Early 2008 Macbook Pro Should I upgrade to 6gb ram and SSD?

In the last few months, I've entered the world of 64-bit computing. I learned that this now means that my Early 2008 Macbook Pro, that has been fantastic and flawless for 6 years, needs an upgrade or replacement. I'm hard-hard stuck on whether I should upgrade it or replace it.
My current configuration is:
Processor 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory 4 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM
Storage 200 GB SATA Disk
I need to run OSX Mavericks and Windows 7 in VMWare or Bootcamp (I don't really like bootcamp).
I am eyeing two upgrades
1) Crucial 4GB Single DDR2 667MHz (PC2-5300) CL5 SODIMM 200-Pin Notebook Memory Module CT51264AC667
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001RB21JY/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1& smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
2) Crucial M500 240GB SATA 2.5-Inch 7mm (with 9.5mm adapter) Internal Solid State Drive CT240M500SSD1
http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-2-5-Inch-adapter-Internal-CT240M500SSD1/dp/B00BQ8R M1A/ref=sr_1_10?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1392961391&sr=1-10&keywords=ssd
My question is: Is it worth it for me max out my computer by upgrading again for $250? Will this hold me over for another 2-3 years, or should I look to replace?

Well, I have researched and researched and researched and come to a conclusion. I've compared many brand new replacement computers, and also reviewed my options for upgrading my computer. Upgrading to a new computer altogether, I have come across a few very attractive offers, but they're all in the $800+ price range.
I've decided that OSX Mavericks is my main issue. My early 2008 Macbook Pro was 100% perfectly sufficient for everything I needed it for when using OSX Snow Leopard. After the upgrade, VMWare Fusion runs like a sloth and everything else runs like a slug (maybe a slug that had a 5 hour energy...). Seriously. Just now, I am running Safari and MS Word while copying files to my backup drive. The beachball is all over the place, whereas the CPU is only at 15% use and RAM is at 3.97/4.00. I'm barely using the computer, and it's ridiculously hot and the fans are screaming.
First thing I'm going to do is 'upgrade' back to Snow Leopard to recover my RAM and regain the ability to effectively run my VMWare virtual machine. Then, I'm going to opt for the $100 upgrade to total 6GB of RAM and $150 upgrade to a SSD.

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Should I keep my MacBook Pro or exchange it for more Ram and SSD space?

Hello,
I decided to purchase a MacBook Pro 15 inch with Retina display. I thought I would just bite the bullet and get it with the upgraded 16gb Ram and 512 SSD as I want this computer to last me at least 5 years. I don't know exactly what I will be using it for but potentially I will be running a small business with it as well as using it for photos, some videos and all the other things we all use everyday. This brought the total price tag up to about $2900 before tax. Way more than I wanted to spend, but again, I plan on this being my last computer purchase for at least 5 years...and this would be my only computer...not a secondary one but the primary one.
As I was asking the guy in Best Buy about any sales or discounts, he mentioned a MacBook Pro with retina display that was just retuned to the store by a lady that decided to go with a MacBook Air instead. It had been opened but not used and was in perfect condition. The sales manager said he could sell that one to me for $470 off the normal price. The problem was, it was the base model and only had 8gb Ram and 256gb SSD storage. So, I had the option of buying the computer I wanted...that I know would last me for years and years, for $2,900 OR buy the base model for $1,729. What would you do?
I decided to buy the base model as it was just to good a deal to pass up. Now, 2 days later, I don't know if I made the right decision. I know that 256gb of memory is not going to last me very long...especially considering how much more space modern software takes up nowadays...and its only getting worse. My solution is to just buy an external hard drive and store everything I don't immediately need on it. But I don't know if I'm being realistic as maybe it will be a major pain to constantly have to carry around an extra storage device. Then again, even if I had the 512 SSD model MacBook, I would still eventually run out of space and need an external drive. Has anyone else relied on an external device for their daily computing needs? Is it a major nuisance or easy to get by with?
My bigger concern is that it only has 8gb of Ram and can NOT be upgraded in the future. 8gb ram is fine right now, especially with the flash drive and i7 quad core processor, but in a couple years, I'm afraid it won't be enough and that ill be forced to purchase another computer. The sales manager said that because its a Mac and because of the "monster processor" that the 8gb of Ram will be more than enough for years to come. According to him, Macs require less Ram than PC's due to their operating system being much more efficient. (This is my first Mac so I'm a bit unfamiliar)
So this is my dellima, should I return the base model and buy the one I originally wanted or should I make do with the base model and be thankful for the great deal I was able to get?
Will the 8gb of Ram be enough in a few years? I realize that depends on what I'm using the computer for but, since I'm not sure what my needs will be in the next year, lets assume I'll be using it to run a small business as well as the typical storage of pictures and home videos, etc.
Bottom line, will the 8gb of ram be enough to prevent the need to buy another computer for another 5 years or so or do I need to suck it up, return the base model, pay the extra $1,100 and get the 16gb of ram I originally wanted?
Sorry for the long story, I just need some solid advice as money is tight and I want to make the right decision. I'd rather pay $1,100 extra now and not need to buy a new computer for 5-6 years than save the money now but have to buy a whole new computer in 1-2 years. If however, the 8gb ram will still make for a solid computer in a few years, I will gladly save the money.
Thanks in advance for your help. ;-)

