Replacing my HDD in my Early 2011 Macbook Pro...Trying to decide between Samsung 840 EVO 250 gb and Crucial M500 240 gb. Samsung is faster but less "mac-friendly". Should I opt for the Crucial due to the "mac-friendliness"?

I have a S.M.A.R.T error on my current Hitachi drive that came with me Early 2011 Macbook pro. Want to upgrade to SSD.
Trying to decide between Samsung 840 EVO 250gb and Crucial M500 240gb, at this gb range, the Samsung is faster and uses less wattage....ONE PROBLEM...I have read many user experiences that note it is much less mac-friendly...
The software samsung offers is not IOS compatible and some report lower than expected speeds after installation...Also apparently the RAPID MODE of the drive, the fastest drive mode is nonexistant when installed on a Macbook pro?
Should I opt for the slower and more power cosuming Crucial M500 240gb SSD because it is more Mac-friendly? Does anyone have a Samsung 840 EVO 250 gb SSD installed in their macbook pro? What has been your experience?
Thanks ahead of time!
Resoure: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/crucial-m500-1tb-ssd,3551.html

I decided against the Evo as there are too many Mac users that have had issues with slow speed on them. Even without these, the main speed that Samsung states for the Evo comes form turbo Write which is a PC only feature as is software dependent.
I'm sorry but Crucials M500 is simply too slow compared to modern drives to be recomended. Read speed is ok, but the write is far too slow for the price.
I've used and installed both a Samsung 840 basic and a Samsung 840 Pro in 2 separate Mac books! and currently have the 840 Pro in my own MacBook Pro and it comes very highly recomended. It's all but the fastest Sata III drive you can buy - A few OCZ drives just edge it but the difference is negligible. Samsung by far have the best reliability though when it comes to SSD's. I've been getting 520Mb/s easily on mine consistently, and without getting a MacBook with a PCIe drive you won't get a faster more reliable drive.
I really would recommend nothing else.

Similar Messages

I have a early 2011 Macbook pro 13 inch, I'm running Lion 10.7.4, and i want to upgrade to 10.8 Mountain Lion. Is it safe for my computer or are people experiencing problems with displays and Battery life?

I have a early 2011 Macbook pro 13 inch, I'm running Lion 10.7.4, and i want to upgrade to 10.8 Mountain Lion. Is it safe for my computer or are people experiencing problems with displays and Battery life?
Do Not post stuff about how Airplay doesnt work, because i dont have Apple TV and dont need to hear about it.

If you have an external drive equal to or larger than your internal HD, clone your internal to it with either Carbon Copy Cloner or Super Duper. Test the clone to make sure it's bootable. Then upgrade either one. Try it out first.

Can my Early-2011 Macbook Pro support dual DisplayPort monitors?

I have an Early-2011 Macbook Pro that Apple states can support two Apple Thunderbolt displays in series (http://support.apple.com/kb/ht5219) but I can't find any information on running two DisplayPort displays in series. I assume that Thunderbolt uses DisplayPort 1.2 which includes the link capabilities but I am not sure as I don't really understand the difference between DP and TB that well.
The displays I would be looking at using are the Dell U2414H (http://accessories.ap.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=au&cs=aubsd1&l=en&s=bsd& sku=391-BBNC&redirect=1) which have DP in and out options.
Does anyone know if this will be possible? I don't really have a way to test this myself unfortunately.
Cheers.

I'm curious if you got this configuration working as I'd like to use the same setup (early 2011 MacBook Pro 17" + dual Dell U2414H through daisy chaining the MacBook Pro Thunderbolt port through the monitor displayports).
Apple says you can only have a DisplayPort monitor (Mini Display Port in this case), at the end of the chain, with a Thunderbolt device in between. I'm hoping this is either outdated or just not fully supported but still works.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht5219
23. How do I connect my Mini DisplayPort monitor or monitor using a Mini DisplayPort adapter to my Thunderbolt-equipped Mac when I have other Thunderbolt devices connected?
When connecting a Mini DisplayPort display or a display using a Mini DisplayPort adapter to a Thunderbolt peripheral (except as described in question 24), make sure the display is connected at the end of the Thunderbolt chain. You can use only one Mini DisplayPort device in the Thunderbolt chain.
Note: Systems with more than one Thunderbolt port, like an iMac, can have more than one Mini DisplayPort monitor or monitor connected with a Mini DisplayPort adapter connected as each Thunderbolt port can support one Mini DisplayPort display.

