So, I currently have a Dell Inspiron n5110 that I am not liking too much. I have found a good offer for the Mid 2006 White Macbook and it seems to be in good shape. Would the Macbook be able to run Lion? If so, would it run pretty quickly? If it can only run Snow Leopard, would that be pretty quick? I love iOS so much more than Windows 8 so that's why I want to make the switch. I don't have lots of money at this point so I don't really want to spend more money on a better Macbook. Any thoughts?
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Mid 2006 White Macbook
- Thread starter Jayjewels93
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You can find specs on all Apple products:
- By visiting EveryMac.com (includes maximum Mac OS)
- By using Mactracker
- By entering your serial number here to find specs for your model.
Okay, I did that but I'm still wondering if the Macbook will run relatively quickly? Is it worth buying? It's for a pretty cheap price.
It depends on which 2006 model it is and what you intend to use it for. The one released in May, 2006 supports a max of 2GB of RAM and OS X 10.6.8, while the one later that year, 4GB and up to 10.7.5. Some apps you intend to use may run on one version of OS X but not the other, and some may require more RAM than others. The decision is fairly subjective, based on your needs/wants/intended use.
I had one up until last year, 2GB, forgot how big the HDD was.
Snow Leopard is the most you can run on it and you may have issues syncing to your iPhone. I know it won't do iCloud but I'm not sure if you can just turn all that off and sync through iTunes.
It ran pretty good for basic stuff. Don't try fancy video editing. Older games will work alright. Spreadsheets and Word Processing will work fine. Netflix too.
What are you planning on using it for?
And maybe someone else can answer this... if it's mainly for like word processing and stuff, could you get an older G4 laptop? I know there are limits with web browsing but you could run Office natively instead of using Rosetta. Well, I guess you could get an updated version of Office. I was too cheap back then.
Snow Leopard is the most you can run on it and you may have issues syncing to your iPhone. I know it won't do iCloud but I'm not sure if you can just turn all that off and sync through iTunes.
It ran pretty good for basic stuff. Don't try fancy video editing. Older games will work alright. Spreadsheets and Word Processing will work fine. Netflix too.
What are you planning on using it for?
And maybe someone else can answer this... if it's mainly for like word processing and stuff, could you get an older G4 laptop? I know there are limits with web browsing but you could run Office natively instead of using Rosetta. Well, I guess you could get an updated version of Office. I was too cheap back then.
I wouldn't buy a computer with a max limit of 2GB of RAM, but it may be fine for many users.
I don't really want an iBook G4. If I get anything it's definitely gonna be the Mid 2006 Macbook. I will mostly be using it for Word processing and internet browsing. Would it be worth upgrading the hard drive and RAM?
I have to agree with this. A friend has the next version, Core2Duo as opposed to Core Duo. 3.3GB RAM opposed to 2GB. When I upgraded her's it felt so much lighter even though the CPU was a tad slower than mine.
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I was just throwing the G4 out there, I know a lot use it and it could be a lot less expensive, especially for what you're going to use it for.
If you're going to run SL yes, definitely upgrade RAM. Hard drive is up to you and what it comes with. The original was 60GB in mine, which wasn't near enough to hold all my music, video, and have Windows XP in Bootcamp.
Of course a lot of that video was dumb stuff I could delete (nothing bad!) and I never used Windows, but it was neat to have.
Adding all that adds expense. Take that into consideration as you may be able to get a Core2Duo with a larger HDD and more RAM for the same amount. The Core2Duo makes a bigger difference in speed. It'll also let you run Lion.
That's largely a matter of preference. For my purposes, any Mac OS from Leopard on is better than any Windows version.
I think that's one question that'll give you hundreds of different answers.
I left Windows XP in 2006 and never looked back. Well, I did try Vista, and one computer at work has 7. Confusing, but I'm sure if you used it for a while you'll get used to it.
I currently have Windows 8 and I strongly dislike it. I really like the layout of OSx too. Since I am getting the old white macbook, all of the awesome features that Lion and Mountain Lion have wouldn't work because my trackpad isn't the same as a Macbook pro's trackpad. Is snow leopard a pretty good OS?
It was great when I had it. It won't work with iCloud which was a needed feature for me since Sprint FINALLY got the iPhone.
I prefer SL to Lion or ML. As always with these kind of questions, you'll get varying opinions.
