2011 MBP and sluggishness of YouTube and Videos in general etc.,

[Peter Franks]

Early MacBook 2011, 13” with SSD, running Sierra.

Upgraded to SSD and Memory up to 8GB,

Couple of years after upgrading to SSD and Memory it’s not the fastest. I watch a lot of YouTube, and that is awful when you go from full screen and back again. It freezes loads. It’s mainly video and not just limited to YouTube that is painful to watch these days. How relevant is the SSD to the awkwardness and sluggishness of video in Safari or Chrome for example? I've stuck with Safari for YouTube for obvious reasons.

Is there anything I can do to get some zip back in the MBP or do I just accept that I’ve been using a laptop for 9 years and I’ve had the best years of it now? Have to admit I never did TRIM so is that catching up with me? It's mainly online videos though so doubt it.

Thanks for any tips. I ran Malware and ClamXav and nothing is untoward.
Also, can old batteries have any relevance on things like this or is it irrelevant if fully charged.

 

[Tekguy0]

Enable trim:
go to terminal, then type:

sudo trimforce enable

you will need your password and will probably have to confirm the action. Your system may reboot.

 

[Peter Franks]

Really, will that actually help online video playback?
And with 400+GB on the drive it's safe to do OK now?

 

[Tekguy0]

Really, will that actually help online video playback?
And with 400+GB on the drive it's safe to do OK now?

It may not help video playback, but it is always good to have trim enabled on an SSD. For video issues, try a different browser, and enable HW acceleration if it is not already enabled. What resolution are you using? Don't expect a 2011 13" to do 4K.

 

[Peter Franks]

Thank you, I will do TRIM, Didn't know you could still enable it years after using the SSD.

I've tried Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Opera and all are awful for playback of video. Firefox the worst, it flickers the whole time you play any YouTube on it. Definitely not limited to YouTube, but I do mainly use it for YouTube, and it stops and starts on any and every site which is now getting on my nerves. Will Google HW, no idea. I would say mainly videos are in 360, 480 and 720p at a push, nothing above that.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:

I doubt this has anything to do with the SSD or RAM inside.

Rather, it probably is the result of:
- Old CPU/GPU
- Connection speed (ISP or local modem/router)
- Perhaps the browser you're using
- A combination of factors.

Are the videos 1080p, or perhaps 4k?

Have you considered trying other browsers, such as
- iCab
- Epic Privacy Browser
- Microsoft Edge
- Brave
???

As you mentioned above, the MBP is now 9 years old.
Technology (and the speeds associated with it) marches on...

 

[Peter Franks]

Thanks, Is replacing anything relevant to the CPU/GPU as idiot proof as the HD and RAM was?

Fan takes a bashing a lot while viewing so maybe relevant? No, as stated above, only ever 360, 480 and 720p.
After the 4 browsers I mentioned all perform the same way, I figured that's not the issue really. Firefox is awful on YouTube, it flickers constantly and that browser updates A LOT! but it never fixes that issue though

 

[Peter Franks]

Have you considered trying other browsers, such as
- iCab
- Epic Privacy Browser
- Microsoft Edge
- Brave

Which of those browsers are staple for most users these days?

I haven't tried all of them, I am curious about Epic though as some say it doesn't use as much CPU, which is my main gripe when I see half a dozen 'Google helpers' in activity monitor if I use Chrome. I've just never understood it. It's help page is Google Chrome? Makes no sense to me, also has a 'clear browsing data' when it says it doesn't store anything. I find things like that confusing and don't understand it at all. Is it Chrome or Epic?

Chrome appears to still be the easiest and best to use but resource hog is a killer and my battery doesn't even last an hour if on YouTube. So are any of them close to Chrome without killing the battery, The 'google helper' in activity used to be a one off, now I can sometimes see 6 or7.

What is the deal with Brave and Edge?

 

[Peter Franks]

An update to this last post, I mentioned the Google chrome helpers, there are over 10 in activity monitor, and I'm not even downloading or watching video. Why the hell are there so many?? And why now does it say 'renderer' after Google Chrome in the list of them?

 

[KeesMacPro]

I agree with @Tekguy0 post #2:
enabling TRimforce may not solve the issue , but will help to make your MBP run a bit smoother.

About Google Chrome:
I've found this page and assume this may solve the cause of the issue:

Stop Google Chrome Helper from eating your CPU in 2019âââthe fast way

Many Mac users have complained about Google Chrome Helper eating up their CPU memory. If your Mac is making a lot of noise and is runningâ¦

medium.com

 

[Fishrrman]

Stop using google chrome.
I'll bet things improve if you do.

