Early 2008 MacBook SSD and RAM Upgrade Compatability

[Rangerbob86]

I have an early 2008 macbook running OS X 10.5.8. It has a 2.1 GHz Core 2 Duo, 1 GB 667 MHz DDR2, and a 120GB 5400 RPM drive. It’s model MacBook 4,1. Obviously, it could use some upgrades. It still works fine, but is just slow. I can’t afford a new one, and think I can still get some life out of this one. I am thinking about the following upgrades:

Samsung 840 EVO 120GB SSD - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147247

OWC 4GB (2x2) Memory Upgrade - http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other World Computing/5300DDR2S4GP/

Transcend USB 2.0 Enclosure for the old hard drive currently in it - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817349001

I also plan on putting OS X 10.7 (lion) on the new SSD, unless anybody thinks keeping it at Leopard or Snow Leopard would be a better choice, performance wise.

Does anybody see any compatibility issue with any of these upgrades, or have any suggestions as to better upgrades? I realize the MacBook can only support SATA I, so it won’t get the full SATA III benefit of the SSD, but it should still be a huge performance upgrade. Thank you for any help!

 

[Intell]

Everything looks good. You'll get a nice speed boost out of everything you're putting into it and it should last you another few years.

 

[Rangerbob86]

Thanks for the reply!

 

[Jacksonc]

That's definitely a good upgrade. Go for it!

 

[BrettApple]

Good price for an SSD, should be good there. OWC RAM is great, use it personally on all my Macs along with their SSD's.

As for the OS. I find that Snow Leopard is faster and runs cooler generally. But if you need iCloud support, or an app that requires Lion, then go for it. But with the SSD, Lion should roar just fine. If it were an HDD still, I'd keep SL.

I just bought an Early 2008 "BlackBook" off eBay to use for school/work and keep the 15" at home. Planning on doing a similar upgrade. With those upgrades, it'll feel like a brand new machine