Generally (and in my opinion):
1) do not buy any computer you cannot replace the hard drive and the RAM in.
2) do NOT (EVER, EVER, EVER) purchase RAM or expended hard drive from any vendor (like Apple, Dell, etc). they mark up the RAM
purchase the lowest machine that will work for you and upgrade the RAM and hard drive down the road. Just look at the price Apple charges for the upgrade from 4GB to 8 GB:
Apple is charging the (4GB RAM + $100) for the 8GB upgrade. You can easily get 8GB for $100. later you should be able to get 8GB for $60.
Same thing for the hard drives:
Applis charging the price of (500GB + $100) for the 750GB drive. I just bought a 750GB notebook drive for $99
I, personally, would return the retina notebook for a MacBookPro that you can upgrade the hd and ram

Boot time for early 2008 MacBook Pro longer after upgrade to Snow Leopard

Hi all,
I upgraded to Snow Leopard about 2 months ago and have found my boot times longer ever since - by about 5-10 seconds. Any idea what could be causing this?
btw all patches to SL have been applied including the most recent OS update, 10.6.4.
Thanks!

Thanks. Now I could back it up. It even booted. But now I have a new problem. The new hard drive is reallz faster than the old one. But Evers now and then the system just freezes. Not like when it was overworked before with the old system. No it completely freezes. You can just move the mouse then. But you can move windows, can't click on anything. This lasts about 30 seconds, then everything is normal. Is there a size maximum for a internal hard drive or cache max or a speed max. It makes go crazy.
But never the less. You first hit helped. Maybe you have another one.

I have an early 2008 macbook pro that is running slow after upgrading to lion. Is there anything I can do? this is what I have,Processor 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, Memory 2 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM.

I have an early 2008 macbook pro that is running slow after upgrading to lion. Is there anything I can do? this is what I have,Processor 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, Memory 2 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM.

First, back up all data immediately, as your boot drive may be failing.
Launch the usual set of applications you use when you notice the problem.
Step 1
Launch the Activity Monitor application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Activity Monitor in the page that opens.
Select the CPU tab of the Activity Monitor window.
Select All Processes from the menu in the toolbar, if not already selected.
Click the heading of the % CPU column in the process table to sort the entries by CPU usage. You may have to click it twice to get the highest value at the top. What is it, and what is the process? Also post the values for % User, % System, and % Idle at the bottom of the window.
Select the System Memory tab. What values are shown in the bottom part of the window for Page outs and Swap used?
Next, select the Disk Activity tab. What approximate values are shown for Reads in/sec and Writes out/sec?
Step 2
You must be logged in as an administrator to carry out this step.
Launch the Console application in the same way as above. Make sure the title of the Console window is All Messages. If it isn't, select All Messages from the SYSTEM LOG QUERIES menu on the left.
Post the 50 or so most recent messages in the log — the text, please, not a screenshot.
Important: Some personal information, such as your name, may appear in the log. Edit it out before posting.

