Upgrading a 2008 MBP

I was thinking to upgrade my MBP Early 2008 (2.4GHz Core 2 Duo).
I had the logic board replaced for the nvidia issue and the battery is brand new so I think it's better upgrade some parts than replace it with a new model.
An Apple Store tech suggested me to get an HD 500GB 7200 rpm. What about SSD? I know they're really fast (I've tried one on the Air). My concern is battery life. I heard of a decreased duration with 7200 rpm drives. Any suggestion?
The other upgradable part is the memory. I have 4GB DDR and OWC offers a 6GB kit which is the maximum supported for my model. Is it worth the upgrade?
Thanks for your help!
Best

But isn't life great when you have to make choices like these
A lot depends on how much money you want to invest at this point. The least expensive route would be to change the hard drive in your current MBP for a new 5400 rpm drive...less power drain, very reliable, well matched to the machine. Current MBPs come with a 750 GB 5400 rpm drive, just bought a new 15" MBP in September and can't imagine how I got by without.
The MBP you now have should have a number of good service years left since you replaced the logic board, but you did say there are issues with the display so that would keep me from investing as much as SSD would cost.
The MBA is a great computer, though very limited as to upgrading...what you buy is what you get so be sure and outfit the machine with exactly what you want at the time of purchase/order. The MBA is so light and portable you hardly know you are carrying it. And it has the advantage over the iPad of being able to actually install software. I never go anywhere without my iPad, but sure wish I could install software on instead of being limited by available apps.
These are some thoughts on your dilemma...hope they help you make a decision. Whatever decision you end up making, don't fall into the trap of afterwards saying, if I had only done...

Similar Messages

Upgrading Early 2008 MBP to dual drive format and new OS. Should I install new drives or OS first?

Hi there. I have a Early 2008 15" MBP (4,1). Model A1260. 2.6GHz with a (almost full) 320gb 7200rpm hdd. Instead of spending thousands on a new MBP, I've decided to give my old one a makeover for a few hundred. Here's my situation:
My optical drive is dead. I'm wanting to set up a dual drive situation by adding a 240gb SSD as well as a new 750gb 7200rpm HDD for storage. I have a new optical drive with USB adapter on the way for external use.
I'm also currently running Leopord and want to upgrade my OS X. I have the install disk from Apple.
So my questions are as follows:
1. This is my first venture into performing surgery of any kind on the computer and I'm not a professional. In a broad sense, is this too much for my 'older' computer to handle?
2. If I'm good to go this big, should I upgrade my OS first and then switch out the drives or vice versa?
3. This computer seems to run hot. I feel like it always has and always thought it was because of the 2.6Ghz processor. I'm looking at the WD Black Scorpio 750gb 7200rpm. Is this going to run a lot hotter than my current 300gb 7200rpm HDD? Is there a better option? I usually use it with a USB fan base.
I also just wanted to openly ask for advice in general, based on my lack of experience. Is there something else I should know before diving in?
Thanks ahead of time for taking the time to help. I grately appreciate it! I'm really looking forward to this project!

