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Old good white MacBook revival - dusting, upgrades.
- Thread starter oreez
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It's going to be me bringing this thread back to life! 
This week I've bought the early 2008 Model from eBay, since I could not afford a newer model and I needed a Mac laptop for collage. It's in an excellent condition! The original owner took really good care of it! It has a new battery that holds up to 5 hours (depending on the use) and I've upgraded it to 4 GBs of RAM best computer I ever bought! Do you think its worth to upgrade it to Lion?
This week I've bought the early 2008 Model from eBay, since I could not afford a newer model and I needed a Mac laptop for collage. It's in an excellent condition! The original owner took really good care of it! It has a new battery that holds up to 5 hours (depending on the use) and I've upgraded it to 4 GBs of RAM best computer I ever bought! Do you think its worth to upgrade it to Lion? 
I have a newer late 2011 MBP, but I still use my 2.2Ghz 2007 White MB. I love this machine, the white still is awesome, IMHO. It's in great condition, clean and a few light scratches only visible at an angle.
I upgraded from the 1GB standard to 4GB Kingston Mac ram and I took out the 120GB 5200 HDD and replaced it with a WD 320GB 7200 drive. I installed Snow Leopard 10.6.8 (still the best OS) on it. It runs awesome still.
It even boots up and shuts down faster than my 2011 MBP that's running ML (ML shuts down slow).
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I had Lion on my 2007, it was ok, don't remember if it was really slow and what not, but I recommend Snow Leopard on the older Macbooks. YMMV.
I upgraded from the 1GB standard to 4GB Kingston Mac ram and I took out the 120GB 5200 HDD and replaced it with a WD 320GB 7200 drive. I installed Snow Leopard 10.6.8 (still the best OS) on it. It runs awesome still.
It even boots up and shuts down faster than my 2011 MBP that's running ML (ML shuts down slow).
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It's going to be me bringing this thread back to life!
I had Lion on my 2007, it was ok, don't remember if it was really slow and what not, but I recommend Snow Leopard on the older Macbooks. YMMV.
I was inspired for upgrade too.
Until now I had Mini Macs and for the first time I bought from yahoo auctions(in Japan) finally my first Mac laptop a 3.1 Macbook late 2007.
The battery wasn't working at all, so got a new one.
RAM 1 GB (two of 512), needed upgrade to 4GB, I went to Apple store here in Sapporo, but it was 24 000yen more than 200 bucks, but I found on-line for 5400 (around 50 $) two sticks of 2GB. Has to arrive in any moment.
The case, keyboard etc. it is in perfect condition. No cracks at all.
(Japanese take care of their stuff excellently even used electronics have no value in Japan. For me as a western, it is awesome here)
Probably I will clean the dust from inside of it, it may have.
Surprisingly with this 1 GB RAM it is incredible fast.(OSX 10.6.8)
Hope after I install the new RAM it will stay this stable too.
Until now I had Mini Macs and for the first time I bought from yahoo auctions(in Japan) finally my first Mac laptop a 3.1 Macbook late 2007.
The battery wasn't working at all, so got a new one.
RAM 1 GB (two of 512), needed upgrade to 4GB, I went to Apple store here in Sapporo, but it was 24 000yen more than 200 bucks, but I found on-line for 5400 (around 50 $) two sticks of 2GB. Has to arrive in any moment.
The case, keyboard etc. it is in perfect condition. No cracks at all.
(Japanese take care of their stuff excellently even used electronics have no value in Japan. For me as a western, it is awesome here)
Probably I will clean the dust from inside of it, it may have.
Surprisingly with this 1 GB RAM it is incredible fast.(OSX 10.6.8)
Hope after I install the new RAM it will stay this stable too.
Macbook
I was recently fortunate enough to pick up a mid 2009 model for only $250, the external case is in excellent condition, a few scuffs and scratches but no cracks or chips. It came stock with a 160GB HD and 2GB of RAM, I upgraded the HD to a Samsung 128GB SSD and 8GB of RAM, installed ML and now it rocks! Love this machine, I don't use it for a ton of stuff but when I do I like to run multiple programs, hence the RAM upgrade.
I was recently fortunate enough to pick up a mid 2009 model for only $250, the external case is in excellent condition, a few scuffs and scratches but no cracks or chips. It came stock with a 160GB HD and 2GB of RAM, I upgraded the HD to a Samsung 128GB SSD and 8GB of RAM, installed ML and now it rocks! Love this machine, I don't use it for a ton of stuff but when I do I like to run multiple programs, hence the RAM upgrade.