Has anybody heard if Apple is going to fix the Logic Board on the early 2011 Macbook Pros for Free?

Has anybody heard if Apple is going to fix the Logic Board on the early 2011 Macbook Pros for Free? Of course my Apple Care warranty expired months ago, and this just happened. I've been looking online for solutions. But am wondering if anybody has heard if Apple is going to take care of this, or what others are doing to get Apple to repair this problem without having to pay $1,000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know this is an old post but just in case it helps. They ARE fixing certain macs for free!
https://www.apple.com/au/support/macbookpro-videoissues/

I have an early 2011 MacBook Pro which has been running slow for a while. After looking at responses to similar problems I have downloaded and run EtreCheck and will post the output. Please can someone help me with what it all means.Thanks in advance

I have an early 2011 MacBook Pro which has been running slow for a while. After looking at responses to similar problems I have downloaded and run EtreCheck. Please can someone help me with what it all means.
Thanks in advance.
EtreCheck version: 1.9.15 (52)
Report generated 19 September 2014 08:07:14 GMT+8
Hardware Information: ?
MacBook Pro (13-inch, Early 2011) (Verified)
MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro8,1
1 2.3 GHz Intel Core i5 CPU: 2 cores
4 GB RAM
Video Information: ?
Intel HD Graphics 3000 - VRAM: 384 MB
Color LCD 1280 x 800
System Software: ?
OS X 10.9.4 (13E28) - Uptime: 0 days 0:4:29
Disk Information: ?
Hitachi HTS545032B9A302 disk0 : (320.07 GB)
S.M.A.R.T. Status: Verified
EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB
Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / [Startup]: 319.21 GB (147 GB free)
Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted>: 650 MB
MATSHITADVD-R   UJ-898
USB Information: ?
Apple Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in)
Apple Inc. BRCM2070 Hub
Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad
Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver
Thunderbolt Information: ?
Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus
Gatekeeper: ?
Mac App Store and identified developers
Kernel Extensions: ?
[not loaded] com.seagate.driver.PowSecDriverCore (5.2.4 - SDK 10.4) Support
[not loaded] com.seagate.driver.PowSecLeafDriver_10_4 (5.2.4 - SDK 10.4) Support
[not loaded] com.seagate.driver.PowSecLeafDriver_10_5 (5.2.4 - SDK 10.5) Support
[not loaded] com.seagate.driver.SeagateDriveIcons (5.2.4 - SDK 10.4) Support
[loaded] com.sophos.kext.sav (9.1.55 - SDK 10.7) Support
[loaded] com.sophos.nke.swi (9.1.50 - SDK 10.8) Support
Launch Daemons: ?
[loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist Support
[loaded] com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist Support
[running] com.sophos.autoupdate.plist Support
[running] com.sophos.configuration.plist Support
[running] com.sophos.intercheck.plist Support
[running] com.sophos.notification.plist Support
[running] com.sophos.scan.plist Support
[running] com.sophos.sxld.plist Support
[running] com.sophos.webd.plist Support
[running] com.trusteer.rooks.rooksd.plist Support
Launch Agents: ?
[loaded] com.divx.dms.agent.plist Support
[loaded] com.divx.update.agent.plist Support
[running] com.sophos.uiserver.plist Support
[running] com.trusteer.rapport.rapportd.plist Support
User Launch Agents: ?
[loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist Support
[running] com.amazon.music.plist Support
[loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist Support
[not loaded] jp.co.canon.Inkjet_Extended_Survey_Agent.plist Support
User Login Items: ?
iTunesHelper
TomTomHOMERunner
AdobeResourceSynchronizer
Dropbox
Internet Plug-ins: ?
FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 15.0.0.152 - SDK 10.6 Support
DivX Web Player: Version: 3.2.1.977 - SDK 10.6 Support
AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: Version: 11.0.09 - SDK 10.6 Support
AdobePDFViewer: Version: 11.0.09 - SDK 10.6 Support
Flash Player: Version: 15.0.0.152 - SDK 10.6 Support
EPPEX Plugin: Version: 10.0 Support
Default Browser: Version: 537 - SDK 10.9
OVSHelper: Version: 1.1 Support
QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3
SharePointBrowserPlugin: Version: 14.4.4 - SDK 10.6 Support
iPhotoPhotocast: Version: 7.0 - SDK 10.7
Safari Extensions: ?
Ultimate
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: ?
Flash Player Support
Perian Support
Trusteer Endpoint Protection Support
Time Machine: ?
Skip System Files: NO
Auto backup: YES
Volumes being backed up:
Macintosh HD: Disk size: 297.29 GB Disk used: 160.38 GB
Destinations:
Data [Network] (Last used)
Total size: 2 TB
Total number of backups: 99
Oldest backup: 2012-04-20 17:05:32 +0000
Last backup: 2014-09-18 23:49:25 +0000
Size of backup disk: Excellent
Backup size 2 TB > (Disk size 297.29 GB X 3)
Time Machine details may not be accurate.
All volumes being backed up may not be listed.
Top Processes by CPU: ?
      6% InterCheck
      5% iCalExternalSync
      3% WindowServer
      2% CalendarAgent
      2% SystemUIServer
Top Processes by Memory: ?
152 MB SophosScanD
147 MB InterCheck
106 MB SophosAntiVirus
66 MB Dropbox
57 MB com.apple.iTunesLibraryService
Virtual Memory Information: ?
161 MB Free RAM
1.55 GB Active RAM
1.41 GB Inactive RAM
902 MB Wired RAM
611 MB Page-ins
0 B Page-outs