Hi, what you plan to do will indeed revive your old Mac and make it ~~ fly ~~
Before you do anything else, Backup Backup Backup, at least to Time Machine and one cloned drive BEFORE you embark on any of the above.
kgroove1 wrote:
Hi there. I have a Early 2008 15" MBP (4,1). Model A1260. 2.6GHz with a (almost full) 320gb 7200rpm hdd. ..
So my questions are as follows:
1. This is my first venture into performing surgery of any kind on the computer and I'm not a professional. In a broad sense, is this too much for my 'older' computer to handle?
I have the same model (early 2008 Macbook Pro, A1260, 4,1) and currently run OS X Mavericks on my system with 2 x 1TB Seagate Hybrid hard drives in each bay. Now my computer SINGS.....¶¶•ªªº••¶¶¶
You say that your hard disk space is low and you will find that that is the biggest bottleneck for your system, so upgrading the hard disk space will make a huge diference. But you should also consider upgrading your RAM too. Some time ago I had upgraded my RAM from the factory installed 2 GB to the maximum 6GB allowed on this computer, and it has made a huge difference.
2. If I'm good to go this big, should I upgrade my OS first and then switch out the drives or vice versa?
This step depends on what kind of system you want to set-up. Do you want a clean install, with an out of the box kind of system so that you set up all applications and settings from scratch, or do you want to maintain your old settings and apps as they are, maintaining your users and settings.
The best way to do the latter is to get an external hard drive enclosure to hold the new drive, and after erasing it and formatting it, clone your old hard drive onto it, using Carbon Copy Cloner or Superduper. But for this you will need a SSD with at least the same amount of hard disk space as your current boot drive. After the cloning operation is done, you can swap the drive out from the main enclosure and remove the Optical drive to be replaced by an Optical Bay to hold the new large capacity storage hard disk.
3. This computer seems to run hot. I feel like it always has and always thought it was because of the 2.6Ghz processor. I'm looking at the WD Black Scorpio 750gb 7200rpm. Is this going to run a lot hotter than my current 300gb 7200rpm HDD? Is there a better option? I usually use it with a USB fan base.
In my opinion you do not need a 7200 RPM in your optical bay. A 5400 RPM drive will not be noticeably slower on your system, and the benefit of running this in terms of power usage and heat generation will outweigh the slower speed. Also, the Seagate Hybrid drives that I use have 8GB of Flash memory, to run frequently used apps much faster, and the speeds are excellent with lower heat generation.
To sum up, to lower your CPU temperatures, get more RAM, extra hard disk space for your boot drive and run a lower speed drive.
I also just wanted to openly ask for advice in general, based on my lack of experience. Is there something else I should know before diving in?
Since you are upgrading from Leopard to Mavericks, you will need to putchase a retail version of 10.6.3 (Snow Leopard) or above and install that before you can install Mavericks as a free upgrade. I would install that first, then upgrade to Mavericks on my old system, and only then clone the system afetr checking that it was working to my satisfaction.
BEFORE embarking on any of the above, Backup Backup Backup your current system, at least to Time Machine and one cloned drive.
I have done the 2 x 1TB upgrade just last week and for your reference below is a picture of my own set-up, with hardware links and links to iFixit instructions.
Comprehensive iFixit "How-to" instructiions can be found here:
http://www.ifixit.com/Device/MacBook_Pro_15%22_Core_2_Duo_Models_A1226_and_A1260
For my hardware, see the links below to get some ideas:
Optical Bay Enclosure:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00A2VNUK4/ref=noref/278-2586001-6565828?ie=U TF8&psc=1&s=computers
SSD:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00BQ8RGL6/ref=noref?ie=UTF8&psc=1&s=computer s
My HDD:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00BHRWHNI/ref=oh_details_o01_s01_i02?ie=UTF8 &psc=1
(The picture below is while I was testing the system before I replaced the original 750GB Toshiba with the Seagate 1TB)
Have fun

SSD Upgrade to Late 2008 MBP, Plus Windows 8 Install

Hi guys,
I have a 15", late 2008 MBP that was a beast in it's time, but has started to show it's age, especially due to my aging hard drive. I've read great things about performance improvement through installing an SSD, and so I want to perform this upgrade. Also, while I do have my computer backed up through Time Machine, I'd rather just be proactive on replacing my hard drive before it fails on me (which will definitely happen at some point). Here's some more detailed specs for my computer:
CPU: 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
RAM: 4 GB of 1067 MHz DDR 3
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT 512 MB
Note about the GPU: This comp has the dual graphics chips, but I've been always using the "high-performance" one, which is what is listed above (the other one is a GeForce 9400M).
OS: Most current version of Mavericks (OSX 10.9.2)
In looking up SSD's, I've found that people that have had laptops with similar specs to mine have had success with the Crucial M500 SSDs.
After I get my drive all figured out, I want to use Boot Camp to install Windows 8 on the SSD. Currently, I do not have any Windows installations on my computer. My computer is not supported for Windows 8 installation through Boot Camp, despite the fact that hardware-wise, it is compatable with Windows 8. However, I have found discussions that are pretty standard on how to get Windows 8 installed on my computer.
-So, my first question is: Was my research good for this given SSD for my computer? It seems like Samsung makes the best SSDs, but I haven't found any evidence that it would be really compatable with my computer.
-My second question: Given that I will have just installed an SSD, will Windows 8 installation be doable? This is probably the most important question for me, because if it's not possible, then I'd rather just buy Windows 7 right off the bat and install that in boot camp instead.
-My third question: If I can get Windows up and running, how does my computer's double graphics chip configuration work in Windows? I'd want to make sure that Windows is using the more powerful of the chips and not the less powerful one.
-My fourth question: My computer has gone from Leopard to Snow Leopard to Mavericks, and I never performed a "clean install" for any of these OS upgrades. If I clone my HD to the SSD, would it be beneficial for me to run a Mavericks clean install, and then pull all my necessary data off my backup drive?
Sorry for the long-winded post, and I know much of it is demonstrated elsewhere. I have found many discussions involving SSD upgrades, and getting Windows 8 on a late 2008 MBP, but I haven't found anything that has shown both being done. Both seem easy to do, but I just don't know if doing both in tandem is going to cause a bunch of problems. Has anyone out there done this, and can anyone offer me any advice on how to make this process any smoother? I really like doing this upgrade now, because if I run into Windows issues, or other issues on the SSD, I could still just boot from my old hard drive and use my computer. Thanks everyone!

