Brand new i7 - Memory and Hard Drive Very Slow

I just purchased a new brand New Mac Book Pro 15" i7 2.67 Ghz system with 8 GB of memory (1067 Mhz) and 500 GB 7200 RPM (I wanted to do the 512 GB solid state but way too pricey at $1300). I installed Windows 7 64 bit with boot camp.
I am not impressed with the speed, it is about the same speed as my 2.5 year old Lenovo Core 2 Duo T7800 2.60 Ghz laptop - although I upgraded this the lenovo laptop had a 128 GB solid state drive as the boot drive, and a 500 GB as the 2nd drive, and 8 GB of 667 Mhz.
Also the battery only lasts for 2 hours with Windows... and there is no way to swap in a different battery, is there? I have long flights 5 hrs and now I won't be able to work for much of it...
anyway, is there anything we can do to make this machine quicker? I am thinking of returning this and going back to Lenovo. I would like to start using OSX but I am a windows developer so I need a fast windows machine.
thanks
dan

...anyway, is there anything we can do to make this machine quicker?
Yes — Put a solid state drive in it. Then your comparison with the Lenovo will have some meaning. It doesn't have any now, because you're comparing a conventional hard drive to a SSD.
Regarding battery life: Apple's battery life testing is all done running OS X. Windows is an energy hog, and you can't hope for anything approaching Apple's maximum run-time estimate if you're using Windows. To get the longest running time possible, turn off wifi and BlueTooth, disconnect all bus-powered peripherals, dim the display as far as you can stand, turn off keyboard backlighting, don't use the optical drive, and if you're browsing the web, avoid sites with Flash content. Avoid very demanding applications, too, because in addition to forcing the CPU/GPU to use a lot of power, they also generate extra heat and thus require the fans to run faster, using still more battery power.
An airline power adapter might be a worthwhile investment if you tend to be on flights and in seats where power outlets are available. Failing that, you may want to look into an external auxiliary battery pack, because you can't swap internal batteries:
http://www.batterygeek.net/Batterygeeknet_MacBook_MacBook_Pro_Battery_Packss/78.htm
http://www.hypershop.com/HyperMac-External-MacBook-Battery-and-Car-Charger-s/91. htm
http://www.quickertek.com/products/macbookprocharger.php
In OS X, you can improve battery life further by using gfxcardstatus to prevent apps from automatically invoking the more powerful, energy-hungry NVidia GPU.

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IMac with SSD and Hard drive very slow startup time

I have a new mid 2011 iMac with a 250gb SSD drive and a 2TB drive. All are from Apple as BTO options. When I first used the iMac my typical startup time from the hardware check chime to desktop was typically 12 seconds. Something, somehow has been changed because now it takes over one minute to boot up from the SSD. After the chime I hear the fans running and also the 2tb drive. After about 20 seconds I hear the hard drive spin down and then after another 20 seconds it starts up again. Once it starts up the boot up sequences contiunes and returns to the desktop. After this the iMac perfprms as normal. I have tried running disk utility from the recovery partition. I have also reinstalled Lion as well from the recovery partition and neither of these change the outcome.
When I first got the iMac I used time machine to restore from a previous machine into the 2tb partition and then went into advanced options in System preferences>Users&Groups to point to my home folder on the 2Tb drive rather than the default one on the SSD. That was working fine until I discovered software problems with both Preview and Textedit where they would not start up with this arangement. I then repointed my home folder to the default one on the SSD which cured this issue with these programmes leaving my data remaining on the 2Tb drive. Since doing this I have had the one minute boot up problem.
Can anyone offer any advice as to how I may overcome this problem and get my iMac back to starting up in twelve seconds from the SSD as it did before. Any help would be appreciated on this topic.
Thanks.

