Upgrading a 2011 Macbook Pro - Like New Again! (SSD, RAM, Battery)

In this video, we upgrade the Hard Drive, RAM, and Battery in a 2011 Macbook Pro and make it run like the wind!

Parts Used:
Crucial BX500 480GB SATA 2.5" Internal SSD

A-Tech 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1333MHz PC-310600 RAM

Macbook Pro 13 (2009-2012) Battery

Or for a more comprehensive list of upgrade options, check out our list at this link:

How to enable TRIM after upgrading your SSD:

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[beverlyfitzgerald]

I’m amazed. About a month ago, my son asked if he could take my old 2011 15 inch MacBook Pro to check out what was wrong with it. The answer: It needed a new battery, for starters. Then, he suggested an upgrade with more memory, a new battery and a solid state drive. I ordered the parts he suggested and: the battery, 1 T memory and Mac O S High Sierra all installed. He just needs to install the SSD and format it. Cost: less than $200.00. Am really looking forward to running this updated gem, hopefully, soon. BTW, I’m not pushing him to bring it back faster. He works crazy hours driving an 18 wheeler. Am just very grateful.

[oldfool]

Sir, thank you, thank you. I’d reached the end of my tether with my 2014 Mac Mini, thru the years I’ve overloaded it and suffered as a consequence... but now, due in very large part to you, I’m the proud owner of a Macbook Pro early 2011.

Two weeks ago I bought my ‘old’ Macbook Pro, and with your clear, explicit and well presented video plus the relevant parts by my side, I now have ‘’my’ perfect Mac!

Monterey, with the aid of another equally well presented video, now resides on my pride and Joy.

Huge vote of thanks for your splendid effort!

[artysanmobile]

The 2010-11 MBPs were groundbreaking Macs. I still use mine professionally. It has traveled the world, with daily flights, use outdoors in temp ranging from 0-100F. The only drawback is their weight.

[Goffas_and_gumpys]

I remember doing this to my MBP 13" in 2010. Had never done it before, watched a shed load of YT vids, bought gear from here and there and gave it a crack. Was fun to do and the end result was an awesome upgrade.
Good vid mate.

[TOTALLYRELAXED]

I’ve recently, in the last few months, transitioned over from being a Windows user (since 1985) to a MacBook Pro M1…and, honestly, I’m STILL learning about the macOS! Watching you replace the parts in this laptop didn’t surprise me, as, I’ve done the exact same thing with my Windows pc’s. A lot of people don’t understand there’s really not much ‘under the hood’ when it comes right down to it! Great video and I commend you on the way you explained things as you went through the procedure! Stay safe and have a blessed days! ~Jim!

[Skyeye-xcul]

I love your narration. Clear and loud and straight to the point. Now, I am more confident to upgrade my MBP 2011 on my own. Thank you, Sir!

[howardweir]

I like your work mate - clear narration and excellent video without the view being obscured ever. I’m about to “inherit” my daughters old 2012 MacBook and will do a ram, battery and SSD upgrade as per your video - looking forward to it now. Keep it up👍

[Dogsnark]

I updated my mid-2010 13” MBP 2 years ago with an SSD and upped ram to 8 gb. It made all the difference. It’s faster now than it was when it was new. It cost a total of about $100. I had considered buying a new laptop, but am glad I updated instead. For my purposes, my updated MBP serves me very well. My only reservation to this is that the camera is very poor by today’s standards. So for Zoom sessions I use my iPad, which has a much better camera.

[Ryan_Revier]

I had done upgrades to macos Catalina Patcher and now its great with it..running a fully 64-bit on it in 2023..

[geoki]

Excellent DIY video! Thank you 🙏 I was in the market for a new MacBook Pro and retiring my late 2011 13pro….I guess not anymore, cheers!

[laurencejohnson]

A very useful video! In my opinion, giving the whole computer a good clean is always best and replacing the thermal paste helps to keep the operating temperature down and with older computers I always install a modern Linux OS., such as Linux Mint.

[brianpeck]

this video helped me out tremendously. I was about to drop $800 on a refurbished macbook and I got mine loading from chime start in :24 after updating my memory to 16GB from 4 and updating the storage to an Inland SSD 512GB ($39 MicroCenter) and it runs like a well oiled machine for less than $75. Previous load time was about 5:7:00 minutes depending on the day.
I couldn't have done it without your expertise and meticulous step by step video! THANK YOU!!

[phyllisboegeman]

Best computer video I’ve ever seen thank you it’s all about the detail you go into and that you do it slowly and clearly. Thank you

[K-D-]

Hi, I learned exactly what i needed to learn on your channel and I did that on my laptop. I came back to your video to say thank you so much. You are great and straight to the point! Much appreciated. I wish you all the best 😊 I also recommend to everyone to upgrade their laptops. It’s worth it.

[craigdavidson]

I happen to be among the lucky ones to do something similar to this. I had found an old 2011 Macbook Pro, having been donated to my disability group with some Windows laptops, for some of the other service users to take apart for their science lessons. I thought to myself that it would seem like the perfect thing to fix, so with the help of a local electronics repair service, I managed to clean out the dust, replace the battery and hard drive, which were both absent in this, and got it working again.

I installed MacOS X onto it, and discovered it had an i5 Processor, when I thought it had a Core2Duo inside. While the keyboard doesn't work exactly, I was able to work around that with a wireless Bluetooth keyboard. And for some reason, it works better with the power supply attached. But still, it works great. It's useful with programming, and it provides me with some means of connection to Apple's products.

[edwinagron]

Thanks for the video!! I have been wanting to bring my 2011 back to life

[Nonplused]

Same procedure works for PC's too, but best to clone the drive first so you don't have to reinstall everything. But make sure to go into the BIOS before cloning and disable Secure Boot!

[shamshuddinkamaluddin]

'As good as new', you said. I beg to differ.

It is better than new!

[mauriceelliott]

A great video. What I particularly like is the tempo of your narrative makes for much better viewing and understanding. Thanks. M from Malvern UK

[georgemalouf]

Thank you for assuring me that RAM capacity can be expanded beyond the maximum 8GB as per specifications. I have an early 2011 MacBook Pro "15" and intending to upgrade the RAM to 16GB.