Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

HIMAN1998

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jan 24, 2013
338
0
Richmond, VA
Anyone here using a MacBook as your main computer still, without any desktop or other laptop? Anything from MacBook 1,1 to MacBook 7,1. If so, what are your specs, and how long have you been running it as your own if it's used? I'm using my 5,1 Aluminum Unibody, been using it since September when I traded my ThinkPad for it, I've put $100 in it so far, $50 for RAM and another $50 today to order an SSHD. Thank god for Newegg 50% off. Very much worth the money put in to get it running good.
 

JOSE891

macrumors 6502a
Sep 15, 2012
601
2
Las Vegas
Anyone here using a MacBook as your main computer still, without any desktop or other laptop? Anything from MacBook 1,1 to MacBook 7,1. If so, what are your specs, and how long have you been running it as your own if it's used? I'm using my 5,1 Aluminum Unibody, been using it since September when I traded my ThinkPad for it, I've put $100 in it so far, $50 for RAM and another $50 today to order an SSHD. Thank god for Newegg 50% off. Very much worth the money put in to get it running good.

I thought they were discontinued a few years ago?
 

Svpracer

macrumors newbie
Dec 5, 2013
5
0
2012 I think they were discontinued. I am still using my white 2010. Got it as a part of my middle schools 1:1 program; computer, iLife, iWork and 3yr apple care warranty. I upgraded my ram to 4gb for $50 from a friend and got windows 7 (32 bit) for $20 (I think) from a mother friend. Works great after I had everything but the lid (screen), trackpad and disk drive replaced. Sadly, I'm replacing it soon as a section of the backlighting is burned out and it is underpowered for my high school uses.
 

HIMAN1998

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jan 24, 2013
338
0
Richmond, VA
2012 I think they were discontinued. I am still using my white 2010. Got it as a part of my middle schools 1:1 program; computer, iLife, iWork and 3yr apple care warranty. I upgraded my ram to 4gb for $50 from a friend and got windows 7 (32 bit) for $20 (I think) from a mother friend. Works great after I had everything but the lid (screen), trackpad and disk drive replaced. Sadly, I'm replacing it soon as a section of the backlighting is burned out and it is underpowered for my high school uses.

Dang, what stuff are you doing in high school that make it underpowered? I use the CS6 suite and mine runs just fine. Have you thought about putting 8GB RAM in yours, or if you have the 320m, 16GB RAM? That might help you, if you have the 2.4GHz. Also an SSD.
 

mpantone

macrumors 6502
Mar 20, 2009
450
0
I have a wonderful white MacBook Core 2 Duo (Late 2006) that I keep at work as a backup system. It is stuck at OS X Lion, but still great for Safari, e-mail, and Microsoft Remote Desktop (which lets me access a virtual machine).

I will use this system until it dies, likely the display backlight at this point. It runs better than the day I bought it (it is maxed out on RAM and has an SSD in place of the original HDD).
 

rgarjr

macrumors 604
Apr 2, 2009
6,820
1,050
Southern California
I have an aluminum MB, 8GB RAM, 1TB hard drive, 80GB SSD. Had it since March 2009 and used it daily until I upgraded to a 15" Haswell rMBP. Very nice machines and reliable.
 

Sarhir

macrumors newbie
Jul 1, 2009
5
0
Scottsdale, AZ
MacBook Aluminium Late 2008

I bought my MacBook Aluminium body in December 2008 for close to $1700 - YIKES!!! I loved it for a long time - it is now the only computer I have. I now have two problems: A) the battery needs to be replaced - do I buy it from Mac $100? or after market anywhere from $50 -75???

Specs: I added some RAM when I upgraded my OS to Lion now 10.7.5. I have a 2.4 GHz intel core 2 duo processor, and 4 GB of memory DDR3. The graphics is a GeForce 9400M 256 MB.