I also have an iPhone. Does Snow Leopard have problems with the iPhone and iCloud and connectivity?
Sounds good. Thanks for the help guys. At this point, the mid 2006 white macbook sounds good for what I'll be doing with it. If I were to upgrade it at all, what would I upgrade it with?
Depends what it comes with and what your storage needs are. Maxed RAM would be great. SSD might do some good if you want to drop that money on it, especially if you don't have a lot of media to store.
Could you send me a link to these products that I should consider buying? (The cheaper the better)
Sorry, not to sound a jerk, but if you're not familiar with where to get these it may be best not to do the upgrades yourself. Maybe stop by an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Dealer to help with the upgrades. And if you're looking for just cheap, just do the RAM. Oh, and obviously an external HDD to back up to.
You realize pretty cheap is relative right? Macs have the same issues as every other notebook. Make sure you examine it thoroughly. Battery cycles are a good thing to look up too. I've had some old ones swell up, and they can deform the case. Some widgets can indicate cycle count. Make sure the charger isn't starting to fray or anything. For reference this is the battery they use. Note the charger reviews too. This would be why I say examine the things carefully. Also what constitutes cheap? I would suggest it depends on the condition, and keep in mind you're not considering a new machine with 2006 specs. You're considering a potentially 7 year old used machine. Snow Leopard is a little blah with 2GB. Lion is way too resource intensive. It's very poor at managing memory.
You ask a lot of ambiguous questions. It depends on the software. A lot of people on here bootcamp for games. I don't personally. I did bootcamp for other software. Windows 7 isn't bad. It's less resource intensive than Lion. I'm not sure about Snow Leopard. That might be slightly faster in some areas, but you're splitting hairs here. Don't expect Core duo (Core 2 duo came out in 2007) to run like the latest hardware. If it isn't really cheap, it's probably not worth it. Ignore everymac. Their pricing is severely skewed.
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It's a good laptop for the simple stuff. You can easily replace yourself:
- battery
- memory
- hard drive
- If the laptop comes with Tiger (10.4) or Leopard (10.5) installed, make sure you install Snow Leopard (10.6). It's the best and fastest OS your laptop supports.
- If the battery still works, it won't have a lot of capacity left. So you might want to buy a new one if you really need the Mac for mobile usage.
- Having 2GB of RAM is very recommendable. It shouldn't be to expensive.
- The hard drive will probably be 60GB. That might not be enough for you. Install a hard drive with a bigger capacity, or a SSD for maximal performance.
- battery
- memory
- hard drive
- If the laptop comes with Tiger (10.4) or Leopard (10.5) installed, make sure you install Snow Leopard (10.6). It's the best and fastest OS your laptop supports.
- If the battery still works, it won't have a lot of capacity left. So you might want to buy a new one if you really need the Mac for mobile usage.
- Having 2GB of RAM is very recommendable. It shouldn't be to expensive.
- The hard drive will probably be 60GB. That might not be enough for you. Install a hard drive with a bigger capacity, or a SSD for maximal performance.
Thank you for the suggestions! I'm planning on buy 2gb RAM for my macbook. Any suggestions as to what RAM to get exactly? Any links you can point me towards? I know how to install it, I just need to know what RAM to buy
My girlfriend has mid 2006 white MB with 2GB RAm, 320GB HDD (upgraded somewhere along the way by the previous owner) and SL 10.6.8 installed.
She doesn't use it for any hardcore stuff - web, Office, some photo "editing" in Picasa and it works great, a whole lot better than her 2009 Acer she used to own..
All in all she's very happy with this Macbook. Plus - recently Apple replaced the cracked bottom hinge - in fact they'd replaced the bottom cover, the keyboard, trackpad and screen bezel! So it looks like a new laptop now.
Therefore I would really recommend it for someone who just needs a laptop for some day to day stuff.
She doesn't use it for any hardcore stuff - web, Office, some photo "editing" in Picasa and it works great, a whole lot better than her 2009 Acer she used to own..
All in all she's very happy with this Macbook. Plus - recently Apple replaced the cracked bottom hinge - in fact they'd replaced the bottom cover, the keyboard, trackpad and screen bezel! So it looks like a new laptop now.
Therefore I would really recommend it for someone who just needs a laptop for some day to day stuff.