Updating 2007 Macbook to Snow Leopard?

Hi!

I have a mac that says it's running on 10.5.8, and basically nothing wants to update anymore (firefox, etc). Also, I get about 2 - 3 hours of use before it starts taking ten minutes to do each thing like open a new program or a new tab (I don't know if that's just due to how old it is.) And some actions make it come to an almost complete stop.

What I'm wondering is--I have a cd of Snow Leopard 10.6.3--would this help at all? Or make things worse? I noticed mention of SL killing the batteries of my generation of macbooks.

Anyway, thanks for any advice

Is it a retail disk of Snow Leopard?
http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/os...49-what-os-disk-do-i-need-brief-overview.html
If it is the grey disk - then it probably won't work unless it is your exact model disk.

Anyway - you could try icleanmemory or freememory
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/icleanmemory/id439277582?mt=12
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/freememory/id460931672?mt=12
and see if that helps. You'll probably want to close anything you aren't using to help free up memory. If you are using web browsers (most of them anyway) seem to have Memory creep - so I would restart those every time you see a slowdown.

How much RAM do you actually have? A RAM upgrade may help a lot here - and what is the model number/exact year/release date of your Mac.

It's a retail disk...as for my computer, the Apple serial number page says it's mid-2007. I got this from the 'About This Mac' thing:

Model Name: MacBook
Model Identifier: MacBook2,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.16 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 4 MB
Memory: 1 GB

The battery...haha, already pretty much sucks (It takes forever to charge now, and dies really quickly). So I'm kind of worried about upgrading when people have been saying it kills the battery.

Thanks for replying!

1GB is pretty low - and explains why you are crawling to a halt after 2 hours.
Since you have a user replaceable battery - getting a new battery is easy. Consider OWC - they have high capacity batteries
Quality Battery Options for Apple MacBook, MacBook Pro, Powerbook G3/G4, iBook G3/G4

According to Mactracker - I believe your machine can handle up to 3GB of memory
Apple MacBook Memory DDR2 667MHz up to 6.0GB and up to 750GB Internal Hard Drive upgrades too

So for ~ $132 USD - you could probably solve some of your issues ($90 USD for the battery and $42 for a 3GB memory kit.)

1GB RAM is the minimum to run Snow Leopard - so I would say - upgrade first - then try SL.
Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard - Technical Specifications

Oh, wow. So glad I didn't just jump in and download snow leopard without asking. Thanks so much!

Annnnnd follow question, sorry!

I'm limited to Amazon for purchasing these things, and Other World Computing does seem to have the battery there, but I'm a little confused which memory is right. There doesn't seem to be one from OWC...or I can't find it. Do you have any other companies you would recommend for memory?

The battery...haha, already pretty much sucks

Click to expand...

Well, it is really 6 years old.

Do you have any other companies you would recommend for memory?

Click to expand...

Crucial is the one usually recommended. You'll need this 2Gb single module:
2GB, 200-pin SODIMM, DDR2 PC2-5300 upgrades for Apple MacBook 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (13-inch) MB881LL/A Laptop/Notebook, CT3331829 from Crucial.com

or this 4Gb 2 module kit:
4GB kit (2GBx2), 200-pin SODIMM, DDR2 PC2-5300 upgrades for Apple MacBook 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (13-inch) MB881LL/A Laptop/Notebook, CT3331867 from Crucial.com

Amazon.com: nupower battery macbook 13

Crucial is good as long as it is approved for use in Apple. You may get "regular" RAM to work but I've seen many more complaints of RAM not working - when the manufacturer doesn't say it is specifically for Apple computers.

You'll have to open your machine up. I'm not sure if there is 2 512MB RAM modules or 1 1GB module in your computer. My guess is 2 512MB - but you'll have to open it to be sure. If there are 2 modules in your computer - then you can either get a 3GB upgrade or the 4GB upgrade. You just won't be able to use all 4GB - so it is better if you can save money and get a 1GB + 3GB module. If you have just 1 module - then you could get a 2GB module and save some money.

Edit: I've bought Kingston RAM before - for my PC computer. Don't have any experience with RAM for Apple/Mac except for OWC. As I said from what I've seen - you have to make sure the RAM is certified to work with Apple Computers - or you will probably end up returning it.

This is the one I purchased...mostly going by all the reviews on Amazon, it seems like the correct one for my macbook.

I just saw this for Kingston

Ahaha, now I'm having buyer's remorse...maybe I should cancel the order. But anyway, thanks for being so informative in your replies!

Just a note as Ivan advised, when you install the 2x2GB modules and boot up, only 3GB will be recognized so do not worry about that. You could have got away with 1x2GB but a little late now.

I canceled the memory order so I could have a little more time figuring things out (whew). I also checked on Apple's support page, and they say my macbook came with two modules of 512MB.

So, I guess....with the restriction of buying on Amazon, I am having a bit of trouble finding a 3GB memory. The Kingston one gets a lot of good reviews. Is 1x2GB mean it's 2GB? And is it really important that I have three?

I mis-typed on my previous post. There is no single 3GB module (1x3GB)

You can buy the 4GB - its just the computer will only recognize 3GB of the RAM. So you may save some money by buying 1 1x1GB and 1 1x2GB modules. That being said - those models of Macs like having matched pairs of RAMs so Harryb's suggestion of 2x2GB matched may be better - but I don't have first hand experience with it - and since it can only see 3GB total - not sure how that affects having to match the RAM.

Thanks so much!