Uninstall Trusteer software
http://www.trusteer.com/support/uninstalling-rapport-mac-os-x
Remove Sophos
https://discussions.apple.com/message/21069437#21069437

Early 2011 MacBook Pro- The thermal paste discussion.

It is my goal to clear up the questions and concerns Apple customers have been having regarding heat or fan related concerns with Early 2011 MacBook Pros. If your MacBook Pro was produced within the last few months the thermal issue has been resolved and it will likely not be in issue for you. If you are still wondering if your computer is effected or what the real issue is keep reading.
The MacBook Cools itself by 2 main methods: active and passive. The active cooling is via a fan that blows air through a heatsync and into a tube called a heat pipe which leads to the back of the computer where the hot air is discharged through a vent at the bottom of the screen behind the hinge. The fan lowers the air pressure inside the case causing outside air is drawn in the case, displacing the hot air inside and helping to cool the other components.
The computer uses passive cooling to remove the residual heat from the processor which comes mostly in the form of radiant heat. Passive cooling is also used to cool the other components of the computer (memory, disk drives, battery etc). Passive cooling works by conductive heat transfer ie. syncing to the case of the computer. Some of the heat then is radiated. Some of it is transferred from the outside of the case via convective cooling; the foot pads on the bottom cover are designed to raise it up just enough to allow air underneath for convection to occur. (Convection is the process in which hot air to rises and is displaced by cooler air.) The rest of the heat from the bottom cover is absorbed by whatever surface you have the computer on.
The processor will not sync to the case very much if the board is assembled properly however the other components of the computer will, requiring the case to be in open air to allow for passive cooling to take place.
If you have some sort of covering such as a plastic snap on case it will likely interfere with passive cooling in all of it's 3 of it forms, this will cause the computer to be abnormally hot. I recently saw someone in the Apple store with a MacBook Air experiencing abnormal heating due to a plastic snap case so this particular problem is not unique to MacBook Pros and it is not the cause of the issue being discussed here. I do not recommend the use or anything that covers the computer while it is running with the exception of something that covers the back of the display panel only. If you are worried about your computer getting damaged go and buy a laptop insurance policy from Worth Ave group. The insurance does not cover cosmetic damage or misplaced items but will cover accidental damage including spills. This insurance also covers theft, vandalism and natural disasters, is quite inexpensive and the claims process and deductible is similar to most phone insurance plans (which they also offer).
User induced overheating can also occur when the computer is placed on an improper surface such as a couch cushion, car seat, bed, pillow etc. Doing this can interfere with both passive and active cooling.
As I mentioned earlier In all likelihood if your computer was produced after May it is not affected. I personally have been in posession of 3 MacBook Pros, one produced before May which had the problem, one after which had no problems and one produced more recently that has mind blowing thermal performance way beyond all of my expectations.
So the question at this point is exactly what is the problem, how can it be diagnosed and how can it be rectified.
After extensive research and testing I have determined the issue to be related to improper application thermal paste. I involuntarily became involved in this pursuit as a result of the problems I was experiencing and I did not initially come at from an objective viewpoint but rather one of cautious skepticism. I had anticipated before purchasing my computer that there may be a thermal issue. This anticipaion came as a result of reading an article on ifixit.com about the disassembly of the brand new early 2011 MacBook Pro. When the technician performing the disassembly removed the main heat sync he expressed concern about how much much thermal paste was present, expressing that it seemed excessive. This lead the technician to question wether or not it would cause heating problems.
