Is it worth buying a 2010 MacBook for Christmas?

[dilap]

My sister is in desperate need of a laptop, but she doesn't like any PCs or Windows. Macs are very expensive and we are looking to spend £300 max. She doesn't like MBAs because of how it slants, the MBP are too heavy for her, and the 2015 MacBook is way to expensive. I found a MacBook 2010 for £240 on eBay but I'm a little worried it could be too slow as it has a HDD.

 

[keysofanxiety]

My sister is in desperate need of a laptop, but she doesn't like any PCs or Windows. Macs are very expensive and we are looking to spend £300 max. She doesn't like MBAs because of how it slants, the MBP are too heavy for her, and the 2015 MacBook is way to expensive. I found a MacBook 2010 for £240 on eBay but I'm a little worried it could be too slow as it has a HDD.

Throw a 120GB/250GB SSD instead of the HDD, and chuck 8GB RAM (2x4GB SODIMM 1066MHz) in there in place of the 2GB. It'll be like butter and should put the total price spent at around £300.

If you can't afford the RAM too, go for an SSD over the two upgrades, though I'd still recommend getting the RAM to at least 4GB at some point (I'm going on the assumption that the 2010 MB you're looking at has stock hardware configuration). 850 EVO is a good shout for that system.

 

[dilap]

Throw a 120GB/250GB SSD instead of the HDD, and chuck 8GB RAM (2x4GB SODIMM 1066MHz) in there in place of the 2GB. It'll be like butter and should put the total price spent at around £300.

If you can't afford the RAM too, go for an SSD over the two upgrades, though I'd still recommend getting the RAM to at least 4GB at some point (I'm going on the assumption that the 2010 MB you're looking at has stock hardware configuration). 850 EVO is a good shout for that system.

The RAM has already been upgraded to 4GB, but I'm a little worried I will break the mac when upgrading the SSD.

 

[keysofanxiety]

The RAM has already been upgraded to 4GB, but I'm a little worried I will break the mac when upgrading the SSD.

You won't. It's very easy to upgrade. Plenty of guides online, it's honestly a breeze so I wouldn't worry.

 

[dilap]

You won't. It's very easy to upgrade. Plenty of guides online, it's honestly a breeze so I wouldn't worry.

Thanks for your help!

 

[cambookpro]

I'd second the above recommendation. An SSD and 8GB RAM should make it a pretty capable computer.