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Upgrade 2006 Macbook Pro vs. new Notebook

J

jgbeatty

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 13, 2010
2
0
I purchased one of the first Intel Core Duo Macbook Pros back in 2006. It currently has the following:
Mac OSX 10.4.11
1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo
512 MB 667 MHz RAM Memory
80GB Hard drive (currently stating 5.12GB available)

I stupidly replaced my stolen 3GS with an iPhone 4, not realizing I wouldn't be able to use it. Cost wise, it looks like older 3GS are selling for very high costs. Alternatively I would downgrade to an 8GB. (not the point)

Would it even be physically possible to upgrade my computer to even hold Snow Leopard in order to use it? If so, is it better cost wise to purchase a new or refurbished Mac (any model) to replace it?

Any help would be appreciated. Please pardon any message board faux pas, I am new to this.
 
(not really related) but why can't you use an iPhone 4?

What sort of budget are you looking at for the replacement v upgrade? You can definitely put in more RAM which will show great improvement, and a bigger (faster) hard disk as well.
 
Your computer would run snow leopard, although it would probably require more RAM to do so. You should definitely upgrade to 2GB (I think the max for your machine) and get a bigger hard drive. Having such little memory and little free space on your hard drive will certainly slow your computer down significantly. I would recommend going to OWC's site (www.macsales.com) and checking out upgrades from there. They make it pretty easy to figure out what you can get to work with your computer.
 
Thanks! I'll check that site out. I mostly wasn't sure if the processor had anything to do with it.

It doesn't work for iPhone 4 bc the iTunes required for it needs Snow Leopard. Didn't know that when I bought it sadly.
 
jgbeatty said:
Thanks! I'll check that site out. I mostly wasn't sure if the processor had anything to do with it.

It doesn't work for iPhone 4 bc the iTunes required for it needs Snow Leopard. Didn't know that when I bought it sadly.
Click to expand...

That's sneaky of Apple. Makes sure of even more widespread adoption of Snow Leopard.
 
If I were you...I would just buy one of the 2008 model MacBooks that's in decent condition from Craigslist or something. You can usually find a winner for around $500 which isn't bad, it'll give you a better processor, better/more RAM, and already have Snow Leopard ready to go, plus the ports needed to make it all happen.
 
Sell your current machine and use that money to buy a new one
 
revelated said:
If I were you...I would just buy one of the 2008 model MacBooks that's in decent condition from Craigslist or something. You can usually find a winner for around $500 which isn't bad, it'll give you a better processor, better/more RAM, and already have Snow Leopard ready to go, plus the ports needed to make it all happen.
Click to expand...

You mean the 2008 MBP with the 8600GT time bomb?

I would personally spend the $100-$150 and upgrade your HDD, Ram, and OS.
 
kny3twalker said:
You mean the 2008 MBP with the 8600GT time bomb?

I would personally spend the $100-$150 and upgrade your HDD, Ram, and OS.
Click to expand...

+1

I have the same 2006 MB and a 2009 13" MBP and there is very little performance difference for typical tasks. The newer machine is a bit faster, a bit nicer, has a nicer screen and the battery lasts longer. But it's not miles better.
 
kny3twalker said:
You mean the 2008 MBP with the 8600GT time bomb?

I would personally spend the $100-$150 and upgrade your HDD, Ram, and OS.
Click to expand...

I'm with this as well.

The CPU and GPU are still totally capable of running SL fast. Just throw in some more RAM and a larger & faster HD, install SL and breathe new life into that machine.
 
jgbeatty said:
It doesn't work for iPhone 4 bc the iTunes required for it needs Snow Leopard. Didn't know that when I bought it sadly.
Click to expand...

It actually only requires Leopard, but I guess upgrading to Snow Leopard wouldn't be the worst idea.

I agree with others here. If it was my machine, I'd definitely bring the RAM up to 2 GB and install a fast 500 GB hard drive or alternatively even an 80GB or 160GB Intel G2 SSD. You could always transfer the hard drive to a new machine at a later point, and RAM isn't very expensive anyway.

Leopard or Snow Leopard will run very well on your machine after these upgrades. :)
 
kny3twalker said:
Look at the early 2008s. The link you provided is to the next generation mbp which uses the 9400m/9600gt.
Click to expand...

Well of course, that's the version I was referring to. I would never steer someone towards the non-unibody older gen MacBooks with the silver. The late edition 2008 is the perfect replacement IMO versus replacing components on a machine that's as old as his. Then again I'm just sharing my personal opinion as someone who works in the IT field. When you talk about ongoing support, maintenance, electrical cost, etc. it just doesn't make financial sense to me.

I cheered when they put Old Yeller down.
 
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