B) Problems with the display. There is something wrong with the wiring between the keyboard and the display and depending on where the display is placed, the display fades out, mouse doesn't work, and can't get the computer to display. Took it to MAC and they said it would cost $339.77 in the store. Do I spend the money?

The computer did slide off of a surface I was using and got a small dent in the corner of the cover, but nothing major. I took the laptop to Costa Rica where I was for 4 months, and it worked great there but found it was kind of heavy to be lugging around. Since I sold my house 3 year ago I have moved quite a bit and this computer has been my sole computer. Struggling with getting a newer one, an iPad or Air, or fixing this one. Not rich by any means, but who can live without a computer now?? Not me!!! I am a true Macacholic - I have two older Macs that are in storage.

What are your thoughts people???
 

HIMAN1998

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jan 24, 2013
338
0
Richmond, VA
I bought my MacBook Aluminium body in December 2008 for close to $1700 - YIKES!!! I loved it for a long time - it is now the only computer I have. I now have two problems: A) the battery needs to be replaced - do I buy it from Mac $100? or after market anywhere from $50 -75???

Specs: I added some RAM when I upgraded my OS to Lion now 10.7.5. I have a 2.4 GHz intel core 2 duo processor, and 4 GB of memory DDR3. The graphics is a GeForce 9400M 256 MB.

B) Problems with the display. There is something wrong with the wiring between the keyboard and the display and depending on where the display is placed, the display fades out, mouse doesn't work, and can't get the computer to display. Took it to MAC and they said it would cost $339.77 in the store. Do I spend the money?

The computer did slide off of a surface I was using and got a small dent in the corner of the cover, but nothing major. I took the laptop to Costa Rica where I was for 4 months, and it worked great there but found it was kind of heavy to be lugging around. Since I sold my house 3 year ago I have moved quite a bit and this computer has been my sole computer. Struggling with getting a newer one, an iPad or Air, or fixing this one. Not rich by any means, but who can live without a computer now?? Not me!!! I am a true Macacholic - I have two older Macs that are in storage.

What are your thoughts people???

For the battery, I would buy either the OWC one or Apple one, and I think there's an Anker one. Other than those, I wouldn't trust an aftermarket. Since you would be spending $100 for that, plus about $350 for the repair, I would buy a new or used newer MacBook.
 

g4manimac

macrumors 6502
Jan 22, 2013
270
0
Arkansas
I have the 5,2 early 2009 with a 2.0ghz core 2 duo and 4gb of ram,it has a 250gb
WD hard disc and a 64gb ssd.I use the adapter that allows for a extra hard drive in place of the optical (have an external I use maybe once every 3 months).It has the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M 256 MB and it has latest mavericks os it is my main computer (not my only) and it is a very good computer and even though I want to upgrade I think I'm gonna wait until summer,and even when I do upgrade I was thinking about getting a newer unibody one since I just like the look of them I've had a white laptop since the ibook g4.Ive never really had any problems with this one but I have purchased 15+ white MacBooks to fix up I mainly look for them with the flickering backlight since thats my specialty.Long live the macbook
 

wb123

macrumors newbie
Jun 7, 2013
27
0
My only computer is a late 2006 macbook, with 3GB of ram and a SSD its still flying along.
 

advice4robots

macrumors newbie
Dec 27, 2013
2
0
I've got a 2009 Macbook with 2.13 GHz Core 2 Duo and 4GB ram. Runs Mavericks just fine, feels like a new computer. Only problem so far: recording audio in GarageBand.
 

copykris

Suspended
Sep 25, 2009
615
157
home
late 2009 2.26ghz core2duo polycarbonate macbook upgraded with 8 gigs of ram and a 250GB owc ssd

still going strong although the top case is cracked at the hinges and the screen acts up in certain angles from time to time

would love to get at least another year out of this thing though
 

HIMAN1998

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jan 24, 2013
338
0
Richmond, VA
I've got a 2009 Macbook with 2.13 GHz Core 2 Duo and 4GB ram. Runs Mavericks just fine, feels like a new computer. Only problem so far: recording audio in GarageBand.