 

[iluvmacs99]

There are a couple of possible issues, but one that can cause this is that your SSD is probably on the process of dying. And that is because, you've been using it for a couple of years streaming Youtube using Chrome which is a memory hog. If you have a couple of screens open and you only have 8Gb of RAM on your MBP, then Mac OSX will simply page in and out to allow Chrome to stream those youtube content. It was probably ok when your SSD is relatively new, but when it ages and it develops read/write errors as well as your SSD is getting pretty full ( you must allocate 20% storage space free on your SSD for page in and out). Failure to do that, then your apps will run slugglish. SSDs are not meant to last forever if your system keeps paging in and out of your SSD. You can check the life of your SSD using a program called DriveDX which has a 15 day free trial to see if your SSD is on its last legs. If it is, then just replace it with a bigger capacity. 500Gb to start, but 1Tb is ideal if your system pages in and out a lot, unless you can up the memory to 16Gb.

I have a Mac Mini 2011 which has similar specs as your MBP and I had a similar issue like yours in the past and it was the dying SSD that was the cause. It was a good one too, but because the size was too small, like 64Gb, it died and was causing delays and crashes to the system. After I upgraded to a 240Gb size, my Mini became fast again.

Having said that, lots of ads can slow your browser quite a bit, so I also have Ublock Origin installed, Privacy badger and https everywhere installed. They will help block most of the ads and trackers which will help speed the browser up.

 

[Peter Franks]

I agree with @Tekguy0 post #2:
enabling TRimforce may not solve the issue , but will help to make your MBP run a bit smoother.

About Google Chrome:
I've found this page and assume this may solve the cause of the issue:

Stop Google Chrome Helper from eating your CPU in 2019âââthe fast way

Many Mac users have complained about Google Chrome Helper eating up their CPU memory. If your Mac is making a lot of noise and is runningâ¦

medium.com

Thanks for that, I will give that a try and let you know, It says you may get a couple in that article, and I've had average of 6 or 8 'helpers' in activity monitor purely from a YouTube video at 720, not even 1080

Stop using google chrome.
I'll bet things improve if you do.

May do, but that fan comes on regardless of browser, Firefox/Safari/and I tried that Epic which isn't very self explanatory, And what is the encrypted proxy option, if it's supposed to stop people stealing info when you're on certain site, then why not always on. Like I say, when I don't understand stuff I don't use it, And the Epic 'help' page goes to Google Chrome, thought it's a different browser? Why is their help page Google Chrome

There are a couple of possible issues, but one that can cause this is that your SSD is probably on the process of dying. And that is because, you've been using it for a couple of years streaming Youtube using Chrome which is a memory hog. If you have a couple of screens open and you only have 8Gb of RAM on your MBP, then Mac OSX will simply page in and out to allow Chrome to stream those youtube content. It was probably ok when your SSD is relatively new, but when it ages and it develops read/write errors as well as your SSD is getting pretty full ( you must allocate 20% storage space free on your SSD for page in and out). Failure to do that, then your apps will run slugglish. SSDs are not meant to last forever if your system keeps paging in and out of your SSD. You can check the life of your SSD using a program called DriveDX which has a 15 day free trial to see if your SSD is on its last legs. If it is, then just replace it with a bigger capacity. 500Gb to start, but 1Tb is ideal if your system pages in and out a lot, unless you can up the memory to 16Gb.

I have a Mac Mini 2011 which has similar specs as your MBP and I had a similar issue like yours in the past and it was the dying SSD that was the cause. It was a good one too, but because the size was too small, like 64Gb, it died and was causing delays and crashes to the system. After I upgraded to a 240Gb size, my Mini became fast again.

Having said that, lots of ads can slow your browser quite a bit, so I also have Ublock Origin installed, Privacy badger and https everywhere installed. They will help block most of the ads and trackers which will help speed the browser up.

Thanks, I've had the 500GB on it for a fair few years yes and it's probably 40GB free space most of the time. As stated it's the video that gets slow and stoppy, the apps aren't usually that bad if I'm honest, but it's any browser, Chrome is the worst because of the 'helpers', Irony! But they're all quite sluggish now. I just wonder if it's something that can be rectified with 8GB or RAM on a 9 year old laptop. Be great if I found a browser that wasn't as awful on YouTube. They're all crappy so you have to say it's the laptop, but Chrome's multitude of 'helpers' surely must be so unnecessary.

