 ]] || printf "\n%s: %s\n" "$1" $o; }; a=$(id | grep -w '80(admin)'); [[ "$a" ]] && sudo true && r=1 || r=; { [[ "$a" ]] || echo $'No admin access\n'; [[ "$a" && ! "$r" ]] && echo $'No root access\n'; system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType | sed '8!d;s/^ *//'; o=$(system_profiler SPDiagnosticsDataType | sed '5,6!d'); fgrep -q P <<< "$o" && o=; PR "POST"; o=$(($(vm_stat | awk '/Pageo/{sub("\\.",""); print $2}')/256)); o=$((o>=1024?o:0)); PN "Pageouts (MiB)"; s=( $(sar -u 1 10 | sed '$!d') ); [[ ${s[4]} -lt 90 ]] && o=$( printf 'User %s%%\t\tSystem %s%%' ${s[1]} ${s[3]} ) || o=; PR "Total CPU usage"; [[ "$o" ]] && o=$(ps acrx -o comm,ruid,%cpu | sed '2!d'); PR "Max %CPU by process (name, UID, %)"; o=$(kextstat -kl | grep -v com\\.apple | cut -c53- | cut -d\< -f1); PR "Loaded extrinsic kernel extensions"; o=$(launchctl list | sed 1d | awk '!/0x|com\.apple|org\.(x|openbsd)|\.[0-9]+$/{print $3}'); PR "Loaded extrinsic user agents"; o=$(launchctl getenv DYLD_INSERT_LIBRARIES); PR "Inserted libraries"; PC "cron configuration" /e*/cron*; o=$(crontab -l | grep [^[:blank:]]); PR "User cron tasks"; PC "Global launchd configuration" /e*/lau*; PC "Per-user launchd configuration" ~/.lau*; PF "Global login items" /L*/P*/loginw* Path; PF "Per-user login items" L*/P*/*loginit* Name; PF "Safari extensions" L*/Saf*/*/E*.plist Bundle | sed 's/\..*$//;s/-[1-9]$//'; o=$(find ~ $TMPDIR.. $ -flags +sappnd,schg,uappnd,uchg -o ! -user $UID -o ! -perm -600 $ | wc -l); PN "Restricted user files"; cd; o=$(find -L /S*/L*/E* {,/}L*/{A*d,Compon,Ex,In,Keyb,Mail/Bu,P*P,Qu,Scripti,Servi,Spo}* -type d -name Contents -prune | while read d; do ID=$($PB -c 'Print :CFBundleIdentifier' "$d/Info.plist") || ID=; ID=${ID:-No bundle ID}; egrep -qv "^com\.apple\.[^x]|Accusys|ArcMSR|ATTO|HDPro|HighPoint|driver\.stex|hp-fax|JMicron|microsoft\.MDI|print|SoftRAID" <<< $ID && printf '%s\n\t(%s)\n' "${d%/Contents}" "$ID"; done); PR "Extrinsic loadable bundles"; o=$(find /u*/{,*/}lib -type f -exec sh -c 'file -b "$1" | grep -qw shared && ! codesign -v "$1"' {} {} \; -print); PR "Unsigned shared libraries"; o=$(system_profiler SPFontsDataType | egrep "Valid: N|Duplicate: Y" | wc -l); PN "Font problems"; for d in {,/}L*/{La,Priv,Sta}*; do o=$(ls -A "$d"); PR "$d"; done; [ "$r" ] && { o=$(sudo launchctl list | sed 1d | awk '!/0x|com\.(apple|openssh|vix\.cron)|org\.(amav|apac|calendarse|cups|dove|isc|ntp|post[fg]|x)/{print $3}'); PR "Loaded extrinsic daemons"; o=$(sudo defaults read com.apple.loginwindow LoginHook); PR "Login hook"; o=$(sudo crontab -l | grep [^[:blank:]]); PR "Root cron tasks"; }; o=$(syslog -k Sender kernel -k Message CReq 'GPU |hfs: Ru|I/O e|find tok|n Cause: -|NVDA\(|pagin|timed? ?o' | tail -n25 | awk '/:/{$4=""; print}'); PR "Log check"; } 2> /dev/null | pbcopy; echo $'\nDone'
Copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. Then click anywhere in the Terminal window and paste (command-V). I've tested these instructions only with the Safari web browser. If you use another browser, you may have to press the return key after pasting.
If you're logged in as an administrator, you'll be prompted for your login password. Nothing will be displayed when you type it. Type it carefully and then press return. You may get a one-time warning to be careful. If you make three failed attempts to enter your password, the command will run anyway, but it will produce less information. In most cases, the difference is not important.
The command may take up to a few minutes to run, depending on how many files you have and the speed of the computer.
Wait for the word "Done" to appear on a line by itself below what you pasted.
The output of the command will be automatically copied to the Clipboard. All you have to do is paste into a reply to this message by pressing command-V again. Please don't copy anything from the Terminal window.
You can then quit Terminal.
In case of difficulty, please note:
☞ This procedure is all copy-and-paste — type only your login password when prompted. When typing it, make sure caps lock is off.
☞ When you type your password, you won't see what you're typing.
☞ The commands don't change anything, and merely running them will do neither good nor harm.
☞ Remember to post the output. It's already in the Clipboard after you see the word "Done" in the Terminal window. You don't have to copy it. Just paste into a reply.
☞ If any personal information, such as your name or email address, appears in the output, anonymize it before posting. Usually that won't be necessary.
☞ Don't post what you see in the Terminal window. The output is copied automatically to the Clipboard.