beestmode,
I have a Mid 2010 MacBook Pro, and I put a Samsung 840 PRO SSD into mine. Where did you find evidence that this model SSD would not work in your MacBook Pro? (The SSD which you’ve installed has a good reputation, so you should have no reason to regret your choice.)
Windows 8 via Boot Camp will not be possible with your model MacBook Pro. In Boot Camp, you could install up to Windows 7, either 32-bit or 64-bit. A virtualizer such as Parallels Desktop or VirtualBox could allow you to install Windows 8, but virtualizers have their own sets of positives and negatives.
Since I have a 13-inch model with only one GPU, I don’t know how your dual GPUs would be handled on the Windows side.
When I’d installed my SSD, I did a clean installation of Mavericks onto it, keeping Snow Leopard on my old internal disk, and putting it into an external enclosure.

Which OS, Version, Best Setup on like-new 2008 MBP for non-HD archival DV?

MacBook Pro 15"
(Early 2008)
2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo
4GB RAM
720GB 7200rpm Hard Drive (original 360GB 5400rpm drive also available)
OS 10.6.8
(6GB RAM possible but additional $100+ for 4GB module needed now for software upgrades)
    I first and last used Final Cut Pro 2-3 in film school on a Titanium PowerBook (500MHz!) during the OS9/X transition. Next, was an Aluminum PowerBook (1.67Ghz) but because of life changes, I did little editing other than occasionally in iMovie. Then as an early adopter of iPhone/Pad, I rarely used my AlPB other than for back up, writing, and occasional simple editing.
    Now I'm finally entering the early MacIntel age with a pristine "early 2008" MacBook Pro bought for $250 from an elderly original-owner couple who used it only at home for email and iPhoto. Though at the end of its supported life, it's practically new with a known history of light graphics usage (no video or gaming rendering ever) delivered in the original box with original battery (only 46 cycles!), discs, manual, like-new charger, and no sign of wear. The original internal wrapper was even saved and put back on the device! Furthermore, because the wife was a photo enthusiast, the Apple Store swapped out her internal hard drive for a Western Digital 720GB 7200rpm drive and the husband just gave me the original 360GB drive!
    I want to do several things with this "new" device. I've done a lot of research but the world has changed since FCP 3 and the G4 processor and I'm overwhelmed with all the possibilities. I need guidance and have always appreciated the wisdom and generosity of the gurus here. I thank you all in advance!
iCloud integration: I'd like it since I'm an iPhone/Pad user. I could upgrade to Mountain Lion but Mavericks, under the best of conditions, is doable on my device and may give me improved CPU and battery performance. I realize this is best left for the OSX forums. HOWEVER...
Final Cut Pro: I want to also return to editing in FCP an unfinished documentary using primarily archival film and video converted to non-HD DV. This may greatly impact how I set up my drives and the decision as to which OS is best. So, this should probably be my initial decision.
Hard Drive: First and foremost, I should probably swap the drives and place the 7200rpm drive into an enclosure (Firewire or is that stone-age?) for FCP media, correct?
OS: With Mavericks, I must use FCPX which is beyond my current non-HD needs and will most likely strain my system resources. However, the new simplified interface is appealing and I've read some users are running it on "early 2008" MBPs. If an earlier OS is better suited, then which one? And also...
FCP Version: Which is most stable given my model? And which is best for non-HD needs? What about FCExpress? I want to explore more possibilities than what's available in iMovie and would appreciate the simpler interface found in FCE and FCPX, especially since I haven't used any Final Cut since FCP 3 but will gladly embrace what's best. I want to relearn the program and hope to continue using it for other projects.
Partitioned drive: Finally, what about partitioning my drive, one for daily life running Mavericks or other OS, the other solely dedicated to an optimized OS/FCP for non-HD editing? Even at 360 GB it should be doable if I keep it lean and the bulk of storage externally (I ran FCP 3 adequately on a partitioned 40GB drive back in the day). How much space should I dedicate to an FCP partition?
    Finances are tight and I'll need to upgrade Office, other apps (I know there's Rosetta in Snow Leopard but must weigh that with iCloud integration; decsions, decisions!) and probably locate an older copy of FCP on EBay or elsewhere which could be expensive. I must wait a bit before swapping in a 4GB RAM module and possibly upgrading to an SSD. Meanwhile, I'd like to experience this like-new MacBook Pro now, both as it was during its heyday and with what's still possible today. It seems doable and I appreciate any and all suggestions.
Thank you all and have a great day!
Evalyn
PS: I realize my FCP3 files are probably useless and plan to reimport everything into a new project. And sorry for the lack of paragraph spacing. Can't get it formatted right on the iPad!

