Should I Upgrade Operating System?

If you upgrade, I wouldn't go past Snow Leopard. That's a great machine, but the OS really starts to feel sluggish with Lion and later. If you put an SSD in, then you'll get that responsiveness back with a newer OS.

WacoOne said:

Hi, all. I bought this from Ebay:

Apple MacBook Core2Duo Unibody 2.4GHz 4GB 250GB 13" MB467LL/A

Says it comes with Leopard installed. Question is should I upgrade to the latest OS the machine can handle?

I'm mainly wondering if upgrading to a newer OS will slow performance since presumably a newer OS will need to use more resources.

All we're going to do with the computer is use it for Internet stuff, word processing, and the occasional DVD.

Thanks for the input.

Click to expand...

Try the computer before you upgrade, if it runs to your liking just do not upgrade.
(If you can resist the itching
I run the exact same model under Mavericks after maxim out the ram and installing an SSD (evo samsung) and all is well, it runs smoothly.
Either way, good luck with the new machine
X

I have the 2.0 MHz Unibody on Lion with 2GB of ram and it's running fine, it does get sluggish here and there, especially with multitasking. But when I had 4GB of RAM in, it worked perfectly, but the RAM was PC3-12800 and my laptop had problems down clocking it, so I got kernel panics.

Upgrade to an SSD, max out the RAM and install the latest version of OSX and it will feel like a new machine again

I have a simple rule:

CoreDuo or Core2Duo: Snow Leopard

i3 or above: Mavericks

If you get a SSD, go for Mavericks. If you don't, keep in Snow leopard.

WacoOne said:

Hi, all. I bought this from Ebay:

Apple MacBook Core2Duo Unibody 2.4GHz 4GB 250GB 13" MB467LL/A

Says it comes with Leopard installed. Question is should I upgrade to the latest OS the machine can handle?

I'm mainly wondering if upgrading to a newer OS will slow performance since presumably a newer OS will need to use more resources.

All we're going to do with the computer is use it for Internet stuff, word processing, and the occasional DVD.

Thanks for the input.

Click to expand...

I upgraded to Mavericks because I had a software that I needed to run and I wasn't capable of making it work on SL. Also, Safari is practically ususable on SL, since ajax-based sites (Gmail, Facebook) tend to make it being stuck in an "always loading" state, which sometimes produces crashes and memory leaks. Firefox works well on SL, though.

A SSD is mandatory not only for Core2Duo Macs as virtually any laptop will feel slow comparing to one equipped with a SSD. Even modern i7 ones, like the 2012 cMBP/2012 Mini feel cheap with 5400rpm HDDs.

About RAM:
- Your Macbook supports up to 16GB, but only the DDR3, 1066 MHz ones.

- Can you install 1333/1600 MHz RAM on it? Yes, but you must use a Windows-based application called Thaiphoon Burner. It costs around $16 and it's capable of rewriting the module's SPD information. This way, the module informs the chipset that the memories are 1066 MHz ones and the system boots normally. I did it on my 2010 Mini and it works flawlessly with 1333 MHz "Corsair Value" modules. I found it more affordable than ordering OWC "tested for Mac" modules.

- Maybe you'll find you need only 8GB. In this case, it's rather easy finding offers for 2x4GB 1066 MHz modules. There are options from Corsair, OWC, Crucial, etc.

16GB proved useful to me since I needed running an academic application really resource-hungry. Actually, 32GB would be the ideal amount to me, but 16GB proved enough as a proof of concept. In other words, if you just want a browsing/text/spreadsheet experience, 8GB and even 4GB would fit well your needs.