Where do you maintain your Home folder - on the SSD or on the HDD?
If you want to do a clean install (from scratch) then do the following:
Install or Reinstall Lion from Scratch
If possible backup your files to an external drive or second internal drive.
Boot to the Recovery HD:
Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND and R keys until the menu screen appears. Alternatively, restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager screen appears. Select the Recovery HD and click on the downward pointing arrow button.
Erase the hard drive:
Select Disk Utility from the main menu and click on the Continue button.
After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Note the SMART status of the drive in DU's status area. If it does not say "Verified" then the drive is failing or has failed and will need replacing. SMART info will not be reported on external drives. Otherwise, click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Erase button and wait until the process has completed.
Quit DU and return to the main menu.
Reinstall Lion: Select Reinstall Lion and click on the Install button.
Note: You can also re-download the Lion installer by opening the App Store application. Hold down the OPTION key and click on the Purchases icon in the toolbar. You should now see an active Install button to the right of your Lion purchase entry. There are situations in which this will not work. For example, if you are already booted into the Lion you originally purchased with your Apple ID or if an instance of the Lion installer is located anywhere on your computer.
Before you go to the extreme of the above would you do this:
Open Activity Monitor in the Utilities folder. Select All Processes from the Processes dropdown menu. Click twice on the CPU% column header to display in descending order. If you find a process using a large amount of CPU time, then select the process and click on the Quit icon in the toolbar. Click on the Force Quit button to kill the process. See if that helps. Be sure to note the name of the runaway process so you can track down the cause of the problem.
Just in case your system slowness is due to something eating up CPU time. Oh, and if your system is brand new check the upper right corner of the menubar for a "dot" inside the Spotlight glass. This means Spotlight is indexing the drive. Until it finishes your system will be quite sluggish.

Taking out and replacing memory and hard drive.

Hey so I want to get a macbook pro 13 in. and I want to upgrade it by putting in more memory and a better hard drive, but I want to buy parts from a different site because it is so much cheaper. Is it easy to take out and replace the memory and hard drive of a macbook pro?

Just make sure the RAM you're buying is brand name and match the specs of your macbook.
Getting cheaper RAM modules sometimes cause issues with the way your Macbook peforms. Learned that lesson when I decided to buy Kingston Value RAM. Had nothing but trouble.
Stick with brands like Crucial ( which I use ), Corsair, Mushkin, Kingston (non value) and from OWC.
As for the hard drive, stay away from Western Digital Blue edition, some macbooks have issues with them.
Also make sure you buy an external USB enclosure so you can clone your drive before you intall it and install your old drive in the USB enclosure and use it as your backup drive.
If you're technically capable, it quite easy swapping out the RAM and Hard Drive.
Do the clone first before you do anything else. That way, when you're done the clone, you just have to open up your macbook once to do the swap.
Good luck and hope everything goes smoothly for you.
Post back if you need a hand or have any questions.

Extending memory and hard drive space

I would like to wait for the next gen Intel to come out before upgrading my one year old power book. I understand there will be the Core 2 duo coming out in new Macs. i will wait. In the mean time I would like to increase my memory and internal hardrive space, cheaply so programs are not running so slow when more than one or two are open. My question are:
1. How much more mem can I add to the 512mb I already have? I know I have two slots and only one is being used.
1. a. Is this something I can do myself? If so, is there a apple article on how to do this.
1. b. What is the cheapest I can buy and where do I Order. ( I would appreciate link)
2. How much more internal Hardrive space can I add? It says I currently have total of 74 gb with 71 gb being used.
2.a. Do I really need to increase intranal hardrive space if I just increase memory? Will memory be enough to take care of sluggishness?
2.b. if I increase my internal Hard drive will this be like getting new computer and have to but all my stuff back onto new and larger hard drive.? or is there an extra slot to add another hard drive.
2.c. Same as 1, a & B
powerbook g4 1.5gh, 512 mb sdram Mac OS X (10.4.4)
powerbook g4 Mac OS X (10.4.4)
powerbook g4 Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Hi 10smom
1. Up to 2GB, consisting of a 1GB in each each slot.
1a. Yes, see this link for instructions.
1b. Cheapest memory is not necessarily the best option to choose, although buying online will probably get you the best deal. You should choose memory that is the most compatible. A lifetime warranty is also something to look out for. Amongst the brands favoured by people are Crucial, Kingston and Samsung although I have tended to use Crucial.
2. Currently the largest capacity hard drive for notebook computers is 160GB, although I'm not sure if the limit for your PowerBook is 128GB. However a significant factor of your PB's current "sluggishness" is due to the fact that the internal drive is almost full. You need to either delete or archive off (and then delete) a lot of files. Normally the recommendation is to keep between 10%-20% of free space.
2a. Increasing both will help, but you can always start with just a memory upgrade (plus it's easier to do). See point 2 and 2b regarding the "sluggishness".
2b. Yes, but not quite. If and when you purchase a new drive, also purchase an external FireWire drive enclosure to house the spare drive. You can clone the data from one drive to the other prior to installation into your PB. After installation you can then re-clone in the opposite direction. If all is well you can then carry on using the newly upgraded PB as though nothing has happened. As an added bonus you can use the old drive (with the external enclosure) as a backup drive.
2c. Up to 128/160GB. Manufacturers to choose from are Hitachi, Seagate, Western Digital, Samsung, Fujitsu and Toshiba. A hard drive upgrade will invalidate the Apple warranty (if it has not already expired) - but online instructions are available here for the hardy. Otherwise you can get an Apple Authorised Service Provider to do the installation for a relatively small fee. There is no second drive bay, but purchasing an external FireWire drive enclosure serves that purpose.
15" 1.25GHz/12" 1GHz PBs, 2xPPC Mac minis, 12" iBook G4, Mac OS X (10.4.6) Cube, 2xTAMs, iPods 2G/4G, iPs, AEBS, AX

