Best Way of Upgrading Early 2008 15-inch MBP

Hey guys, so my Macbook Pro from Early 2008 has been slowly chugging along for the past few years, but with the surge of technology, my specs look like they're decades outdated. Here are the specs:

2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
2 1GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM
NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT

I'm looking to upgrade soon, perhaps after the next update with Ivy Bridge, but as of now, I'm looking to upgrade my current system. Are there any recommendations of upgrading, perhaps with more RAM, changing into a SSD, etc? It'd be the first time I'm trying to fiddle with my MBP, and any help would be appreciated, thanks!

 

I would say that a Memory upgrade is going to be the best bang for your buck. Go to crucial.com and see what memory is available for your model. Probably less than $50 to upgrade to 4-8GB...not sure what the max is for a 2008.

SSD is way to expensive...unless you are planning on moving it to the next Macbook with Ivy Bridge...

 

I've got the same model as you. I upgraded to 4GB of RAM last year, and that helped speed it up a bit. Now I've started doing more intensive video work, I've ordered a new MacBook Pro. I would say the extra RAM did help a fair amount, but since upgrading to Lion, it started to get slow again.

 

That model supports up to 6Gb. I recently upgraded my early-2008 2.5Ghz MBP to 6Gb RAM and replaced the HDD with a 256Gb Crucial M4 SSD, the thing flies now!

 

I have the same laptop. I started using Lion with the standard 2GB of RAM and almost cried from how slow it was running.

I upgraded to 6GB of RAM from Other World Computing and it's been fine ever since. It only slows down a bit when rendering in Final Cut Pro X. Everything else runs fine.

 

Best way to upgrade is to walk into an Apple store and buy a new one

Srsly, I wouldn't dump money into that machine when you know a new one is on the horizon, and I'm expecting mar/april.

 

why throw it away when the machine is fully usable???
and maybe the OP doesnt need all the new upgrades coming...

just because its old doesnt make it useless and it doesnt mean you have to buy a new one when you start feeling its 'old'.

 

MacBook, MacBook Pro: Replacing the Hard Disk Drive, transferring data to the new HDD​

How to format a new HDD/SSD to install Mac OS X or make a bootable copy onto​

Upgrading RAM in MacBooks and MacBook Pros​

 

RAM is probably the easiest and cheapest upgrade you can do. The SSD will also make a huge difference, but that depends on your budget and if you are willing to spend that much on the machine. If you are looking to upgrade soon and get rid of that system, just upgrade the RAM. Even going to 4 or 6 GB would be a big improvement.

 

Be patient, don't waste money on your current Mac. Buy the upcoming new model, you'll be glad you did.

 

Memory is cheap enough that it wouldn't really be a waste. With 4GB of memory running around $50 or so, it's not a lot of money for a decent improvement. Upgrading is a few months away, and this would improve things until then.

 

I don't disagree.

My suggestion was based on the thought that the OP has used it this long in it's current configuration, why not save every dollar towards the new computer.

It's all up to the OP

 

upgrade the ram to 6GB, you'll get more for the system when you're ready to sell it.

 

Thanks for the help guys! Just a couple more questions please!

First of all, I went on Crucial.com, and found that there was actually a 4GB upgrade for DDR3 that was cheaper than the DDR2 counterpart, but I read that I cannot upgrade to DDR3 on a DDR2 system. Is that true?

Secondly, where are the options of me upgrading to a 6GB Memory?

The SSD pricings are killing me. I will probably hold off on that one or at least surf until I find a cheaper alternative!

 

Not possible. DDR3 RAM doesn't even fit in DDR2 slots, which is probably good since it might fry your machine

Well, you have to buy 4GB + 2 GB.

Prices are dropping very slowly unfortunately. On the plus side, you would be able to reuse the SSD in your new machine - unless Apple switches to mini-SATA that is.

 

I upgraded my last core duo Windows notebook with more ram & an SSD, when I bought my MBA, I just put the old hard drive back into the system & pulled the SSD. I got a decent price for the notebook & still have my fast drive.

 

I would run graphics intensive applications all night in the hopes that your 8600 chip dies (like many do) and Apple upgrades your machine for you

 

I ordered this so long ago, but had just installed my 4GB upgrade into my MBP. It's running pretty fast now. Not flying. But a sprint at the very least. Is there viable options to upgrade the Graphics Card? I might need it for some gaming and such, but it must be lots more difficult to upgrade.

Also, since the 4GB is great, I might go down the 6GB route. Since Crucial said that 4GB is recommended, and I do not believe there's a 4GB chip on sale as far as DDR2 is concerned, how do I do this?

...And that SSD route is pretty tempting. Are there restrictions as far as upgrades for hard drives?

Thanks again for your guys' help. You are all life savers!

 

Not possible, as it is SOLDERED onto the logic board.

There are 4 GB 200-pin SO-DIMM DDR2 modules available via Newegg.

2.5" S-ATA HDD or SSD with a maximum height of 9.5 mm, which SSDs normally don't exceed.

MacBook, MacBook Pro: Replacing the Hard Disk Drive, transferring data to the new HDD​

How to format a new HDD/SSD to install Mac OS X or make a bootable copy onto​

 

There are 3 upgrades you can do on your machine (apart from using the ExpressCard slot):
1) Upgrade the RAM to 6GB (4GB+2GB).
2) Replace the HDD with a bigger HDD or a SSD.
3) Remove the optical drive and install another SSD/HDD in it's place.

 

hey, it really sound good to upgrade my ram to 4GB also it sound crazy that i can, upgrade to 6Gb,

but i have an important question hope you can help with that, i have the same mackbook pro and i want to have a bigger HD
now in this Link they say http://macs.about.com/od/diyguidesprojects/ss/macbook-pro-upgrade-guide_3.htm

Hard drive size supported: Up to 500 GB

on Crucial it's 1 TB

what do you think ?

 

How do you newbies keep finding these old threads?

 

It is the physical size that matters, and as of the time the article you linked to, only 500 GB were the correct physical size.

If you have a Non-Unibody MacBook Pro, the maximum height of a 2.5" HDD/SSD is 9.5 mm for 15" MBPs and 12.5 mm for 17" MBPs.

MacBook, MacBook Pro: Replacing the Hard Disk Drive, transferring data to the new HDD

the guide includes:

• 0. Identify your MacBook or MacBook Pro
• 1. Getting a new HDD
• 2. Guides to replace the internal HDD with a newer one
• 3. Transferring data from the old HDD to the new HDD
• 4. Using the optical disk drive (ODD) slot for placing an SSD or HDD inside the MB/P (OPTIBAY)

​

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Nowadays 1 TB HDDs with a maximum height of 9.5 mm exist.

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Searching via Advanced Search or Google probably?

That is how all the spammers find those threads searching for data recovery or video conversion software and add their own filth.

 

Google, search

thanks much for your quick answer, so this would be ?
http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Momen...rds=Seagate+Momentus+Laptop+HDD+1+TB+SATA-300

? 9.5 or 12.5 ?

 

9.5 mm: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822178006