Upgrading MacBook Pro, Mid 2010, 15 inch

[haremite]

My pro is 500 GB HD, 4 G Ram. I have used less than 90 GB total. I tried to update the OS from Mavericks to High Sierra and it "crashed and burned" even though HS specs on Apple said it would work with my computer. Here's the dumb part: Never backed up anything!

Took it to repair shop. Told that my hard drive is damaged and need a new one. Here's a copy of the diag. report:
1. Began eval - Pulled 500GB 2.5" Hitachi SATA HDD from machine - S/N: Q7KZ6H8V - Apple S/N: IX0250WNJDWPA
2. DR eval on DDI N - Disabled SMART successfully. - Building heads map (0-3) . . . OK - Media test showing possible damage mid H3
3. Began imaging - Steady @ 71MB/s
1. Imaging complete - 154 UNC, mid-scattered

Here's a breakdown of the repair costs with new HD options: (I need a new battery, also)
Data Recovery Diagnostic 1.00 $75.00 $75.00

MMS-DR Data Recovery 1.50 $200.00 = $300.00

MMS-HW-LBR1 Tier 1 Service Charge 1.00 $75.00 = $75.00

MZ-76E250E Samsung 860 EVO 250GB 2.5 Internal SSD 1.00 $119.00 $119.00
[WD5000LPLX] Western Digital Black 500GB 2.5 Internal Hard Drive 7200RPM SATA/600 $79.99

BAP15MBU78N NewerTech NuPower 78 Watt-Hour Battery for MacBook Pro 15" Unibody $99.00 Mid-2009 & Mid-2010 1.00 $99.00
Including crazy city tax, it all comes to a whopping $727, and I really don't understand the diagnostic results.

So I'm wondering, will upgrading to a SSD make my laptop run better, and should I just have Mavericks re-installed, as High Sierra seems to make it lag, based on what I've read. I don't want to upgrade to 8 Ram. And then I have to buy an external HD to back up whatever is recovered, which is another $60. And isn't $300 a lot for retrieving documents and pics. Oh, and I have to get MS Office.

Another place I called said they still have brand new apple batteries for my Mac. Is it better to get one of those or do they deteriorate somehow if they have never been used?

Which OS will work best on this with a new SSD? Any reccs for good, less $$ tech shop in NYC?

Thanks so much for your time and help!

 

[jerryk]

Any version of the OS will work better with the SSD. When I upgraded my 2012 classic 13 programs that used to take 6 to 10 seconds to launched, launched in under 2 seconds. Everything felt snappier.

However, that is a lot of money to throw at an 8 year old machine with very little memory.

 

[Romanesq]

The money for the SSD is perfectly fair. Shame you didn't go to SSD earlier and backup your data. You can get a cheaper battery on Amazon for a third or so less but that is a solid battery choice.

Your cost is being driven by the data recovery. I would not include it as part of the cost of the machine hardware improvement(s) and yes, with the SSD I certainly would up the RAM.

Your choice of course but I'm running an older machine than you: early 2008 Penryn 15". It runs better than new with an SSD and the max 6GB RAM. Didn't think I could run either Sierra or High Sierra.

I am running, however, High Sierra although this machine is not officially supported. It runs great and you will not have any lag issues if you go SSD and add a little RAM too.

IMHO, separate your hardware costs from the data recovery and yes, if the machine is in good shape and running well, you're in for quite a shock. It'll run better than you've ever seen.

 

[Gravydog316]

I won a mid-2010 15" MBP with 4gb Ram & 1TB SSD; it works fine with High Sierra betas so far, but it has the common GPU crashes common with the 2010/11's MBPs. otherwise, works perfectly.

 

[haremite]

The money for the SSD is perfectly fair. Shame you didn't go to SSD earlier and backup your data. You can get a cheaper battery on Amazon for a third or so less but that is a solid battery choice.

Your cost is being driven by the data recovery. I would not include it as part of the cost of the machine hardware improvement(s) and yes, with the SSD I certainly would up the RAM.

Your choice of course but I'm running an older machine than you: early 2008 Penryn 15". It runs better than new with an SSD and the max 6GB RAM. Didn't think I could run either Sierra or High Sierra.

I am running, however, High Sierra although this machine is not officially supported. It runs great and you will not have any lag issues if you go SSD and add a little RAM too.

IMHO, separate your hardware costs from the data recovery and yes, if the machine is in good shape and running well, you're in for quite a shock. It'll run better than you've ever seen.

Good advice re. separating hardware costs from data recovery. When my credit card bill arrives, I'll try to recall those wise words, lol. Quest. What the hell is TRAM and how will that work/impact my laptop? Thanks!