Hello, I am looking to buy a old macbook on ebay or amazon for $200-$300. I plan on putting an ssd in and adding more ram. Is there one anyone can recommend that would work well? I bought a $200 2 in 1 windows tablet/laptop and it's too slow and sluggish so I'm looking for a better option for a lightweight fast laptop to do things like watch youtube without any stuttering, browse forums, etc.
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Recommendations for a old cheap macbook to buy and put an ssd in?
- Thread starter Nathan576
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If it's a 2009 plastic unibody MacBook or higher (basically, anything with no buttons on the trackpad), it'll be excellent for your needs.
With an SSD they browse the Internet really smoothly. In tandem with support for 10.11 and the trackpad gestures, I would choose it in a heartbeat over any new Windows laptop at that same price.
Conversely if you get one of the slightly older MacBooks which have the one-button mouse, it's the exact opposite. Ancient OS support, crummy trackpad, limited RAM and awful GPU (even for the time). They're two completely different machines.
To conclude: old MacBooks with an SSD and maxed RAM are still fab, but avoid any which have a physical button below the trackpad. They can look very similar in listing photos so be careful and triple check here if you're unsure.
With an SSD they browse the Internet really smoothly. In tandem with support for 10.11 and the trackpad gestures, I would choose it in a heartbeat over any new Windows laptop at that same price.
Conversely if you get one of the slightly older MacBooks which have the one-button mouse, it's the exact opposite. Ancient OS support, crummy trackpad, limited RAM and awful GPU (even for the time). They're two completely different machines.
To conclude: old MacBooks with an SSD and maxed RAM are still fab, but avoid any which have a physical button below the trackpad. They can look very similar in listing photos so be careful and triple check here if you're unsure.
Hows this one look?
https://www.amazon.com/Apple-MacBoo...8&qid=1493245489&sr=8-2&keywords=2009+macbook
Is the ram upgradable?
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Yep, perfect. RAM is also upgradable to 8GB (2x4GB DDR3 1066MHz SODIMM).
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I have just bought a Mid-2010 MacBook from ebay for 185 finest UK Pounds. I'm impressed with it, seems to run Sierra absolutely fine. Not a powerhouse and connectivity is limited, but I'm not planning running anything particularly demanding on it. Plus, it's really upgradeable, swapping battery, upping RAM (got 8 gb kit ordered but 16 gb is possible), finally putting an SSD in which I will do when funds allow. Very happy with it.