Macbook RAM Upgrade

[adm531]

I currently have a macbook black with 512 MB Ram and its absolutely useless. I am getting the 2.0Ghz macbook silver and wanted to know if i really need 4GB of RAM. All i really do is use iphoto, itunes, safari and word. My current machine cant even handle firefox properly.

Im worried that when snow leopard comes out i might need those extra 2GB.

Any advice, thanks.

 

[eftrix]

I have the same 2gb macbook and its super fast, not only will it work for your needs but also garageband etc.

Also upgrading it yourself and not using apples stock ram is always cheaper so just remember you can upgrade in the future even though i doubt you'll need to, good luck and enjoy the new features!

 

[adm531]

great. thanks.

As for the harddrive, do you find that 160GB is enough? I've used all 100 GB on my current macbook and think that i would exceed 160GB when upgrading to snow leopard.

 

[eftrix]

I guess you have a lot of media?
Snow leopard wont be extreme overkill because its only upgrading on whats already there.

What about external storage, cheap and easy!
Remember also that if you upgrade straight from apple for the hard drive it will cost more than doing it yourself, its very easy!

It all comes down to if you could deal with an external hard drive or if you want everything portable and together, but i guess you will need to upgrade eventually.

 

[monsieursugar]

I recently replaced the RAM and HD on mine and it was extremely easy and cheap. The moral of the story: don't pay apple for bigger RAM and hard drives do it yourself!!!

 

[GoCubsGo]

I currently have a macbook black with 512 MB Ram and its absolutely useless. I am getting the 2.0Ghz macbook silver and wanted to know if i really need 4GB of RAM. All i really do is use iphoto, itunes, safari and word. My current machine cant even handle firefox properly.

Im worried that when snow leopard comes out i might need those extra 2GB.

Any advice, thanks.

Word (office 2004 or 2008) is resource heavy. 4 GB would be beneficial.
Safari can be resource heavy if you don't reset it here and there. 2 GB would suffice.
iPhoto can become resource heavy 4 GB would be my recommendation.
iTunes, well it's slightly bloated here and there and depending upon how much media you have and what you do on your machine 4 GB would be recommended.

4GB is so inexpensive (3rd party) that I wouldn't even question whether I needed it, I would just do it.

 

[Shawny D]

I currently have a macbook black with 512 MB Ram and its absolutely useless. I am getting the 2.0Ghz macbook silver and wanted to know if i really need 4GB of RAM. All i really do is use iphoto, itunes, safari and word. My current machine cant even handle firefox properly.

Im worried that when snow leopard comes out i might need those extra 2GB.

Any advice, thanks.

Are you replacing your Black Beauty just b/c of the RAM? If so, I say keep it (it's resale value is WAY higher than a garden-variety WhiteBook) and replace this with the HDD yourself! It's too cheap & easy (I like that combination, btw ) to pass up!

Get at least 2 GB of RAM from here http://www.crucial.com/

and plop one of these bad boys in there for good measure http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136280&Tpk=wd3200%20bekt or one of these http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136314&Tpk=wd5000bevt.

If you feel intimidated by the RAM replacement just refer to this guide http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repair/MacBook-Core-2-Duo-RAM/512/1

For HDD replacement: http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repair/MacBook-Core-2-Duo-Hard-Drive-Replacement/514/1.

Keep your BlackBook and do these two upgrades. It'll feel like a brand-new machine!

I'm running my 3 year-old WhiteBook with 2 GB of RAM (!) with the Scorpio Black HDD and it's PLENTY for my needs. (Basically the same as yours!)

 

[Lurchdubious]

Are you replacing your Black Beauty just b/c of the RAM? If so, I say keep it (it's resale value is WAY higher than a garden-variety WhiteBook) and replace this with the HDD yourself! It's too cheap & easy (I like that combination, btw ) to pass up!

Get at least 2 GB of RAM from here http://www.crucial.com/

and plop one of these bad boys in there for good measure http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136280&Tpk=wd3200%20bekt or one of these http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136314&Tpk=wd5000bevt.

If you feel intimidated by the RAM replacement just refer to this guide http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repair/MacBook-Core-2-Duo-RAM/512/1

For HDD replacement: http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repair/MacBook-Core-2-Duo-Hard-Drive-Replacement/514/1.

