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Just upgraded my late 2008 unibody macbook with SSD and 8 gigs of ram

W

wmouazzen

macrumors member
Original poster
Dec 29, 2008
49
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I ordered the retina MBP a couple of weeks ago and planned on giving my old 2008 macbook to my little brother as he needed a laptop. I decided to upgrade it for him with a fresh SSD and 8 gigs of ram.

So I've been using it and now im kind of 2nd guessing my rmbp purchase. These upgrades have made the computer unbelievable. The computer is now super quiet, uses less battery and lightning fast. Makes me wonder how much more I will actually get out of the rMBP. My little brother needs a computer anyways, but i feel dumb for not doing this sooner.
 
I also put a SSD and 8 GB RAM in my late 2008 uMBP and it really is very fast. Unless you do some very processor-intensive work, you won't notice a very big difference with the new MBP. You could go to a store and see if the retina display is worth the upgrade for you. Keep in mind that Adobe and MS have not upgraded their programs yet and no one knows how long this will take, maybe several months. If you use some of those programs, it might be a good idea to wait.
 
Similar here -- Late 2008 unibody MB. Planning to hand it off and get a new Mac in the next couple of months. Upgraded RAM from 2GB to 8 GB, a new HDD, increased DSL speed. Not SSD fast, but runs a LOT faster.
 
I just ordered a Samsung 128 SSD for my late '08 Macbook Pro. I have 6GB in ram, do you think there is much difference in 6 or 8GB in this machine?
 
Ive been running 8GB + SSD for awhile now and it definitely made the laptop feel so much faster compared to my brothers 2009 MBP 15". The battery life is the only thing 08 macbook doesnt excel at compared to the newer models.

The HD speed is limited to 3GBps. My Intel 320 SSD outputs 122MB/sec write 255MB/sec read. Its not bad but it is nothing compared to the new SSD in the macbooks of 2012. I've seen the new Air/rMBP go to 391MB/sec write 448MB/sec on Black Magic Disk Speed tests.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1385704/


I'm planning to buy a Macbook Air to replace it and give the macbook to my pops. Laptop has been good to me and I'm just looking something just a little more pep for some lighter GoPro video editing that would appreciate a 6GBps SATA connection.

Dad does only web surfing and streaming videos so its more than enough for him.
 
Aldaris said:
I just ordered a Samsung 128 SSD for my late '08 Macbook Pro. I have 6GB in ram, do you think there is much difference in 6 or 8GB in this machine?
Click to expand...

It depends on your use. I would check in iStats if you run out of RAM often. In my case it did make a difference because Adobe Bridge and Photoshop use all the RAM available.
 
Aldaris said:
I just ordered a Samsung 128 SSD for my late '08 Macbook Pro. I have 6GB in ram, do you think there is much difference in 6 or 8GB in this machine?
Click to expand...

I think so. 8 gigs of ram from OWC is really cheap now too. Cost around $50. I think it's worth it.
 
I upgraded to 6gb last summer, but I am thinking of putting a new HD in mine so I can do a clean ML install and have the original HD as a backup.

1 - can I make an external drive a bootable backup for this machine? I think I had done so for my iBook. I still have that enclosure but not sure it's adequate for this.

2 - any drive suggestions? I am looking at a standard SATA 250gb or 320gb, 7200rpm. I've flagged a couple of WDs on Newegg but the 250 is getting better current reviews than the 320.

Thanks,
Diane
 
diane143 said:
I upgraded to 6gb last summer, but I am thinking of putting a new HD in mine so I can do a clean ML install and have the original HD as a backup.

1 - can I make an external drive a bootable backup for this machine? I think I had done so for my iBook. I still have that enclosure but not sure it's adequate for this.

2 - any drive suggestions? I am looking at a standard SATA 250gb or 320gb, 7200rpm. I've flagged a couple of WDs on Newegg but the 250 is getting better current reviews than the 320.

Thanks,
Diane
Click to expand...

1. Yes you can make your external drive a bootable backup. All you need is a 2.5" enclosure. Your old enclosure might be IDE interface, you probably need SATA. Any SATA/USB enclosure should do the trick. Newegg is loaded with them, they're dirt cheap.

2. For drive suggestions I would get an SSD drive. 256G SSD's are around $100 more than equivalent HDD's these days and dropping by the week. Is the extra $100 worth it? I think so.
 
InlawBiker said:
1. Yes you can make your external drive a bootable backup. All you need is a 2.5" enclosure. Your old enclosure might be IDE interface, you probably need SATA. Any SATA/USB enclosure should do the trick. Newegg is loaded with them, they're dirt cheap.

2. For drive suggestions I would get an SSD drive. 256G SSD's are around $100 more than equivalent HDD's these days and dropping by the week. Is the extra $100 worth it? I think so.
Click to expand...


Oops, I'm sure you're right about my old enclosure. I'll have to remember to buy one with the new drive.

As for the SSD, while I agree the $100 is probably worth it, I just can't float it now. I am excited to see I can get a new drive for under $100 and 7200rpm will be a boost over what I have anyway, so I'll live with it.

Thanks!
Diane
 
diane143 said:
Oops, I'm sure you're right about my old enclosure. I'll have to remember to buy one with the new drive.

As for the SSD, while I agree the $100 is probably worth it, I just can't float it now. I am excited to see I can get a new drive for under $100 and 7200rpm will be a boost over what I have anyway, so I'll live with it.

Thanks!
Diane
Click to expand...

I agree! The 'normal' drives are dropping like bricks and its lovely!
When the SSD's decide to drop, maybe ill jump in.
 
Can a late 2008 MBP use the new SATA3 Samsung 830 SSD's? I want something I can later put in a new MBP, but don't have the cash for a new laptop right now...
 
Did this to my 2010 mbp...went double SSD via optibay. My goodness, it feels new. Freaking fast too. I canceled my rmbp order and will wait a year or two. :)
 
Aldaris said:
I just ordered a Samsung 128 SSD for my late '08 Macbook Pro. I have 6GB in ram, do you think there is much difference in 6 or 8GB in this machine?
Click to expand...

Make sure you're looking at the correct model. Match it up with about this mac. If it debuted in late 2008, it should be able to take 8GB, but some of the ones made in 2008 can only go up to 6 as this is a limitation of the memory controller. It seems odd to me that you're at 6 if you are actually able to go to 8.
 
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