I sold my macbook pro 2008 3 months ago and bought a macbook 2010 which came with applecare warranty (now expired) and was exactly like new in its box, dust covers, bag, etc
Upgraded ram to 8gb, upgraded hdd to a 1tb hybrid seagate 5400rpm and upgraded to ML. Absolutely excellent machine. Now waiting for my G3 ibook to arrive
Upgraded ram to 8gb, upgraded hdd to a 1tb hybrid seagate 5400rpm and upgraded to ML. Absolutely excellent machine. Now waiting for my G3 ibook to arrive
I sold my macbook pro 2008 3 months ago and bought a macbook 2010 which came with applecare warranty (now expired) and was exactly like new in its box, dust covers, bag, etc
Upgraded ram to 8gb, upgraded hdd to a 1tb hybrid seagate 5400rpm and upgraded to ML. Absolutely excellent machine. Now waiting for my G3 ibook to arrive
A G3 iBook
what for
A G3 iBook
Just something i have always wanted i guess. I dont think i would even use it really.
From the sale of my macbook pro i was able to get an MP 1.1 in original packing, a macbook 7.1 in original packing and still had £20 left over to get an ibook when i found the correct one.. So i'm happy enough.
Just something i have always wanted i guess. I dont think i would even use it really.
From the sale of my macbook pro i was able to get an MP 1.1 in original packing, a macbook 7.1 in original packing and still had £20 left over to get an ibook when i found the correct one.. So i'm happy enough.
Awesome collection! Are you getting the clamshell ibook?
no clamshell, just a 'normal' white ibook at 500mhz which should be fun..
Have seen a nice clamshell complete in it's packing for £40 so maybe.
Have seen a nice clamshell complete in it's packing for £40 so maybe.
I updated the niece's 2010 white Macbook 7,1 to 8GB and a 500GB SSD. Huge performance bump. I am now doing a second one so her 4 kids can share the 2 MacBooks. And I am doing one for my brother now that he has retired.
It is easy to get the units and parts on ebay. Your mileage will vary.
It is easy to get the units and parts on ebay. Your mileage will vary.
Those that have aging 2009 white Macbook 2.26Mhz units can replace the 60wh battery with a 63.5wh battery that came in the 2010 white Macbook. You can get the batteries for around much less than $100 on eBay, Amazon,...etc. Make sure you have a tri-wing screwdriver to remove any Apple security screws that hold down the battery. You can find videos on battery replacement on Youtube.
I updated the niece's 2010 white Macbook 7,1 to 8GB and a 500GB SSD. Huge performance bump. I am now doing a second one so her 4 kids can share the 2 MacBooks. And I am doing one for my brother now that he has retired.
It is easy to get the units and parts on ebay. Your mileage will vary.
500GB SSD for a white macbook Would have cost the same to get them a new MBA lol
300GB SSDs are $185-$250 depending on brand/model. 500GB SSD are around $215-275. So it only costs an extra ~$50 to almost double the capacity. And it can later be used inside a USB 3 enclosure, or as the boot drive for a desktop PC. So the investment in the SSD is not wasted.
A new 13" MBA with 8GB and 512GB SSD costs $1599. I am doing these MacBooks for well under half that. If not , indeed there would not be much point.
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Picked up a 2010 while Macbook 7,1 today at UPS (ordered from eBay). It still had the original Toshiba drive that on BlackMagic Speed Disk did around 50MBs read/write. I just put in the Samsung EVP 840 500GB SSD. Read/write times are now over 200MBs. Tomorrow it will get 8GB of memory and a new battery. It should make a nice present for my brother.
A new 13" MBA with 8GB and 512GB SSD costs $1599. I am doing these MacBooks for well under half that. If not , indeed there would not be much point.
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Picked up a 2010 while Macbook 7,1 today at UPS (ordered from eBay). It still had the original Toshiba drive that on BlackMagic Speed Disk did around 50MBs read/write. I just put in the Samsung EVP 840 500GB SSD. Read/write times are now over 200MBs. Tomorrow it will get 8GB of memory and a new battery. It should make a nice present for my brother.
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I said MBA = Macbook Air, they run for $899 for the cheapest version and while it's only 4GB ram and less SSD for the cheapest one, it will be faster and more energy efficient, and getting a brand new machine and warranty. than a 2010 white macbook based on overall specs. Don't forget the costs of the RAM + battery + old machine that you are buying.
Like I said IMHO, buying a brand new mba for $899 would prob be a better investment and if its for kids in college you can use student discounts in BestBuy and get them for around $650-750. I think they had the 13" MBA for $750 with the discount last week.
I'm not bringing down the white macbook, I'm still rocking the mid 2007 version, just don't think is a good investment to upgrade any of them in 2014. I see new OSes will prob block Core 2 Duos pretty soon
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I did not forget all the costs. If you shop carefully on eBay you can get a Macbook for around $300. $72 for 8 GB and the SSD is $270. So I will have $650-700 in each. Coming up with extra money for new MBAs is not an option for many folks.
