Boosting Macbook Pro performance - hardware upgrade?

[hoogie]

Hi All,

I recently got an early 2011 Macbook Pro and after some teething issues I am now loving it, however I have noticed that at times the performance can be slightly sluggish (the coloured loading symbol is appearing more than it used to).

The system has the stock confirguration of Intel I5 2.3GHz and 4GB ram.

What are the best things I can do to improve performance?

In terms of hardware upgrade I imagine increasing the RAM to 8GB and getting a SSD are the obvious options.

To confirm, would my system currently have a single 4GB memory stick (so I could upgrade by getting 1 more) or is it likely to have 2x2GB sticks meaning I have to get 2x4GB sticks?

Additionally is there anything I can do software wise to boost performance?

Thanks for any advice.

 

[hoogie]

Thanks for the fast responses.

I think given that SSD prices are still relatively high that is an upgrade I will put off for now, the RAM is something I may look to upgrade immediately though.

Couple of questions regardin gthis though:

1) I have never got RAM for a laptop before. What type should I be lookng to get? Are some options better than others?

2) Can I install the RAM myself without voiding the warranty or will I need to drop into an Apple store?

Cheers