How does Mavericks run on a 2009 MBP 15?

[GP20]

My girlfriend has a 2009 MBP 15 and I'm helping her decide if it's a good idea to install Mavericks. Currently she has Mountain Lion.

Just wondering if anyone here has installed Mavericks on their 2009 MBP 15. Does Mavericks slow down the usability further more? Battery life? What upside/downside does it have?

Thanks! Much appreciated!

 

[case2001]

You should be able to roll back with time machine if there are issues.

 

[Breedlove]

Running Mavericks on my 2009 17in. and I have noticed that it is running more choppily and slower overall than it was with Mountain Lion.

YMMV depending on the specs of your machine but mine is pretty average for its age: 4GB RAM, dGPU, 5400RPM HDD, Core2Duo. If you have done any upgrades to the hardware since purchasing your machine you'll probably have a better experience than me.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

I have a 17" MBP that I use for work, and I upgraded on day 1 due to the multi-monitor improvements. Any bugs would be worth the improvements in using multi-monitors, IMO.

So far, I'm impressed. I haven't seen any noticeable new slowdowns, although to be fair it's an old machine and usually somewhat taxed by a Linux VM and Windows 8 VM I run concurrently. I also have 8gb of RAM, which may make a difference.

But long story short, aside from some stability issues that I think are caused by my VM software, it continues to run like a champ, and has better battery life a more reliable battery meter too. I'm not sure if the runtime is better or not.

 

[Machinegun]

Hi I updated my MBP 15" 2009 (4 GB RAM), and at first I didn't noticed any dramatic battery increases; maybe 30 minutes to an hour more. And I've noticed some minor lag here and there. For example, there was slight lag when I tried to add an attachment to an email. But here's the weird thing, I think the OS gets better the longer you use it. Earlier today, at a full charge, full bright display without anything running, it gave me an estimated 4:19 battery life. Now it's late, 85 percent battery, display brightness is at maybe two bars (I always have the ambient brightness sensor on/keyboard lights always off), and using only Safari, I have an estimated 6:02 battery life. Which is weird because five minutes ago, it gave me a 5:43 reading. Also now I haven't seen any lag at all. So I'm just confused at this point.

EDIT: Now my battery is at 6:43! Weird, weird, and weird.

 

[Kenjancef]

I did a format and full install of Mavericks on my 2009 MBP, and it seems to be running very well. I haven't had much time to use it since upgrading, but in the times I have used it all is good... I'll be able to do much more testing this weekend.

 

[Bookshelf]

Not recommended

The machine will run slower (I have a 2009). No you cannot roll back after you upgrade.You'll loose some functionality (Such as iSync via USB).
I found very few of the changes to the OS were useful to me.
A better solution for a 2009 machine would be to upgrade your RAM)
After that, your better off saving for your next machine.

 

[eneisch]

At first I upgraded my late 2008 Aluminum MacBook to OS X Mavericks through the Software update and it ran OK, but sometimes it would slow down a bit. After a clean install, however, I think it ran as well as Mountain Lion.

My advice would be to perform a clean install if practical.

 

[KUguardgrl13]

My 2009 13" seems to be just fine on Mavericks after Snow Leopard. I also have 8gb RAM, and my HDD is only a few months old. Battery is new too.