CyberFinch wrote:
FCP Version: Which is most stable given my model? And which is best for non-HD needs? What about FCExpress? I want to explore more possibilities than what's available in iMovie and would appreciate the simpler interface found in FCE and FCPX, especially since I haven't used any Final Cut since FCP 3 but will gladly embrace what's best. I want to relearn the program and hope to continue using it for other projects.
Just to note that there is much more commonality between FCP3 and FCP7 and/or FCE than with the early version and FCP X. IMO, learning FCP X is worth the effort, but it will require some effort since it is so different than traditional NLE's. You could "get by" with FCE for many types of projects and you should be able to find a copy on eBay or Amazon for a few hundred dollars. However, you will not be able to open a FCP project of any version with it. Also, I don;t think I would agree that its UI is simple; it's essentially the same as FCP.
As for partitioning, some people advise against editing from drives that have been partitioned. I use a partition on one machine and I've not had any problems, so I think it is an option.
As you can see from the replies you've received so far, you have reasonable choices. Good luck.
Russ

Late 2008 mbp - installed new ssd - trying to boot from snow leopard iso on flash drive - says 'cannot install mac os on this computer'

Hello -
I just installed a new M500 Crucial ssd in my late 2008 mbp - everything was working fine on old hard drive (running snow leopard) but was getting slow and wanted to upgrade - i lost my snow leopard disk when moving from hawaii so i found an iso online - using a flash drive i partitioned the disk and made the bootable image on flash drive - formatted as extended/journaled - switched out the hard drives - plugged in the flash drive - started the comp - held option - install begins to boot - choose language - all is fine - choose english - next step window pops up saying 'cannot install os on this computer' - click on utility but all options are greyed out - disk util is greyed out - only options it gives is to start from backup or restart - real confused here - all help appreciated - thanks in advance and happy new year!

Snow Leopard comes in discs only. The USB drive may be a counterfeit and/or corrupt. There are two options for you:
Get replacement original OSX installation disks from Apple customer service. Have your MBP serial number ready and there is a charge.
Or two, purchase a Snow Leopard disk from the Apple online store:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC573Z/A/mac-os-x-106-snow-leopard
Ciao.

Mavericks install failed on my late 2008 MBP. Says I should contact the software provider. Want to do a system restore, using Time Machine, but latest date to use is from last year - even tho did a backup before the download?