Memory and Hard Drive replacement

I have a MacBook 2.1, Intel Core2 Duo Processor, 1.5 GB RAM and am thinking of adding more RAM and changing out the Hard Drive to a bigger size. Can anyone tell me the max RAM that can be installed and the Max Hard drive size?

These are good online stores for Mac compatible RAM
OWC http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/MacBook/DDR2/ - They offer Mac tested RAM at very good prices.
Crucial Memory http://www.crucial.com/ - good place to buy RAM from all over the world. They also have an excellent memory selector that allows you to choose memory based on your computer's model
Data Memory Systems http://www.datamemorysystems.com/apple-memory.asp - another good, cheap place to buying RAM if you live in the U.S.
Here are instructions on replacing RAM in a MacBook with a removable battery. http://homeoffice.consumerelectronicsnet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=44404
http://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/macbook_13_09_unibody_mem/
If you don’t have the tools to open up the MacBook OWC has a set for $5.
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/TOOLKITMHD/
For a new hard drive try Newegg.com http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=380&name=Laptop-Hard-Dr ives&Order=PRICE
Or OWC for regular hard drives and SSDs http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/hard-drives/2.5-Notebook/
Here are instructions on replacing the hard drive in a MacBook with a removable battery. http://creativemac.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=45088
To transfer your current hard drive I like the free application SuperDuper. It makes a bootable copy of everything on your hard drive http://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDuper/SuperDuperDescription.html You'll need a cheap SATA external hard drive case. Put the new drive in the case then format and partition the new drive and clone your old drive to the new one. Check that it's set up right by booting up from the external drive. Then replace your old hard drive with the new one and put your old one in the external case.
Here's a cheap SATA external hard drive case on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Vantec-NexStar-2-5-Inch-External-Enclosure/dp/B002JQNXZC/r ef=pd_cp_pc_0
You can put two 2gb RAM sticks in your model 2,1 but it can only use 3,3gb. This is a hardware limitation and cannot be changed.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3_GB_barrier
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook_pro/faq/macbook-pro-core-2-duo-3-g b-memory-limitation-details.html
OWC tests have found that there is a slight speed increase with having two 2gb sticks in rather than one 1gb and one 2gb. Your model is in the gray lines at the bottom of the graph. http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/Memory_Benchmark/Apple_MacBook/

Brand new laptop, noisy (?)hard drive

Hi everybody!
I was recently bought a new HP laptop for Christmas (a Notebook 15-r160sa).
Anyway, I've noticed that it has a very constant 'bitty' noise. It's not immediately obvious, but when trying to do work on it in a quiet room it's very annoying. I don't think it's a fan or the optical drive - it seems like it might be the hard drive, because it's a noise I'm familiar with on other computers when it's loading something. However, this is very audible and very consistent. I have recorded a clip of the noise, but I don't
I took it to PC World to have it looked at and was advised that it's "probably" not a fault but, rather simply the way the laptop is designed.
I'm hoping to get some clarification from someone on here as to whether the noise is the sign of a fault or if it is the design of the laptop.
Thanks!