Proper application of thermal paste is critical to the functionality of the active cooling system and when applied improperly will not properly transfer the heat to the heat-sync which in turn gets cooled by the fan. Proper application of thermal paste insures the heat is removed from the case as efficiently as possible. Doing this both reduces the speed at which the fan needs to run in a lot of situations and prevents too much heat from the processor needing to be cooled by passive means. If is is not applied properly it will eventually lead to overheating of the case as well as the other components of the computer. This can cause damage firstly to the computer's battery and can also significantly shorten the life computer. (Or any other kind of electronic device for that matter.)
The problem can be diagnosed by testing the computer using a program called System Load or any other software that will put your computers proscessor use up to its maximum and keep it there indefinitely. Placing full load on your GPU at the same time during the test is also recommended. Keep in mind, if you are using your computer the fan will spin up if needed for additional cooling. You should expect the fan go up to its maximum speed during the test, it is not in of itself an indication of a negative result. Make sure to have the computer plugged in, fully charged and on a proper surface. A desk or other flat surface should be fine. Exceptions would include the top of a refrigerator since it has insulation just underneath the metal exterior or any surface that is heated by any means such as a dryer or other appliance.
(The temps to follow are in ºF)
Run the test for up to 1 hour. If the case of the computer breaks 93 degrees your unit is likely affected. Expect the unit to even possibly reach temps approaching and exceeding 100º, if this happens immediately abort the test. Also look for the processor temp shooting up to around 180 in the first 30 seconds and the fan spinning up right away. Typically on a properly functioning unit the temperature of the case will end up being somewhere in the neighborhood of 88-91º. If this test is preformed in a room with a normal ambient room temperature of about 68 degrees. Even after an hour the case of the computer should not be significantly hot, just warm to the touch. On a normally operating unit the fan will start to kick in within 90 seconds or so and may not reach full speed even after several minuets.
At one point the case of my computer actually reached 95º during normal web browsing.
This is a problem that I have had successfully corrected twice by reapplication of thermal paste. The first time was on a machine produced prior to may and the second was after a logic board was replaced at the repair depot. (I suspect the inventory turnover is lower for boards than whole computers resulting in a board from the initial production run being installed in my computer.)
If you forget everything I just wrote remember this. #1 if you are using your computer hard enough the fan will end up running at high speed at some point. #2 This problem is not in any way related to the design of the MacBook Pro, or its use/application. #3 This mostly not a problem of the CPU being too hot; these Sandy Bridge CPUs are rated for 212ºf and will routinely be in the neighborhood of 200º, this is hotter than other chips but well within design limits. #4 I have done everything in my power to make sure that this problem has been corrected and I have every logical and evidenced based reason to believe it has been resolved in machines produced after may. #5 This is not an Apple acknolidged issue. Technicians will tell you that there is no problem because these higher temps are normal and within operating limits and if they weren't the machine would shut itself off. (This is a bit extreme; just like a lot of other devices such as electronics, toaster ovens and space heaters with thermal overload protection this automatic shutoff is intended to occur when damage or risk of fire is imminent because the device is WAY outside of normal operating paramaters.) They will also not tell you when asked what these limits are, that they know what they are or in some cases that such figures they even exsist.
I stake my personal and professional reputation on the accuracy of my findings, it is my job as a private consultant to help my clients to resolve complicated and expensive issues just like this one.
Bottom line if you are having a problem and Apple won't fix it on warranty don't ditch your machine, just pay to have it done yourself. In most cases you can pay have it done at the Apple store. It will probably cost you less than 100.00, and it will not void your warranty as long as the work is done by Apple certified technician. It will be well worth it; after all in spite of this MacBook Pro's are hands down the best portable computers on the market, with an industry leading warranty and support to back it up. On it's worst day Apple's service and support is better than any computer/ consumer electronics company, even on its best day.
I hope this helps to clarify this issue! I also hope it will help anyone affected to resolve the problem instead of resorting to a refund and settling for something else.