Yeah I had problems with that the other day, I was using one of my school's Sampson mics hooked up through USB and it took a few times of unplugging and plugging back in to get it to work, tried with built in speakers and it was too quiet.
 

mmsynapse

macrumors newbie
Dec 16, 2013
3
0
I have a mid-2010 macbook that I bought from my university in February of 2012. I was told it was probably one of the last MacBooks to be sold :D

The only thing I've done is upgrade the RAM to 4GB. It works pretty much flawlessly and is in great physical condition. Mavs works well on it too. It is my main computer.
 

davidg4781

macrumors 68030
Oct 28, 2006
2,798
398
Alice, TX
I think I'd still be using my '06 2.0 CD MacBook if I wasn't so excited about iCloud. I probably could still use it... just needed an excuse to upgrade.

A friend of mine is using an '07 C2D as her main PC, not counting iPhone 5 or iPad. I think the RAM is maxed (forgot how much I put in it) and it might have a newer, faster HDD to help.
 

AppleFanatic10

macrumors 68030
Nov 2, 2010
2,801
295
Hawthorne, CA
I am. It's my main computer and I spent A LOT of money on it, so I'm using it as much as I can. Its the last Macbook that they sold. It's the same one in my sig.
 

monarchy

macrumors member
Jul 4, 2010
41
0
Late 2008 unibody macbook here. I just upgraded it to 8gb of ram and 120 SSD. It runs great and I really only need it to get me through this last semester of college. I'll think about replacing it after I finish school.
 

HIMAN1998

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jan 24, 2013
338
0
Richmond, VA
I have a mid-2010 macbook that I bought from my university in February of 2012. I was told it was probably one of the last MacBooks to be sold :D

The only thing I've done is upgrade the RAM to 4GB. It works pretty much flawlessly and is in great physical condition. Mavs works well on it too. It is my main computer.

One thing I personally would consider with yours since it's the 2010 model is upgrade the RAM to 16GB, but that's just me since my 8GB gets filled up when I run a Windows 7 VM.
 

HIMAN1998

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jan 24, 2013
338
0
Richmond, VA
My MB 4,1 was my only computer until the very day you posted this. Now I don't know what to do with it...

You could hook it up to a TV and use it as a media server, you could give it to a younger kid in the family, you could sell it on eBay or Craigslist. Just some ideas.
 

trady

macrumors newbie
Jan 7, 2013
7
0
Munich
Got MacBook Aluminium body Sep 2008, 2.4 2 Core, 8GB RAM, needs a new bat and thinking of upgrading to SSD, otherwise I love it to pieces - great machine never failed me!
 

iPhonagain

macrumors regular
Dec 28, 2009
116
24
Indy
Great idea for a thread!
My MacBook is a bit hot-rodded, here's the scoop.
In November 2011 I got a Black MacBook 3,1 circa late 2007. Model A1181, order number MB063LL/B. 2.2 ghz CPU, 2gb ram and 320 gb HDD.
It was in FINE condition, looked like someone had got it as a gift and never used it! Only issue was a piece of plastic strip ripped up a little in the lower right, where your right wrist goes, I understand now that this is a typical problem with these systems. That didn't bother me at all though as the rest of it was in like-new condition. I had always loved the Black MacBooks and had been looking for a good one for a while. I snagged this little baby from an ad on Craigslist for only $400, it was sold by a very small computer shop that two guys were just getting started.
First thing I did was sell my old laptop, a surprisingly not-so-bad Acer netbook, for $100, used that to buy a 4gb ram chip which I installed along with a 2gb chip I already had on hand (I'm a server admin so have lots of spare parts).
Second thing was to take out the hard drive, put in in an external USB enclosure to use for a backup disc. Then I took the 120GB SSD that was in my old Acer and put it in the MacBook and installed a fresh copy of Snow Leopard, which was almost immediately upgraded to Lion.
I was a pretty happy camper, it ran fast as any new laptop around and I loved being back on the Mac after years on PCs.
Happy I was, until summer 2012 and I wasn't able to upgrade to Mountain Lion. ( Confession here: on certain weeknights once or twice a month you can find me standing in front of a group of fellow geeks & nerds saying "Hi my names Steve, and I can't stop upgrading).
When Mavericks came out I lost control, went to eBay and got a motherboard from a mid-2009 MacBook. Spent about 3 hours following the excellent directions found on the iFixit website. No real difficulty just time consuming.
The only big issue was the screw posts for the mono were slightly different and I had to use some pliers to rip one plastic post out for the mono to fit in. One side effect is that 1 screw for the heatsink had nowhere to go, but there is enough pressure on it otherwise that it really doesn't need it. ( I monitor the temp with Bjango tools and it runs nice and cool even under load.)
So now I have a Black MacBook with a mono from a white mid-2009 macbook 5,2.
The CPU is now 2.13 Ghz, but I can't feel any difference. The system bus is faster at 1066mhz and I had to get new memory but only 4Gb now. Still have the same 120GB SSD drive.
Now I have Mavericks running and life is good!
 