Mavericks, Early 2008 Macbook Pro, RAM Upgrade

Hello,
I just upgraded to Mavericks on my early 2008 Macbook Pro. I originally had Snow Leopard on it and it seemed much faster before Mavericks. I currently have 2GB of ram on this machine... would upgrading to 4 GB be that much helpful? Would my machine only recognize 3 GB? And last but not least, if it would only recognize 3 GB would it be ok to install 1 GB in the first slot and 2 GB in the second? I have heard machines perform better if they have the same about of RAM in each slot.
Or should I just revert back to snow leopard??
Thank you for you time!
Matthew

matthewthemacgeek wrote:
I thought early 2008 Macbook Pros could only recognize 3gb total for ram? Is that not true?
That's an earlier model. I have the same model (early 2008) and have 4GB recognized. MacTracker says it can handle 6GB.

Will my early 2008 MacBook Pro be able to run OS X Yosemite?

Will my early 2008 MacBook Pro be able to run OS X Yosemite?

I have the same Macbook Pro as you. You should read this Apple page: http://www.apple.com/osx/how-to-upgrade/?cid=wwa-us-kwg-mac-com While you can install Yosmite, many cool features will not work on pre-2012 models, including: Handoff and Instant Hotspot, AirDrop, AirPlay Mirroring, Peer-to-Peer AirPlay and Power Nap. Additionally, if you have not already upgraded your iPhoto library from iPhoto 8.1.2 (as I have not), I believe you will need to purchase the upgrade after you install Yosemite based on what I read here: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6602872 . Good luck! If you do or have proceeded with updating to Yosemite, please come back to this thread and share how the experience went. Thanks.

I'd like to replace my hard drive. How do I know what to buy for my 15-inch early 2008 MacBook Pro?

I am out of room on my hard drive. I'd like to get a new hard drive and restore my data to the new drive from Time Machine. How do I know what kind of hard drive to buy for my 15-inch, early 2008 MacBook Pro? Also, how hard is this to do?

I have changed HDDs several times on the old MBP. Currently it has a Hitachi 500 GB HDD that came out of my new one. My adage is that one cannot have too much storage and I think that the 1TB HDD is an excellent choice. Not only do you get generous capacity, the performance should be (theoretically) comparable to a 750 GB 7200 rpm HDD. I will be very surprised if there are compatibility problems.
If you bought the HDD from OWC, you should have received Installation instructions. If not, go to the OWC website and look at the video. I actually downloaded it so that I could hand write the instructions down step by step. Also check out iFixit website. They have step by step instructions that may prove to be useful.
Tools you need: 00 Phillips and #6 Torx Drivers (get good ones). The instructions make mention of a plastic pry bar (spudger). I use a stiff piece of plastic like a credit card.
Tips to keep in mind: Get a large open table space and place a large clean towel on it. That will protect your MBP and when you drop a screw (and you will) it will not bounce far so you will not have to spend an hour looking for it.
As you take out a set of screws, keep them together (I use wide masking tape. The little screws will stick to it.)
Keep the sets in sequence. That will make reassembly much, much easier.
The most difficult steps are removing the keyboard from the MBP body and removing the ribbon cable from the mother board. In case of the former, work from the back (the display) to the front. You will initially have to pry it up and then do a lot of jiggling to remove it. Don't be too timid about it. At the end of the ribbon cable there is a rectangular connector. Use your credit card to remove it. Just pry it off.
The #6 Torx driver is used to take off the 4 mounting pins on the HDD and if I remember correctly there is another place where it is needed, specifically in the battery compartment ( I think). If the instructions don't say so, keep that in mind and inspect the screw before you select the driver.
Good luck and make sure that you don't have parts left over.
Ciao.