I downloaded the free Mavericks upgrade to my late 2008 MBP on Friday. I made sure to plug in my external hard drive so that Time Machine could back up beforehand. (I should say I'm not clear about the different kinds of backups that Time Machine does - I just plug it in and let it go.).
So have tried several times over the weekend to install, it takes 46 minutes each time - only to tell me it can't do it. There was an error message of needing to contact the software provider (or something similar). After searching the internet (on my husband's computer - since my MBP is rendered useless right now) I decided maybe I should wait on Mavericks and just do a system restore. However, when I plugged in the Hard Drive and proceed to System Restore, the latest date available is one from September of 2012 (14 months ago)... I've wondered if the date might be wrong? But I'm afraid to choose it because I'm not sure what I would lose. It might take me back to Snow Leopard rather than Lion... (however, the version on Restore was 10.8.1 which is Mtn Lion, right? Even tho it was last year...)
Some sources online say that I should go into applications and delete the install -- but I can't get to anything on my computer.
I tried to do a reboot in safe mode - but not sure if it worked...
I did look on the installer log error and the latest error is:
Local Host Report crash [378]
Can anyone help me? (Using simpleton, non-techie language?
Thanks

I downloaded the free Mavericks upgrade to my late 2008 MBP on Friday. I made sure to plug in my external hard drive so that Time Machine could back up beforehand. (I should say I'm not clear about the different kinds of backups that Time Machine does - I just plug it in and let it go.).
So have tried several times over the weekend to install, it takes 46 minutes each time - only to tell me it can't do it. There was an error message of needing to contact the software provider (or something similar). After searching the internet (on my husband's computer - since my MBP is rendered useless right now) I decided maybe I should wait on Mavericks and just do a system restore. However, when I plugged in the Hard Drive and proceed to System Restore, the latest date available is one from September of 2012 (14 months ago)... I've wondered if the date might be wrong? But I'm afraid to choose it because I'm not sure what I would lose. It might take me back to Snow Leopard rather than Lion... (however, the version on Restore was 10.8.1 which is Mtn Lion, right? Even tho it was last year...)
Some sources online say that I should go into applications and delete the install -- but I can't get to anything on my computer.
I tried to do a reboot in safe mode - but not sure if it worked...
I did look on the installer log error and the latest error is:
Local Host Report crash [378]
Can anyone help me? (Using simpleton, non-techie language?
Thanks

How to go from 10.8.5 to 10.8.4 on late 2008 mbp?

On a late 2008 mbp went from a perfectly working 10.6.8 to the downloaded 10.8.5 from App store.
My airport is constantly unusable, I keep deleting and remaking the wifi account in Networks, it crashes at least 2 or 3 times in the beginning of the day until it finally stays working, usually while using Safari or Firefox(latest 26). Updated the system thru all available posted updates and still misbehaves. Others seem to suggest a software glitch as the culprit and have suggested going to 10.8.4.
I never had 10.8.4, so how can one get it and install it. Will it require a clean install? I have fixed permissions, checked the drive with DriveGenius but nothing seems to do the trick.
I may have to return to 10.6.x but to run Lightroom 5 I need 10.8.x. Has anyone solved this quandry out there?
Thanks, I'm at the end of this rope.
L

Will it require a clean install?
The only installer available from the Mac App Store is the 10.8.5. You can't go from 10.8.5 to 10.8.4 and you can't do a clean install with anything other than 10.8.5. You should try a new clean install of 10.8.5 to see if you had a bad upgrade originally.

Sluggish performance, 2008 MBP

My wife's 2008 MBP has been acting sluggish for a long time (the last year or so, I'd say), and it's gotten worse recently. Yes, it's an older computer but I think the performance is disproportionately slow, particularly given how simple her computing needs tend to be. Here are the specs:
13" MBP model 5,1
2.4Ghz Core 2 Duo
2 GB RAM
250 GB HDD (about 60% full)
OSX 10.8.4
And the programs she runs most of the time:
Firefox
MS Office 2011
Calendar
iPhoto
Preview
She has some more intenstive programs (such as Adobe CS6) but doesn't use them on a daily basis. Typically she'll have only a few applications open at a time, sometimes several browser tabs, though. The computer often hangs up with simple tasks such as opening a new tab in Firefox (regardless of how many tabs are already open) or even just opening a new Finder window. Opening most files and programs takes a while, really. She'll get the spinning wheel of death and have to wait several seconds for the task complete, or in some cases force quit one or more applications in order to get unfrozen. The situation is a little better after a fresh reboot, but not much. I've tried some standard maintenance--repaired permissions and verified the disk, defragged the HD once, all with negligible effect.
Can anyone recommend additional troubleshooting steps? Thanks.