HIMAN1998

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jan 24, 2013
338
0
Richmond, VA
Great idea for a thread!
My MacBook is a bit hot-rodded, here's the scoop.
In November 2011 I got a Black MacBook 3,1 circa late 2007. Model A1181, order number MB063LL/B. 2.2 ghz CPU, 2gb ram and 320 gb HDD.
It was in FINE condition, looked like someone had got it as a gift and never used it! Only issue was a piece of plastic strip ripped up a little in the lower right, where your right wrist goes, I understand now that this is a typical problem with these systems. That didn't bother me at all though as the rest of it was in like-new condition. I had always loved the Black MacBooks and had been looking for a good one for a while. I snagged this little baby from an ad on Craigslist for only $400, it was sold by a very small computer shop that two guys were just getting started.
First thing I did was sell my old laptop, a surprisingly not-so-bad Acer netbook, for $100, used that to buy a 4gb ram chip which I installed along with a 2gb chip I already had on hand (I'm a server admin so have lots of spare parts).
Second thing was to take out the hard drive, put in in an external USB enclosure to use for a backup disc. Then I took the 120GB SSD that was in my old Acer and put it in the MacBook and installed a fresh copy of Snow Leopard, which was almost immediately upgraded to Lion.
I was a pretty happy camper, it ran fast as any new laptop around and I loved being back on the Mac after years on PCs.
Happy I was, until summer 2012 and I wasn't able to upgrade to Mountain Lion. ( Confession here: on certain weeknights once or twice a month you can find me standing in front of a group of fellow geeks & nerds saying "Hi my names Steve, and I can't stop upgrading).
When Mavericks came out I lost control, went to eBay and got a motherboard from a mid-2009 MacBook. Spent about 3 hours following the excellent directions found on the iFixit website. No real difficulty just time consuming.
The only big issue was the screw posts for the mono were slightly different and I had to use some pliers to rip one plastic post out for the mono to fit in. One side effect is that 1 screw for the heatsink had nowhere to go, but there is enough pressure on it otherwise that it really doesn't need it. ( I monitor the temp with Bjango tools and it runs nice and cool even under load.)
So now I have a Black MacBook with a mono from a white mid-2009 macbook 5,2.
The CPU is now 2.13 Ghz, but I can't feel any difference. The system bus is faster at 1066mhz and I had to get new memory but only 4Gb now. Still have the same 120GB SSD drive.
Now I have Mavericks running and life is good!

If I get the money I might see if I can find a BlackBook for cheap and the logic board from a 5,2. I just bought a 500GB Hybrid Drive for my MacBook, it got here yesterday and I used Carbon Copy Cloner to clone my original HDD and now it works fine. Haven't noticed much speed difference yet, probably because it hasn't used the SSD cache much for applications that are used more often.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.