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Is it possible to update a 08' Macbook Pro?

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NoIdeaMAC

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 6, 2013
4
0
Hi friends -

I am in a bit of a dilemma...I just got into the GoPro and have a lot of videos I want to start editing. I have a MacBook Pro 2007 which currently can only run iMovie08 and only has 1GB of RAM.

Should I just fork up the cash for a new MacBook or is there a possibility that with added RAM, that I could perhaps get my 08' MacBook running the new systems and iMovie 11 for editing and thus avoid spending $$$ on a new MacBook Pro? Currently have Snow Leapard and I can't upgrade to the new system due to RAM I believe. What would you do from a hassle perspective?

Thanks for the help!
 
GGJstudios

GGJstudios

macrumors Westmere
May 16, 2008
44,545
943
NoIdeaMAC said:
Should I just fork up the cash for a new MacBook or is there a possibility that with added RAM, that I could perhaps get my 08' MacBook running the new systems and iMovie 11 for editing and thus avoid spending $$$ on a new MacBook Pro? Currently have Snow Leapard and I can't upgrade to the new system due to RAM I believe. What would you do from a hassle perspective?

Thanks for the help!
Click to expand...
Your MBP can use up to 6GB of RAM and can upgrade to Mountain Lion, if you wish.

You can find specs on all Apple products, including maximum RAM:
 
N

NoIdeaMAC

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 6, 2013
4
0
Thanks a lot for that information. I went ahead and purchased 2GB of memory which will bring the total to 3 GB.

Looking forward to getting the computer up to speed and getting some editing done!:)
 
GGJstudios

GGJstudios

macrumors Westmere
May 16, 2008
44,545
943
NoIdeaMAC said:
Thanks a lot for that information. I went ahead and purchased 2GB of memory which will bring the total to 3 GB.
Click to expand...
As RAM is so cheap, why not max it out? Also, be aware there are only 2 RAM slots in the MBP, and as RAM is usually bought in pairs of matched sticks, you should buy something like 2x2GB sticks to make 4GB.

Also, you appear to be confused as to what model Mac you have. Your thread title says "08 MacBook Pro", yet your posts states that yours is a 2007 MBP with only 1GB of RAM. All 2007 MBPs came with a minimum of 2GB, installed as 2x1GB sticks. If yours is a different model that came with 1GB, it most likely has 2x512MB sticks. That would mean if you replaced 1 stick with a 2GB stick, you would only have 2.5GB, not 3GB.

Enter your serial number here to determine exactly what model Mac you have.
 
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NoIdeaMAC

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 6, 2013
4
0
It seems I have a MacBook Pro late 2006. Yikes!

I am currently running 10.6.8 and it seems that this is the most up-to-date that I can get my computer and am therefore still stuck with iMovie 08'.

Is there anyway to get an additional update somehow? I read online that I can call the Mac store and get OS X Lion.

I can give you more specs if needed. Upgrading the RAM made the computer a whole lot faster by the way. thanks for the help!
 
Mr. Retrofire

Mr. Retrofire

macrumors 603
Mar 2, 2010
5,064
518
www.emiliana.cl/en
NoIdeaMAC said:
What would you do from a hassle perspective?
Click to expand...
Your other options (with 1 GB RAM) are Windows XP (Boot Camp) and VirtualDub + AviSynth. I edit large videos files from time to time under Win XP in VirtualDub, then encode them with x264 in MeGUI. AviSynth supports plugins (import of MPEG-2 files with DGMPGDec, import of other video files with CCCP, deinterlacing with TDeint, denoising with FFT3DFilter, and so on). No problem with 1 GB RAM.

On Mac OS X, the same tasks require expensive tools (like Premiere Pro), and your 1 GB RAM is certainly not enough.
 
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Volkan1984

macrumors member
Feb 7, 2013
68
0
TS, in your case buying a new MBP is the way to go.. Your current MB won't be sufficient for the heavy lifting you describe!
 
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NoIdeaMAC

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 6, 2013
4
0
It has come down to this:

I have a later 2007 MacBook Pro. I have upgraded the RAM to 3G so RAM is not the problem. I am currently running Mac OS X Snow Leopard. My problem lies when I try to upgrade my computer with the new Mac OS X Mountain Lion. It will not let me download it onto my computer for it says that my computer is "not compatible".

Is there a way that I can get this upgrade on my computer? Or is it so out of date that my only option is to buy a new Mac? I thought that given the 3G Ram this update would not be a problem but perhaps the processor or something else can not support the new software.

Thanks for your continued help in trying to sort through this mess. My end goal is to be able to download iLife 11'!
 
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Volkan1984

macrumors member
Feb 7, 2013
68
0
Your Mac will not be able to run Mountain Lion as your system is a 32-bit one, whereas ML runs only on 64-bit Macs.
 
Fishrrman

Fishrrman

macrumors Penryn
Feb 20, 2009
28,330
12,453
Have you considered installing Lion (10.7) instead of Mountain Lion? That should run on the hardware you have.

If I'm not mistaken, aren't there some hacks that can be used to coax ML to run on that particular version of the Macbook (not sure on this)? They were discussed in some threads here on MR.
 
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Volkan1984

macrumors member
Feb 7, 2013
68
0
But there is also the question if you want to run ML. TS' Mac can handle only 3GB, leaving only 1GB RAM to essentially work with..
 
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