Macbook Pro 13in 2011 Boot up

Hello,
So, for some reason whenever I turn my Macbook Pro 13in 2011 on, the normal white screen appears with the Apple logo and the little loading wheel, but this time a gray bar appears loading on the bottom of the wheel, could someone please explain what is happening, this is making my laptop load up very slowly. I'm scared I might lose everything.
Thanks, please get back to me,
IMAC2296

The following support article is somewhat outdated. Where it refers to booting from an installation disc, you should boot from your recovery partition (if running 10.7 or later) by holding down the key combination command-R at the chime.
Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup

Replacement hard drive on Macbook Pro 13in early 2011 advice needed!

Hi!
I am replacing the hard drive in my MacBook Pro 13in from early 2011. The choices I can afford are either the Seagate 500GB 7200 rpm or the WD Scorpio Blue 500GB 5400rpm drive. I heard that the faster spinning drive causes reduced battery life and more noise. Is this true? Which one would you all suggest I choose?
Thanks!!

Hi,
I am using the same model with upgraded RAM. I am also changing my hard drive to a SSD which can't be compared to a spinning drive. The best choice would be getting a SSD, however, if you have to choose between those two you listed, I would go with Seagate. Not only because it is affordable, but also most of manufactured laptops have that brand. About the battery life and more noise, that statement is "true", but it is not noticeable. I mean, faster spinning will consume more battery than slower spinning of course, but it will not effect your battery life significantly. Because it is spinning faster, it will have faster read/write ability than 5400 rpm HDDs. Overall, it really depends on how much budget you got. A 128 GB or 256 GB SSD would be affordable with a fantastic ability to do many tasks.
I hope it helped you.

How to use my earpods with my 2012 macbook pro

I can not get the inline microphone to work on my earpods with my 2012 macbook pro. It will not reconize it. Help please!

I have an A1286(Early 2011) MBP with OS X 10.8.2. Using my headphone jack with earpods has been sporadic. Sometimes I get the mic, sometimes I don't. I just now took a paper clip and worked it around inside the jack. I plugged my headphones back in appears to be working. Could be something inside the jack is bent and not making contact with the mic part of the plug.
Your mileage may vary. I assume no liability if you damage something.
Tried it again and it doesn't seem to be working anymore. For my MBP I think it is a hardware issue. Either dust or something is getting in between the contacts and the plug or the contacts are just not touching the plug. I'm gonna take a crack at dismantling my MBP and see if it's something simple like bending the contacts so they touch the headphone plug.

Does OS Lion 10.7.5 support Airplay mirror of Apple TV 3? I can't find the option in Setting Display on my mid 2012 MacBook Pro.

Does OS Lion 10.7.5 support Airplay mirror of Apple TV 3? I can't find the option in Setting>Display on my mid 2012 MacBook Pro.
I've rebooted all 3 devices, still does not work. Both Apple TV and MBP are on the same wifi. And the Apple TV AirPlay option is on. Can someone help? Thank you.

About AirPlay and Airplay Mirroring
AirPlay Mirroring requires a second-generation Apple TV or later, and is supported on the following Mac models: iMac (Mid 2011 or newer), Mac mini (Mid 2011 or newer), MacBook Air (Mid 2011 or newer), and MacBook Pro (Early 2011 or newer). For non-qualifying Macs you can try using Air Parrot.
Several Apple Articles Regarding AirPlay
Apple TV (2nd and 3rd gen)- How to use AirPlay Mirroring
How to set up and configure AirPort Express for AirPlay and iTunes
About AirPlay Mirroring in OS X Mountain Lion
iTunes 10- About playing music with AirPlay
Troubleshooting AirPlay and AirPlay Mirroring
Using AirPlay
Thanks to the $15 Beamer, AirPlay streaming is still possible on Macs that do not support Airplay and mirroring.
Another solution is the Air Parrot.

