Worth it to put an SSD in a 2006 Macbook?

[makismagoo99]

I have a late 2006 Macbook 2,1. It still runs very well overall; I've kept on top of the updates and added RAM, so I've maxed the computer out at 2GB. Lately I've been ogling the SSDs and thinking it might be nice to have one.

However, is spending $300+ for an SSD worth it for a machine that's nearly 5 years old? Correct me if I'm wrong, but this laptop is only SATA-I (1.5 Gbps) capable. Wouldn't that cut down on the performance gains a bit?

 

[darknite38]

Nah, I don't think it's worth it. Your macbook is past its prime, putting an ssd into it would be like going to the animal shelter and buying a 14 year old cat =D

 

[RoelJuun]

Just buy it. Whenever you think that your MacBook is still too slow, buy a new one (if you have some cash) and slip in the SSD.

 

[Ca$hflow]

I think its worth it. It's not like you will throw the ssd in the garbage when you sell the computer. Because you are maxed out on ram this will help tremendously since your storage drive will be doing allot of swapping because the shortage of ram. The ssd will put out 128mb/sec where as your getting only about 50mb/sec on your current hard drive. If your computer would negotiate a 3gb link then your good up to 256mb/sec. Also you may get more life out of your macbook because lion will run on the Late 2006 and not on the early 2006.

Remember if your not using your optical drive then install an optibay adapter and only buy a 64GB ssd and put your HDD in the optibay, then put your superdrive in an USB enclosure.

Makes me wonder if your computer would unofficially accept 3GB of ram?

 

[makismagoo99]

Just buy it. Whenever you think that your MacBook is still too slow, buy a new one (if you have some cash) and slip in the SSD.

That is actually a good point. I can just transfer the SSD to the new computer when I get one. Although at that point, I might just opt for one of Apple's built-in SSDs.

Remember if your not using your optical drive then install an optibay adapter and only buy a 64GB ssd and put your HDD in the optibay, then put your superdrive in an USB enclosure.

Makes me wonder if your computer would unofficially accept 3GB of ram?

For some reason, I was under the impression that the Optibaty was only available for the newer generation (Unibody) Macbooks/MBPs. But that could be another option and would save me some money in the process.

 

[Snesley Wipes]

If you like your Mac and it does what you want it to do, keep it. I can't imagine your computer is too slow to run all the programs you need it to right? If your a gamer or need some serious video compression power you might need to dump it, otherwise I vote for the SSD.

 

[makismagoo99]

If you like your Mac and it does what you want it to do, keep it. I can't imagine your computer is too slow to run all the programs you need it to right? If your a gamer or need some serious video compression power you might need to dump it, otherwise I vote for the SSD.

Nah it's not too slow for most things, but I've been getting a lot of random beachballs just from browsing the internet and other simple tasks - it's frustrating.

 

[charliex5]

I have an OCZ Vertex 2 that I use for my desktop but one day just to see what it would be like I popped it into my 07 MacBook. It was pretty great. It felt like a whole new computer. Everything was so much faster to open and boot up. If I could afford it I'd for sure get another one for it.

I say go for it, depending how much space you need the price isn't sooooo bad. Also, the Optibay idea is one that I have toyed around with. A 60 gig SSD can be had for less than $100. I got mine for about $85 with a rebate.

 

[EVO9Nate]

I have a late 2006 Macbook 2,1. It still runs very well overall; I've kept on top of the updates and added RAM, so I've maxed the computer out at 2GB. Lately I've been ogling the SSDs and thinking it might be nice to have one.

However, is spending $300+ for an SSD worth it for a machine that's nearly 5 years old? Correct me if I'm wrong, but this laptop is only SATA-I (1.5 Gbps) capable. Wouldn't that cut down on the performance gains a bit?

I actually used my OCZ Vert II in my daughters 2006 MacBook for about a month until the new 2.3Ghz Quad Core came out and I must say that it wasn't that impressive to me. Save your money and buy a newer MAC then get an SSD to compliment it.

 

[makismagoo99]

I actually used my OCZ Vert II in my daughters 2006 MacBook for about a month until the new 2.3Ghz Quad Core came out and I must say that it wasn't that impressive to me. Save your money and buy a newer MAC then get an SSD to compliment it.

Yeah I'm starting to lean this way, but maybe I'll see if prices drop at all this summer.

 

[Vantage Point]

Forget it. The weak link is still weak. The 3 bottlenecks are CPU, RAM and hard drive. Faster hard drive only helps with read/write times so you need a fast CPU and plenty of RAM to make a worthwhile difference.

 

[mcdonap]

Your machine can actually use 3 GB of RAM. (You could put 4 in and while the OS will see it, it will only address 3.)

I think you would see a huge speed increase with the SSD, and I think it would be worthwhile if the MacBook meets your needs otherwise.

I recently put in 4 GB Ram in my mid 2007 2,1 MacBook and a 240GB SSD - it's like a new machine. Everything is extremely fast. I have no regrets, and I'll just take the drive with me when I eventually upgrade my machine.

 

[mechanopony]

Your machine can actually use 3 GB of RAM. (You could put 4 in and while the OS will see it, it will only address 3.)

I think you would see a huge speed increase with the SSD, and I think it would be worthwhile if the MacBook meets your needs otherwise.

