Upgrading/Optimizing MacBook Pro for DJing
I have a 2.16 GHz MBP w/ 1GB of RAM & a 120GB HD. It is about 4 years old. Still a great computer, but could use some upgrades to optimize for djing purposes.
Obviously, much more RAM and a larger HD will be on the top of my list. Other than this, are there any other improvements I should consider?
Don’t run any other programs (including system apps) while DJing, turn off Airport and other internal processes.
Snow Leopard is faster and should run pretty well.
I would recommend getting an ssd inside, and if you need more space get an external drive. The ssd will greatly improve the speed at which things happen; it will seem like a whole new computer. 2gb or ram would be good, 4 would be even better but not really necessary.
A fresh install of 10.6 will only cost you $29 and is well worth it.
Keep in mind that your laptop only supports a maximum of 3GB RAM. Has something to do with the chipset…
~2.5GB RAM is the limit for a 32 bit OS, but Snow Leopard is 64 bit. Theoretically that means it can support a lot more, whether the hardware can back this up I don’t know!
ram first
os second
sdd third
would be my recommendation
SSD upgrade would be fine, but more importantly you need to ditch the Super Drive and get an OptiBay. I put one in mine and I have an “extra” 1TB drive in there. Faster than external… and you don’t have to drag it along w/ you to gigs. I’ve got about 400 WAV tracks in my Traktor collection and they don’t even put a dent in it.
woah woah woah
hold the phone (mbp newb here)
you can just swap out the useless optical for extra space?
wtf??
Yes, I have one too and it works great. SSD as main drive for super fast boot times and program loading, regular HDD with plenty of space for music etc. Even comes with an enclosure to turn the old superdrive in to an external USB CD drive. They’re pretty straight forward to install if you’ve done any computer DIY yourself before, though opening your brand new MBP and pulling bits out is a little nerve-wracking!
install 2gb ram, 2x1gb sticks to take advantage of the DDR ram.
OSx 10.6
500gb HD
RAM 50$
OSX $29
500GB HD $50
sick running mac with about 2 hours of work.
i will not ever in my life use a computer without a SSD again. the difference is huge on my 2009 macbook pro. i got rid of the cd-deck and put the old HDD in there. so i got space and the system running super fast on the new 160gb h
ssd.
oh btw. snow leopard is a pretty good upgrade to costwise.
Yep. Biggest issue is not comletely blowing a load in your pants.
Protips:
1: Buy your own HD – only buy the chassis from OptiBay. It will work our cheaper. There are apparently WAY cheaper solutions (from HK) but don’t come w/ the tools to easily open the MBP or the USB container for the SuperDrive in case you need it.
2: Use some electrical tape or something to make sure your drive is sturdy. Mine has come undone a couple of times. Need to get to the HW store.
Just make sure you get the right one and get to it. Easy to lose the screws as well, so be careful of that.