 

[iluvmacs99]

Another possibility since you are running a 9 year laptop is that, the thermal paste is probably dry. The processor and GPU heats up very quickly due to poor thermals and the fan runs like a jet engine? It may be time to repaste the CPU and GPU. Also, when the Macbook battery is dead or need to be serviced , the laptop will run at the slower speed, because it needs battery power to buffer when the laptop is at full load and that's usually when you are using Chrome. I have an older Macbook Pro 17" 2009 and after I cleaned and rebuilt the CPU and GPU (got a friend of mine who is a mac tech rebuilt it for me) and after a new battery later, the 2009 laptop is as good as new! My 2009 runs a multitude of extensions with Chrome and it is doing well now and it isn't as slow as before I rebuilt it. Mine is 11 years old, but I like the laptop because of the 17" screen, which is bigger than my 13" MB Air and nicer on the eyes when watching movies and shows.

Keep in mind that you have a 9 year old laptop, so it probably needs to be cleaned and serviced plus switching to a larger SSD.

 

[Peter Franks]

Another possibility since you are running a 9 year laptop is that, the thermal paste is probably dry. The processor and GPU heats up very quickly due to poor thermals and the fan runs like a jet engine? It may be time to repaste the CPU and GPU. Also, when the Macbook battery is dead or need to be serviced , the laptop will run at the slower speed, because it needs battery power to buffer when the laptop is at full load and that's usually when you are using Chrome. I have an older Macbook Pro 17" 2009 and after I cleaned and rebuilt the CPU and GPU (got a friend of mine who is a mac tech rebuilt it for me) and after a new battery later, the 2009 laptop is as good as new! My 2009 runs a multitude of extensions with Chrome and it is doing well now and it isn't as slow as before I rebuilt it. Mine is 11 years old, but I like the laptop because of the 17" screen, which is bigger than my 13" MB Air and nicer on the eyes when watching movies and shows.

Keep in mind that you have a 9 year old laptop, so it probably needs to be cleaned and serviced plus switching to a larger SSD.

Thank you for your reply, very helpful. Out of interest, do you think it makes a big difference what OS it's running. The last update for my original Snow Leopard MBP was only able to go as far as High Sierra. I downgraded back to Sierra because of too much incompatible software, but wondered if that would impact things too. What do you run on your 2009? Thanks again

 

[iluvmacs99]

Thank you for your reply, very helpful. Out of interest, do you think it makes a big difference what OS it's running. The last update for my original Snow Leopard MBP was only able to go as far as High Sierra. I downgraded back to Sierra because of too much incompatible software, but wondered if that would impact things too. What do you run on your 2009? Thanks again

I run El-Capitan and I use 3 different browsers; Opera, Brave and Chrome with it depending on use case. Most of the time I use Opera for general web browsing and watching Youtube. Brave for privacy browsing without slowing my machine down and Chrome for the rest. Hope this helps.

 

[4sallypat]

..... probably 40GB free space most of the time. As stated it's the video that gets slow and stoppy, the apps aren't usually that bad if I'm honest, but it's any browser, Chrome is the worst because of the 'helpers', Irony! But they're all quite sluggish now. I just wonder if it's something that can be rectified with 8GB or RAM on a 9 year old laptop. Be great if I found a browser that wasn't as awful on YouTube. They're all crappy so you have to say it's the laptop, but Chrome's multitude of 'helpers' surely must be so unnecessary.

I had a couple of 2011 MBP - they were solid performers until it could not get the latest OSX.

SSD available space might be slowing down your system - leave at least 100GB of free space on a 500GB SSD.
I never let my drive have more than 50% of the capacity I intend to use.
Archive old data, pictures, videos, etc onto an external drive.

As for the battery, if it has to work harder at maintaining charge, the system will slow down to optimize your Mac.
Get a NuPower battery pack - easy to replace with their included tools.

 

[KeesMacPro]

I downgraded back to Sierra because of too much incompatible software, but wondered if that would impact things too. What do you run on your 2009?

+1 for El Capitan.
Not so long ago I bought a MBP 2012 13" but,
I've been using my MBP 2009 15" from 2009 until recently and after testing all available OS versions (including Mojave with DosDude), I' ve found El Capitan the most stable and smooth OS for this MBP.

 

[Peter Franks]

I run El-Capitan and I use 3 different browsers; Opera, Brave and Chrome with it depending on use case. Most of the time I use Opera for general web browsing and watching Youtube. Brave for privacy browsing without slowing my machine down and Chrome for the rest. Hope this helps.