Hi, Huffer. Thanks for responding again. I've uploaded a recording here: http://vocaroo.com/i/s0wGCzEbMuzG
Sorry it's not the greatest quality audio, but it should give you the idea. That's the level it's at when the computer's at rest with no applications and minimal processes running.
It probably doesn't sound like a whole lot is actually wrong, but it's a lot nosier than I'm used to from a computer and unfortunately it's terribly distracting when I'm trying to work.
Anywho, would be very appreciative if someone could let me know what the noise is and whether it's indicative of a fault, or just the way the laptop is designed?
Thank you

Adding Memory and Hard drive

I have an original MacBook Pro, running 2.33 GHz with 2 GB Ram and 160 GB hard drive. I am looking to add memory and I was wondering if anyone knows how much my book is upgradable to. And I was also wondering if it's possible to put a bigger hard drive in. When I look at Apple memory, my MacBook Pro isn't even listed. Thanks.

You can get some idea of the "level of ease/difficulty" involved in replacing the HD from http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Mac/MacBook-Pro-15-Inch-Core-2-Duo/Hard-Drive-Replac ement/115/10/Page-1 or http://www.powerbookmedic.com/Manuals/15-inch-macbook-pro-manual.pdf
It is certainly harder than with a MacBook, or with the very latest model of MBP, but it is not too bad. Certainly easier than with an iBook or some of the PowerBooks , for example, as long as you proceed carefuly and cautiously, keep track of where the screws came from and *use the right tools*.
Cheers
Rod

Memory and Hard drive

Ok, I ordered a 750GB hard drive and 8 GB of ram (4 x 2GB). I have my Mac Pro on a good working surface and the cover is off. Currently I have one 250 GB drive in bay one, and 2 GB of ram (4 x 512MB) occupying Ram Slots A1, A2, B1, B2.
After dealing with my first adventure dropping a small screw driver bit into the memory bay area and having to fish it out. My heart sank when I stopped hearing the thing rattling around and I feared it got lodged somewhere and I'd have to take it in to have a tech find it. Then as I was giving up I spotted it. Now, I'm ready to perform the surgery.
Hard Drive
First off I put the new hard drive in. I had an existing 250 GB hard drive installed in bay one. I moved this drive to bay 2 and and put the new 750 GB drive in bay one. I'm thinking that bay one would be the default boot drive so I want my 750 to be the startup disk. I'm also thinking that I can boot up from the software install discs that came with the Mac Pro to format and load a fresh copy of OS X and the included software. Am I thinking this out right or should I keep the 250 in bay one and have the 750 in bay 2?
RAM
Looking at the riser cards A1, A2, B1, & B2 all have a 512 MB chip in them. A3, A4, B3, & B4 are all empty. Knowing that Memory needs to be in groups of two (ex. A1 & A2). I could install the 4 chips I have in A3, A4, B3, & B4. I'm wondering if I should put the 2GB chips in slots A1, A2, B1, & B2 and have the 512 MB chips in A3, A4, B3, & B4 because it seems like I should have the largest RAM first. According to the manual you fill them in this order: A1/A2, B1/B2, A3/A4, then B3/B4.
Also I pulled both risers out and they look identical right down to the part number tags. Are they the same and it doesn't matter which one goes in slot A and which one goes in slot B or is there some way of telling them apart that I have not found yet?