hello all
you can try this:
Go to system preferences > settings > built in display > see bottom of window.
check "show mirroring options in the menu bar when available". then click "airplay display" > and select your device.
That's what happened to my MBP - 15-inch, Late 2011 model.

Is there any way to make a snow leopard partition on an early 2011 MacBook Pro that was upgraded to Lion, without the original boot disk?

So I have an early 2011 MacBook pro, I believe it shipped with snow leopard originally, as I purchased and upgraded to Lion fairly early on. I am trying to make a partition right now and have it run snow leopard so I can use programs that have PowerPC.
I should note, I replaced both the RAM and the harddrive in my Macbook pro. I changed from 4 GB of ram (that came shipped) to 8 GB of ram from a 3rd party, that I installed on my own months ago, have registered in the computer and have been working fine for quite some time now.
Also I should note I replaced my harddrive. I went from what ever the standard 500 GB harddrive that shipped with 15 inch early 2011 MB pro's. I now have a 3rd party SSD that's 240GB's that I also installed on my own, (at the same time as the RAM---Black friday items) The harddrive has been working just fine since then.
In installing the harddrive I borrowed a friends external harddrive and used a program called carbon copy cloner to get everything over to the SSD.
Now here is my issue. I have ordered the Snow Leopard (10.6.3) install disks from apple, I have created a partition on my SSD for snow leopard, but when I try to select the install disc for snow leopard at boot I get three beeps.
I know this issue has been posted elsewere but it said answered and the answer is no longer available. I also am unsure if any of the RAM or Harddrive swapping could have been causing the issue. I have the old harddrive and RAM still, but unfortunatley have no external harddrive anymore or money to afford one.
Is there any way I can install a partition that runs snow leopard on my early 2011 MB pro with what I have (new SSD, New RAM, Current version Lion running, no external drive, lack of original snow leopard disks [I lost them ] and the general 10.6.3 snow leopard boot disks).
Let me know If there is anything I can do. I'm a now broke college student so i'd like to spend as little $$$$ as possible
*PS I should also note the DVD drive is working fine, it reads the disk, the disk is brand new, it plays DVD's fine and has never had any issues in the years i've used it for similar tasks*
sorry for the long drawn out post, I just wanted to include as much as possible from what I've seen other people have issues with

BrettGoudy wrote:
...Is there any way I can install a partition that runs snow leopard on my early 2011 MB pro with what I have (new SSD, New RAM, Current version Lion running, no external drive, lack of original snow leopard disks [I lost them ] and the general 10.6.3 snow leopard boot disks)...
As the last post suggests, call Apple and order a replacement original disc for about $17. They will ask you the model and serial numbers.
Your retail version of Snow Leopard OS 10.6.3 will not work on that Mac as it requires a minimum of OS X 10.6.7 to boot and operate.
Another alternative is to again borrow another Mac to install your retail Snow Leopard into an external HD or partition, upgrade it to 10.6.8 and then clone it back to a partition on your MBP.

My early 2011 MacBook Pro says battery not detected and does not work with a new battery either. Works only with the charger plugged in.

