can I upgrade the RAM and Processor for my Macbook Pro mid 2012?

ranielfrompasig wrote:

can I upgrade the RAM and Processor for my Macbook Pro mid 2012?

Hi fellow MAC users! I just want to know if there is a possibility to upgrade my mid 2012 Macbook Pro?

my unit is running on OS Catalina.

Processors are not up-gradable— these are soldered to the logic board even in your mid-2012

RAM and SSD are user up-gradable yes.

Mid-2012 has been proven run with 16GB RAM without issue.

Best to buy RAM from reliable source with the exact specs.

Usually a lifetime guarantee on RAM from third party source like:

https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/Apple_MacBook_MacBook_Pro/Upgrade

OWC SSD Upgrade Kits For MacBook Pro 2012

https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/ssd/owc/macbook-pro/2012

MacBook Pro: How to remove or install memory - Apple Support

Keep in mind macOS 10.15 Catalina is the last officially supported version of macOS for a 2012 model. You may find it difficult locating RAM (especially 8GB modules). Macs are extremely picky about the memory they use so you should only use memory from Crucial or OWC. Even then make sure to use the tools on their respective websites to identify the exact part numbers that are compatible with your Mac.

A good quality inexpensive SSD is the Crucial MX500 series SSD which is a good compromise on price and performance. You must be extremely careful buying SSDs since many of them are just cheap low end budget economy models that can be as slow as a hard drive. Stay away from the Crucial BX500 series as it is a low end budge SSD that is extremely slow and overheats.

Upgrading to an SSD will give you the largest & most noticeable performance improvement, but 4GB of memory is the absolute bare minimum of memory. The only way to know whether you need to upgrade the memory is by checking the memory pressure in Activity Monitor and by also looking to see how much memory is being swapped out. If you see high memory pressure (yellow & red) or GBs of Swap Outs, then it indicates you need more memory. Unfortunately memory has become very difficult to get now due to COVID-19. I have been unable to find compatible 8GB modules, but 4GB modules are still available from Crucial. Our organization has installed a single 4GB module alongside one of the original 2GB modules to provide a total of 6GB of memory which is not a bargain for gaining just 2GB, but it does make the laptop more functional for us during these times where every laptop is critical to keep running.

Edit: Most likely the hard drive is the biggest bottleneck at the moment since the original Apple hard drive is extremely slow even when brand new. Now after 8 years of use the drive is most likely worn out and possibly even failing. You can confirm by running DriveDx and posting the report here using the "Additional Text" icon which looks like a piece of paper.

If it is a non-retina model, it is possible.

Ref: https://everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook_pro/macbook-pro-unibody-faq/macbook-pro-13-15-17-mid-2009-how-to-upgrade-ram-memory.html