Looks like I have it right. My empty slots were A3, A4, B3, and B4. I figured performance wise it was best to put the highest capacity chips in the first two groups of slots A1/A2 & B1/B2 then moving the stock 512's to A3/A4 & B3/B4.
A1 - 2 GB
A2 - 2 GB
A3 - 512 MB
A4 - 512 MB
B1 - 2 GB
B2 - 2 GB
B3 - 512 MB
B4 - 512 MB
I take it that with the hard drive the boot up process will locate the drive with the OS on it and boot from that.
Here goes the true test, time to plug it all back in and hit the power button. I can't wait to see the difference it will make going from 2GB to 10 GB
Thank you so much.
The first link was more helpful than the second. The OWC page shows the stock two memory modules installed in A1 and B1, as I understand it that wouldn't work because the pairs don't run across the risers. The second image is what the stock configuration should look like with the two chips in A1 & A2.

Memory and hard drive for hp envy 700 010 vt

I want to increase my memory from 8G to 16 GB. I prefer to use non-hp memory in the interest of saving money. Additionally, I would like to add a second 1 TB hard drive in some tiype of simple RAID configuration such as a simple disk mirroring system.
Does anyone know just what memory I should get? Does the mother board have room for an additional 8GB RAM or must I purchase 16GB RAM and throw away (or sell) the original 8GB RAM.
Same question for a second 1TB hard drive. Does Win 8.1 allow for this and does the envy desktop mother board allow for this?
Sorry for these questions but hp documentation at this level is essentially non-existant and I haven't tried to break in to the case to try to answer these questions. I realize hp often uses outside mother boards such as ASUS and I might be lucky and find information elsewhere.
thanks

This is how I configured RAID 1 on mine:
How to configure RAID without backup-restore and without difficult procedures:
1 - Install your new disk in the computer if you don't have 2 already -at least same size as the original one)
2 - Disable User Account Control: go to control panel - Action Center - change User Accounts Settings (left menu) and put the slider at the bottom --> reboot required
3 - Download Intel Raid Storage Technology from :
https://downloadcenter.intel.com/confirm.aspx?httpDown=http://downloadmirror.intel.com/23496/eng/Se...
(This won't install when UAC is enabled)
Reboot - you will have Intel Rapid Storage Technology in the task bar and in "All Applications"
4 - In All Applications, find "Command Prompt", right-click and choose to open it with Administrator privileges : type "msconfig" - in "Boot"-tab, check "Safe Boot" adn click OK.
5 - Reboot computer - enter BIOS with "Escape" - change BIOS settings in Drive Options from AHCI to RAID - save settings and boot
6 - Open "Intel Rapid Storage Technology" : under status, you will have the possibility to create a custom volume and to preserve the data on the orginal disk - the process of syncing the disks will take some time.
7 - When 100%, enter msconfig again, remove the "Safe Boot" check and you can reboot your pc
8 - You can put UAC back in the original position.
SUCCESS !!

Toshiba Tecra 9100 Mix Memory and Hard Drive Size

Hello.
I have here an old Laptop Toshiba Tecra 9100 is it possible to Mix or Use DDR400 (PC3200) with Current Memory DDR266 (PC2100) or can i replace all memory and use all Slot DDR400(PC3200) since Tecra 9100 supports only DDR266 (PC2100) 2.5v while DDR400 (PC3200) is 2.6v? how about DDR333 (PC2700)since it has 2.5v
Second the Hard Drive is Dead can it support 120Gb or 320GB Mobile HDD PATA since current HDD now is 70GB.
Thank You

Hello.
I have here an old Laptop Toshiba Tecra 9100 is it possible to Mix or Use DDR400 (PC3200) with Current Memory DDR266 (PC2100) or can i replace all memory and use all Slot DDR400(PC3200) since Tecra 9100 supports only DDR266 (PC2100) 2.5v while DDR400 (PC3200) is 2.6v? how about DDR333 (PC2700)since it has 2.5v
Second the Hard Drive is Dead can it support 120Gb or 320GB Mobile HDD PATA since current HDD now is 70GB.
Thank You

HP 3270nr Notebook Memory and Hard Drive

Wanted to know if anyone out there has tried installing more than 8GB of memory on the 3270nr? I have tried looking online and contacting HP customer support and was unsuccessful in determining if this notebook could be upgraded to 16GB of memory. I have tried Crucials website as well and they do not have the proper specifications for this notebook.
Also how many drives do we have to install hard drives on? I was thinking of installing an SSD but as you know they are expensive. Wanted to get one to have the OS load from and anything that needs to load ASAP while saving the original HD that came with this notebook.
This question was solved.
View Solution.

