Upgrade Macbook?

I have a macbook that is over a year old.. specs(10.4.11): 1.83ghz, 512mb memory, 30gb of 60gb hdd available. When I run multiple programs (msn, firefox, word/powerpoint) my macbook gets a bit warm and usually makes noises if more than 2-3 programs are running. Is it the memory that I should consider upgrading or is it something else? And how easy is it to upgrade it myself, considering that I've never taken apart a computer/laptop?

Thanks,
Daisy

Upgrade your MacBook's memory and hard drive. A memory upgrade to 2 Gb (max for your machine) would certainly help. Also consider a larger hard drive. As far as doing it yourself, see these two web sites.

http://diy-nation.blogspot.com/2007/01/how-to-upgrade-your-macbook-memory.html

http://www.macinstruct.com/node/130

Regards.

Daisy said:

I have a macbook that is over a year old.. specs(10.4.11): 1.83ghz, 512mb memory, 30gb of 60gb hdd available. When I run multiple programs (msn, firefox, word/powerpoint) my macbook gets a bit warm and usually makes noises if more than 2-3 programs are running. Is it the memory that I should consider upgrading or is it something else? And how easy is it to upgrade it myself, considering that I've never taken apart a computer/laptop?

Thanks,
Daisy

Click to expand...

It is quite easy to upgrade a Macbook of any vintage (first generation to current) to 2+ gig of RAM, and somewhat cheap. Check newegg.com or crucial.com for RAM upgrades. You basically shut down the machine, remove the battery, four (very small) screws, pop out the old RAM and jam in the new RAM. I say "jam" because the RAM chips require a bit of force to seat them, but it is something that you can definitely do. Then replace those screws. Put the battery back in, boot up Macbook. Enjoy the speed increase.

It will speed up your computer considerably. I went from one gig to two with my second generation Core2Duo Macbook and the speed difference was very noticeable.

Same with the disk space. You can buy a much larger SATA hard drive and replace it in the same way. Does not void your warrantee (if you are concerned with that) and there are many videos out on the 'net which show you how to do it.

Do not buy RAM or HDD upgrades from Apple.

The noises you hear are the fan and swapping because 512MB of RAM is small for Tiger or Leopard.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233050

Is this the one I should be getting?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134372

This is a bit cheaper, would it work with my macbook? Plus anyone know why there is a price difference between these two?

Daisy said:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134372

This is a bit cheaper, would it work with my macbook? Plus anyone know why there is a price difference between these two?

Click to expand...

Yes, it would quite nicely and the reason for the price difference is because there is ruthless competition between memory producers. That should do very well.

Sorry - I just found out newegg does not ship to Canada. I've checked out Crucial but they only have max 1gb for my macbook model http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134372, its 24+13 for shipping which is about $40 for 1gb.. does anyone know of a different website where I could get 2gb for under $60?

Oh, you're in Canada... well that makes things a bit more complicated. Well, I don't have any websites handy, but here's the key: You're looking for 2x1gig PC2-5200S RAM modules for Apple (or other notebook computers) from whatever supplier you can get up in the provinces. They're going to be a little bit more pricey than what you can get in the States, but you can definitely get them.

And they are worth it even if it is CA$80. Heck, I'll send you my old 2x512MB (total 1GB) RAM modules if you'll send a bottle of those over-the-counter Triatec-8 (200 caplets) you can get up there from the Shoppers Drug Marts

Even a gig would make your Macbook fly.

Triatec-8..? How much will those cost and uh.. is this legal for me to send drugs through the mail?

Heh, probably not. You'll find your RAM upgrade somewhere from some supplier up north whether it be 1 or 2 gig. It just might be a little more expensive than what we have in the states. Keep searching, and remember the specs that I stated. Just remember that for your Macbook you can upgrade up to 2 gig via 2x1gig memory modules, it is easy to install, and it will make it much faster.

They're about CA$20 for the 200 tab bottle last I checked. Might be more now, I don't know.

Alright, thanks for your help.