Each successive major release of OS X has weighed your machine down with more resource demands. On top of that, you likely have a very fragmented file directory. Heed the really good advice about increasing your RAM.
The more fragmented that file directory becomes, the longer it takes the operating system to locate files on your hard drive. I would recommend using Disk Utility to verify/repair your permissions, and also verify your hard drive is healthy. This alone will not fix your file directory.
Follow these instructions for booting your machine into Safe Boot Mode, and why this is beneficial. I do this about once a month as routine maintenance. Beforehand, I move the contents of my local Library/Caches to the Trash. Once I have booted up in Safe Boot Mode, I empty the Trash, and then reboot normally. You will likely notice an improvement, but not one that overrides the RAM upgrade recommendations.

Intego VirusBarrier X6 Probs 2008 MBP

All
I have a 2008 MBP with Lion 10.7.1. Ever since I upgraded to Lion with X6, every time my computer came out of sleep or standby, the MAC would shoot up to 100 CPU and become completely unresponsive for a good 3-5 minutes. Sometimes it would crash (full on Kernal panic) and when it came up it would show the last thread was Intego. Sometimes I'd have to hard boot it to get it work again.
This weekend I erased and completely reinstalled OS X Lion and rebuilt it completely. I left Intego off. For 2 days now problems. Ran great, came out sleep/standby w/o problems of any kind. I downloaded Intego today, put it on, updated it thru Net Update and my problem came back. Go figure. If I shut down Intego completely, the problem goes away.
I wrote Intego and there response every time is to uninstall and reinstall. Worthless!
Is anyone else have these problems on a 2008 MBP?
I have to say Intego's customer service is horrible and so far, their product is too.

@Jeff26 - I have X6 set up for LOW priority for CPU and disk operations and it only scans once a week on Monday's at 9AM. It's set up to not count files before a scan and overall it's very, very basic in the settings. I did that on purpose since malware and viruses are not as prevelent on a MAC. But like I stated if you shut it completely off, problem goes away. And I have very little actually running on this MAC. I use it mainly for web surfing and picture editing with Aperture and I only open Aperture when I need to. 90% of the time it's web surfing which isn't a tax on the CPU.
It's possible a setting I have is causing it, but getting anyone from that company to work with you beside "uninstall/Reinstall" is like pulling teeth. And the manual ***** and so do their forums. I'm stumped.
I have read a few other web posts of people with the same MBP as me having the same problems and since I didn't have it on SL and I do on Lion, I'm betting the problem is with this Intel Core2Duo vs. the new i7's and how Lion runs thru the kernals.
@Allen - I agree, but we still have to be careful with viruses and malware on MAC's. It's only a matter of time before they start coming out of the woodwork.

Edge RAM fails on late 2008 MBP Unibody

I recently decided to upgrade my late 2008 unibody MBP (2.53 GHz) by adding a 7200 RPM drive and bringing the RAM up to 6 GB, the total this machine will hold. The drive upgrade went fine, but the Edge RAM kept throwing kernel panics. I finally put back the original 2 GB stick and everything returned to normal.
I don't actually think there is anything defective about the Edge stick, I just think it's just not compatible with this computer even though it is labeled that it should work. I'd like to know if anyone has successfully upgraded the RAM on their 2008 MBP that's the same model as mine (see above) and if so, what they used.
In advance, thanks!

Some people here will tell you to buy only "X" brand, but actual reliability studies have shown that it doesn't really make that much difference. The failure rates are pretty much the same regardless of manufacturer. It's OK to shop for price rather than paying higher prices for a so-called well known brand. The key is to buy from a vendor you know is reliable and provides a reasonable return policy in case you get a bad piece. It happens. And only buy a product with a lifetime warranty. Stay away from so-called "economy" RAM that only has a 90-day warranty.
Macs are not that finicky in my experience. I've bought lots of different kinds of RAM for more than a couple dozen Macs. I've never had a problem. But sometimes problems do arise. You get a marginal module that won't pass the system's POST test.
If you want a reliable source I recommend Data Mem. I've dealt with them for 20 years. I've no complaints. I always buy computers with a minimum RAM configuration and do my own upgrading. Thus far I've upgraded the RAM in seven Intel Macs without incident, and I've never bought "brand" RAM. But then that's me. If you prefer the "brand" crowd they usually recommend Crucial. Apple mostly uses Samsung in the new computers. And there's Hynix which is also a big brand manufacturer like Samsung. But the big memory manufacturers also sell unbranded RAM or RAM that is OEM branded.

