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takosan

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 4, 2009
13
0
Greetings!

I have a circa 2006 white poly-carbonate MacBook (2.0 Ghz Dual Core, 2GB RAM, Tiger 10.4.11 & HDD upgraded to 320GB 7200rpm).

The two things that are hassles in my MB are (1) non-working optical drive (2) battery that last > 60 minutes.

Other than the lack of discrete graphics chip, I think this MB still has a lot of life in it <g>. I tell myself that I can use an USB external optical drive when needed and I can also get a replacement battery.

My questions are: (A) whether an upgrade to the newest OS will get my MB to perform better (2) are there any reliable sources for new batteries other than Apple (or is getting from OEM the best route)?

TIA,
Rob
 

Eidorian

macrumors Penryn
Mar 23, 2005
29,190
386
Indianapolis
I think you'd be better off waiting for a new notebook. Maybe you can turn up a cheap copy of Leopard for Time Machine. Time Machine is so worth it.
 

thejadedmonkey

macrumors G3
May 28, 2005
9,155
3,265
Pennsylvania
I'd just try to get a few hundred for that macbook, and get a new macbook with SL preinstalled, unless you can see yourself keeping the mac for another year or more, in which case then yes, I would upgrade to SL.
 

01jamcon

macrumors 6502a
Jul 24, 2006
511
0
London
I think you'd be better off waiting for a new notebook. Maybe you can turn up a cheap copy of Leopard for Time Machine. Time Machine is so worth it.

Yes, Time Machine is worth it, especially with an older machine which could die on you at any time, so Snow Leopard doesn't seem like such a bad investment, plus you're going from Tiger to SL, so you should see more differences. Remember what Walt Mossberg said: it is possible to upgrade using the $29 SL disc, whether that's fully legal or ethical is another matter.
 

Silvia96

macrumors member
Jun 23, 2009
38
0
Durham NC
If you love your Macbook, plan on using it for some time to come, and have no serious problems with it, I would ABSOLUTELY upgrade to Snow Leopard. $29. Less than the cost of a tank of gas. Tiger to SL is a BIG step forward. This is coming from first-hand experience: I have a 2006 Macbook, I just upgrade it bit by bit, since I know I won't be able to afford a new Unibody for another couple of years. Mine looks brand new, and runs like it's brand new. My upgrades, replacing everything from the entire case (for customization) to the hard drive, optical drive, and airport card, have still cost me less than 1/4 the price of a new Unibody. I am 100% satisfied with my Snow Leopard 1.83 Macbook.
 
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