About a year back i had replaced the MLB of my early 2011 macbook pro and it was all working fine. A month back my battery went dead saying "Battery Not Detected". I went to Ample technologies, Bangalore, India and gave it for diagnosis. Ample technologies are the authorized Apple support service in Bangalore, India. After 3 days and no phone calls they email me that "They feel that the MLB MIGHT be the problem and they want to test it by replacing the MLB and i have to pay for their testing". I had already spent 40k indian rupees ($700) less than a year back to replace an MLB and now they want to replace it again at the cost of 43k ($750) indian rupees. I have no idea what to do now. Spending 80k indian rupees ($1400) in less than a year to replace the MLB twice sounds unfair to me. Can someone help me out here ? Is there a valid warranty period applicable , since i have changed the MLB a year back ?

short of doing a SMC reset, you maybe at their mercy.
resetting the SMC http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3964
You can try yourself running the Apple Hardware Test- and see if it generates any error codes. Post the results
AHT http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1509

How to downgrade from OSX 10.8.5 to Snow Leopard, on an Early 2011 MacBook Pro, without the original installer disk?

Hello! So here are the specs.
I have an Early 2011 MacBook Pro, which came with OSX 10.6.6 by default.
I've lost my installer disk so I though I'd buy a retail one from the online Apple Store, and version 10.6.3 is what they sent me.
Simply running the install OSX app won't work, I get a msg saying:
-- You can't use this version of the application "Install Mac OS X" with this version of OS X. You have "Install Mac OS X" 23.1.1. --
So, I've tried booting from the new disk hoping to erase my current drive and install Snow Leopard, but no can do, I get 3 beeps and have to force shutdown (not RAM related, see below). Laptop works fine when I spare it this maneuver.
After some research I understand 2 things:
1. Only the original installer disk will let me restore factory settings (and I don't have it).
2. I can only install the default OSX (10.6.6) or a later version (that 10.6.3 DVD may not have the correct drivers for my system).
Are these conclusions right? If so, would the Apple Store replace my disk for an updated 10.6.6. one? If not, then what are my options?
Thank you!
References:
http://manuals.info.apple.com/MANUALS/1000/MA1172/en_US/Snow_Leopard_Installatio n_Instructions.pdf
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3910
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht2186
https://discussions.apple.com/message/19444837#19444837
https://discussions.apple.com/message/18085179#18085179
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1163160

Phone AppleCare and order the computer's original disks.
(92307)

When I boot my early 2011 macbook pro it is now very slow and pull us the (Command R) window... Pictures Included.

I took my Early 2011 MacBook Pro into the local apple store and they ran their GPU test, and my Mac actually passed it. The Apple employee then ran a hardware test and the logic board, battery, and optical drive showed problems. The Genius told me about their flat rate $310 repair deal, and I am going to take advantage of it...
Today when I am able to boot up my mac it loads very slow (showing a beachball during start up) and then the window we get when pressing Command R shows up asking me to press enter for English, and then after that it shows options like Disk Utility, Restore from Time Machine backup, Reinstall OS X, and Get online help options...
I erased my drive (Crucial SSD) and restored from Time Machine backup, and I am still having this issue... Please help.

Kappy hi, thanks again. I wiped the drive, reinstalled OS X, and transferred from Time Machine backup... Seems to be working better somewhat. I will just have to pay for flat rate repair for Apple to fix everything wrong, and hopefully it will perform like new... Again thank you.

Is Recovery Disk Needed for Early 2011 MacBook Pro (A1278)

Early 2011 MacBook Pro (A1278)
I'm planning on putting in a new hard-drive (SSD) after a little scare with my factory hard-drive and the mounting bracket coming loose.
The plan was to open it up, install the hard drive, restart with Command-R held down, enter OS X Recovery, and finally restore from my Time Machine back-up.
However... I've heard that my model may not have the ability to enter OS X Recovery without a DVD that was shipped with the hardware. First, is this true? When I had issues with the current hard drive, I was able to use Command-R to enter OS X Recovery. It even appeared to have me connect to the internet and looked like it downloaded the application. Does that indicate that I should be able to do that again? Or did that get pulled from the hard-drive somehow? Second, if I need a disk - I did NOT get a disk from Apple when I purchased my device from the store. I do NOT throw things away (I have all the little inserts and everything still in the box, even the receipt). Can I obtain this disk from Apple for free?