2012 Macbook Pro 15" doesn't recognize VGA monitors plugged into displayport

We have a 2012 Macbook Pro 15" (and a 2010, and a 2011). The 2012 doesn't recognize VGA/DVI (old) monitors plugged into it, but it does recognize new DVI monitors.
What gives? I'm not even sure how to diagnose or attempt to treat this.
2012 Macbook Pro
OS X 10.8.3
Wacom Cintiq
Vuzix iWear
etc

Does it see, recognize, any usb devices?
Have you tried a smc reset?
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
If that doesn't fix it and no usb device is being seen by that port then you have a hardware problem and you need to take the system to apple to be fixed before your warranty runs out.

Need help migrating 2006 Macbook Pro to 2012 Macbook Pro

Hi -- The screen on my 2006 Macbook Pro (running 10.9.2) completely stopped working last weekend. It doesn't light up at all. I've tried everything under the sun to get it functioning again but I believe it is just totally dead. I tried plugging an external monitor, mouse and keyboard into it and cannot get it to show up on the screen, which is driving me crazy! The monitor works just fine with my 2011 Mac Mini (running 10.6.8). I have been able to access the hard drive via target disk mode using the Mini and copy all of the files onto an external drive, which brings me relief that not everything is lost. I tried to boot the drive in startup manager on the Mini to do a Time Machine backup and the Mini didn't even enter startup manager. It just completely ignored the fact that I was pressing the Alt key at startup and proceeded to login normally! I have tried it several times and no dice. I'm feeling frustrated! Argh! Am I doing something wrong? Am I crazy? Anyways...
I bought a refurbished 2012 Macbook Pro and I would like to transfer all of my applications from the 2006 using migration assistant but I've read that some of them might not transfer correctly, such as Adobe CS6 suite and Final Cut Pro X. Unfortunately, I don't have the disks for these applications. Am I totally out of luck or is there a way to do this that I haven't seen yet? I'm willing to try anything at this point. Another question I have is will a Thunderbolt to Firewire adapter work with my 2006 MacBook Pro?
If you have any insights on how to transfer all of my stuff over, I would very much appreciate it. Thank you!

Yep, it was in target disk mode. I don't have a thunderbolt-firewire adapter, but I'm going to get one and try that -- I honestly wasn't sure if it would even work with my older Mac. I ran migration assistant with the Macbook Pro 2006 in target disk mode connected to the 2012 with an ethernet cable and it didn't find the drive.
So there's really no way for me to gather all of the various folders for FCP and put them on the new Mac?

2012 MacBook Pro 9,1 Screen Blanking?

I have a 2012 MacBook Pro, Model 9,1. I'm having problems with intermitent blanking of my external monitors. So far, I've been unable to reproduce the symptons on demand. The screen blanking will last approximately 5-10 seconds and will occur from two to six times per day, usually in the middle of me doing something. When the displays recover most of the open windows will have shifted several inches to the left or right.
My setup is a bit unique. I'm using a Matrox DualHead2Go ME, plugged in to the Thunderbolt port on my MacBook Pro. The Matrox device drives two LG Flatron IPS235 monitors, which are connected via two 10' DVI cables. At first, I thought it was a cabling issue so I replaced my cheap DVI cables with two Monoprice cables with ferrites. This solved one of the problems I was having with random pixelation on my right monitor, but the blanking issue remains. Iread that switching off Automatic Graphics Switching in the Energy Control Panel may resolve the issue, but it didn't.
I'm currently running Mac OS X 10.8.3. Aside from having the DualHead2Go replaced, which Matrox claims isn't the problem, I don't know what else to try. Any help is greatly appreciated.

I have a Late 2011 MBP (MacBook Pro 8,3). I did replace the stock 5400RPM drive with a Seagate Momentus XT 750GB drive. The new drive does negotiate a 6.0Gbps connection, and the optical drive in my system still only negotiates a 1.5Gbps connection.
I have heard reports of people taking their optical drive out and putting the Momentus XT drive in an adaptor in that slot, in combination with an SSD drive in the primary drive location. Both drives will negotiate a 6.0 Gbps connection, and you can get some searious throughput. Rumors are that if you are willing to do this, you might even be able to get your Mac to believe it has one of those new "Fusion Drives" you can get from Apple...

2012 Macbook Pro 13in 2.9GHz vs 2011 October 15in quad core refurb

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