Is it possible to put in a faster processor in my Macbook Pro from 2007? Currently 2.33 ghz with 4g ram. Runs slower than molasses with a Parallels VM Windows 7 x64 installed. Any workarounds? Would 8g ram be better? Thanks for your input.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Upgrade processor on 2007 Macbook pro?
- Thread starter kansassunflower
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
The processor is soldered onto the motherboard meaning it can't be upgraded (as most laptops can't).
Your bottle necks arn't really the processor, but more the slower laptop hard drive and your RAM. 8GB of RAM will definitely improve speed, as will a SSD upgrade to your hard disk, or of lesser benefit a slightly faster hard drive.
Your bottle necks arn't really the processor, but more the slower laptop hard drive and your RAM. 8GB of RAM will definitely improve speed, as will a SSD upgrade to your hard disk, or of lesser benefit a slightly faster hard drive.
Virtualization is more RAM and HD intensive than CPU intensive. Your MBP can't take more than 4GB so all you can do is to upgrade the HD. A big 7200rpm drive should speed things up.
To answer your question, no, the CPU is not upgradeable.
To answer your question, no, the CPU is not upgradeable.
The easy and painless way to do a processor upgrade in two steps:
1. Sell your MacBook on eBay
2. Buy a new MacBook with a faster processor.
Seriously.
+1
usually it's also much cheaper to go this route that trying some hacks/soldering/buying processors of ebay.
however the other posters are also correct: HD and Ram are more important. The speed increase from my 2.4GHz MBP to my Core i7 2.66GHz MBP is only moderate although the Core i7 can speed up to 3.3GHz. They have both 4GB and &200RPM HD's. Only a few applications are significantly faster because they use the faster GPU or because they use the virtual cores of the CORE i7. In most cases it feels not more than 10% faster.
One question to this... how do you know it won't work reliably... general assumption or personal experience through trial and error?
Not to mention that new processors aren't compatible with your logic boards, because they are manufactured differently.
You should be able to install 6GB of RAM. OWC sells kits for your MBP.
Does anybody know whether 6GB suffers from whatever reliability issues 8GB does?
I'm using a 2007 2.2GHz MBP with 4GB and Intel 320 SSD, and the machine flies. I don't run Parallels though.
Does anybody know whether 6GB suffers from whatever reliability issues 8GB does?
I'm using a 2007 2.2GHz MBP with 4GB and Intel 320 SSD, and the machine flies. I don't run Parallels though.
Agreed. I could tell a difference going to a 7200rpm hard drive back in the day, it seemed the stock drives then just ran like molasses. But it's still not going to give you the performance of a more modern processor with more RAM.
Go ahead and try it (shoot it's less than a hundred bucks), and then delegate it to a back up machine or give it to an elderly relative if it doesn't meet your expectations. You've had it for five years, I'd say you've gotten your money's worth out of it.
Wait, no one is going to tell him that he needs to buy a retina macbook pro?
PQUOTE=ohbrilliance;15319067]You should be able to install 6GB of RAM. OWC sells kits for your MBP.
Does anybody know whether 6GB suffers from whatever reliability issues 8GB does?
I'm using a 2007 2.2GHz MBP with 4GB and Intel 320 SSD, and the machine flies. I don't run Parallels though.[/QUOTE]
If u install 2 more gig i dont know if its gonna help cos u dont need quantity but speed..
If it is gonna be still 667 it will be still laggy
It needs i7 and at least
1866 MHz RAM speed.. ad I have on my aspire ethos
Does anybody know whether 6GB suffers from whatever reliability issues 8GB does?
I'm using a 2007 2.2GHz MBP with 4GB and Intel 320 SSD, and the machine flies. I don't run Parallels though.[/QUOTE]
If u install 2 more gig i dont know if its gonna help cos u dont need quantity but speed..
If it is gonna be still 667 it will be still laggy
It needs i7 and at least
1866 MHz RAM speed.. ad I have on my aspire ethos
If u install 2 more gig i dont know if its gonna help cos u dont need quantity but speed..
If it is gonna be still 667 it will be still laggy
It needs i7 and at least
1866 MHz RAM speed.. ad I have on my aspire ethos[/QUOTE]
I remember that the 2008 aluminum macbooks could handle 6 gigs without instability issues, but not 8.
I remember that the 2008 aluminum macbooks could handle 6 gigs without instability issues, but not 8.[/QUOTE]
I just upgraded from a fully upgraded 2007 MBP to a retina MBP. On the 2007 model, Parallels/Fusion, Pro Tools, and 1080P videos would really get the fans running and the bottom plate cooking. And everything else would be slow as molasses while those were running.
On the retina, i can do all three of those at once with no noticeable fan noise and much less heat. It's a world of difference. Resale value of the old one is decent, I'd put my money towards a new MBP.
I remember that the 2008 aluminum macbooks could handle 6 gigs without instability issues, but not 8.[/QUOTE]
That is same with 2007 ones
Actually
Actually this computer can't handel a much faster hard drive. I have the 2.2ghz model and seeing as I have a ssd in mine it does not make that much of a difference because the computer can only handel 1.5 gb/s transfer speeds.
Actually this computer can't handel a much faster hard drive. I have the 2.2ghz model and seeing as I have a ssd in mine it does not make that much of a difference because the computer can only handel 1.5 gb/s transfer speeds.
I'm considering an SSD upgrade to my 2007 MBP. So I'm curious if there's any chance that the minimal improvement could be due to TRIM or firmware issues?
An SSD will make a huge difference. I'm still using my 2007 MBP with SSD and 6GB RAM as my main development machine. Sure, it's long in the tooth, but still eminently usable. It sometimes runs a little hot when paging, especially with lots of Chrome tabs open (those things are very memory hungry).
Depends on what you use it for. I've got the same laptop as you, and for general computing it's fast, but as soon as I open a VM or too many tabs in Chrome/Firefox, it chokes on its own bile.
Maybe the issue has been dealt with but here it is January 2016 and I just upgraded a Macbook Pro 3,1 (2007) with a 480GB SSD. It has 4GB of memory and trying to convince myself to NOT buy the 6GB upgrade. Just not sure how much benefit I will see. Need to use it some with activity monitor running so I can see memory usage before I make a final decision.
But that is all off topic as the OP asked about changing processors.
But that is all off topic as the OP asked about changing processors.