The Early 2011 MacBook Pro supports 16 GB of RAM, although Apple says it only supports 8 GB of RAM.
You can buy more RAM at OWC or Crucial > http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/Apple_MacBook_MacBook_Pro/Upgrade/DDR3_133 3MHz_SDRAM You can find memory compatible with Macs in other sites, but I recommend those two sites because you can be sure that the RAM will be compatible.
If you need help installing memory > http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1270

If I buy an external monitor (with a res of 2560x1440) will my early 2011 MacBook Pro work ok? And will it be utilising the monitors full res or not?

Hi,
I have an early 2011 MacBook Pro. I use Premiere Pro CS5 to video edit on. It's fine but when it comes to grading it's nearly impossible on such a small screen.
I'd like to buy a 27inch external monitor (Asus, Samsung, Dell, whatever - haven't decided yet) for when I'm editing at work (which is most days). My query is regarding the resolutions. Obviously my MacBook Pro displays a resolution of 1280x800, so if I buy a monitor with a resolution of 2560x1440 for example, what gets displayed?
And also does the connecting cable make any difference? For example, if I'm connecting by Thunderbolt out to HDMI, then an HDMI to HDMI cable to the external monitor, what happens then? Or should I be using a Mini Display Port to Display Port connecting lead?
I guess all I really want to know is, will it work? But also, am I wasting my money buying an external monitor with a 2560x1440 resolution? Should I just go for one that's the same res at my MacBook Pro?
I've never really understood how these things all work!
Thanks in advance for anyones help.
Regards,
Phil

I think it will work. You would need a mini displayport to (single link) DVI adapter to hook up that monitor.
Not sure what kind of problems you had with the ViewSonic but I'm guessing the Dell is probably a better monitor anyhow.

Ram for Early 2011 Macbook Pro

What is the maximum RAM I can install in my MacBook Pro.
Depending on where I look it is either 2 x 4 Gig (8 Gig) or 2 x 8 Gig (16 Gig)

The Early 2011 MacBook Pro supports 16 GB of RAM, although Apple says it only supports 8 GB of RAM.
You can buy more RAM at OWC or Crucial > http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/Apple_MacBook_MacBook_Pro/Upgrade/DDR3_133 3MHz_SDRAM You can find memory compatible with Macs in other sites, but I recommend those two sites because you can be sure that the RAM will be compatible.
If you need help installing memory > http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1270

What is the name of the sound card in an early 2011 MacBook Pro laptop?

What is the name of the sound card in an early 2011 MacBook Pro laptop with Mountain Lion?

The largest HDDs for MBPs are 1 and 1.5 TB in capacity. For details I suggest that you look at the OWC website for compatible drives.
Ciao.

My early 2011 MacBook Pro 15" non-glare display has developed a dark band at the edges of the screen approximately the same width as the aluminum surround. This wasn't present when the MBP was new. Am near an Apple Store, but anyone else had this problem

My early 2011 MacBook Pro 15" non-glare display has developed a dark band at the edges of the screen approximately the same width as the aluminum surround. This wasn't present when the MBP was new. I'm near an Apple Store and can take the laptop in, but has anyone else had this problem?

Thanks for your input. I didn't completely flesh out what I'm seeing visually. The resolution settings are all correct for my screen. The problem is if, say, looking at the gray startup screens or a completely white full-screen image, there is a perimeter of graying, almost as if the LEDs are somehow not as bright as the rest. It's also curious that the thickness of this phenomenon is almost exactly the same as the metal bezel around the display. I will be taking it to an Apple Store for a look, as I'm also having several minor hardware problems that need to be addressed and remedied.

Replacing my HDD in my Early 2011 Macbook Pro...Trying to decide between Samsung 840 EVO 250 gb and Crucial M500 240 gb. Samsung is faster but less "mac-friendly". Should I opt for the Crucial due to the "mac-friendliness"?

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