I want to upgrade my 2008 Mac pro to the latest one, will it meet the requirement for the future Software that's coming out for the next four years?

I want to upgrade my 2008 Mac pro to the latest one, will it meet the requirement for the future Software that's coming out for the next four years?.

I'd wait. What can't you do that you need? You mean you want to buy a new model, then why not wait for an actual new one, not the two year old 5,1, when you need to and have outgrown.
Yours will run Mountain Lion. yours is 4 yrs old and still supported and has life left.

I just upgraded my 2008 macbook pro to OS X Maverick from Snow Leopard but my computer is running a bit buggy and slow. How do I downgrade back down to snow leopard?

I just upgraded my 2008 macbook pro to OS X Maverick from Snow Leopard but my computer is running a bit buggy and slow. How do I downgrade back down to snow leopard?

You would reinstall 10.6 using your installation DVD.
Out of curiosity, how much RAM do you have? Recent versions of OS X really shine with 4GB or more.
Matt

I upgraded my 2008 MBPro from 10.5.11 to 10.6.8 Snow Leopard, now iMovie crashes every time I try to insert a title into a sequence. Anyone else having issues?

I upgraded my 2008 MBPro from 10.5.11 to 10.6.8 Snow Leopard, now iMovie crashes every time I try to insert a title into a sequence. Anyone else having issues?

I am having exactly the same problem. Any help would be much appreciated

2008 MBP -- DVI out -- DVI/HDMI converter -- HDTV ?

Hi guys,
I'm gonna go ahead and apologize in advance if this has been asked before, I'm having a bit of an emergency.
The backlight on my 2008 MBP (model A1260) has gone out -- I can still somewhat see the screen but it's extremely dim. I'm wondering if I can buy a DVI/HDMI converter and run the video out to my HDTV. Are there any extra supplies I'll need?
Also, any instructions for enabling the HDTV as my external display would be greatly appreciated as I'm barely able to read anything on the screen in its current state.
Thanks so much!

From Apple's website:
These Apple computers supply multichannel audio (up to 8 channels) and video signals over Mini DisplayPort:
iMac (Late 2009) and later
Mac mini (Mid 2010) and later1
Mac Pro (Mid 2010)
MacBook (Mid 2010) and later
MacBook Pro (Mid 2010) and later
MacBook Pro (Retina, Mid 2012)1
MacBook Air (Late 2010) and later
1No additional adapter is necessary if you are connecting directly to the HDMI port on your Mac mini (Mid 2010) and later or your MacBook Pro (Retina, Mid 2012).
These Apple computers supply only video signals over Mini DisplayPort:
iMac (Early 2009) and (Mid 2009)
Mac Mini (Early 2009) and (Late 2009)
Mac Pro (Early 2009)
MacBook (Late 2009)
MacBook (13-inch Aluminum Late 2008)
MacBook Pro (late 2008), (Mid 2009), and (Early 2009)
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Transfer disks from 2008 MBP to 2011 MBP?

My early 2008 MBP died (Apple Genius said logic board), so I took the opportunity to purchase a refurbished early 2011 MBP from the Apple Store. On the original MBP, I had replaced the HDD with an SSD and replaced the optical drive with a 7200 HDD. The MBP was current with Lion 10.7.2. I would like to install the SSD and 7200 HDD into the new MBP - any reason I won't be able to boot right up into the disks assuming a successful install? Thanks -

I see in another post that the drives from my old MBP won't have all the hardware drivers needed for the new MBP, so I'll need to do a fresh install on the drives https://discussions.apple.com/message/15362548#15362548.
If so, the migration process is more complicated. I'll need to backup everything from the SSD and HDD [somwehere] and then reformat the disks and install Lion and then transfer apps/settings/data from [somewhere] to the freshly installed disks.
Is Migration Assistant the utility I will use to pull over apps/settings/data? Can it pull from SuperDuper image? Can it pull from just a data folders? I probably won't have a Time Machine backup handy, but I do have SuperDuper and straight backups.

Upgrading a 2008 MBP

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