Beef up your hardware
Giving older Macs a speed boost isn’t as hard as you might think
Today’s Macs aren’t very upgradable, especially if they run Apple silicon: on an M1 or M2 chip, the graphics, memory and processor are all on the same, non–replaceable chip and the SSD is not user accessible or replaceable. But older Macs are much more accommodating and Intel–based Macs are relatively easy to upgrade.
With memory upgrades you’ll need to know not just the supported maximum memory but the type of RAM too and what configurations your particular Mac supports. Many manufacturers will help you with this, so for example www.crucial.com has a good memory finder for Macs.
As you’ll see from these examples, upgrading your Mac requires a bit of work, but it’s not too difficult providing you have the right tools. These will typically include a small Phillips screwdriver and, for later model Intel Macs, a selection of small Torx screwdrivers. Keep the tools away from your Mac until you’ve unplugged it from the wall.