Information needed...please!

[politico73]

Not only new to this forum, I'm new to Mac period, so please try to bear with my dumb question/s.

Where can I find info to specify whether an old MacBook model (2008 to 2011) is 32bit or 64bit and perhaps, their OS X capabilities?

I would appreciate any help provided!

 

[dwfaust]

Anything older than an Intel Core 2 Duo processor will be 32-bit. Check the info in the About This Mac dialog.

Click on the Apple logo in the upper left corner and choose About This Mac.



Processor options for Macs are:


Another excellent source for information about Apple hardware is a free app in the Mac App Store called MacTracker. There's also an iOS version in the iTunes App Store.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mactracker/id430255202?mt=12
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mactracker/id311421597?mt=8

 

[politico73]

Anything older than an Intel Core 2 Duo processor will be 32-bit. Check the info in the About This Mac dialog.

Click on the Apple logo in the upper left corner and choose About This Mac.

View attachment 631304

Processor options for Macs are:
View attachment 631305

Another excellent source for information about Apple hardware is a free app in the Mac App Store called MacTracker. There's also an iOS version in the iTunes App Store.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mactracker/id430255202?mt=12
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mactracker/id311421597?mt=8

Thanks, dwfaust!

The chart in your reply shows me what I was about to discover the hard way: that there were some Core 2 Duo's out there. I refer to this is my second paragraph. However, the main problem plaguing me is that I don't currently have a functioning Mac so I can't download much of anything from the iTunes App Store. Actually, that's ultimately what I'm trying to do, buy a not too expensive Mac that I can use to download a Mountain Lion Install app and then build a bootable drive that I need for my daughter's 2011 Mini I'm working on. It passes all the hardware tests, but doesn't want to boot into Internet Recovery, and I've already spent far too much time trying to figure that out.

I asked about the 32 or 64 bit issue because I ran across a reasonably priced 2008 MacBook A1181that had Lion in it, but the owner said it was 32bit, not 64. I don't know whether I could use a 32 bit machine to properly format the SSD I want to put in the Mini, or the flash drive, or whether it will download the OS X installer files and transfer them to the flash drive. It might do it, but will it work. I'm skeptical, but, as it is so apparent, my Mac knowledge is VERY limited.

 

[rshrugged]

Hardware and OS specs -- http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/index-apple-specs-applespec.html

OS versions and builds -- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204319

More on versions -- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201686

 

[dwfaust]

Thanks, dwfaust!

The chart in your reply shows me what I was about to discover the hard way: that there were some Core 2 Duo's out there. I refer to this is my second paragraph. However, the main problem plaguing me is that I don't currently have a functioning Mac so I can't download much of anything from the iTunes App Store. Actually, that's ultimately what I'm trying to do, buy a not too expensive Mac that I can use to download a Mountain Lion Install app and then build a bootable drive that I need for my daughter's 2011 Mini I'm working on. It passes all the hardware tests, but doesn't want to boot into Internet Recovery, and I've already spent far too much time trying to figure that out.

I asked about the 32 or 64 bit issue because I ran across a reasonably priced 2008 MacBook A1181that had Lion in it, but the owner said it was 32bit, not 64. I don't know whether I could use a 32 bit machine to properly format the SSD I want to put in the Mini, or the flash drive, or whether it will download the OS X installer files and transfer them to the flash drive. It might do it, but will it work. I'm skeptical, but, as it is so apparent, my Mac knowledge is VERY limited.

You are quite welcome.

While MacTracker shows that the A1181 was a Core 2 Duo, other info indicates that Apple used the A1181 designation for as many as 16 different models, some of which are, indeed, Core Duo (32-bit).

Can you get the Apple Model number (MxnnnA/LL)?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacBook