Can Macbook Pro (mid 2014) upgrade?

[tropicalfluff]

Hi all,

I have a MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014) with 2.6 GHz Intel Core i5 processor, 8 GB 1600 MHz DDR3 memory, Intel Iris 1536 MB graphics, and 128GB of Flash Storage.

I have a new job that requires more computing power and a lot more storage, but I have no money to buy a new computer. Besides, my mid-2014 is still working very well.

Is it possible to upgrade the RAM and storage economically without resorting to external storage like My Passport or cloud storage?

 

[Howard2k]

You can upgrade them SSD, but I think you lose performance. Cannot upgrade the RAM.
The most cost effective method might be an external SSD?

What sort of computing power are we talking about?

 

[tropicalfluff]

You can upgrade them SSD, but I think you lose performance. Cannot upgrade the RAM.
The most cost effective method might be an external SSD?

What sort of computing power are we talking about?

I don't really know yet because I just started the new job. I will be handling & analyzing data, so I'm guessing that the 8GB of memory may get over-taxed.

 

[Howard2k]

I don't really know yet because I just started the new job. I will be handling & analyzing all the data for the high school I work for, so I'm guessing that the 8GB of memory may get over-taxed. Also, much of the data is confidential so it needs to be encrypted and stored securely.

My gut feel is that storage space could be a concern, but processing power I think you’ll be ok. Encryption is simply not taxing these days. I have the 2015 which is a little faster, but not night and day. There’s nothing you’ve described that would make me concerned.

It would be a good idea to look for external SSD options and think about a data storage strategy, which data should be in which locations, but assuming you’re not already out of storage space I wouldn’t jump to anything just yet until you have a better idea of what exactly will be required.

 

[DeltaMac]

I don't really know yet because I just started the new job. I will be handling & analyzing all the data for the high school I work for, so I'm guessing that the 8GB of memory may get over-taxed. Also, much of the data is confidential so it needs to be encrypted and stored securely.

You are starting a new job, working for a high school. Most likely, you will not need to depend on the computer that you may own, and the school should be providing you with a computer that can handle the task.
Also, the school may take a dim view (and so should you) of private data on a computer that is not controlled/owned by the school.
You need to do your job. Does the high school offer you any support (such as a more capable computer) as part of your job?

 

[tropicalfluff]

My gut feel is that storage space could be a concern, but processing power I think you’ll be ok. Encryption is simply not taxing these days. I have the 2015 which is a little faster, but not night and day. There’s nothing you’ve described that would make me concerned.

It would be a good idea to look for external SSD options and think about a data storage strategy, which data should be in which locations, but assuming you’re not already out of storage space I wouldn’t jump to anything just yet until you have a better idea of what exactly will be required.

Thank you for the advice; I appreciate it.