Inherited an older macbook pro - now what?

[Typhon]

Hi there,
I am new to the mac world, via a friend who has given me his old macbook pro now that he upgraded.

I now have a Macbook Pro from early 2008 (A1260).

From my rummaging I can tell it has a 2.4ghz Core 2 Duo, he's upgraded the RAM to 3GB, and has put in a 500GB 5400rpm HDD.

It's running a fresh install of Lion, and I'm basically wondering how to get my best bang out of it. It runs reasonably zippy already, but I'm thinking maybe put in an SSD or upgrade the RAM, but I can't find a conclusive answer for how much RAM it can handle.

One link on the apple website said 8GB, lots of people say 6 is the most, and still other places say that there are stability problems over 4.

I've come seeking wisdom from those with experience in such matters.

I look forward to a long and happy association

Thanks,

 

[josephfazioli]

I have exactly the same model- with 4 gig ram instead of 3 and the original HD. It's very, very fast- faster than my 2010 MBP with comparable specs, actually.

Officially it will support 4 gigs. Unofficially, it'll support 6, but there are stability issues. The reported issues include black screen, refusal to boot, etc. It's all fixed by switching back to the original (or supported) ram. Use some crazy programs to get an idea of what it can handle before you spend the money to upgrade. iMovie, photoshop, iphoto, and playing a DVD should do the trick. If it doesn't explode, you're in great shape.

Other upgrades you'll want- DVI to VGA or HDMI to throw it up on an external display, a magic trackpad for multitouch, and a wireless keyboard. I don't often use it, but Hulu looks AWESOME at 40 inches.

 

[JUKE179r]

I wish I had friend that gave me a MBP.
Have fun with it!