MacBook For Dummies, 8th Edition

Chapter 20

Adding New Stuff to Your Laptop

IN THIS CHAPTER

Adding memory

Upgrading your internal drive

Checking out add-ons

“No laptop is an island.” Somebody famous wrote that, I’m sure.

Without getting too philosophical — or invoking the all-powerful Internet yet again — the old saying really does make sense. All computer owners usually add at least one peripheral (external device), such as a printer, trackball, backup drive, or scanner. I talk about the ports on your MacBook in Chapter 1. These holes aren’t there just to add visual interest to the sides of your treasured laptop. I cover your ports (and what you can plug into them) in detail in this chapter.

But what about the stuff inside your road warrior? That’s where things get both interesting and scary at the same time. In this chapter, I describe what you can add to the innards of your computer, as well as how to get inside there if you work up the courage to go exploring.

More Memory Will Help

Every computer benefits from more memory — and no, there’s no however stuck on the end of that statement! For once, I’m happy to report, there’s no exception, no matter what type of computer you own. Hard as it is to believe, ...