Reddit mentions of Vengeance Performance Memory Kit

It's now $121 and I got it on sale last summer for $89.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B006DI9PG8/ref=mp_s_a_1_13?qid=1382738535&sr=8-13&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70

What should I buy and where should I buy it from?

• If you're going to upgrade I would go to 16GB, you know, since you're in there. These should be fine.
  
  How do I install it? Or should I have someone else do so?
  
• Do it yourself. It's not that hard. iFixit can help.
  
  How much is all of this going to cost?
  
• I think 16GB of RAM is about $130 on Amazon, 8GB is closer to $70.
  
  Any other advice or feedback is welcome. Thank you!
  Also, the startup slowness is very likely your HDD as well. Depending on how much space you need and how much you can afford replacing the HDD with a SSD will change your life. I put a 256GB OCZ SSD in my Macbook Pro and it just flies now.
  
  I'd be happy to follow up if you have any more questions.

I'm actually just about to purchase my 13" MBP this week. I'm ordering the SDD so that I can install it right as it arrives. I was thinking I would go with this 256GB Crucial M4 but I wanted to be sure it was a good choice. Also since I'm going to go with the i5 rather than the i7 I was going to upgrade the RAM to 16GB Corsair RAM. And I read this article on TRIM, but I'd be interested to hear what you have to say about it if you don't mind. Budget is $300 for the SSD, since I figure 256GB is enough with the 500GB HDD in the optibay.

EDIT: Oh! Also I'm going to need to pick this up for the HDD, correct?

CORSAIR ValueSelect 16GB (2 x 8G) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Laptop Memory Model CMSO16GX3M2A1333C9

Lenovo 0A36303 , Thinkpad Battery 70++, 9 Cell High Capacity Retail Packaged Lithium Ion Laptop System Battery -- purchased from seller "Amazon.com Services, Inc" and it appears to be a legitimate genuine Lenovo battery based on all the packaging and battery specs

Bought this machine brand new in 2011 and it hasn't yet given me a lick of trouble. The original battery has only been giving me ~1 hour of battery time, which is to be expected for an 8 year-old battery, so it seemed like it was time for an upgrade. The original 8GB memory was still serving me well as I only use this machine for web browsing, coding, and media consumption, but figured I might as well upgrade it all at once and enjoy the next 8+ years of service this machine should give me!

Yes, but that exact item is $5 cheaper and has free shipping at amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Channel-SODIMM-Memory-CMSO16GX3M2A1333C9/dp/B006DI9PG8/

The CPU's chipset allows you to go up to 32GB.

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Channel-SODIMM-Memory-CMSO16GX3M2A1333C9/dp/B006DI9PG8/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1367695048&sr=1-2&keywords=ddr3+1333

This would work with your laptop no problem. I've got at least 5 of them and they are great!

You can install two 8GB 204-pin DDR3 PC3-10600 (1333MHz) non-ECC SODIMM modules in the ThinkPad X220i. Both single-rank (1Rx8) and dual-rank (2Rx8) modules will work fine.

The 16GB Crucial kit here or 16GB Corsair kit here would both work.

The official Lenovo BIOS limits RAM speed to 1333MHz in the X220/X220i but you can potentially get speeds up to 1866MHz with a modified BIOS (and modules that support those speeds). There are additional details about that here.

> Will adding RAM (up to 16GB) be advantageous here?

More RAM is always advantageous, so is an SSD. Your iMac can actually take up to 32 GB RAM (4 x 8 GB RAM modules).

The specification of the RAM must be as follows:

DDR3 1333 MHz PC3-10600, 204-pin

This RAM should work, for example:

• https://www.amazon.com/OWC-1333MHz-204-Pin-SO-DIMM-PC3-10600/dp/B00C758EJK
  
• https://www.amazon.com/CORSAIR-ValueSelect-204-Pin-SO-DIMM-CMSO16GX3M2A1333C9/dp/B006DI9PG8
  
  This video shows you both the SSD (1) and RAM (2) upgrade:
  
  
• (1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOf0svk5FdY
  
• (2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8Sj10wYXAI
  
  Before you insert the new SSD into the iMac, connect it to the iMac externally via an adapter like this:
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-SATA-Drive-Adapter-Cable/dp/B00HJZJI84
  
  Clone your OS and all of your files to the SSD via a software like Carbon Copy Cloner while the SSD is connected externally. Once the cloning is done and the iMac is shut down, you can exchange the HDD for the new SSD.
  
  Of note: macOS 10.13 High Sierra is the last OS supporting your iMac model. Its security support will run out in mid-2020. It won't receive any new security updates once macOS 10.16 releases in late 2020. You should consider this time frame before investing money into your machine.

I have the same exact MBP. I upgraded to 16GB RAM (from Amazon). And got a 128GB Samsung 830 SSD (the 840 Pro is the newer version- much better than the normal 840- but the 830 is next best and cheaper). I put the SSD in the primary HD bay and the 750GB HDD that came with the MBP in the optical bay with the help of a HD caddy.

Here's my R/W speeds taken after installation of the RAM and SSD.

this worked for me in my Early 2011.