I am building one as a gift for my retired brother to do email, ancestry, and not much else. The second one is for my niece's small kids. I hope she pays for some of the cost. The third one is for a middle school kid. His grandmother is getting his older sister a rMBA for college. She will get him a rMBP in a few years. The grandmother, a friend, will pay 100% for her grandson's Macbook.
I am building one as a gift for my retired brother to do email, ancestry, and not much else. The second one is for my niece's small kids. I hope she pays for some of the cost. The third one is for a middle school kid. His grandmother is getting his older sister a rMBA for college. She will get him a rMBP in a few years. The grandmother, a friend, will pay 100% for her grandson's Macbook.
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Like I said IMO
we can agree to disagree on whats best You are spending just as much as a brand new MBA using the student discount. For me the new MBA would be the better option, but that doesn't mean your option is bad either.
I doubt we even disagree. The key is what makes the most sense various by the requirements of the user and the budgetary limitations. For my budget and the requirements of the users I am trying to help, a souped up white Macbook is good enough.
A new 13" MBA with 8GB and 500GB SSD will cost over $1000 even allowing for ed discounts. http://prices.appleinsider.com
Granted an 11" MBA base model is less but that is not comparing 13" apples to 13" apples.
A new 13" MBA with 8GB and 500GB SSD will cost over $1000 even allowing for ed discounts. http://prices.appleinsider.com
Granted an 11" MBA base model is less but that is not comparing 13" apples to 13" apples.
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I doubt we even disagree. The key is what makes the most sense various by the requirements of the user and the budgetary limitations. For my budget and the requirements of the users I am trying to help, a souped up white Macbook is good enough.
A new 13" MBA with 8GB and 500GB SSD will cost over $1000 even allowing for ed discounts. http://prices.appleinsider.com
Granted an 11" MBA base model is less but that is not comparing 13" apples to 13" apples.
The basic 13" MBA 2014 was $750 last week on BB w/ the discount
You do know that ram and hard drive do not make a computer? a basic 11" MBA w. i5 and better graphics card will easily kick a 2010 white macbook ass even w/ 4GB ram.
I dig your helping and wanting to give the best bang for your buck to help your other family members
Bought one mid last year to fix up and gift to my cousin (senior yr of HS, and he's brilliant, but really needs his own Mac for now and college).
It's an Early 2009 model.
I put in 4GB 800MHz DDR2, a 128GB SanDisk SSD, and loaded a fresh install of OS X Yosemite. It runs great! Even the battery still holds a charge for a few hours.
Total cost for a Yosemite running, SSD equipped MacBook, $260. Not bad at all IMO.
First thing he did was load Steam and TF2
. The 9400m has actually aged rather well for an integrated card.
Still using this model too! Mines the late 2007 Model but i dont believe there is much of a difference. However, mines running 4gb of RAM, 240Gb kingston HDD (they are getting cheaper, i paid $120 for it) Snow leopard and windows 8.1 64bit!
Im in university aswell first year currently and my only issue with my system is how hot it gets from a little Facebook or any flash page to that issue. In windows it doesnt have that problem. Then again in windows the X3100 displays 384mb VRAm unlike the OSX only 144. I did have Lion but i found the system sluggish with Lion even with my SSD. ran a lot hotter too. And yea i did clean it and new thermal paste too. ML Post Factor Ran perfectly though! Right Temperatures no Video lag but had to downgrade back to snow leopard as the WIFI kext wasnt correct and i couldnt connect to WPA2 Enterprise. Over the summer once i learn a thing about installing Kexts it will run 10.8.4 again. I hope to use this machine through the next 4 years of my university education! LONG LIVE WHITE MACBOOKS
Im in university aswell first year currently and my only issue with my system is how hot it gets from a little Facebook or any flash page to that issue. In windows it doesnt have that problem. Then again in windows the X3100 displays 384mb VRAm unlike the OSX only 144. I did have Lion but i found the system sluggish with Lion even with my SSD. ran a lot hotter too. And yea i did clean it and new thermal paste too. ML Post Factor Ran perfectly though! Right Temperatures no Video lag but had to downgrade back to snow leopard as the WIFI kext wasnt correct and i couldnt connect to WPA2 Enterprise. Over the summer once i learn a thing about installing Kexts it will run 10.8.4 again. I hope to use this machine through the next 4 years of my university education! LONG LIVE WHITE MACBOOKS
The only thing keeping me from really enjoying my white Macbook (late 2007) that I paid $100 for is the screen seems pretty washed out compared to every other laptop I use now (MacBook Air, HP, Ipads). I have to have the angle of viewing correct also. Is this common to this vintage?