My Early 2008 Macbook Pro will not boot with anything greater than 3GB of Ram.

Early 2008 Macbook Pro 4,1
2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
3 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300)
OS X 10.8.4
Serial: W88450LR1XR
I keep reading mixed reviews saying that 3GB is the max while others say this system supports up to 6GB. I have tried both Kingston and Crucial and PNY and I get the same results. I can have 1x2GB stick and 1x1GB stick but not 2x2 GB sticks. Both 2 GB sticks work independently but they will not work together. They are PC2-5300 667 MHz.
I would really love to have at least 4 GB of ram in this computer. Is it not possible?
Thanks in advance.
Symptoms:
If I put 2x2 GB in the computer and power it up, the little light on the front of the computer comes on but the screen stays black. No post beeps or anything to indicate a failure or that it's running (except the light that comes on when I hit the power button)

Ok - so no one is replying. I just contacted Other World Computing who says that my Laptop will support up to 6GB of ram. I just ordered the memory directly from them. I have 6GB in the mail and should arrive tomorrow. I will report that if their guarenteed ram will work.

Early 2008 MacBook Pro hard drive was killed; how to sync stuff

My early 2008 MacBook Pro hard drive was reimaged (not by me) and they lost everything on there, and have now put in a new hard drive, saying nothing was salvageable on the original HD. I have an iPhone, iPod, iPad. When i get the MBP back, how will I be able to get those devices synced so that everything I've bought/have goes back onto the HD?
The original HD was being reimaged because my work requires use of Windows, and I was using Windows via Boot Camp. Windows got a terrible rogue virus (from my clicking on a link), which shut everything down on that side. Work tech folks said they needed to reimage the Windows part of the drive, but said in the process, the reimaging took everything, Mac stuff included. That's why I'm in this situation. They are going to put in a new hard drive, but it is a blank slate.
Long story short: last time I backed up was 2 years ago, and it wasn't using Time Machine, but an external hard drive. That was also before I got my current iPhone, the iPad and made some additions to iTunes. (For those who say shame on me, for not doing a backup sooner, you're right: But we have gone through 3 moves in 18 months, so it has been kinda nuts.)
I expect the MBP to get sent back to me in the next day. I have no idea how to put these pieces back together. I'm not even sure about data recovery, but am most concerned about iTunes/iPhone/iPod/iPad.
Thanks for your help!

suzannemacuser wrote:
Long story short: last time I backed up was 2 years ago, and it wasn't using Time Machine, but an external hard drive. That was also before I got my current iPhone, the iPad and made some additions to iTunes.
Two years ago??? Shame on you!!!
I found this the other day. It's old but still applies. This should be more than enough to help you get back on track. See the comments by Zevoneer
https://discussions.apple.com/message/7217190#7217190
You will have to check on each of these. Some of the links are outdated but there is more than enough to get you started. See this article about transferring purchases. The link is in the other thread as well.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1848?viewlocale=en_US
Backup! Backup! Backup!
Message was edited by: Demo

Is 8 gb of RAM safe to install in my early 2008 MacBook Pro? Apple says 4 gb is the maximum.

Apple says that my early 2008 MacBook Pro can only have a maximum of 4 gb of RAM. Has anybody tried adding more than the recommended max? I have heard people say 8 gb is ok but wanted to know if anybody has actually done this. I run parallels desktops with windows 8 and it is incredbily slow. I was thinking if I upgraded the RAM I could dedicate more RAM to both Windows and OSX.

It would appear that the maximum of RAM that an early 2008 MBP will accept is 6 GB. The specifications are: 200-pin PC2-5300 (667MHz) DDR2 SO-DIMM. I cannot give you a definitive answer since I do not know the exact model number of your MBP. I suggest that you check with OWC and/or Crucial for a definitive answer to your question.
Ciao.