Keep your BlackBook and do these two upgrades. It'll feel like a brand-new machine!

I'm running my 3 year-old WhiteBook with 2 GB of RAM (!) with the Scorpio Black HDD and it's PLENTY for my needs. (Basically the same as yours!)

Dude, THANK YOU for posting this (even though it was a while ago). I'm looking to upgrade my wife's intel blackbook, still running Tiger. What I'm wondering is, will the HDD from my aluminum macbook transfer into her blackbook, while I buy the 320GB 7200 rpm drive you listed above?

Thanks!

 

[Badger^2]

Dude, THANK YOU for posting this (even though it was a while ago). I'm looking to upgrade my wife's intel blackbook, still running Tiger. What I'm wondering is, will the HDD from my aluminum macbook transfer into her blackbook, while I buy the 320GB 7200 rpm drive you listed above?

Thanks!

Yes. Both are easy. http://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/

here are some better deals:

$64.99 HITACHI Travelstar 7K320 320GB Hard Drive $64.99 w/code Free Shipping
Newegg newsletter subscribers can use promo code "EMCYPYR24" to get a 320GB Hitachi Travelstar (0A57547) 2.5" SATA Hard Drive for $64.99 with free shipping on this bulk pack drive. The Travelstar runs at 7200 RPM, has a 16MB cache buffer, and carries a 3-year warranty.
Date: 3/5/2010 6:14 AM


$89.99 Seagate Momentus 500GB 7200.4 SATA Notebook Drive $89.99 w/code Free Shipping
Newegg has the 500GB Seagate Momentus 7200.4 for $89.99 when you use promo code "EMCYPYR25" with free shipping included. This 2.5" SATA drive will add high performance to your notebook while it fills your need for speed with it's 7200RPM spin speed and 16MB cache.
Date: 3/5/2010 6:14 AM

IF you REALLY want to give your wifes blackbook a big boost, drop in a SSD drive. If you wife is like mine, shes got little or nothing on it -- just some music, a few photos and not much else

spending $100 on a 64 gig SSD will make it fly,

 

[Lurchdubious]

Yes. Both are easy. http://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/

here are some better deals:

$64.99 HITACHI Travelstar 7K320 320GB Hard Drive $64.99 w/code Free Shipping
Newegg newsletter subscribers can use promo code "EMCYPYR24" to get a 320GB Hitachi Travelstar (0A57547) 2.5" SATA Hard Drive for $64.99 with free shipping on this bulk pack drive. The Travelstar runs at 7200 RPM, has a 16MB cache buffer, and carries a 3-year warranty.
Date: 3/5/2010 6:14 AM


$89.99 Seagate Momentus 500GB 7200.4 SATA Notebook Drive $89.99 w/code Free Shipping
Newegg has the 500GB Seagate Momentus 7200.4 for $89.99 when you use promo code "EMCYPYR25" with free shipping included. This 2.5" SATA drive will add high performance to your notebook while it fills your need for speed with it's 7200RPM spin speed and 16MB cache.
Date: 3/5/2010 6:14 AM

IF you REALLY want to give your wifes blackbook a big boost, drop in a SSD drive. If you wife is like mine, shes got little or nothing on it -- just some music, a few photos and not much else

spending $100 on a 64 gig SSD will make it fly,

Thanks! Now I'm really liking this Hitachi for $89 after rebate:

Hitachi

I read a bunch of reviews on the Hitachi, filtering out only the macbook owners, and it seems to be a great option.

As far as throwing a SSD drive in my wife's, it would be a waste . She needs more storage more than anything, so I'm doubling her current memory with my UMB's HDD, and probably doubling mine with this 500 GB Hitachi .

 

[Shawny D]

Dude, THANK YOU for posting this (even though it was a while ago). I'm looking to upgrade my wife's intel blackbook, still running Tiger. What I'm wondering is, will the HDD from my aluminum macbook transfer into her blackbook, while I buy the 320GB 7200 rpm drive you listed above?

Thanks!

LOL, no problem! I love thread resurrections.

Anyhoo, I think you should go with the Hitachi Travelstar 7K500. Microcenter's slinging them for $89.99 right now. http://microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0325178.

I just copped two of them for my MBP last week and they're awesome, plus they've been getting better reviews than the comparable Seagate. Enjoy!