Upgrade on MacBook A1181

[Chuushajou]

Hi guys!

I haven't been on this forum for ages! I joined when I bought my MacBook A1181 all them years ago! But since then I've had MacBook Pros, iPads and more iPhones than I can count. Luckily I've got a job whereas I didn't then

Anyway, I have given my sister the A1181 and it is now rather slow and out of date (still running leopard) and she asked me to update and upgrade it. I bought Snow leopard the other week (Whilst it is back in the Apple store). Now I'm looking for more ram, will this set by crucial work? And will this SSD be compatibile?


Thank you for your help!

 

[simsaladimbamba]

Since A1181 refers to a lot of models, the answers you get might not be 100% accurate.

Anyway, 200-pin DDR2 SO-DIMM RAM RAM should work, maybe that MacBook only recognises 3.3 GB RAM or the full amount of RAM or can even be outfitted with 6 GB of RAM.
As for the SSD, it should be compatible, as S-ATA is backwards-compatible.

Upgrading RAM in MacBooks and MacBook Pros​

MacBook, MacBook Pro: Replacing the Hard Disk Drive, transferring data to the new HDD

the guide includes:

• 0. Identify your MacBook or MacBook Pro
• 1. Getting a new HDD
• 2. Guides to replace the internal HDD with a newer one
• 3. Transferring data from the old HDD to the new HDD
• 4. Using the optical disk drive (ODD) slot for placing an SSD or HDD inside the MB/P (OPTIBAY)

​

To find out, what exact Mac model you use, click > About This Mac > More Info > Hardware Overview:

To see a more elaborate image explaining the above steps, click here.
To see a more detailed video tutorial showing the above steps, click here (2 MB, 23s, .mp4).​

As for what OS might be fitting, Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard or Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard should suffice, though some people can run Mac OS X 10.7 Lion and OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion successfully on older hardware.

 

[brop52]

Hi guys!

I haven't been on this forum for ages! I joined when I bought my MacBook A1181 all them years ago! But since then I've had MacBook Pros, iPads and more iPhones than I can count. Luckily I've got a job whereas I didn't then

Anyway, I have given my sister the A1181 and it is now rather slow and out of date (still running leopard) and she asked me to update and upgrade it. I bought Snow leopard the other week (Whilst it is back in the Apple store). Now I'm looking for more ram, will this set by crucial work? And will this SSD be compatibile?


Thank you for your help!

A1181 is a wide range of machines. If it is the one on your signature then this appears to be the one in question.

It also appears that you might be in the UK. It also appears that that is the correct RAM. Unfortunately DDR2 RAM prices have started to increase so if you want to buy it you should do it soon. You max out at 6GB but given the prices of 4GB chips of DDR2-6400 it might be too expensive for the benefit of only 2GB extra. You don't have to buy "Apple branded" RAM. Buy any 200-pin 2X2GB DDR2-6400 800MHz RAM.

Why Snow Leopard? It's a newer machine it can handle Mountain Lion.

 

[Chuushajou]

Thanks guys, and sorry I should of maybe cleared that up! It is the one in my signature. I feel so out of touch, I remember building computers 2-3 years ago and it feels like I've forgotten all of it

Thanks for your help guys. Just a question, will the 204-pin DDR2 fit? Or will it only accept 200-pin? Once again the model is MC240B/A. I will go to mountain lion, but I can't get there until I'm on Snow Leopard...

 

[simsaladimbamba]

Only 200-pin DDR2 SO-DIMM RAM RAM will work, due to the physical difference between 204 pins and 200 pins and also the difference between DDR2 and DDR3 RAM.