Slow firewire 800 speeds on early 2008 macbook pro 17"

I've got an early 2008 macbook pro 17". I'm transferring files between a WD mybook studio II (2TB) configured as raid-1 to a sata dock with a seagate 1TB drive daisy-chained over firewire 800. both 1TB drives in the WD mybook and the 1TB seagate in the sata dock are 7.2k rpm. I'm running a block-level clone FROM the mybook TO the seagate using Carbon Copy Cloner which i would think would be the fastest real-world test i could do. I'm getting pegged speeds of 40MB/s. This is on par with other regular read/write speeds i've noticed in the past. this seems way off. to remove variables i unplugged my two firewire 400 drives (as i've heard that may slow things down, even though they're not doing anything during the clone) and it SLOWED DOWN the fw800 clone to 38MB/s ! plugging the two firewire 400 drives back in during the clone brought the speeds back up to 40MB/s. i don't have a unibody 2009 mbp that had the firewire issues.
1) HDD's should read at 70-80MB/s and at least write at 59 MB/s, why am i not getting that using firewire 800 and two 7200 rpm drives ?? (i know the wd mybook is raid-1 but i'm reading from it...shouldn't effect read performance)
2) (less important) why on earth would having two firewire 400 drives plugged in and inactive make the firewire 800 transfer speeds go up/down 2MB/s
i'm willing to experiment with anyone's suggestions. huge thanks in advance.

i have a similar problem.
i have a new seagate freeagent 1tb drive w/FW800, FW400 and USB2.0 ports, and its connected via the FW800 port/cable to my macbook pro, and read/write speeds are really slow, particularly read speeds.
i'm currently working on an audio project with around 15 audio tracks running at once, and it chokes the drive ('HD overload' errors), so i've done some benchmark testing using Drive Genius and Xbench. the results show that the drive is averaging around 12mb/s read speed, and around 26mb/s write speed. grim.
i tried the drive with the FW400 connection on my missus' old imac g5, and its much faster than my mbp's FW800 connection, so i decided to try the drive back on my machine with OSX booted in Safe mode, and benchmark it again. the results are massively different; the FW800 connection is very fast (as you'd expect).
both the tests were done with all my peripherals attached (usb hub, ethernet cable, usb2 ext. drive) so i don't think the problem is with those.
what i'm wondering is if there are any known system extensions that can screw with the FW bus speeds? if not, any pointers as to where i should start troubleshooting?
many thanks!

I have an early 2008 macbook pro (Pre unibody)

I have an early 2008 macbook pro with 10.5.8. The clock will not hold the correct time when the power adapter is disconnected. The main battery is dead. Does the motherboard have a back up battery that holds the date and time or does that function depend on the main batter being in order? Thanks.

rapture_elk wrote:
Hi -
I have an early 2008 (pre-unibody) MacBook Pro with Intel Core 2 Duo 2.5 GHz Processor - is it possible to upgrade it to a faster Core 2 Duo mobile processor? I know this is possible with some PC laptops.
Thanks
Hi: It isn't possible to upgrade the processor. It is not a socketed CPU.
Stedman

How can I connect my early 2008 MacBook Pro to a tv through HDMI?

I was wondering if there is a way to connect my early 2008 MacBook Pro to a tv using an HDMI port. My MacBook Pro has a DVI output. In the past I bought a DVI to VGA adapter and connected it to a TV that had a PC input that took VGA and a 3.5mm audio cable. I was wondering if anybody has found an adapter or cable that takes a DVI and 3.5 mm audio cord and has only an HDMI cord at the other end. I have a new TV that only has HDMI inputs and would like to be able to connect my laptop to it.

