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Is the Late 2008 MacBook outdated?

HIMAN1998

HIMAN1998

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jan 24, 2013
338
0
Richmond, VA
Is the Late 2008 MacBook outdated? I might be getting one Sunday in a trade with someone at my church. I don't know if it's a 2GHz or 2.4GHz, but I've seen it and it is in good condition. I will be doing an 8GB RAM upgrade on it and putting an SSD in it, but does the processor hold it back if it's the 2GHz? I'll be running Windows and OS X on it. Also, if it has the 8GB RAM and SSD, will it perform good on Mountain Lion, or should I go to Lion/Snow Leopard? The only version of OS X I've used as a day-to-day OS is Leopard, and that was on my Power Mac G5, which I remember was showing it's age a lot, especially not being able to run the latest version of Firefox.
 
You'll be fine with Mountain Lion. It should be a great machine for you. RAM and SSD will make a difference. 2GHz is not outdated.
 
Not at all. Thats what I am running minus the SSD. It will run mountain lion well. I am hoping it will run Mavericks better. Snow Leopard runs the best on this machine.
 
Oh, the laptop I'm trading for it is a ThinkPad T500 with a 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, and a 320GB hard drive, running Windows 7 Professional. I need a Mac for school, and I'm fine with downgrading a little bit if it's a 2GHz, since I will be putting the SSD and 8GB RAM in it when I get the money. Which upgrade should I do first, RAM or SSD?
 
There were two very different late 2008 Macbooks. One is the older white plastic model. The other is the unibody aluminum one. The white plastic one could be considered outdated. Whereas the unibody aluminum one still has a few years left in it. The plastic one is limited to 10.7/Lion. But the unibody aluminum one can run 10.9/Mavericks.
 
Don't confuse the Early 2008 White Non-Unibody MacBook 4,1 (White/Black) with the Late 2008 MacBook 5,1 Unibody (Silver).

As far as white non-unibody MacBooks go, the 2008 (4,1) models run Lion whereas the early 2009 and mid 2009 (MacBook 5,2) run Mountain Lion and have the same graphics card as the late 2008 macbook and 2009 macbook pro's.

Any White MacBook can be of use when the right components are upgraded (SSD, more RAM etc.) but the late 2008 MacBook is just as useful as 5 years ago. Easy.
 
The one I am getting in a trade is the Unibody Aluminum model. I've searched for a snap on case for it and can't find one specifically for the late 2008 MacBook. Will the one for the non Retina MacBook Pro 13" fit the late 2008 MacBook? Also, are the cheaper ones on Amazon OK in terms of quality? I'm looking at this one: (http://www.amazon.com/Osaka-Midnigh...d=1377727015&sr=8-6&keywords=a1278+case+black). I like the matte black look of it. I have a friend who has the polycarbonate unibody MacBook, and he has the Speck case for his that is in Matte black. I just don't want to invest that much money in a case. Is there any other accessories I should look at getting? I don't need a bag for it, I already have my backpack that has a laptop compartment.
 
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HIMAN1998 said:
The one I am getting in a trade is the Unibody Aluminum model. I've searched for a snap on case for it and can't find one specifically for the late 2008 MacBook. Will the one for the non Retina MacBook Pro 13" fit the late 2008 MacBook? Also, are the cheaper ones on Amazon OK in terms of quality? I'm looking at this one: (http://www.amazon.com/Osaka-Midnigh...d=1377727015&sr=8-6&keywords=a1278+case+black). I like the matte black look of it. I have a friend who has the polycarbonate unibody MacBook, and he has the Speck case for his that is in Matte black. I just don't want to invest that much money in a case. Is there any other accessories I should look at getting? I don't need a bag for it, I already have my backpack that has a laptop compartment.
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The one in the link should work just fine. I, however, don't recommend a hard case. They have the tendency to scratch the MacBook itself. I've always used the Incase Neoprene Sleeves and they are perfect! So much better than a hard shell case.
 
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iDutchman said:
The one in the link should work just fine. I, however, don't recommend a hard case. They have the tendency to scratch the MacBook itself. I've always used the Incase Neoprene Sleeves and they are perfect! So much better than a hard shell case.
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Would I have a problem in my bookbag? It's a Swissgear Synergy (http://www.wengerna.com/synergy-12338) and I used it with my multiple HP's (worst laptops I've owned) a Sony, and ThinkPad last semester. I didn't see any noticable damage on the laptops. I would think that with the Aluminum MacBook it would be easier to put it in and out of the bag. I had a problem with my ThinkPad getting caught because of the rubberized lid.
 