I recently put in 4 GB Ram in my mid 2007 2,1 MacBook and a 240GB SSD - it's like a new machine. Everything is extremely fast. I have no regrets, and I'll just take the drive with me when I eventually upgrade my machine.

This is very true. I upgraded my 2007 MacBook from 2GB to 3GB of RAM and it made a big difference. Have been considering upping that one to an SSD as well, and doing the same thing (taking the drive with me). It's my beater laptop, poor thing.

 

[RoelJuun]

Don't forget that the integrated gpu takes some ram too, having 4 gigs is just worth it. While you can not utilize the full 4 gigs, your gpu will at least not use your ram that you can actually use.

 

[dmk1974]

This is very true. I upgraded my 2007 MacBook from 2GB to 3GB of RAM and it made a big difference. Have been considering upping that one to an SSD as well, and doing the same thing (taking the drive with me). It's my beater laptop, poor thing.

I have a black mid-2007 MacBook as well. I can go to 4gb in it? I thought it was limited to just 2gb?

I am also going to put a 64gb Kingston SSD in it tonight or tomorrow. It's gonna be like a new MacBook for my daughter!

 

[makismagoo99]

Your machine can actually use 3 GB of RAM. (You could put 4 in and while the OS will see it, it will only address 3.)

I think you would see a huge speed increase with the SSD, and I think it would be worthwhile if the MacBook meets your needs otherwise.

I recently put in 4 GB Ram in my mid 2007 2,1 MacBook and a 240GB SSD - it's like a new machine. Everything is extremely fast. I have no regrets, and I'll just take the drive with me when I eventually upgrade my machine.

I was under the impression (because that's what Apple says on their website) that my machine could only use 2GB. Some googling proved that you are correct. Maybe I'll just try that and see if that helps.

 

[mugtastic]

i was getting beach balls in safari with my '08 macbook (4gb ram). i swapped the 5400rpm drive to a momentus xt 7200rpm hybrid (500gb).

immediately no more lag.

 

[Ca$hflow]

I was under the impression (because that's what Apple says on their website) that my machine could only use 2GB. Some googling proved that you are correct. Maybe I'll just try that and see if that helps.

If you have a core duo machine then your max ram is 2GB.

If you have a core2duo then your max ram is 3.3GB. That way if you put 4 it will only read 3.3GB. If you put 3 then it will only read 3.0GB.

 

[dmk1974]

I installed the SSD into my MacBook last night. Definitely made a huge difference in speed! I restored from my TimeMachine backup and the restore went smooth.

The only thing, and I cant figure out why it would be due to the SSD, is that after booting or even when sitting idle, the processor temp randomly rises and the fan cranks up from the usual 1800-2000 rpm to 5600-6200 rpm. The ONLY thing I changed was the hard drive. Is there any reason for this? Thanks!

 

[Vantage Point]

I was under the impression (because that's what Apple says on their website) that my machine could only use 2GB. Some googling proved that you are correct. Maybe I'll just try that and see if that helps.

Apple states the 2011 MBP's can take 8GB of ram but they can actually take 16GB.

 

[junkster]

Nah, I don't think it's worth it. Your macbook is past its prime, putting an ssd into it would be like going to the animal shelter and buying a 14 year old cat =D

Nonsense! I've got a second-gen x86 MacBook (November 2006), and it feels like a brand new computer to me. Sure, the latest models have some mildly increased stats, somewhat better displays, and the nice glass trackpad, but I don't feel any real need to upgrade. I'm enjoying it as much as when I first bought it!

Price is the one issue. I expect that the battery will give out soon, and that's $125 or so to replace. Then there's the $129 to get Lion when it's released. That's around 25% of the cost of a new model right there. But if was hurting for speed, I'd definitely buy a good quality SSD.

 

[Hey Jude]

Your machine can actually use 3 GB of RAM. (You could put 4 in and while the OS will see it, it will only address 3.)

I think you would see a huge speed increase with the SSD, and I think it would be worthwhile if the MacBook meets your needs otherwise.

I recently put in 4 GB Ram in my mid 2007 2,1 MacBook and a 240GB SSD - it's like a new machine. Everything is extremely fast. I have no regrets, and I'll just take the drive with me when I eventually upgrade my machine.

I have 4GB of ram in my late 2006 MB and it is a "snappy" for lack of a better word, and I was actually toying with the idea of putting in 128 GB SSD drive but finding it hard to justify the cost due to the limited use the MB gets.

I still love my MB --- first Mac computer purchase ever --- and plan to use it as long it lasts, so eventually I will purchase a SSD drive for it. Your post was the clincher

 

[dmk1974]

I installed the SSD into my MacBook last night. Definitely made a huge difference in speed! I restored from my TimeMachine backup and the restore went smooth.

The only thing, and I cant figure out why it would be due to the SSD, is that after booting or even when sitting idle, the processor temp randomly rises and the fan cranks up from the usual 1800-2000 rpm to 5600-6200 rpm. The ONLY thing I changed was the hard drive. Is there any reason for this? Thanks!

Temperatures seem to be back to normal since yesterday I followed the ifixit guide and opened up the MacBook to find quite a bit of dust inside. Blew that out with a can of compressed air and all seems good! Since this is for my daughter, the 64gb SSD drive is plenty big and makes that mid-2007 MacBook seems almost as fast as my mid-2010 MBP (with 128gb SSD) for most tasks!