Since you have not identified exactly what MBP you have, but mention DVI, I suspect a cable such as this is what you will need.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/380694416929?lpid=82
Understand that 2009 MBPs and earlier do not support audio via DVI or minidisplay port. You would have to tap the audio output port with a cable such as this:
http://http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=691009&Q=&is=REG&A =details
I am not endorsing these cable specifically, these are just examples that represent what connections that are required.
Ciao.

Tried the "Apple Bake" on my early 2008 macbook pro and it worked, does that mean for certain it is my Nividia chip that is bad?

So I had my early 2008 macbook pro (A1260) not wake up after clamshell sleep. After researching the boards felt confident it was the logicboard issue. Not being able to afford a replacement I decided to try the "apple bake", as I have been employed as a maintenance tech for a corrugation company and was comfortable doing the work myself. Anyhow it worked (350 degree f - 8mins) and my mac was back to life working as normal except for the fans running at %100 all the time. The fix was short lived, only lasted about 5 weeks and wouldnt wake up from sleep again. (yes, I applied new thermal paste the first time haha) I did the bake again and again it was revived this time fans working properly (still not sure what that was about) I have since had to do it one more time and now I just dont ever close it or let it go to sleep. I found a guy online who will replace the gpu for a good price ($150), my question is, is it actually the Nividia chip thats the issue and not something else? Is there any other issue that would be reolved by doing the bake and Im just thinking its the faulty 8600 geforce chip?
Macbook Pro 4,1 - 10.6.8 - 2.6ghz Core 2 Duo - 4gb 667 Mhz DDR2 SDRAM
Other issues I had aside from not waking up from sleep
-Strange feedback noise coming from speakers in between any audio being played. (intermittent) any audio will stop the noise. (might be unrelated)
-Dark lines from bottom of screen to top. Screen reset will fix (shift+cntrl+eject)
-Pixeleation when gaming (intermittent)
Any help would be appreciated,
Thanks in advance

So I had my early 2008 macbook pro (A1260) not wake up after clamshell sleep. After researching the boards felt confident it was the logicboard issue. Not being able to afford a replacement I decided to try the "apple bake", as I have been employed as a maintenance tech for a corrugation company and was comfortable doing the work myself. Anyhow it worked (350 degree f - 8mins) and my mac was back to life working as normal except for the fans running at %100 all the time. The fix was short lived, only lasted about 5 weeks and wouldnt wake up from sleep again. (yes, I applied new thermal paste the first time haha) I did the bake again and again it was revived this time fans working properly (still not sure what that was about) I have since had to do it one more time and now I just dont ever close it or let it go to sleep. I found a guy online who will replace the gpu for a good price ($150), my question is, is it actually the Nividia chip thats the issue and not something else? Is there any other issue that would be reolved by doing the bake and Im just thinking its the faulty 8600 geforce chip?
Macbook Pro 4,1 - 10.6.8 - 2.6ghz Core 2 Duo - 4gb 667 Mhz DDR2 SDRAM
Other issues I had aside from not waking up from sleep
-Strange feedback noise coming from speakers in between any audio being played. (intermittent) any audio will stop the noise. (might be unrelated)
-Dark lines from bottom of screen to top. Screen reset will fix (shift+cntrl+eject)
-Pixeleation when gaming (intermittent)
Any help would be appreciated,
Thanks in advance

I have a early 2008 Macbook Pro, need to up grade the hard drive so that I can add a windows environment what is the largest drive that I can put in this computer? Is the storage size the constraint or the physical size of the drive? Or a combination?

I have a early 2008 Macbook Pro, need to up grade the hard drive so that I can add a windows environment what is the largest drive that I can put in this computer? Is the storage size the constraint or the physical size of the drive? Or a combination?

The largest capacity HDD that you can install is the HGST 1.5 TB HDD:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/HGST/0J28001/
Any 2.5" 9.5mm thick SATA HDD will fit and operate in your MBP, regardless of capacity.
Ciao.
Message was edited by: OGELTHORPE

Early 2008 Macbook Pro Should I upgrade to 6gb ram and SSD?

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