One OS I never upgraded to is El Capitan, seemed to have missed that between Snow Leopard for some reason. I would imagine it's slicker on older MBP than Sierra is. Must give Brave a go. Ever tried Epic? Never got on with Opera but I think mine is an ancient version of it. Thanks.

I had a couple of 2011 MBP - they were solid performers until it could not get the latest OSX.

SSD available space might be slowing down your system - leave at least 100GB of free space on a 500GB SSD.
I never let my drive have more than 50% of the capacity I intend to use.
Archive old data, pictures, videos, etc onto an external drive.

As for the battery, if it has to work harder at maintaining charge, the system will slow down to optimize your Mac.
Get a NuPower battery pack - easy to replace with their included tools.

Didn't know battery made a difference if it was charged up, although mine does die quick on YouTube. And I've never had 50% free before if I'm honest, most is around 40GB of 500GB free.

+1 for El Capitan.
Not so long ago I bought a MBP 2012 13" but,
I've been using my MBP 2009 15" from 2009 until recently and after testing all available OS versions (including Mojave with DosDude), I' ve found El Capitan the most stable and smooth OS for this MBP.

Again, that's interesting, and I wonder if I should give that a go, What would I miss from Sierra...

Thanks all for your advice and input, much appreciated

 

[iluvmacs99]

@Peter Franks I never used Epic myself. I use Opera because it allows me to sync on all my Linux and Windows machines I also use so there is consistency of all the layout with my Macs, Linux and Windows machine. In fact, I am using a low powered 2Gb of ram Windows 8.1 netbook running Opera now to type this post on.

 

[Peter Franks]

@Peter Franks I never used Epic myself. I use Opera because it allows me to sync on all my Linux and Windows machines I also use so there is consistency of all the layout with my Macs, Linux and Windows machine. In fact, I am using a low powered 2Gb of ram Windows 8.1 netbook running Opera now to type this post on.

I never got on with Opera, It had 'Turbo' that never worked ever, but it is so slow, pages take forever. It says '25.0.1614.71 - Opera is up to date' but it clearly isn't. Must be about 2014. There is literally nowhere to update that browser anywhere on it but never bothered by it because I never used it. Never found an update button, Probably have to remove and download again. I am going to try Brave

 

[iluvmacs99]

I never got on with Opera, It had 'Turbo' that never worked ever, but it is so slow, pages take forever. It says '25.0.1614.71 - Opera is up to date' but it clearly isn't. Must be about 2014. There is literally nowhere to update that browser anywhere on it but never bothered by it because I never used it. Never found an update button, Probably have to remove and download again. I am going to try Brave

The new Opera is different from the old, so it's probably why you didn't see the update button. The old version is indeed slow and was based on the original Norwegian code. The new version is based on the new Chinese firm. Now, it depends on how comfortable you are with Chinese firms in general. Personally I use Opera only for general browsing with no sensitive data that foreign governments can spy on. I use Brave for more privacy without the bloat of Chrome.

 

[Peter Franks]

Ah Thanks, makes sense. I was going to ask you which one is best for safety like banking and stuff, So Brave it is then. I've used Chrome for finances.. up till now

The new Opera is different from the old, so it's probably why you didn't see the update button. The old version is indeed slow and was based on the original Norwegian code. The new version is based on the new Chinese firm. Now, it depends on how comfortable you are with Chinese firms in general. Personally I use Opera only for general browsing with no sensitive data that foreign governments can spy on. I use Brave for more privacy without the bloat of Chrome.

 

[Peter Franks]

About Google Chrome:
I've found this page and assume this may solve the cause of the issue:

Stop Google Chrome Helper from eating your CPU in 2019âââthe fast way

Many Mac users have complained about Google Chrome Helper eating up their CPU memory. If your Mac is making a lot of noise and is runningâ¦

medium.com

Forgot to say, regarding the piece on Google Chrome helper, this doesn't remove them, and in fact added more when I turned that setting off. So maybe they got wise to that article and stopped it?

 

[KeesMacPro]

So maybe they got wise to that article and stopped it?

Probably yes....

To be honest I installed Google Chrome for my daughter but I never use it.
I tested it and seems to work fine on my MBP 2012 13" ,Mojave 10.14.6, Samsung 850 EVO, 16 GB RAM ,TRIM enabled, Hibernation disabled.
For me Safari is perfect..