Hi,
Is it an Envy 17-3270nr ? If yes you can use information from the following link:
http://www.crucial.com/upgrade/HP+-+Compaq-memory/Envy/Envy+17-3270nr-upgrades.html
Crucial also shows you the information about SSD. You can buy from them or use the information (including price) to buy elsewhere. Here is its specs:
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&taskId=120&prodSeriesId=...
Regards.
BH
**Click the KUDOS thumb up on the left to say 'Thanks'**
Make it easier for other people to find solutions by marking a Reply 'Accept as Solution' if it solves your problem.

¡Upgrading My MacBook- Memory and Hard Drive!

Hi everyone! I recently got this strange idea in my head to upgrade my MacBook! I am planning to buy 2 memory chips (RAM) and getting a 250GB hard drive (My MacBook came with 160GB). There are three problems though.
1) I don't even know if you can upgrade the HD since there is no slot in the bottom
2) I don't know which kind (Manufacturer and Model) of HD to get
3) I don't know which kind (Manufacturer and Model) of SDRAMs to get
So yeah tell me anything that I might find helpful like the best SDRAMs and where to get them.

1. The hard drive can be upgraded. See Hard Drive Replacement DIY.
2. Any 2.5" SATA notebook drive will work. Sizes available from 80 to 320 GBs. Only the Samsung 500 GB drive will fit in a MB. Drive speeds are available in 5400 or 7200 RPM. Manufacturers include Seagate, Hitachi, Western Digital, Toshiba, and Samsung.
3. The 2008 MB models use PC2-5300 DDR2 667 MHz 200-pin SODIMMs. You can install up to 4 GBs. See Memory Replacement DIY.
You can purchase RAM at Data Mem or MacSales.com. Drives can be purchased at any resource that sells them such as:
Data Mem
MacSales.com
Buy.com
NewEgg.com

Memory and hard drive space.

Hi,
i was wandering how i can find out how much memory im using, and how much hard drive i have left, or have used. Because im thinking of buying two more movies from itunes, but i dont want to make my macbook slow or anything like that.

Hey,
Theres numerous ways to find out how much Hard Drive space you have. A more in-depth look at your HD can be found by accessing Activity Monitor and then Clicking on Disk Usage. You can also see how much RAM you have available by looking at the System Memory panel. You can also see how much available Hard Drive space you have by opening Finder and the amount you have Free will be at the bottom of the window. Another way to show info is to use your Desktop to show how much total space your Hard Drive has and how much you've used by Right Clicking the Desktop> Click on Show Item Info> and then under Macintosh HD it should display the info.
-Tom

My (brand new) imac with flash hard drive freezes after mavericks update

after updating to the new mavericks my new imac has been slowed down -
when scrolling in finder to select files and tag them it freezes and "thinks" after each file
your help appreciated
its brand new ( only a month old ) and was lightning fast before

after updating to the new mavericks my new imac has been slowed down -
when scrolling in finder to select files and tag them it freezes and "thinks" after each file
your help appreciated
its brand new ( only a month old ) and was lightning fast before

Brand new Macbook Pro 10.8.2 very slow wifi

All of my other wireless devices are very quick on my home wifi. I am using a macbook pro, 2.5 GHz i5, 8 GB 1600 MHz DDR3.
I have installed all updates, tried making a new network location, still very slow. 8 hours to download a 4.6 GB app from the store. My 06 iMac will download files this size in minutes and it's still running pre snow leopard OSX. Anyone know whats going on here? I'm very disappointed so far. Hope there is a fix.

My new 2013 MacBook Pro 13" retina had same WiFi issue. Please go to this Website and follow the instructions to change your router's settings. http://www.s0hel.com/blog/401/fixed-slow-wifi-issue-with-new-macbook-pro/
Yesterday I changed my router's settings and now I don't see any WiFi issues.
I hope this works for you.

Brand new i7 - Memory and Hard Drive Very Slow

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