2008 15" Unibody -- RAM / SSD Worth It?

[Number 41]

I'm still using my 2008 15" Unibody MacBook Pro. Physically it's fine (other than a dent from a strap break on a laptop case a few years ago), but since upgrading to Mavericks a year ago, it's been almost unusable. Simple things like websites rendering in Safari take minutes, switching apps grinds the system to a halt, and launching programs like iTunes can go up to a full 2 minutes.

It's still stock 2GB and with a standard HD.

Will maxing the RAM or going to a SSD bring the system to usable speeds, or is it just a lost cause and save-your-money-for-a-new-one situation? I don't want to spend money on it if the end result is still an unusable machine.

 

[mlemonds]

YES

my unibody recently kicked off, but going to 8GB of ram and a SSD was well worth the upgrade.

opening safari went from dozens of "bounces" to 1 bounce at the most.

I think you will see a significant increase in performance going to 4 GB, but to me the SSD was the biggest upgrade.

 

[Gav2k]

Two things you need to be carful of when doing this update.

1, make sure you have done the efi update that enables 8gb of ram or the system will only see 6

2, make sure the ssd you choose is backwards comparable with the 3gbs sata in your unibody. Not all drives are

Side note if you max out the ram the gpu takes more for itself resulting in snappier gfx

 

[StE823]

Back then I was using a OCZ vertex 2 120gb in my 2008 mbp and 8gb ram. Best upgrade ever...

 

[chipchen]

I agree with all the above. You WILL SEE A HUGE DIFFERENCE. To you, it will seem like a new computer. 2GB of RAM is really unusable nowadays. But really, do both upgrades.

 

[Codeseven]

I'm also still using a 2008 15" Unibody MacBook Pro. I maxed out the memory to 8Gb which made a big difference. I had no problems after upgrading to Mavericks and have currently have no problems with Yosemite so maybe your OS being slow is due in large part to having only 2Gb memory.

I haven't replaced the old HD with an SSD drive 'yet' but from everything I've read it should make a huge difference.

I've got a cracked screen (small, lower screen), a Superdrive that sometimes doesn't work, a battery that swells up enough to make the touch pad 'almost' unusable and generally speaking, it's really an old and outdated laptop that can't compare to even the entry level newer MBA's or MBP's.

These have been great laptops but, at least in my case, are begging to be replaced by a modern solution.

If your like me and your waiting for the right new MBA or MBP to come out then at least upgrade the memory. It's cheap and easy to do.