late MacBook 2007 upgrade options

[DanE22]

I am in the process of upgrading my ram from 1gb to 4gb. I am considering upgrading my OS from Snow Leopard to Lion but I'm curious if that would be my best option.

What are the key differences between Snow Leopard and Lion running on late macbook 2007?

Are there any other upgrades that anyone would suggest to help make my Mac run in tip top shape?

Thanks in advance!!


My MacBook:
Late 2007 MacBook 160 gb hard drive 4gb ram 2.2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
running 10.6.8 OSx

 

[MCAsan]

Expanding memory to at least 4GB, 8GB if you machine can handle it, is a good first step. The next thing is to replace the HDD with an SSD.


IMHO your best option is to sell the machine while it is still running and consider a newer MBA or 13" rMBP. It is getting to old to run newer OS releases, get Apple support if needed, and find parts.

 

[comda]

welcome DanE22,

I am the proud owner of the same model macbook. And i've done a lot to mine as i am a student that cant afford a new one. Late 2007 from what im assuming you mean its the model identifier 3,1 (check about this mac more info) and it can handle a max of 6gb RAM actual.

However youd be best with going with 4gb as 2 equal ram sticks will maximize the Video output the machine can run best at. So definitely invest in some 2Gb DDr2 sticks. This machine cannot take 8gb and a 4gb DDR2 stick will cost way too much.

For the OS terms. Ive had Snow leopard running on mine for 2 years and found temps go crazy from just going on FB. Many have told me Lion (10.7) was the vista of macs but after a recent upgrade meaning 2 weeks ago im stunned to say Lion runs better on this machine then snow leopard did. My Personal machine is configured with 4gb Ram, and a Kingston 240Gb SSD.

The hard drive upgrade to an SSD was definitely id suggest if ya have the $100-200 bucks for it. My system running lion boots up in 26 seconds fully operational, uses less battery getting me through 4 hours of lectures at school no problem.

As for what MCAsan said in the terms of selling it.. It all depends on what you plan to use the machine for. Many of these machines sell on ebay for $100-250 depending on their parts and how well they where treated. If its a machine your considering to use for simple web browsing some paper work facebook youtube.. It still has some life left.. After the RAm upgrade that is. But if you need something that does video for editing gaming id say sorry move on. Im using it for the web and word. SO its perfect for me. I love the machine.

To conclude. I would A) RAM upgrade for sure. B) get a SSD if your budget suits you. The SSD wont be fully taken advantage of being this mac is sata I not Sata III but if it ever dies you can still use that SSD in any modern system.
C) id say just go on apple.com and order yourself a $20 copy of Lion.

Good Luck and LONG LIVE THE WHITE MACBOOK!