Looking to upgrade my Macbook Pro mid-2010

[VictorWhiskey]

Hi all,

My Macbook Pro 17 specs as purchased when new in December 2010:

Apple Model No: A1297
Model ID: MacBookPro 6,1
Apple MacBook Pro Mid-2010
Processor: 2.66 GHz Intel Core i7
Memory: 8GB 1067 MHz DDR3
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M
Hard Drive: APPLE SSD TS256B
Optical Drive: HL-DT-ST DVDRW GS23N

I would like to upgrade my mac and I would like to know what options are available for my model. I use my computer (for the basics) to browse, read, eBay, Youtube, email. I don't use it for graphic design, AutoCad, play games etc...

I would like to add an additional Hard Drive to replace my Optical Drive and install a current version of Mac OS since I'm still running 10.6.8.

Q1. Which SSD hard drive brand/model is best? The Samsung 860 Evo 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive looks interesting:
https://pcpartpicker.com/products/internal-hard-drive/#t=0&c=4096,2048,1024&sort=price&page=1

Q2. Which hard drive adapter is best? Any good/bad experiences or suggestions/recommendations? Some brackets I found while searching:
a) OWC ($25.00):
https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/DDAMBS0GB/
b) IFIXIT ($24.99):
Unibody Laptop Dual Drive / New / Part Only
C) Others:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-5-2nd-SATA-HDD-SSD-Hard-Drive-Caddy-Bay-9-5mm-For-Apple-MacBook-Pro-Unibody-/282645252185
https://www.ebay.com/itm/9-5mm-Univ...975333&hash=item441e20c507:g:pawAAOSwsVVa-U2i
https://express.google.com/product/...ct_ads&utm_campaign=gsx&utm_content=test_0_30

Q3. Will I be able to install the new hard drive and then choose which drive I want to boot up from? Original hard drive is running MAC OS X 10.6.8

Q4. Should I replace any fans or other components as preventative maintenance or are there any upgrades that I can do?
*The only part that has been replaced is the battery because it failed at 199 cycle count which bulged and affected the performance of my trackpad. New battery today is at 10 cycle count.

I'm happy to read if anyone has any links related to the subject that they can post. I've searched but I'm confident that I probably missed many valuable posts/info.

Thank you

 

[Audit13]

I believe the mid-2010 models have a under-sized capacitor which can fail and cause kernel panics.

Any SSD should work in the mid-2010. I would not worry about benchmark read/write speeds as any modern SSD will saturate the sata bus.

I use generic optical hard drive caddies from ebay to utilize 2 x 2.5" drives in MBPs with optical bays.

I believe it's best to put the SSD into the hard drive bay and select drive as the start-up drive in preferences.

I would not replace the fans unless there is a problem. I would consider blowing out the dust but that's about it.

 

[daromero]

Hi

Does anybody know if the screen on a non unibody 2010 17" MBP can be replaced with a 2011 black bezel?

 

[elite953]

in my view, it is better you sell your macbook mid-2010 on ebay, and buy newer macbook version with updated specs.