HIMAN1998 said:
Would I have a problem in my bookbag? It's a Swissgear Synergy (http://www.wengerna.com/synergy-12338) and I used it with my multiple HP's (worst laptops I've owned) a Sony, and ThinkPad last semester. I didn't see any noticable damage on the laptops. I would think that with the Aluminum MacBook it would be easier to put it in and out of the bag. I had a problem with my ThinkPad getting caught because of the rubberized lid.
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There will be no problems. It says a 16" will fit, yours is a 13"
 
OK, I'll probably just use my bag and get one of the decals just for looks. Would it be possible to do a USB install of Windows 7 on it, or will i have to get a disk?
 
I got a 2.4 in October of 08. It is the best machine I've ever had.
However, it is starting to show it's age. I've upgraded it along the way, from Leopard to Snow Leopard (huge improvement), from 2 to 4 to 8 gigs of ram, and from the stock 250gb drive to a 128gb SSD. The SSD was the most impressive upgrade by far--it just breathed all sorts of new life into my MacBook.

If you run Snow Leopard, 4 gbs is fine. If you run Lion or Mountain Lion, 8gb is pretty much mandatory. I've had mine configured every which way over the years, and Lion with 4gb is the only setup that gave me problems.

If you are doing any heavy video or photo editing, I suggest you find a newer, faster MacBook Pro. It'll be a little more money, but just remember that 2008 was 5 years ago.

A couple of things to note: the 2ghz doesn't have a backlit keyboard, and neither the 2 or the 2.4 have SD card slots or firewire. USB only.
 
Montymitch said:
I got a 2.4 in October of 08. It is the best machine I've ever had.
However, it is starting to show it's age. I've upgraded it along the way, from Leopard to Snow Leopard (huge improvement), from 2 to 4 to 8 gigs of ram, and from the stock 250gb drive to a 128gb SSD. The SSD was the most impressive upgrade by far--it just breathed all sorts of new life into my MacBook.

If you run Snow Leopard, 4 gbs is fine. If you run Lion or Mountain Lion, 8gb is pretty much mandatory. I've had mine configured every which way over the years, and Lion with 4gb is the only setup that gave me problems.

If you are doing any heavy video or photo editing, I suggest you find a newer, faster MacBook Pro. It'll be a little more money, but just remember that 2008 was 5 years ago.

A couple of things to note: the 2ghz doesn't have a backlit keyboard, and neither the 2 or the 2.4 have SD card slots or firewire. USB only.
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The photo editing I do is just minor things. The reason I was asking the original question is because I'm getting it in a trade and I need one for Garageband. Anything is better than what my school has. They use iMacs with Core 2 Duo 2GHz and 1GB RAM running Lion. I would much rather have my own Mac to use. And I know the SD card and backlit keyboard thing, I was planning on getting a USB card reader on Amazon for cheap. I'm gonna definitely put 8GB RAM in it, and I'm gonna put Mountain Lion on it. I have a friend with a 2009 Polycarbonate Unibody MacBook, and he had 2GB RAM in it when he upped it to Mountain Lion. He bought a 4GB stick and just replaced one of the 1GB sticks, so he has 5GB now. I don't use FireWire for anything, the last time I used it was with my old iSight. With the built in one, I don't have to worry about that.
 
It sounds like you are making a step up from what your school is using at the very least. I can't speak for GarageBand, I have very little experience with it and how it taxes resources, maybe someone with more experience can chime in.
Good luck with every thing, I hope it all works out for you.
 
Montymitch said:
It sounds like you are making a step up from what your school is using at the very least. I can't speak for GarageBand, I have very little experience with it and how it taxes resources, maybe someone with more experience can chime in.
Good luck with every thing, I hope it all works out for you.
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I know Garageband runs fine on what my school uses, but it's just kinda slow at opening, but it's that way with everything. It's even worse when they use bootcamp for Windows to do the testing that they do every year. I moved the trade to tomorrow so that I can meet at a Starbucks to test out the Wifi.
 
I have the 2008 unibody model and it works just fine for me. I have a terabyte HD(not ssd) and 8GIG RAM and it works just fine for Mountain Lion, and also Mavericks works just fine on it with the last beta build so far( yes I am a legit dev).
 
Got the MacBook, it's a 2GHz model with 2GB RAM running 10.5.8. I'm gonna get Mountain Lion on it, but I have to put Snow Leopard or Lion on it first. My school might have a copy of it.
 
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